Mongolia is one of last undiscovered countries in the world. This tour offers you to explore real authentic Mongolian virgin nature. It takes 22 days to cover Gobi, half of western and central Mongolia. Mostly these places are not explored by foreigners so it is outdoor things that you can experience. You will enjoy whole Gobi desert. You hike to the Great Bogd, Eej Khairkhan and Otgontenger mountains from the top of them you will get breathtaking views. You will be in the middle of clouds.
Ulaanbaatar
In the morning
The scarp of Tsagaan Suvarga is located in Ulziit soum of Dundgovi province. It is interesting to see the sheer slope, facing east, which from a distance seems to be the ruins of the ancient city. The cliff is 30 meters high and 100 meters wide. Over thousands of years the wind has created this amazing structure. It is sheer slope and was an old seabed with sedimentary structure created by millions years and the different colors of the ground represent different times.
Yol valley is situated in east north part of Zuun Saikhan Mountain. This area has been main attraction of tourists for many decades. Very wide at the entrance, it narrows gradually into a remarkable gorge. In spring two or three kilometers long winds its way through the defile and in July, freezing into a thick corridor of ice that stretches along a considerable distance. Also you will see the “Mukhar shivert” canyon where you will see the frozen waterfall. That stands there for whole year around.
Flaming cliffs are located in the province of Umnugobi (“South Gobi”). Its name means “rich in saxaul”, an endangered Central Asian tree 2 to 9 m high, whose roots are precious to protect soil from erosion.Significant paleontological discoveries have been made there, especially by American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews in 1920: fossilized dinosaur eggs and specimens of Velociraptor. Its nickname of “Flaming Cliffs” is due to the orange-red rock the mountain is made of.
Khongor Sand Dunes are the largest and most spectacular sand dunes situated in Sevrei soum. Also known as the “singing dunes”, they are up to 800 m high, 20 km wide and about 100 km long. The spectacular dunes are bordered by lush green vegetation supported by a small river Khongor, which is fed by underground sources from surrounding mountains.
Around the world, you can see the petroglyph only in Mongolia. In Europe there is almost no rock carved paintings. It is one of the unique Mongolian cultures. In Asia, you are able to see the petroglyph among the area only where Mongolians were. Those petroglyphs usually belong to the bronze and new stone ages. It is a message from the ancient people. They usually carved their casual life and wild animals they used to hunt such as ibexes, horses, wolves, deers, camels and wild mountain sheep.
The longest mountain range in Mongolia is Altai mountain range which has two sections Gobi Altai and Altai mountains. The Great Bogd Mountain is the highest peak of Gobi Altai mountain range that is 3950 meters above the sea level. In 1957 there was one of the largest and powerful earthquakes in Mongolia. That was about 8.4 magnitudes. Caused by the earthquake, one of the tops was collapsed and blocked two rivers and formed two lakes which are Khukh and Nogoon Lakes. It is one the most beautiful hiking and trekking areas in Mongolia.
Orog lake is located about 22 km south of the Bogd village. It’s situated at the end of the Tuin river and is nestled amongst Great Bogd mountains. The Tuin River creates a large wetland on north side of the lake. To the south, the lake is bordered by the slopes of Ikh Bogd Mountain, which support desert steppe, and give rise to several streams with associated wetlands. On the northern side of the lake, there is a wide sand dune which stretches along the shore. Orog Lake is located within the Valley of Lakes.
This monastery has about 250-years history. In 1750, horse year by lunar calendar, it was founded by Agvaansodnom who was a very educated monk. He ordered to build Tsogchin Temple at the same year. Why they chose that place is two elderly women were milking goats and spilled the milk all over the ground then monks elected that place. It is the biggest monastery around that area and had about 1000 monks 49 temples until communist destruction. Nowadays you can still see the ruins temples and walls.
Eej Khairkhan Mountain is altitude of 2,275 meters above the sea level and located between Tsogt and Altai sums of Gobi-Altai province north of the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area. The highlight of our hiking is to see the nine craters. On the east side of the Eej Khairkhan Mountain, there are nine around shaped big holes like a crater. These craters are formed like a diagonal and filled by water. The 1st -4th craters are smaller compared to the rest of the craters. Their diameters are about 1-3 meters. The 5th -8th craters are bigger and their 5-6 meters. The 9th crater is the biggest one and its diameter is 7-8 meters.
It flows from Khangai Mountains and joins into Airag Lake. The Zavkhan River has a draining area of over 〖71000 km〗^2. The river forms most of the border between the Govi-Altai and Zavkhan aimags. The length of the river is 808 kilometres. The river has recently gained publicity as a result of the activities of Salkhin Sandag Association – a local environmental organization to protect it and its surrounding areas.
Otgontenger is one of the highest snow capped mountains in Mongolia. Its altitude is 4008 meters above the sea level. It is the highest peak of Khangai Mountain range. It has been strictly protected area of Mongolian government since 1992. Just below the border of the permanent snow of Otgontenger, there is a beautiful Badarkhundaga Lake. Khangai mountain range is the biggest mountain range in Mongolia. It was formed by the movement of tectonic plates 900 million years ago. In 1955, Mongolian mountain climbers climbed to the mountain for the first time. Many wild and rare animals live there.
Mukhart River is part of the huge Mongol Els (sand dune) and is uniquely shaped to look like a dam, in particular Hoover Dam in Nevada. A river runs from the foot of the dam and meanders through the sand dunes forming an oasis which is a great view.
Drive to Khar Nuur(black lake), is a scenic lake that is surrounded with high mountains and sand dunes. The sceneries from Mukhart to Khar Nuur are indescribable. The varied landscapes change continuously from mountains, lakes, sand dunes, unique rock formations, plains, plateaus, grassland etc. An interesting highlight on this part of the overland journey is the Senjit Khad – a natural stone arch.
Ider River is 452 km long and it is dominated 24555 〖km〗^2areas. It flows through Khuvsgul, Zavkhan, Arkhangai provinces. It is one of the most outstanding rivers in Mongolia.
Great White Lake is the highlight of Arkhangai province and famous for its attractive scenery.It is located in 600 km northwest of Ulaanbaatar. It has been protected since 1965, fully in 1997, to safeguard spectacular mountain scenery and endangered flora and fauna. It’s surrounded by the Khangai Mountain Range, which reach as 3000 meters above the sea level. The most area of the National park is covered by poplar and peach forest, where grow wild berries, rare herbs. There are lots of wild animals such as deer, ibex and others, as well as various kinds of birds. Around the Great White Lake we will hike and explore the unique natural formation.
The 86℃ hot spring water is supposed to have curative properties for arthritic joints and other ailments. Also spring is kept in high pressure under the ground flow rate is high, 10 litres per second. The water has mineral content and containing everything from simple calcium, sodium to sulphuric. The hot spring helps you to keep your skin softly and naturally. During the daytime you can have sunbath and when it gets dark you can enjoy the starts while you are sitting in the hot spring.
Khugnu Khan natural reserve covers 46,990 hectares of land and located in Rashaant soum of Bulgan province. The park is a splendid mountain and situated at the border of three provinces. In the natural reserve, there are extraordinary sand dunes about 80 kilometers. The scenery is spectacular combination of desert, picturesque mountain, river and green grassland.
Hustai National Park is one of the well known and prestigious special protected areas in Mongolia. Hustai Center is operating to conserve ecosystems, biodiversity of the park and historical stone monuments, build up takhi population in the wildlife, organize national and international workshop and meetings, in other part, to develop eco tourism and support the local sustainable livelihoods in the buffer zone of the park since it was established in 2003. As the successful implementation of the project today there are over 363 takhi in the park and we will see them. Afterwards we will head to Ulaanbaatar.
