The great Gobi Desert covers one third of Mongolia, this great expense of desert makes for an incredible setting for any tour, who would have imagined finding some of the world's largest fine sand dunes with caravans of bacterian camels in Mongolia? The Gobi is ever changing with large rocky patches, great sand dunes and grand canyons. This tour will take you on a discovery of the Gobi desert and its unforegettable scenery.
In more recent times, the Gobi has been found to be one of the world's great treasure-troves of dinosaur fossils. The 20thC. saw many important expeditions to the area that uncovered fossils of huge scientific interest. Notable amoungst these expeditions were those of Roy Chapman-Andrews, and American scientist and adventurer held to have been the original inspiration for the Indiana Jones character.
Day 1
Fly
from Ulaanbaatar to capital town of Govi province
We will fly from Ulaanbaatar to
Dalanzadgad (capital town of Gobi). We will stay overnight at a ger camp near
to an ice canyon. (40km driving).
Day 2
Yoliin
am-Ice canyon
We will arrive at a valley in the
middle of the Gobi Desert with metres thick ice almost all year round. The
surrounding hills offer plenty of walking in this obscure region full of wild
life including the rare ibex and argali-sheep. We will do some walking around
the area and stay overnight at ger camp.
Day 3
Bayanzag-Flaming
Cliffs
The eggs were found at an obscure site in the Gobi called Ulan Usu which the
famous American explorer Andrews christened the ”Flaming Cliffs”. In 1918
Andrews recorded the first history of the area and found dinosaur eggs-nests
some of which were single, whole and broken eggs, large ones and small ones,
and eggs with smooth paper thin shells. Even if you are not a dino-phile the
eerie beauty of the surrounding landscape is a good reason to visit.
We will drive 90 km from ice canyon to the Flaming Cliffs and stay overnight
in the tent in the middle of red sands.
Day 4
Drive
to Khongor Sand Dune
The Khongor Els (sand dune) are
some of the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia. They are
800m high, 12 km wide and about 100 km long. You can climb to the top of the
dunes (if you are up to it!) and then slide back down. We will drive about
120km and stay at a ger camp near the sand dunes.
Day 5-7
Camel
trekking around Khongor sand dune
Of the 700,000 Asian camels left in the world and about 500,000 of them are
in the Gobi provinces in Mongolia. The Asian camel is more known as the
Bactrian and has two humps. It is wonderfully suited to the deserts of
Central Asia and can graze on the sparse pasture and live for three months on
nothing but water and in emergencies survive up to a fortnight without
drinking. What is more, it runs almost as fast as a horse. We will use camels
for transportation to explore the sand dunes. We will ride camels about 60km
in 3 days.
Day 8-9
Cross
country driving from Gobi to Central Mongolia.
When we travel by car over
hundreds of miles, the landscape changes dramatically, from the red glowing
cliffs of the Gobi to lakes and pastures as the tour begins to make its way
north. We will drive about 350km during these days.
Day 10
Arrive
at Orkhon waterfall
The waterfall located in the
Orkhon valley has been a major center for Mongolians. The waterfall formed by
a unique combination of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes about 20,000 years
ago. Around the area there are many nomadic families breeding yaks and
horses. We will visit a nomadic family and learn about their culture. Stay
overnight with local nomadic family.
Day
11-13
Horse
trekking to “ Eight Lake ” National park.
The “Eight Lakes” region is part of the Khangai Nuruu range. These are the
second highest mountains in Mongolia .The range is well watered, so expect
lovely forests, meadows and plenty of streams. We will ride horses about 70km
in 3 days and use pack horses to carry the luggage
Day 14
Drive to Kharkhorum-The ancient
City and Erdene Zuu Monastery
Situated on the banks of the
Orkhon river, the site of the imperial capital Karakhorum was chosen by
Chingis Khaan in 1220.The capital city of the largest land empire the world
has ever known. Today almost nothing remains of the once-great city. The
nearby Erdene Zuu monastery was the first Buddhist monastery built in
Mongolia, constructed using stones and bricks from ruins of the ancient city
in 1586. During the communist purges of the 1930s, many of the temples were
destroyed but the remaining temples and stupas are some of the best Mongolian
Buddhist architecture.
After 3 days of horse riding, we will drive to Kharkhorum to visit Erdene Zuu
monastery. (180km driving on most bumpy road)
Day 15
Drive
to Khogno Khan natural reserve
There is the Lost monastery in a
beautiful valley with rocky-mountains next to the sand dune. We will drive
90k m on paved road.
Day 16
Arrive
in Ulaanbaatar
We will hike around the rocky mountains in the morning .Afternoon drive back
to Ulaanbaatar. (260km driving on paved road)