Mongolia tailor made holiday

country:	Mongolia
departures:	Available all year, subject to weather conditions. This suggested itinerary can be modified entirely to your personal wishes including departure date, duration, accommodation used and how long you spend in each destination.
price:	From £3500 (17 days) including flights from the UK

Mongolia holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

17 days discovering Mongolia, Land of Blue Sky

Travelling from Ulaan Baatar through the Gobi desert region and on towards crystal lakes and ancient cities, this trip offers a truly unique opportunity to discover Mongolia, one of the world’s greatest undiscovered lands.

The trip takes in a wealth of contrasts, from the hustle and bustle of Mongolia's rapidly developing capital to the vast Gobi desert plains and on towards forested mountains, extinct volcanoes and secluded Buddhist monasteries.

The itinerary also offers the opportunity to discover Mongolia's nomadic and spiritual heritage through visits to traditional nomadic horse-breeding families and working places of worship offering an insight into a culture which has survived for centuries despite the hardships of the Soviet period.

In order to achieve maximum flexibility, choice and quality of service all our trips are arranged on a private basis so you will not be expected to share guides, transport, transfers and other aspects of the trip with any other person.

This itinerary can be undertaken at any time of year but clients should note that because of the extreme climate in Mongolia, (hot in the summer, very cold in the winter), the best time to visit the country is between May and early October, though the Gobi region can be hot in summer.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Depart London to Beijing. Depart London on an overnight flight to Beijing
Day 2:	Beijing. Arrive in Beijing, with the afternoon at leisure for sightseeing.
Day 3:	Ulaan Baatar. Return to the airport for a morning flight to Ulaan Baatar. In the evening your guide will lead you on a visit to Zaisan Hill, for superb views of the city and sacred mountains.
Day 4:	Ulaan Baatar sightseeing. Today takes you on a full tour of Mongolia’s capital taking in the wonderful Gandan monastery, Sukbaatar Square and the National History and Natural History Museums.
Day 5:	Gobi Desert. Transfer back at the airport, and fly South-West to Dalanzadgad in the deep Gobi Desert. After landing, you transfer overland into the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, where you stay in the excellent three Camel Lodge ger encampment. The evening takes you on a sunset journey to see Byanzag, `The Flaming Cliffs`.
Day 6:	Khongoryn Els. Today you transfer across the beautiful Gobi desertscapes, stopping on your way to observe game and the custom of the nomadic peoples, before arriving at the mighty sand dunes of Khongoryn Els, where you stay overnight at Gobi Discovery Camp.
Day 7:	Gov-Altai Mountains - Dungenir Pass. This morning, in the cool of the dawn, you journey to the base of the dunes, where you have the chance to climb to the top, for excellent views of the Gobi, or to walk through the green oasis at the base. After breakfast, you take a southern passage through the Gobi, driving along the dunes for more than a hundred kilometres, before branching into the Gov-Altai Mountains and the Dungenir Pass, which leads to the glacial canyon of Yolyn Am - here you journey on boor or horseback into the canyon itself.
Day 8:	Tuuvkhun Monastery. Today you travel by jeep to the secluded Tuuvkhun Monastery, high in the larch forested mountains.
Day 9:	Khogno Khan Mountain. This morning you drive north to Khogno Khan Mountain to visit a nomadic horse breeding family.
Day 10:	Erdene Zuu Monastery. This morning you visit the magnificent Erdene Zuu Monastery, where you will see a distinct mixing of the styles of Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism. Here are also the last standing walls of Kharakorum, the heart of the Mongol Empire.
Day 11:	Khogo National Park. Today you journey onwards towards the Khogo National Park home of the spectacular Khorgo Volcano.
Day 12:	Khangay Mountains. Journey onwards through the peaks of the Khangay Mountains, passing alpine meadow and forest on your way to a spa ger camp. The road today leads through the volcanic alpine landscape to the beautiful Lake Terkhiin, where you spend a night at the lake.
Day 13:	Beautiful lake. Enjoy a leisurely day by the shores of Mongolia’s most beautiful lake.
Day 14:	Moron. The road today leads to Moron, regional Capital, where you pay a visit to the fascinating market, the main point of commerce for the surrounding nomads.
Day 15:	Khatgal - Ulaan Baatar. This morning you drive to the town of Khatgal for your return flight to Ulaan Baatar.
Day 16:	Beijing. After a leisurely morning in the city, you return to the airport for your flight back to Beijing.
Day 17:	Homeward bound. Homeward bound - back to the airport, and an onward flight to the UK.

tailor made holidays

This trip can be tailormade to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more individual trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments, with the flexibility to plan a trip at your own pace. Quality and value are the hallmark of these trips, with most services being provided on a private basis.

how this holiday makes a difference

Helping local people
Responsible tourism to Mongolia encourages the participation of indigenous nomadic families, enabling them to continue to live as they have done traditionally for centuries by providing a sustainable and reliable income. As such this itinerary includes visits to nomadic families and accommodation in socially responsible camps which strive to employ local people and purchase goods from local farmers. In addition through our work with local guides and operators, we provide economic benefits directly to local people and businesses.

Accommodation
This itinerary includes accommodation at the Three Camel Lodge, one of a very small number of ecologically sustainable tourist camps in the Gobi region. As well as offering a high standard of service and accommodation the camp is acutely aware of the impact that its participation in the tourist industry has on the local environment and on local nomadic families who continue to use the area for farming. As such the camp places high emphasis on local community values and ecological sustainability, employing 90% of its staff from within the local community, purchasing food from local farmers and using wind and solar power where possible.

Our commitment to responsible tourism
Our organisation is passionate about all the countries which we operate in, therefore it is a natural progression that we help to protect each region and strive to maximise the benefits that tourism can bring. We support a variety of different projects in several countries using local guides and where possible, sourcing locally owned hotels and guesthouses in an effort to support the local economy.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.