Family holidays in Mongolia

country:	Mongolia
departures:	This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you and adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements.
price:	From US $949 - US $1098 (8 days) excluding flights. Price depends on number of travellers. Domestic flight US $197, single supplement US $116

Family adventure holidays

Mongolia holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

Wish to take your family on a unique holiday to an extraordinary travel destination?

Based on our experience taking dozens of families throughout Mongolia, we have designed the perfect vacation for you. This trip features activities that will keep your children busy, and will allow them to explore unfamiliar environments and to experience natural surroundings in safety during your family tour.

The trip includes overnights in gers, traditional Mongolian style felt homes, and opportunities to try new sports like kayaking and horseback riding.

If we are lucky, we will also meet with reindeer herders. All our family trips are led by our team members who have extensive experience working with kids.

All nights in hotels or lodges, with any challenging physical activities optional. Easy walks, and comfortable driving distances over paved or moderate dirt roads.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Arrival to Ulaanbaatar and transfer to hotel. Depending on time of arrival, you may have a short city sight-seeing tour. Evening welcome dinner. Overnight in hotel.
Day 2:	Ulaanbaatar - Lake Huvsgul. One of the highlights of the trip is Lake Huvsgul. We will take a flight to Murun, the provincial capital of Huvsgul Province. One of the world's biggest fresh water sources, Lake Huvsgul and its amazing surroundings are home to several of Mongolia’s ethnic minorities as well as a refuge for a wide variety of wildlife. Huvsgul is truly a highlight of any trip to Mongolia. After landing in Murun we drive to Hatgal, a small town on the edge of the lake, then north along the lake’s edge to the ger camp, arriving in time for an afternoon walk along the lakeshore. Overnight in a ger camp.
Day 3:	Lake Huvsgul – Tsaatan, the Reindeer People. One of the most interesting ethnic groups living near the lake is the Tsaatan or as they are better known ‘The Reindeer People’. A small tribe of Tsaatan consisting of about 40 families lives with its herds of reindeer in the forests around the lake. These graceful animals provide the tribe with all its basic needs - milk, transportation, meat, skins and bones and antlers used as building materials and for tools. As there are very few Tsaatan left and this is a mobile population, we will go look for them by foot and by horse. We cannot guarantee that we meet them, but the scenery of the area is well worth the exploration time! Overnight in a ger camp.
Day 4:	Huvsgul - Murun. In the morning we will take a hike around the forests and meadows near the lake. Lying at about 1650 meters above sea level, surrounded by mountains rising above 3100 meters, the waters of Huvsgul are deep and spectacularly clear and pure. We will hike through thick pine forests carpeted with flowers and explore the setting of Mongolia’s ‘Blue Pearl’. After lunch we will drive to Murun. Overnight in a local hotel.
Day 5:	Murun - Ulaanbaatar - Gun Galuut. Today we will take the first available flight to Ulaanbaatar. Upon arrival, we will drive to Gun Galuut national park, the park offers great opportunities to observe rare wildlife. Lying at the shores of Ikh Gun Lake, home to many species of waterfowl, and next to Baits Mountain, natural habitat to the nearly extinct Mountain Sheep, there are great chances to observe some of Mongolia’s most impressive wildlife. The Kherlen River is situated only minutes away from the camp, and you can participate in optional easy kayaking. Overnight in ger camp.
Day 6:	Gun Galuut - Terelj National Park. Today we will drive from Gun Galuut to Gorhi-Terelj National Park. The park features unique rock formations, scenic valleys, a winding river, and restful groves of trees. Many nomads live in the park itself, where they find good grazing for their animals. We will visit nomadic families and take the opportunity to learn about their unique way of life. After lunch we take an easy horseback ride across the mountains to the Terelj River and back to the ger camp. Overnight in a ger camp.
Day 7:	Terelj National Park - Ulaanbaatar. In the morning we will go rafting or kayaking down the Terelj river, after which we will have a traditional BBQ lunch on the river bank. In the afternoon we drive back to Ulaanbaatar, and after checking-in to the hotel, we visit the Natural History museum, where skeletons of some of the biggest dinosaurs in the world are displayed. These skeletons were excavated in the Gobi Desert by the expedition team of Roy Chapman Andrews in the 1920s. In the evening we will have a farewell dinner together at a restaurant. Overnight in 4* hotel
Day 8:	Departure. After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for your departing flight.

travelling with a local operator

This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.

how this holiday makes a difference

We believe responsible travel is the best way to promote appreciation and respect for the environment, cultural traditions and human values among young people. The family active vacation is designed specifically to give youngsters the experience of encountering ethnic groups with ancient traditions, seeing rare wildlife and pristine environments, and experiencing a self reliant way of life in tune with nature where material possessions are kept at a minimum. For most children, this is an eye opening experience, as they realize that youngsters their own age may have adult responsibilities including herding animals, carrying water, and gathering fuel while Western children have a significant amount of leisure time.

Children on this trip will have access to experiences that they would not get from a standard family vacation, and their appreciation of faraway cultures, nature and the environment, and different ways of life will contribute to forming a new generation of travelers that seeks to ensure their continued survival. Children are encouraged to bring toys or games, used or new, that they can share with nomadic children on their visits to families. Your guide will instruct children on the trip about low-impact travel and help them to relate to a new and different way of life, explaining the customs and traditions of the Mongols. We also source as many of our services from local suppliers as possible, including renting horses, buying produce, meat, and dairy products, hiring local guides, and arranging for special performances or demonstrations of local skills and crafts. By traveling with us you will help support people who keep alive and contribute to the livelihoods of herders and trades people in rural Mongolia.

Because of our committment to responsible travel, all guides on our trips are Mongolians. The guide is after all the person you will spend the most time with on your trip, and we believe it is important that your guide be a local person in order to give you the best possible sense of Mongolian culture, traditions, and customs, as well as first hand knowledge about the environment, wildlife, economics, or whatever your interest may be. We invest a great deal into our guide training program in order to enable our team to function at a professional level that allows us to give staff opportunities for promotion, and our staff is paid well above national average wages.

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