100% customisable travel idea
Family Holiday in Mongolia Adventures in the Land of Genghis Khan
Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar - Khogno Khan - Ugii Lake - Khustain Nuruu
100% customisable travel idea
Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar - Khogno Khan - Ugii Lake - Khustain Nuruu
100% customisable for you
Night on board, arrival the next day.
Private transfer to your hotel, accompanied by a guide, for an initial introduction to the city. Your modern hotel is close to the capital’s major cultural sites. The rooms are spacious and comfortable; yours is available from your early arrival, so you have time to refresh. Then, for the rest of the day, a private car with a driver and a guide is at your disposal.
Included - tour of Ulaanbaatar. The Mongolian capital is marked by Soviet architecture - but don’t let that put you off. There are plenty of fascinating things to discover, including Gandan Monastery, founded in the early 19th century. It houses a monumental gold-leaf statue of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Or the National Museum of Mongolia, which traces Mongolian history and culture from its very beginnings. The ethnographic section holds many objects depicting a nomadic way of life that is gradually disappearing.
Optional - explore the city centre with a local guide.
Meet your driver and your guide for the next ten days, then set off for Khögnö Khan National Park. Stay two nights in a yurt camp. Beneath the white felt, a few improvements have been made, but the interiors remain completely traditional: beautiful silk bedding; painted furniture in shades of red; a small stove, and a ‘wash area’ to freshen up with warm towels scented with pine essential oil. This all creates an atmosphere you will not soon forget. In the dining room, lamb and mutton cooked various ways take centre stage, served with salads and accompanied by an impressive cellar of French wines. Between outings, children can play knucklebones with real bones. Everything here is designed to limit the camp’s impact on the environment as much as possible, and preserve its nomadic character.
Already included - sunset walk in the dunes. The camp sits on the edge of the Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes desert. After settling in, head out for a walk on the sand, where the setting sun spreads out a palette ranging from russet to violet. Begin to feel the thrill of open space.
Included - camel ride in the Little Gobi. The single-humped dromedary is to the deserts of Africa and Arabia as the two-humped Bactrian camel is to the deserts of Asia - namely, a truck. Without this serious, bearded icon, there would be no Silk Road. Sit between the two humps, and let yourself be carried along through the juniper-scented air. Beneath his laid-back appearance, you can feel his strength. You might think the humps are there to stop riders from falling off but, in fact, they are mainly stores of fat. This animal has many unique features that allow it to withstand extreme conditions, which made it the vehicle of major trade for several millennia. Today, the camel has largely retired, but like many old-timers, the sight of one is a touching reminder of a glorious past.
Drive to Karakorum. Stay overnight in a small accomodation in the town centre with understated decor and comfortable, modern amenities.
On your itinerary - private tour of Erdene Zuu Monastery. Still accompanied by your guide, head to the oldest Buddhist monastery in the country. It is associated with the Gelug school (Yellow Hat sect), located where the Buddhism of the steppes meets the Buddhism of the snows. Founded in the 16th century, it suffered greatly during the communist period. Partially destroyed, decommissioned, and once turned into a museum, it was returned to the lamas after the fall of the Soviet Union. The ancient Chinese-style temples and the enclosure wall with 108 stupas are listed UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Included - Karakorum Museum. The result of a Japanese-Mongolian collaboration, Karakorum Museum features a permanent exhibition of relics from the Stone and Bronze Ages, the period of the ancient states, and the era of Mongol Empire. Among other highlights, there is a model showing what the city of Karakorum looked like in the time of Genghis Khan. Temporary exhibitions are also held regularly. This museum bears witness to the cultural and historical richness of the Orkhon Valley. And after visiting the museum, it’s time for a yurt-building workshop. A yurt needs to be movable, lightweight, sturdy, insulated and comfortable. Centuries of travel have given the Mongols a home perfectly suited to their way of life. Practical, symbolic and beautiful, the yurt is a real success story. This workshop helps you understand its logic and appreciate its ingenuity. First, we look at the materials - felt, wood, horsehair, and leather - then the various steps in the assembly process. Learn about the traditional interior layout and the meaning behind features such as the threshold, the hearth, and the roof opening, beyond their literal function. In fact, the yurt is a form of wisdom: a technical structure that meets both material and spiritual needs. It’s no small feat to set up and take down not just a house, but an entire worldview!
Stay two nights with a nomadic family. Jayaa and his wife have a camp consisting of three yurts: the first is their home, the second is a food store, and they welcome guests in the third. As the temperature drops outside, you’ll appreciate the warmth of the wood stove inside the colourful yurt. Share a drink of fermented mare’s milk. Then Jayaa prepares the Mongolian barbecue. Hot stones heat the bottom of the pot with fermented mare’s milk, then potatoes, carrots, onions and goat meat are added to cook slowly. The lid is sealed with a cloth. It’s a delicious, hearty meal, served with Mongolian vodka. Jayaa’s children, who work in the nearby town, come to greet their parents. And their little grandson isn’t shy to spend the evening in the company of passing visitors.
Included - horse-riding. After getting to know your hosts better, set off as a family on horseback into the steppes for a nomadic experience. Ride out to the pastures to find a herd of horses or yaks and bring them back near the camp. The herds often live a little way from the family camp and need to be brought closer to the yurt from time to time to check that all is well, give them some salt or fodder depending on the season, and keep an eye on births. And your children can take an active role in this adventure. Younger visitors can ride with one of our local guides. The horses will, of course, be matched to the riding ability of both children and adults.
Drive to Ikh-Tamir. Stay two nights in a yurt with a second Mongolian family. We've got the hang of it now.
Already included - horse-riding across the lands of the ancient Mongols. After lunch, set out on horseback in search of the ancient art of the steppe - petroglyphs. These engraved stones show animal outlines, hunting scenes and enigmatic figures, which archaeologists, for now, are unable to explain. This immense riddle from Mongolian prehistory is fascinating in many ways, and there is no doubt that children will be drawn in - mysteries are among life's greatest pleasures for them. On your return, enjoy a Mongolian barbecue. Nothing like what you find in Asian restaurants, this dish has little in common with a barbecue either. Meat and vegetables are placed in a large pot, with hot stones. The container is then tightly sealed and placed over the fire. The ingredients are cooked slowly in their own juices, and the result is outstanding! After the meal, it’s time for some games - knucklebone, cards or chess.
Included - introduction to felt-making. This important material ensures that yurts are insulated. The whole family can take part in its production. First, you need to gather a good amount of raw wool, which is spread out on mats, then beaten vigorously with sticks. Once the fibres are well mixed, they are spread out and moistened with a few sprinkles of airag (mare’s milk), then tightly rolled in mats. This bundle is rolled for a long time, harnessed to horses, to produce a thin, dense felt through compression. It will be unwrapped and set out to dry at the end of the process. After that, you can really say you know something about yurts.
Drive to Lake Ögii to stay two nights by the water in a yurt camp. Three teepees are a reminder that, at heart, they are the yurts of the American plains, although they may not quite reach the same level of perfection. The amenities are similar to previous stops, with Western-style sanitary facilities. The lake provides fish for dinner (perch, carp and pike), but lamb is never far away either.
On the agenda - relaxing by the lake. Adults and children can all swim here. After the steppe and the plains, it’s delightful. A boat trip also lets you spot the birds found here in the summer. There are lots of Dalmatian pelicans, as well as geese (swan geese and bar-headed geese) and whooper swans. Plovers and sandpipers flit along the exposed riverbanks. The white-tailed eagle, with its indiscriminate appetite, frightens all the other species, while flocks of demoiselle cranes add a timeless elegance to the whole. This day is a chance to experience a charming side to Mongolia, far from the warlike image often associated with the country.
Drive to Khustain Nuruu National Park (also called Hustai National Park) and spend the night in a yurt camp.
Already included - meet Przewalski’s horses. Equus ferus przewalskii was first identified in the 19th century in the Dzungaria region by Nikolaj Przewalski. They were reintroduced to Mongolia in the 1990s, where hundreds now roam free in protected areas. They are the aim of today’s excursion. Along the way, look out for the great bustard, Amur falcon, black stork, Siberian marmot, red deer, and roe deer. Daurian partridges take flight as we approach and 29 species of grasshoppers make their contribution to the rich wildlife in areas that only appear to be empty.
Transfer to Ulaanbaatar airport and return flight.
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