Temples - North to South Circle for 18 days

Welcome to Ulaanbaatar! 

Our staff will welcome you at the airport/train station  in Ulaanbaatar (UB), the capital of Mongolia  and  assist you checking in to the hotel.  

Have a rest until we take you for  guided walking city tour that will introduce you to the highlights of the city: The central city square with a grand statue of Genghis Khan and Sukhbaatar statue placed at the center as well. Museum of National History is located right next to the square will introducing Mongolia's history from early humans to modern era. Then choose to visit one of two museums from the following: 1. Choijin Lama or State Oracle Residence-museum displaying best samples of Buddhist artwork and religious masks. 2 The Fine Arts Zanabazar Museum displays old arts including   Buddhist arts, painting, folk arts and crafts, sculptures, carvings and embroideries.  

In the evening at 6 p.m you will be brought to watch a show of traditional music, throat singing and contortion. After the show  a welcome dinner is set for you. 

Meet your guide and driver at the agreed place and head towards the North of the city. Today`s destination is the Amarbayasgalant Monastery sheltered by Holy Burenkhan Mt.

We will have lunch on the way and reach the place in the afternoon. We will visit a local herder family and get to know them and their lifestyle. Overnight in local family ger after dinner. 

After breakfast, we will visit the complex of Amarbayasgalant Monastery. 

Meet local a local monk as a guide and enjoy the monastery.

The monastery name Amarbayasgalant means "Monastery of Tranquil Felicity" and it that was built  with initiative and financial investment of Manchu King during 1727-1736, in the honour of Undur Gegeen Zanabazar, the first Religious leader of Mongolia. It is one of the most authentic Buddhist monasteries that have been survived the 1930s political upheavals. Although, it has been damaged during these political victimization of national and religious culture, 28 temples were survived and protected by the State since 1944. In 1972, with support from UNESCO, restoration of the monastery started and has been continuing until today. The restorations of the Temple were performed with Monastery’s original materials and design archive photos. 

The Amarbayasgalant is characterized by a mixture of Manchu-style spatial arrangements and Chinese Buddhist architectural arts, and lively and unique Mongolian local elements of architecture. 

The local monk will offer a short meditation at the temple site in order to relax and enjoy the spiritual energy of the area.  

After visiting the monastery, we will head toward Urantogoo volcano area. It takes around 6 hours to Uran Togoo National Park, a spectacular area of extinct volcanoes covered in coniferous woods. Upon arrival climb the Uran Togoo volcano. Have dinner and overnight in a local ger camp dedicated to tourists. Here you can have shower.

After breakfast we will continue our travel and leave for Terkhiin Tsgaan lake. It will take about 8 hours to reach the lake. Terkhiin Tsagaan lake is located in the province of Arkhangai, a spectacular region of wooded dome shaped mountains, rugged terrain and lakes. Landscape is dotted with white gers of nomads. Thousands of yaks, sheep and horses graze alongside the road. The lake, created by an earthquake millions of years ago and surrounded by faults, canyons and extinct volcanoes is one of the most famous tour destinations of Mongolia. Here we will settle in a local ger camp for 2 nights.

Today you can enjoy a whole day at the lake. The area is perfect for a number of outdoor activities: hiking, horseback riding, swimming and bird watching. 

Accompanied by local riding guides you may take a short ride to Khorgo crater. The last few hundred meters are to be climbed on foot. From the brim of the crater there opens a splendid view over the lake and the surrounding area. Alternatively, you may just laze by the shore or hike on your own. Boating and fishing options are also available. 
 

Enjoy the breakfast. Then we will drive to Tsenkher valley. The valley with over a dozen of medicinal hot springs that emerge from the depth of the earth - each with its own mineral content. It is gift of the nature! They proved to be an effective cure for a number of illnesses.

The landscape here is typical to eastern Khangai mountain foothills: wooded domes with grassy valleys at their base. Nomadic encampments and hundreds of grazing yaks, sheep and goats watched by tough horsemen continuously pass by.

In the evening you will enjoy to take hot spring basin outside. Isn`t cool to have a bath looking at the forested mountains. You may as well take a relaxing body massage at a small additional fee. 

In the morning after having breakfast, we ill continue our trip heading towards Orkhon river valley. Along the way we will visit the Tuvkhun monastery. Built in 1653 and named as a Land of Happy Solitude the monastery served as a refuge of meditation to the first Mongolian Buddhist King Zanabazar. He was the one to introduce the religion with a hope to unite Mongols under banners of the Yellow Faith. The monastery is nestled near the summit of Shiveet Ulaan Mt. There are several temple halls restored in recent years with the revival of Buddhism in Mongolia. A little tunnel in the rock called mother belly is believed to purify your sins in the next rebirth if you crawl in and out of it.

You are offered a short meditation at the temple site in order to relax and enjoy the creative energy of the area.  

After the temple visit, continue driving to the 24 meter high Ulaan Tsutgalan waterfall formed by a small tributary dropping in to a fault in which the main body of Orkhon river flows. We arrive to the 24 meter high Ulaan Tsutgalan waterfall formed by a small tributary dropping in to a fault in which the main body of Orkhon river flows. Visit the waterfall and retire in a local family ger.

In morning we will drive to Karakorum town where the 2nd son of Chinggis Khan built the capital of the Mongol Empire in early 13th century. Largely an experiment of city building in a pre-dominantly nomadic culture, Karakorum as it was known then never became a fully functional capital before it was demolished by invading Chinese Min Dynasty troops in late 14th century.

Today the main attraction here is the monastery museum of Erdene Zuu established in 16th century by a Mongol khan as part of introduction of Buddhism as the main religion. The monastery then suffered almost a complete destruction during the anti-religion campaign of 1930-ies with just a dozen of temples surviving till present. Spend some time in the peaceful premises of the monastery and take a glance at a few surviving artifacts of the old capital. You may as well walk the earthen hills nearby that still contain remains of the imperial capital. 

We will visit Kharkhorin museum and Erdenezuu monastery. Overnight in the town. 
 

Leave the steppe behind and head (5hr) South into the Gobi semi-desert area. As you move  to the South the steppe turns saline and semi-arid, vegetation gradually thins out and less people come across our way. We may not encounter a human being for hundreds of miles, only endless bushy plains, camels and mirages. This is middle of nowhere. 
This trip bring us to river valley with monastery is the collective name for the ruins of two monasteries that face each other across the Ongi River in Saikhan-Ovoo district of Dundgovi province. The Barlim Monastery is located on the north bank of the river while the Khutagt Monastery sits on the south bank. The older southern complex consisted of various administrative buildings as well as 11 temples.  

Dharma talk session led by a monk during which you will learn more about the history of the monastery site and lives of the monks. 

Dinner and overnight upon arrival to a ger camp nestled by some weirdly shaped granite formations. 

After breakfast we will drive to the famous site Bayanzag. Bayanzag means "An area abundant with saxaul trees" as there is a saxaul grove nearby. It is a paleontology fossil site where the first samples of dinosaur eggs intact in their nests as well as hundreds of dinosaur skeletons among them of several new species were discovered by American expedition headed by Paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, in 1920-ies. Roy Chapman called the cliff "Flaming Cliff" as it looks like red fire flame when sunlight shines it.  

Here we hike the eroded ravines of red sandstone and try make your own discovery. A picnic lunch will be served with the view of the cliffs as the backdrop. You may as well take a short trip to Bayanzag, a saxaul grove nearby. Saxaul is a desert bush that grows to a height of 2 meters and is a valuable soil supporting agent although the most popular fuel of local herders. We will sleep at a family ger. 

After breakfast, our trip will continue towards the Khongoriin Els meaning Khongor sand dunes in English. We will arrrive at the dune in the afternoon. The Khongor Sand dunes, sometimes called by locals "The singing dunes".  

The Singing dunes stretch for over 100km and reach 200 meters in height. They run parallel to the dark range of Sevrei Mt. A small oasis feeds a green meadow at the foothill of the massive dunes. Do the dunes really sing? Yes, they do; on a windy day a distant propeller hum is distinctly heard from the dunes. Fine sand is pushed up by the dominating NW winds on to the ridges. Gradually building up on crests it then collapses down the steeper slope producing the tremor of tons of sand rolling down.

Hike around and retire at local ger camp. 

You will enjoy all day at the dunes. Camel riding, hiking, taking photos...all is possible today. 

Another interesting trip is waiting for us. The “Yol Canyon” or Lammergeyer Gorge is a highlight of Gobi destinations. Nestled between the beautiful peaks of the Three Beauties Mountains the gorge shelters a small "glacier" which remains frozen even on summer's hottest days. However, due to the chinging climate, the glacier is melting year to year. Many of us witnessed Wild Goats roaming the steep cliffs. If you get up very early in the morning. spotting of the Wild Goats is guaranteed. At the entrance of the gorge is a small museum displaying samples of the area’s animal world. 

We will ride horse for 3 km from the gate till the canyon. Rest at local family ger and enjoy dinner.  

Another day trip to Tsagaan suvarga cliff. Tsagaan Suvarga means "White Stupa". The cliffs look like white stupas from afar in the light of sun after rain. After having lunch on the way, we will reach the area in the afternoon. 

Having 10 million years history, the cliff indicates different times by its colored layers. It’s 90 degree of straight, consists of many colors of clay deposits. In ancient times, there was a big sea in the valleys of Tsagaan Suvarga. After the sea was dried up, this area became a valley with many escarpments, covered by different sedimentary deposits. Tsagaan suvarga is a big escarpment with height of 200m  and length of 400m.

It is great place to have unique selfie photos or to test you photography skill. 

Enjoy dinner and overnight at a local family ger.

Drive to Ikh Nart Natural reserve area. The Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve (Ikh Nart) is a nature reserve located in the Dornogobi Aimag or East Gobi Province of Mongolia. Established in 1996, Ikh Nart covers an area of about 66,000 hectares of grassland and semi-desert steppe environments and harbors one of the last remaining populations of Argali Sheep or Siberian Ibex.

If we are lucky, we will observe the animals. Overnight at ger camp. 

We have another day to enjoy the wilderness. Today you can hike around and take photos. It is our last day in the middle of nature before going back to the city. 

End your Gobi trip here and drive back to Ulaanbaatar. Have lunch on the way. You will transferred to you hotel. Agree with our staff about the pick up time for airport/train station transfer. 

Our staff will meet you at the hotel and transfer you to the airport/train station. Have safe trip!