9 Days Horse Trekking to Mongolian Heartland

9 Days Horse Trekking to Mongolian Heartland

General description
Discover heart of Mongolian within a week to define its charm and magic. Heartland of Mongolia bestows wide variety of landscapes with vast valleys, green meadows, thick pine forests, lava fields and rich flora and fauna. Despite all, it also carries splendid historical and cultural sites. By expressing thru Mongolian Heartland, you still be able to discover most of Mongolian nomadic lifestyle, step in the former capital of Great Mongolian Empire and pay a visit first yet oldest Buddhist Monastery Erdene-Zuu. We won’t let you get bored, you will continue towards Khangai Mountains where a horse trekking will take you to the remote Eight Lakes through historic Orkhon Valley by offering you the most authentic horse experience like a Mongolian rider. get on the camel on the dunes of Elsen Tasarkhai, finally see the only surviving species of wild horses in the world, the Takhi, also named as Przewalski horses

Itinerary

Day 1: Kharkhorin ancient capital city

Stop At: Övörkhangai, Mongolia
Ulaanbaatar –Kharhorin 365km
● A morning drive will take us to Kharhorin, the former capital of Great Mongolian Empire in the 13th century. Although considered as an ancient capital, there are very few remains left from this historic place. We will visit the one of the largest and oldest Buddhist monastery named “Erdene Zuu” which was built upon the ruins and foundations of capital Kharhorin in 1586. Luckily it has survived communist purges in 1937 and was re-opened as a museum.
● Excursion to the local museum of Kharhorin city where you will explore traces of Mongolian history dating from early Stone Age to Great Mongolian Empire. The museum offers great collections of items that were found from various excavation and expeditions around Kharhorin and Orkhon Valley. Following the museum we will stopover by other sites such as phallic rock and Turtle rocks.

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 / ger guesthouse.

Day 2: Orkhon valley

Stop At: Övörkhangai, Mongolia
Kharhorin- Orkhon valley 200km
● Today we will see Orkhon waterfall which is on the confluence of Ulaan and Orkhon rivers. Therefore occasionally locals would refer the Waterfall as Ulaan Tsutgalan, meaning Red Fall. The Orkhon waterfall is counted as the biggest waterfall in Mongolia due to its height and width. In the years of bountiful rainfalls, waterfall becomes majestic creating rainbows over its currents.
● You will have the opportunity to ride a horse in the valley

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 3: Horse trekking to Eight Lakes

Stop At: Övörkhangai, Mongolia
Orkhon waterfall- Eight Lakes approx. 4-5 hours horse ride
• Today we will start of journey on the horse to the remote Eight Lakes. The horse trail is pretty rough and notably harsh due to the lava stones which make it more challenging yet beautiful too. As we reach the area, we will be visiting several lakes as the name suggests surrounded with larch forest and rich green meadow. Due to the higher altitude, the area is quite cool and it isn’t a surprise to have snow in August or September.

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 4: Hiking to Shireet Lake

Stop At: Övörkhangai, Mongolia
• Easy day with a mild hike to the biggest of all Eight Lakes, Shireet. We will dismount our horses and continue with hiking in the area to discover its splendors and arrive at Lake Shireet, probably the most beautiful of all. Explore the area.
• Head back to the host family to benefit simple pleasures of nomadic life in nature such as drinking yak milk tea, playing anklebones, enjoying sunset or just stargazing.

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 5: Horse trekking back to Bodon Pass

Stop At: Övörkhangai, Mongolia
• Riding our horses and slowly returning to Bodon Pass, where our vans will be waiting for us. Drive to waterfall area.
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 with a nomadic family. Tonight you will have opportunity to try Mongolian traditional barbeque.

Day 6: Tuvkhun monastery

Stop At: Övörkhangai, Mongolia
Orkhon Valley – Tuvkhun Monastery 70km
• Driving to Tuvkhun monastery and we trekking through mountains and forests until Tuvkhun Monastery, where Zanabazar, the first religious leader of Mongolia, created the Soyombo alphabet. The monastery is located 2312 metres (1,44 mile) above the sea level and from that place we'll have a wonderful view on the whole Khangai range. We'll picnic in exceptional surroundings, facing Orkhon Valley.

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 7: Tsenkher hot spring

Stop At: Övörkhangai, Mongolia
Tuvkhun Monastery –Tsenkher hot spring 90km
• Tsenkher is one of the biggest natural hot springs found in the area with temperature of 86´C degrees. It’s popular for its healing properties and high flow rate, high alkalinity and huge content of fluoride and sulphur. The hot spring is mostly used for relaxing and restoring your health. Here we will have a hot tub outside and enjoy cold beer and beautiful scenery. Optional hiking and a great place for wild flower observers
• You will be given a plentiful time to soak yourself in the hot pool.

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 tourist ger camp “Altan Nutag”

Day 8: Khugnu Khaan Nature Reserve

Stop At: Bulgan Province, Bulgan Province
Tsenkher hot spring – KhugnuKhaan Natural Reserve 220km
● We will carry onto 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 different natural zones. The area is perfect for hiking, climbing.
● Experience Mongolian hospitality with locals.
● Camel riding on the 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: tourist ger camp / nomadic family ger.

Day 9: Khustai National Park and Ulaanbaatar

Stop At: Töv, Mongolia
KhugnuKhaan Natural Reserve – Ulaanbaatar 280km
● On the way to Ulaanbaatar, we will stopover at Khustai National Park which is known as being a home of Przewalski wild horses. Named as “Takhi” in Mongolian, these are the last and only breed of wild horses in the world. Since its re-introduction, today in the Park, there are some 300 wild horses.
● The equality of the various ecosystems within the park assures abundant wildlife. 46 mammals, 172 birds, 2 amphibians, 3 reptiles, 16 fish, and over 289 insect species have been recorded.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: We would prepare everything /vegan, vegetarian and meat/

No accommodation included on this day.