Two of the most touristic routes are Kharakhorum and Terelj national parks in Mongolia. This tour offers you to see the Gobi desert plus these two touristic national parks. Genghis Khan ordered to establish the capital city in Kharakhorum in 1220. Unfortunately he passed away in 1227. However, his son Ugudei built the capital city in 1235 Khubilai changed the city from Kharakhorum to Dadu (Beijing) and founded Great Yuan Dynasty. That’s why Kharakhorum was abandoned and destroyed gradually but in Kharakhorum you can see the impressive monastery that was established in 1586 by Avtaisan Khan. Terelj National Park is located east from Ulaanbaatar. In this park you can see the giant Genghis Khan’s statue.
Ulaanbaatar
In the morning
Terelj is one of the most touristic attractions around Ulaanbaatar city. It has been the strictly protected area since 1965. It’s connected with Ulaanbaatar by a paved road. The park wildlife includes brown bears, grey wolves, foxes and over two hundred species of birds. Also the Tuul river flows through the national park. The Gorkhi-Terelj National park has many rock formations for rock climbers. We will explore the Turtle rock and hike to Ariyapala meditation center.
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.
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.
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.
Ongi monastery is the ruin of a big monastery on the bank of the Ongiin River. Ongi monastery has 28 temples and other buildings on the south slope of the Rocky Mountain like Balsa country and stupas which are not broken. Ongi monastery had about 1000 lamas and it was destroyed during the Stalinist purges in 1930s.The ruins of Ongi Temple are found in Saikhan Ovoo soum of Dundgobi (Middle Gobi) province.
Karakorum was one of the most important cities in the history of the Silk Road. Although founded by Genghis Khan in 1220, Karakorum’s development as capital of the Mongol Empire occurred in the 1230s under his son Ugudei. The Mongols had a profound impact on the history of trade across Central Asia, as their vast empire connected east and west. We will explore the highlights of the city and visit to Erdene-Zuu monastery.
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.
Mongolians are the last nomads in the world. Therefore this lifestyle makes us unique on the earth. We will visit a true nomadic family. The purpose of the stay at a local family is to experience the true culture of Mongolian nomads. You will see how they herd their livestock; make dairy products, and traditional clothes. Afterwards we will drive back to Ulaanbaatar.
