Ulaanbaatar

DAY: 1 Arrive to Ulaanbaatar

You will land in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. At the airport, you will meet your translator who will take you to the city center, and on the way there you will be shown where to change currency if you wish to. If your flight arrives early, you will be taken on a city tour on this first day. Your luggage will be dropped off at your hotel before you enjoy the city tour.

During the city tour, you will see the central square of Ulaanbaatar city, called Chinggis Khaan square. Then you will visit the Mongolian national historical museum and the Gandantegchinlen Monastery, the center of Mongolian Buddhism. After that, you will be taken back to your hotel where you can relax before the trip, and then see you tomorrow!

Ulaanbaatar - Terelj National Park 85km

DAY: 2 Drive to Terelj National Park, the park is only 85km, but you will stop at some places, to take pictures and have a break enjoying the scenery. On the way, you will visit 'Turtle Rock'-Melkhii Khad and Ariyabal Meditation temple. Turtle rock is a surprising granitic formation, 24m high, whose form reminds you of a turtle. Ariyabal Meditation temple is only 3km from Turtle rock, so you could choose to walk there if you wanted to. To get to the top, you would cross the suspension bridge and climb up 108 stairs, according to Buddhist prayer beads. The temple, when observed from distance, can be seen as a beautiful white elephant and the staircase looks as if the dangling elephant’s trunk. From the top, you can enjoy the breathtaking view overlooking the Terelj National Park. 

After visiting the temple, lunch can be enjoyed with your team in its surrounding forest area. after that, you will visit the nomad family. The car will leave you with the nomad family and for the following days you will ride only on a horse! No more cars. We will have an extra horse to load your luggage and everything we have with us; tents, food, water, luggage, kitchen things, etc…

•  Breakfast - hotel
•  Lunch - by your team
•  Dinner - nomad family
•  Accommodation – Ger

Nomad - Khar Usan Tokhoi 20km

DAY: 3 You will start riding and everything will be prepared by your horseman beforehand. Riding will be along the banks of the Terelj River to reach the Tuul River. We ride across a large zone of pastures where several breeders have settled with their herd and you may have the luck to share a cup of tea with milk with them. It's also the perfect occasion to gallop for the first time in the Mongolian steppe!

Little by little, the steppe gives way to more mountainous landscapes. We still can gallop but soon, it won't be possible anymore. We’ll leave the main path to go deeper into the Khan Khentii mountain area, a wild zone with very few inhabitants but few yurts still can be seen. We’ll ride across the neighboring forests and cross some arms of the river. With Mongolian horses being rather small, your boots may get soaked if the water level is high. The first day is always a short-riding day because it is always a training day in which you will learn about your horse and your horseman and your team. Also, you are in charge of your own pace. Somewhere on the way, your lunch will be ready by the chef. We will camp next to the Tuul River. 

•  Breakfast - by your team
•  Lunch - by your team
•  Dinner - by your team
•  accommodation - Tent

Khar Usan Tokhoi - Bayan Gol 25km

DAY: 4 This is the second day of riding this is a very peaceful place to enjoy a nice rest. When you get up your team and your chef will be preparing everything for breakfast and you will all enjoy it in the fresh and tranquil surroundings.

After breakfast, you will start riding more profoundly and deeper into Khan Khentii. On a similar day to your previous day, you will ride on the steppe for about 25 km. if you feel a bit more confident than yesterday, today you can try a little bit of cantering. From today, as you follow the Tuul river,  you will see barely any nomad families or cars along the way. All that will surround you here will be the wilderness and your team!

• Breakfast - by your team
• Lunch - by your team
• Dinner - by your team
• Accommodation- Tent

Bayan gol - Bosgo bridge 27km

DAY: 5 On the third day of riding we hope that you already are good friends with your horses! After breakfast, you will start riding to the next place. From today you will go deeper into the mountain area of Khan Khentii. Before you were riding on the steppe and now you will cross rivers and some wet places for a bit of adventure! But it won’t be too difficult and your horseman will lead you to a good road. In the mountain area, you will probably see some snowy mountain peaks. This slightly longer ride will be scheduled as usual and you will have lunch with your team on the way. This time we will camp next to the forest or next to the river. 

• Breakfast - by your team
•  Lunch - by your team
•  Dinner - by your team
•  Accommodation- Tent

The Tuul River - Khar Lake 25km

DAY: 6 We ride towards the Khagiin Khar Lake, the "Black lake". First, we cross plains scattered with heathers and enjoy a beautiful view of the neighboring snow-covered peaks. Then we ride again among tall grass that sometimes hides the way. The grass is at the same time green and purple, which makes the plain seem tow-colored. We’ll reach black lake in the early afternoon. 

This lovely lake formed in a period of glaciation thousands of years ago. It's located on the hilltop and is surrounded by odoriferous herbs. Many perches live in its waters. You can fish and the bravest can swim. This is also a very good place for fishing. Today you will camp next to Khagiin Khar Lake. We’ll enjoy lunch at the sandy bank of the lake before riding all around the lake. We will set up camp on the north of the lake. 

•  Breakfast - by your team
•  Lunch - by your team
•  Dinner - by your team
•  Accommodation - Tent

Rest at the Khagiin Khar Lake

DAY: 7 This is a good day to take a rest. After a few days of riding. So today you can enjoy your surroundings and explore nature for the full day. We can take a rest at the lake and you can do what you want. swimming, fishing, hiking around the lake, or if you wanted we have a bit of riding. Tents should not be moved for a full day.  Remember to always talk to your team about what you want to do on days that are less scheduled, like this one.

• Breakfast - by your team
• Lunch - by your team
• Dinner - by your team
• Accommodation- Tent

Khar Lake - Khag River 15km

DAY: 8 We will ride to the next place called The Khag River. This river is starting from Black Lake which is our camping spot. We will have to ride in the forest and in the meadow with plenty of bushes. This is not so long riding day but the path is a little bit wet and rocky for the horses. but horses don't care about the road and bush. Camping will be next to the Khag River.

• Breakfast for your team
• Lunch - from your team
• Dinner - from your team
• Accommodation- tent

Khag River - Khavirga Mount 28km

DAY: 9 This is a long-riding day. After breakfast, we start our ride across the mountains and encounter an important difference in height. We must also climb on stony, unstable ground. Today we will cross HAWIRGA mountain. After this, we stop for a few moments in a pasture where multicolored flowers abound and take advantage of the break to pray near the Ovoo at the top. The slope is hard, so you can walk instead of riding, holding your horse with the lead. The path is in a shady forest and will be also very pleasant if crossed on foot. We have lunch in a clearing forest, where cool springs gush. Then we'll have only a little way left to ride before reaching the place of our camp, by the river. We get back to vast expanses where we can ride full tilt. 

• Breakfast - by your team
• Lunch - by your team
• Dinner - by your team
• Accommodation- Tent

Hawirga Mount - Temple of the Princess 28km

DAY: 10 We ride towards the ruins of Gunj Temple. We get back to the steppe and discover strange rock formations where some rocks seem to be balancing on the hilltop. Sometimes we see the winter houses of the Mongolian breeders, small wooden houses where they can spend the winter and shelter herds and hay stocks. Then we arrive at the monastery named the temple of the Princess. Our camping will be next to the river or next to the forest.

Here is a little bit about this temple: During the 17th century, the Mongolian Khan Dondovdorj and a Manchu princess fell in love with each other and got married. When the princess was killed, Khan Dondovdorj and the Manchus decide to build a temple and a marble funeral monument in her honor. The Mongolians sent 200 lamas to officiate in the temple. As time went by, the temple hosted more and more pilgrims and was extended. Unlike most monasteries in Mongolia, the temple of Gunj was not destroyed by the Soviets but fell into ruins because of negligence and vandalism. Today, there is only the main temple and a few walls left, sadly all in ruins.

• Breakfast - by your team
• Lunch - by your team
• Dinner - by your team
• Accommodation - Tent

Princess Temple - Baruun Bayan River 25km

DAY: 11 Today we will be on our way back to the steppe after breakfast. We will reach the Baruunbayan River and will ride along it all day long, before setting up our camp by its banks. We will take a hard path between the mountains, then a stony slope where we'll walk. Little by little, the mountain landscapes will give way to the steppe, and we can ride full tilt across these postcard landscapes. Most of the day we can have cantering on this day as we’ll be on a good road. The campsite will be next to the small river.

• Breakfast - by your team
• Lunch -by your team
• Dinner - tourist camp
• Accommodation - Tent 

Baruun Bayan River - Nomad 18km

DAY: 12 This is the last riding day. Today we will ride back to our hosting nomad family which is where we started our riding journey. 

We follow the Terelj river during our riding. Most of the road will be on the steppe. Somewhere you will have lunch with your team. When you arrive at the nomad family you can take a rest and take off your saddles. Here you will stay for one night. Tomorrow morning we will go to Ulaanbaatar. After dinner, your horseman will release all of the horses and you can say goodbye and thank them.

• Breakfast - by your team
• Lunch - by your team
• Dinner - Nomad family
• Accommodation - Ger

                             Terelj National Park - Ulaanbaatar 85km

DAY: 13 Our driver will come to us early in the morning around breakfast. After that, you can say goodbye and thank you to your horseman and then we’ll drive to Ulaanbaatar.

On the way, we will stop at the Statue of Chinggis Khaan. it is the biggest horse statue in the world. This place is called Tsonijn Boldog.

Back to Ulan-Bator. On the way we will see the last herds of horses crossing the road outside our dumbfounded eyes, the last yurts smoking far away, the steppe will be with us until the last moment. 

When you arrive in Ulaanbaatar you can go shopping for souvenirs with your team, and at 6 pm you will watch a Mongolian traditional dancing, singing, and khoomii concert. After that, you will be taken to your hotel where you can say your goodbyes and thank you to your team. 

• Breakfast - by your team
• Lunch - restaurant in UB
• Dinner - - - - - - - - - 
• Accommodation - Hotel

Ulaanbaatar

DAY: 14 This day is your very last day in Mongolia. 

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport. The transfer can be organized at whatever time you want, according to the schedule of your flight. Thank you for traveling with us, creating an experience you will never forget!

HAVE A GOOD JOURNEY AND SEE YOU SOON

INCLUDED

• Transfers airport/hotel/airport
• 2 nights in 3* hotel in Ulan Bator, breakfast included
• Full pension during the tour
• Water
• 2 nights in a nomad family, in a guest yurt
• Food during the trip
• Chef for more than 3 travelers
• Japanese 4WD jeep or Russian mini Van 4x4 UAZ with the driver, Petrol
• English or French-speaking guide
• Horse rental + 1 extra horse for switch and injury of horse
• Local guides for the treks
• Entrance fees for the parks and museums indicated in the program
• City tour tickets
• Equipment for meals (camping tents, tables, and chairs)
• Equipment for horse riding (saddles, bridles, etc…)

EXCLUDED

• International flight
• Passport and visa fees
• Travel Insurance
• Extra drinks/alcohol/ some special type of coffee etc…
• Meals in Ulan Bator
• Phone calls
• Any excursion that is not indicated in the program