Best of Mongolia Tour
The longest itinerary we run: the Gobi, the Orkhon valley on horseback, the hot spring, the Great White Lake, Khuvsgul, and the rock art at Del mountain on the way home.
Everything, in the order that makes sense
Khuvsgul Lake is one of the most beautiful places in Mongolia. It is the country's deepest lake and holds most of its fresh water. Northern Mongolia is sometimes called the Switzerland of Mongolia because so much of it is covered in green forest. The lake is more than 2 million years old and was formed by movements of the earth's crust. This tour covers the Gobi, part of central Mongolia and Khuvsgul Lake.
Day by Day
The scarp of Tsagaan Suvarga is in Ulziit soum of Dundgovi province. Its sheer east-facing slope looks like the ruins of an ancient city from a distance. The cliff is 30 metres high and 100 metres wide, and the wind has shaped it over thousands of years. It was once the floor of a sea, and the different colours in the rock are layers of sediment laid down over millions of years.
Yol valley lies in the north-east of the Zuun Saikhan mountains and has been one of the main attractions of the Gobi for decades. Very wide at the entrance, it gradually narrows into a remarkable gorge. In spring a thick corridor of ice two or three kilometres long winds through the gorge, and it often lasts into July. We also walk into Mukhar Shivert canyon, where a frozen waterfall stands for most of the year.
The Khongor sand dunes in Sevrei soum are the largest and most spectacular dunes in Mongolia. Known as the "singing dunes", they are up to 300 metres high, 20 kilometres wide and about 100 kilometres long. They are bordered by lush green vegetation along the small Khongor river, which is fed by underground springs from the surrounding mountains.
The Flaming Cliffs are in Umnugovi, the South Gobi province. Their Mongolian name, Bayanzag, means "rich in saxaul", an endangered Central Asian tree 2 to 9 metres tall whose roots protect the soil from erosion. Important palaeontological discoveries have been made here, above all by the American Roy Chapman Andrews in the 1920s: fossilised dinosaur eggs and specimens of Velociraptor. The nickname "Flaming Cliffs" comes from the orange-red rock of the cliffs. On the way to the Flaming Cliffs we stop at the Khavtsgait petroglyphs.
Ongi monastery is the ruin of a large monastery on the bank of the Ongi river, in Saikhan Ovoo soum of Dundgovi province. It had 28 temples and other buildings, and about 1,000 lamas lived there before it was destroyed in the Stalinist purges of the 1930s. Some of its stupas are still standing.
The Orkhon valley is one of the most visited places in central Mongolia. It was formed by a unique combination of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, and its volcanic landscape is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its links to the history of the Mongol Empire. The Ulaantsutgalan waterfall, about 20 metres high, falls over the volcanic rock of the valley. There is also a chance to see the nomadic way of life, its culture and its traditions.
We ride horses in the Orkhon valley, a place of great historical importance for Mongolians. Along the way we see the highlights of the valley, such as deer stone monuments, rock paintings and volcanic rock.
Tsenkher hot spring lies in a beautiful forested valley. The water comes out of the ground at 86°C and is said to help arthritic joints and other ailments. It is under high pressure underground, so the flow is strong, about 10 litres per second, and it carries minerals from calcium and sodium to sulphur. The water is good for the skin. During the day you can sunbathe, and after dark you can sit in the hot spring and look at the stars.
Terkhiin Tsagaan, the Great White Lake, is the highlight of Arkhangai province and is famous for its scenery. It lies about 600 kilometres north-west of Ulaanbaatar and has been protected since 1965, fully since 1997, to safeguard its mountain scenery and endangered plants and animals. It is surrounded by the Khangai mountains, which reach 3,000 metres above sea level. Much of the national park is covered by forest, where wild berries, rare herbs and many kinds of flowers grow, and it is home to deer, ibex and many species of birds. Around the lake we hike and explore its unusual landscape.
A second day at the Great White Lake, with a hike up to the Khorgo volcanic crater and time to explore the lava landscape around it.
Khuvsgul Lake is 136 kilometres long and 36 kilometres wide, and lies 1,645 metres above sea level. It is the second-largest lake in Mongolia and the deepest, and its crystal-clear water has earned it the name Blue Pearl of Mongolia. Cycling, swimming, walking, horse riding and hiking are the main activities here.
A second day at Khuvsgul Lake for cycling, swimming, walking, horse riding or hiking.
Uran Togoo–Tulga Uul is a protected area in Bulgan province, about 60 kilometres west of the town of Bulgan, around the extinct volcanoes Uran Togoo, Tulga, Togoo and Jalavch. All four names come from things found around the hearth, a nod to their volcanic past. The Uran crater is 500 to 600 metres wide and 50 metres deep, and we hike up to it.
Uushgiin Uvur lies on the sunny south-eastern side of Uushig mountain, 17 kilometres west of Murun. Tombs, rectangular burials and 14 deer stones stand together here, including the most clearly carved deer stone in Mongolia. The stones are lined up from north to south in a single row, and between them they carry 109 deer figures, as well as arches, shields, horses, knives, the sun, the moon and belts hung with mirrors. After visiting the site, we have lunch in Murun and drive on to Shine Ider village, where we camp in the wild.
Del mountain, in Ulziit soum of Dundgovi province, is a large open-air gallery. There are about 3,000 ancient rock paintings and four Runic inscriptions on its rocks, as well as 20 rectangular tombs nearby. Most of the paintings date from the Bronze and Iron Ages and show wolves, ibex, foxes, groups of people riding horses, camels and gers. Afterwards we drive back to Ulaanbaatar.
