Itinerary

1. Day 1: Elsen Tasarhai

   • Elsen Tasarkhai is a part of the Mongol Els sand dunes, that continues 80 km long 5 km wide across Burd, Bulgan and Gurvanbulag soums of Uvurkhangai province. 
   • It is located 280 km west of Ulaanbaatar and 90 km east of Karakorum - the ancient Mongolian capital. The area is surrounded by sand dunes, hills covered with rare bushes and a small forest near a river. Together this presents a unique combination of Mongolian mountains, forests and Gobi-type landscape in one location. Local people call this sand dunes Duut mankhan (Singing sand).

   Accommodation: Nomadic family

   Meals: Lunch, Dinner

   Activities:

   • Horse riding
   • Elsen tasarhai/ sand dune

2. Day 2: Kharkhorin- Erdenezuu monastery

   • Today we will be driving to Karakorum (also called Kharkhorin). Karakorum was the capital of Genghis Khan’s Mongolian Empire in the thirteenth century. 

   In 1220, Genghis Khan ordered the building of Karakorum on the ruins of Turug and Uigur cities in the Orkhon valley at the eastern end of the Khangai Mountains. During the reign of Ugedei Khan, it was completed 15 years later. The town was very multicultural and culturally accepting. Between 1260 and 1380, Karakorum lost its status as the capital of the Great Mongolian Empire and became Mongolia’s capital. When Kublai Khan and his younger brother, Ariq Boke, assumed the throne of the Mongol Empire in 1260, they moved their capital to what is now Beijing. Karakorum was reduced to the administrative center of a Yuan Dynasty provincial backwater. After 110 years after Kublai Khan transferred the Empire capital to China in 1260, the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty fell in 1368, and the center of Mongolian government was shifted to its homeland. It allowed Karakorum to regain its former glory. The town was captured and destroyed by Ming troops under General Xu Da in 1388. Nothing remains of this legendary city today. When Abtai Sain Khan and his brother, Lord Tumenkhen, went to the 3rd Dalai Lama in 1580 to express their desire to create a temple in Mongolia, he advised them to restore an old temple in Karakorum. The Main Zuu temple of Erdene Zuu monastery is a temple in Takhai ruins that was restored in 1588 at the Dalai Lama’s suggestion. Erdene Zuu Monastery is now all that is left of what was once a massive monastery with 100 temples and over 1.000 lamas. 

   • You’ll walk around the grounds of Erdene Zuu Monastery, which is encircled by huge 400 m X 400 m walls. You will be guided around the 3 remaining temples: The Dalai Lama, Zuu of Buddha and Lavrin Temple.

   The Karakorum Archaeological Museum will be another stop on your itinerary. It’s a tiny museum, but it’s housed in a new, well-run structure with good lighting and simple English labels on display cases. The displays contain hundreds of artefacts from the 13th and 14th centuries that were discovered in the immediate region, as well as those from other provinces’ archaeological sites, including prehistoric stone tools. Pottery, bronzes, coins, religious sculptures, and stone inscriptions are among the objects on display. A half-excavated kiln is also sunk into the museum floor. The scale model of ancient Karakorum, which attempts to reflect the city as it would have existed in the 1250s and is based on descriptions written by the French missionary William of Rubruck, is perhaps the most intriguing. A Turkic noble tomb with wall paintings and artefacts, including gold objects and jewels, is on display in another chamber. A short video of the actual burial site is available.

   Accommodation: Guest house

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, dinner

   Activities:

   • Visit Erdene Zuu monastery
   • Visit Karakorum archaeological museum

3. Day 3: Hustai national park

   • The Przewalski's Horse is a rare and endangered subspecies of wild horse found in Central Asia's steppes, also known as the Takhi horse. It has been reintroduced to its natural habitat in Mongolia, where it was once extinct in the wild. In 1993, Khustain Nuruu National Park was designated as a reserve, but in 1998, it was upgraded to a national park. In the park today, there are approximately 350 Takhi horses. There are 459 vascular plant species and 217 bird species in the park.

   Accommodation: Nomadic family

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Activities:

   • Visit Khustai national park
   • Spot the wild horses

4. Day 4: Terelj national park

   • Terelj National Park is located 65 km northeast of Ulaanbaatar by paved road. High granite stone mountains with forest-covered northern slopes, multitudes of wildflower meadows along with the spectacular shape rocks formed by wind is a favorite scenery for the visitors. Fast-flowing rivers and streams make the national park more beautiful.

   Accommodation: Nomadic family

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Activities:

   • Turtle rock
   • Aryabal meditation temple
   • Horse riding

5. Day 5: Full day horse tour

   Activities:

   • Horse riding tour
   • Get to know the daily life of a herder family

   Accommodation: Nomadic family

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

6. Day 6: Gengis Khaan statue complex- Ulaanbaatar

   • The largest equestrian statue in the world, the imposing Genghis Khan Statue Complex is a must-see when in Mongolia. 
   • Enjoy the sights and sounds of open field and attractive mountain scenery. Genghis Khan divided the known globe in two during the 13th century. But he remains a national hero, a mythical figure, and a representation of Mongolian culture to Mongolians, and for good cause.The Mongol Empire was established by Genghis Khan, who also revitalized the Silk Road, brought together warring tribes, and cemented the Mongols' place on the geography of the globe. The Mongol Empire grew to become the greatest contiguous empire in history.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

   Activities:

   • Drive back to UB
   • Transfer to hotel