7 Days Gobi Group Tour
A small-group week in the southern Gobi and back through Kharkhorin, sleeping with nomadic families along the way.
The southern Gobi with a small group
The Southern Gobi is a region of rare beauty. Unlike the usual image of a desert, the Gobi is a varied and fascinating landscape: a mix of desert, steppe, large dunes, high mountain ranges and rivers. It is also the site of some of the major palaeontological discoveries of the 20th century. This group tour takes up to eight people, and accommodation is in nomadic homestays.
Day by Day
Start your journey by experiencing the vastness and emptiness of Mongolia on the drive to Mandalgobi, a small town and the capital of Dundgovi, the Middle Gobi province. In Mandalgobi you have lunch at a local restaurant, your first taste of Mongolian food. Then we head to Tsagaan Suvarga, the White Stupa, one of the most striking natural formations in the Gobi. Once the floor of an ocean, this large, colourful limestone formation is a treat for the eyes: its earth tones represent different eras, a glimpse of the time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and from a distance it looks like the ruins of an ancient city or a stupa. Take a light walk down the hill and photograph this unusual landscape, which stretches for more than 400 metres. In the evening there are traditional games for a taste of local culture.
As we said, the Gobi is not an ordinary desert: it has big mountain ranges and high valleys. On the way to these valleys we stop in Dalanzadgad to visit the South Gobi Museum and learn more about the area. After lunch we arrive at Yol valley, where an ancient river carved a surprisingly green valley in the middle of the desert. When it is over 30°C outside the valley, it can be just over 10°C inside. Yol valley is part of Gurvansaikhan National Park and has a rich variety of plants and animals, and the canyon ends in ice that lasts even in summer. A hike through the valley takes you through the habitat of lammergeiers, argali mountain sheep, wild goats and smaller animals such as marmots, and you may see the herders' yaks too. As you leave the valley, there is a traditional dress-up session for some perfect photos.
A 150-kilometre drive takes you to the famous Khongor sand dunes, the singing dunes of the Gobi. About 100 kilometres long and 20 kilometres wide, they rise suddenly between the steppe and the mountains, bordered by lush green vegetation along the small Khongor river. Ride a camel on the soft, golden sand, and if you can, climb to the top of the dunes for an amazing view; the sunset rewards everyone who makes it. The evening is spent at a local camp, in surroundings completely different from the day before.
A morning drive takes you to the Havtsgait valley, where early Gobi settlers left rock drawings 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Explore the mountaintop, where hundreds of petroglyphs cover scattered rocks and tell the story of a bygone era, and enjoy the panoramic view from the top. Then discover the Flaming Cliffs (Bayanzag), a landscape that seems to belong to another world, with its silent orange glow and its famous dinosaur fossils. Before driving out to the cliffs, we watch a documentary about Roy Chapman Andrews, whose expedition found the first dinosaur eggs known to science here. At night there is stargazing under the Gobi sky, and the sunsets and sunrises here are unforgettable.
Today blends history and tradition. We begin at Ongi monastery, once one of the largest Buddhist complexes in Mongolia, and watch the landscape gradually change from desert to green land. Afterwards we visit a Gobi nomadic family for a first-hand look at their traditional way of life and hospitality. Talk with the family, try your hand at milking cows and goats, and brew your own milk vodka as a souvenir. In the evening we gather for khorkhog, the traditional Mongolian barbecue, out in the open.
Goodbye Gobi, hello central Mongolia. We drive to Kharkhorin through the green Mongolian steppe. Kharkhorin, in the Orkhon Valley World Heritage Site, was the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, at the height of the largest land empire in history. We visit the ancient Erdene Zuu monastery, one of the largest Buddhist centres in Mongolia, whose walls were built with stone from the old capital. After lunch we head to Elsen Tasarkhai, a stretch of sand dunes more than 80 kilometres long, about 200 kilometres from Ulaanbaatar. Often called the Mini Gobi, it is a place where dunes, mountains, rivers and grassland meet. Take a hike on the dunes, a walk through the green grass or some time by the river. In the evening we sit around the campfire and enjoy the company of Mongolians.
Say goodbye to the nomadic lifestyle, your new friends, the endless steppe and the untouched wilderness. After a last breakfast with the family, we drive back to Ulaanbaatar. There we have a farewell lunch at a restaurant serving traditional Mongolian food, with a performance of Mongolian music and traditional arts. Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar is available on request.
