15 Days Discover Gobi with Terelj National Park

15 Days Discover Gobi with Terelj National Park

General description
Let us show you the wonders of Gobi. Gobi is a Mongolian word that stands for desert. When people talk about desert, most of us imagine sand covered Sahara desert. Central Asian Expedition led by American researcher and explorer Roy Chapman Andrews brought home the first ever recorded dinosaur eggs found from Desert of Mongolia. Imagine yourself eye witnessing the great Flaming Cliffs where all the fossils and eggs were discovered while enjoying the dusk. Khermen Tsav a picturesque canyon almost as the mini version of Great Grand Canyon has a lot to offer you like its Egyptian Sphinx cliff. Wonders of Gobi will continue with long stretches of Khongor sand dunes which lie within Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. At Khongor or Singing dunes you will relish fine grains of sand, mountains, two-humped Bactrian camels, lifestyle of Gobi nomads, narrow streams which would look unlike any desert.

Itinerary

Day 1: Khugnu Khaan Nature Reserve

Stop At: Bulgan Province, Bulgan Province
Ulaanbaatar – Khugnu Khaan Nature Reserve 280km
● Arrive at Khugnu Khaan Nature Reserve today which is a combination of all kinds of natural settings such as mountains, forest, steppe, desert, small lake and mineral water spring all in same location forming unique scenery and representation of different natural zones. The area is perfect for hiking, climbing and horse riding.
• Horse trekking to the ruins of Erdene Khamba Monastery which dates from 17th century with the perfect location of concealing and escaping the wind and cold of the steppe in the granite mountain.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight optional : Tourist ger camp / nomadic family ger

Day 2: Heading to Bayankhongor via Guchin Us village

Stop At: Bayankhongor Province, Bayankhongor Province
Khugnu Khaan – Guchin Us village 350km
• Continue driving to the area near Guchin Us a small village, in Uvurkhangai province. A place that is almost like a gateway to Gob.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight at the tents

Day 3: Tsagaan Agui – The White Cave

Stop At: Bayankhongor Province, Bayankhongor Province
Guchin Us – Tsagaan Agui 300km
• Today we will enter Bayankhongor province and arrive at Tsagaan Agui-The White Cave. The Cave is special for various factors and reasons. It’s a crystal-lined about 40meters long Cave that once was a home of ancient Stone Age people dating back to 750,000 years BC. For this reason, several joint international expeditions were held and successful excavations undertaken during the 1990s at the Tsagaan Agui have produced artifacts up to 35,000 years old.
• Drive to Bayanlig village. Here we will purchase our re-supply because as we travel further will be deep in the remote parts of Gobi.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight optional: Tourist ger camp / Local nomadic family ger / tents

Day 4: Ikh Bogd Mountain - Bichigt Khad

Stop At: Bayankhongor Province, Bayankhongor Province
Tsagaan Agui- via Ikh Bogd Mountain - Bichigt Khad 100km

• This area surely needs some decent amount time to explore and experience. A chain of Gobi- Altai Mountain range has another highlight of it known as Ikh Bogd Mount literally meaning “Great Saint”. The Mount is nearly 4000ms high and has dramatic scenery. The area has been practically heaven for birdwatchers, climbers and hikers. Despite the fact, it again holds high possibility for archeological studies.
• Another delightful attraction of the place is Bichigt Khad, a collection of ancient rock art. Those rock paintings are optimum standards dating back to the Bronze Age Era. Main depictions of these rock paintings are ibex or mountain goats but you can find other interesting items that are elaborately painted.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight at the tents

Day 5: Ikh Bogd Mountain - Bichigt Khad

Stop At: Bayankhongor Province, Bayankhongor Province
• Another delightful attraction of the place is Bichigt Khad, a collection of ancient rock art. Those rock paintings are optimum standards dating back to the Bronze Age Era. Main depictions of these rock paintings are ibex or mountain goats but you can find other interesting items that are elaborately painted.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight at the tents

Day 6: Khermen Tsav

Stop At: Dalanzadgad, Dalanzadgad, Omnogovi Province
Bichigt Khad – Khermen Tsav 290km
• Today we will continue driving to Khermen Tsav, an amazing canyon formed over the years of natural erosions and made a wall of red mud cliffs. The height of those walls is around 30ms above the ground and canyon itself stretches some 15-20kms. Some of the those red mud rock create interesting formations some of which locals resemble to world known sites, as you further reach the center of the canyon your eyes will immediately notice Mongolian Sphinx.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight camping out. This is the only option of accommodation because of remoteness and no residents in the area.

Day 7: . Khermen Tsav

Stop At: Dalanzadgad, Dalanzadgad, Omnogovi Province
• After easy breakfast, day at leisure. Since it’s an attractive spot for photographers, you can search your dream shot here. Also whilst looking for best spots for photos, you may also come across with dinosaur fossils. American archaeologist, later paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews whose expedition found first dinosaur skeleton here, named the place “The End of the World” due to its cosmic landscape and moon surface formations. There are also some tunnels covered with Gobi indigenous tree- Saxaul shrubs.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight in the tents

Day 8: Altan Uul Mountain

Stop At: Dalanzadgad, Dalanzadgad, Omnogovi Province
Khermen Tsav- Altan Uul Mountain /Nemegtiin Ulaan hongil/250km
• We will shift from our current location to our next destination Altan Uul Mountain. Another majestic miracle of Gobi.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight in the tents

Day 9: Khongoriin Els- Singing sand dunes

Stop At: Dalanzadgad, Dalanzadgad, Omnogovi Province
Altan Uul- Khongor sand dunes 205km
• Continue driving to west of the park to Khongor sand dunes which are known as the highest and biggest dunes in the country.
• Stop at Khongoriin Els or Khongor sand dunes. These are the most astonishing dunes of Mongolia with extension of over 180kms length and around 3-15kms width and average height is 80ms. The highest dune is 200ms and from the top these dunes you will capture amazing view of Gobi with the most beautiful sunrise and sunset. When you climb the dunes they shift and cause a sound of vibration which very much resembles to the sound of an airplane hence it’s also called Singing Dunes.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight optional: A tourist ger camp / nomadic family ger

Day 10: Khongoriin Els- Singing sand dunes

Stop At: Dalanzadgad, Dalanzadgad, Omnogovi Province
• When you are in Gobi, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to get on the Bactrian Camels. It’s obviously is one of the remarkable experiences to trek on the camels along the dunes, on the green lush down the foot of the dunes. Our camel riding will last until we reach a small oasis where there are some Gobi bushes and shrubs. Camels are great lovers of Saxaul shrubs and it’s considered as the most precious wood in the desert for its outstanding survival and growth on desert soil. You will surely enjoy the pristine nature and high mountains during the ride.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight optional: A tourist ger camp / nomadic family ger

Day 11: Three beautiful mountains- Gobi Gurvan Saikhan

Stop At: Dalanzadgad, Dalanzadgad, Omnogovi Province
Khongor sand dunes- Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park 180km
• Today we will reach Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park which covers some chain of mountain ranges as the southern end of the Gobi-Altai Mountain range. Gurvan Saikhan literally meaning “Three Beauties” referred to the highest three peaks of the range which is almost over 2800ms.
• Hiking in the Yoliin Am or Bearded Vulture’s canyon. Regarding the snowfall and shade in the canyon, oftentimes there formed a high layer of ice cover which sometimes will stay till mid July. During our walk, we may either walk on top or bottom, or just see the parts of this ice. The canyon is surrounded with steep Rocky Mountains creating some shade which is pleasant to hike thru during hot days of Gobi desert. During out hike, you may notice some rodents such as pica and ground squirrel along with colorful wild flowers and plants. Although mountains are the home for wildlife like ibex, mountain goat and argali, the wild sheep, spotting these animals will purely depend on fortune.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight optional: Tourist ger camp / nomadic family ger

Day 12: Great white stupa in the desert

Stop At: Dalanzadgad, Dalanzadgad, Omnogovi Province
Three beautiful mountain – Tsagaan Suvraga/White Stupa 225km
• Today we will be driving thru vast and empty rocky desert and semi-arid steppe to reach out White Stupa. Mongolians always have admired and honored this unique natural formation of 30ms height, precipitous, stupa shaped slopes as White Stupa. The place definitely will remind travelers some lunar landscape with its mystery of fossils hidden underneath and stunning color combinations. The area deemed to be bottom an ancient ocean.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight optional: Tourist ger camp / nomadic family ger.

Day 13: . Ikh Gazriin Chuluu Nature Reserve

Stop At: Mandalgovi, Mandalgovi, Dundgovi Province
White Stupa- Ikh Gazriin Chuluu 250km
• These marvelous granite outcrops will be our today’s destination. Another beauty of nature, granite rocks creates various interesting formations resembling different animal figures, even human beings. Besides that there are many caves which strongly related to the local stories and legends. These Rocky Mountains stretch 20kms towards the East. Ideal place for hiking.
• Another highlight of the place is an open air stage dedicated for the honor of a famous Mongolian traditional long son singer. Occasionally some singing contests are held here to commemorate the singer.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight optional: Nomadic family ger / tents

Day 14: Chinggis Khaan Statue

Stop At: Töv, Mongolia
Ikh Gazriin Chuluu – Chinggis Khaan Statue 220km
• After easy morning, we will arrive at Tsonjin Boldog complex which majestically bestows world’s largest statue of a man on the horse back. 40m high, made of stainless steel Statue of Chinggis Khaan is standing proud facing his birthplace, direction of East. Don’t forget to get a selfie with a Man of the Millennium.
• Horse riding 1hour

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
• Dinner: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Overnight optional: Tourist ger camp / Kazak nomadic family ger

Day 15: Terelj National Park – Ulaanbaatar

Stop At: Töv, Mongolia
Terelj National Park – Ulaanbaatar 120km
• Continue with the journey to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, a place of granite formations created by natural erosions, slopes covered with pine and larch, fields shattered with colorful wild flowers, pristine rivers and lake.
• Visit other sites of the parks such as Cave of a Lama, Turtle Rock and Aryapalo Meditation Temple. By hiking to the elephant shaped temple along the trail you will be leaning various reasons to meditate, so you find your reason too. The view from the top of temple stairs is overwhelmingly beautiful. A great place to finish your Mongolian adventure.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /Vegan, vegetarian and meat/
Accommodation included: • Return to Ulaanbaatar. Transfer to your accommodation.