100% customisable travel idea
Major Attractions and National Parks Mongolia in yurt camps
Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar - Orkhon Valley - National Parks
100% customisable travel idea
Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar - Orkhon Valley - National Parks
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. Located in the central Sükhbaatar district, your hotel is one of the most contemporary buildings on Ulaanbaatar’s skyline. From the moment you enter the lobby, you’ll notice the chic, classy aesthetic of pure international classicism, with Mongolian influences playing across the surface. The rooms are spacious and pleasant and you have early access for your morning arrival. Large bay windows open to the city. There are three main restaurants: the first is international and fusion, the second has a beautiful terrace with a pergola, while the third roasts the best Peking duck in town. To recover after the flight, guests have access to an indoor pool for proper swimming, fitness room, sauna and steam room. At the vodka bar, explore a selection of the country’s national produce. For the rest of the day, a private car with a driver and a guide is at your disposal.
Included - private tour of Ulaanbaatar. The Mongolian capital is marked by Soviet architecture - but don’t let that put you off. With your guide, there are many fascinating things to discover, including Gandan Monastery, founded at the beginning of the 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 origins. The ethnographic section holds many objects depicting a nomadic way of life that is gradually disappearing. Also visit the Choijin Lama Monastery, dedicated to Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav, brother of the eighth Buddhist leader. The museum features coral-embroidered masks for the Tsam dance ceremony, bronze statues of deities, silk thangkas, and many other objects.
Optional - Naadam Festival, 11 and 12 July.
Meet your driver and your guide for the next ten days, then set off for Karakorum. Stay two nights just outside the village, in a camp with simple yurts and cabins on stilts with private bathrooms - you’ll be staying in one of the cabins. Overall, the standard of comfort is basic but sufficient. You’ll have electricity, hot showers and an internet connection. So although you’re in nature, you’re not completely cut off. Adapt to camp life, stepping into your dwelling with your right foot first and keeping things tidy like seasoned nomads. The chef and their kitchen team prepare nourishing home-style dishes that set you up for the day.
Included - private tour of Erdene Zuu Monastery. 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, the monastery 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 bear witness to the indomitable strength of faith. Two stone turtles you can find in the area, together with two others, marked the boundaries of the first capital of the Genghis Khan dynasty, Karakorum (13th century). The Karakorum Museum contains a model of the vanished city and its collections recall the city’s former grandeur and cultural and political prestige. A succession of wars and Kublai Khan’s move to Beijing sealed the decline of Karakorum.
Optional - lunch with a Mongolian family and horse-riding.
The road continues through the Orkhon valley. On the horizon, the long hills seem to mirror the billowing clouds in the sky. Stay two nights in a yurt camp. The interior has plenty of character, with silky bedding that you won’t want to leave and sanitary facilities that are entirely suitable. The level of comfort is not ostentatious; it has a quiet simplicity that respects the grandeur of the natural surroundings. When the weather is clear, the night feels almost magical - with a telescope, you can bring a bit of order to the immense tapestry of stars.
Already included - private tour of Shankh Monastery. This monastery, founded in the 17th century, also belongs to the Gelugpa school. Its main temple is has seven Kalachakra Mandalas (or Wheels of Time) - the Kalachakra tantra holds an important place in the teachings of the Yellow Hat sect.
Included - like Shankh, Tövkhön Monastery was also founded by Zanabazar, the first Buddhist leader of the Khalkha Mongols. It stands on Shireet Ulaan Hill, overlooking Orkhon Valley. Like Erdene Zuu and Shankh, it is gradually regaining religious activity after the difficult Soviet era. Ulaan Tsutgalan River plunges into the Orkhon from a height of 16 metres (52 feet). These are the Orkhon Falls. While the flow may be nonexistent in spring, it is abundant and bubbling in summer. Breathe in the fresh air as you listen to the sound of the water - it’s a lovely walk. The Orkhon River has many fish, such as pike, carp, perch, and the Siberian taimen (a powerful salmonid). Fly fishers pursue them on a catch-and-release basis.
Drive to Khögnö Khan National Park and spend the night in a yurt camp. Beneath the white felt, a few improvements have been made, but the accommodation remains entirely traditional: beautiful bedding again; painted furniture in shades of red; a small stove; 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 an array of salads and accompanied by an impressive cellar of French wines. Everything here is designed to limit the camp’s impact on the environment as much as possible, and preserve its nomadic character.
Already included - camel trek 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 in 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 Khustain Nuruu National Park to spend the night in a high-end camp. The yurts have been fitted out to meet the standards of the best accommodation. They are spacious, in a contemporary Mongolian decor with striking silk screens and polished wooden furniture. Comfort here is more sophisticated than the previous camps. It’s another way of doing things. The views over the national park are splendid. In the French restaurant, you may be surprised to find yourself enjoying a creamy squash soup while a cinereous vulture circles in the vast sky
. 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.
Drive to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. Stay two nights at the entrance to the park, in a hotel offering typical north-eastern luxury. Russian (St Petersburg) influence is strong here, in both the rococo motifs and the spirit: a little too much of everything - that’s the idea. So, guests become characters in this fairy-tale decor. The rooms are extremely comfortable, with a choice of pillows. There are three restaurants, a cafe, bar and lounges. From salty milk tea, we now have afternoon tea done properly. In the dining rooms, the tables are set with meticulous geometric precision. The spa is just as impressive - glamorous and professional. The indoor pool, with its columned galleries, recalls the European spa towns of the Belle Époque. It’s pretty impressive!
Included - horse-riding in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. The park’s landscape is rugged, with spectacular rock formations. The forest steppe dominates, with its larches providing shelter for elk and bears. It would be a pleasant surprise to come across some, but you’re more likely to see yaks and horses. There’s no need to be a top jockey to join the excursion - the pace is gentle. In any case, the unique character of Mongolian horses may surprise even experienced European riders. The guides know all this and remain attentive, offering some good advice. Along the way, the route passes ovoos - piles of stones that mark meeting points between the human world and the spirit world.
Transfer to Ulaanbaatar airport and return flight.
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