Gobi Desert Tour
Description
Duration: 8 Days (customisable)
Cost: USD$1650 per person (two people or more)
Tour summary
This tour begins in Ulaanbaatar and ends at Fairfield Guesthouse in Arkhangai ... but this is of course entirely customisable. While you will drive each day to see a different place of interest, we are very committed to ensuring that the distances are conservative so you do not spend the entire tour simply driving. We also plan for you to be at key locations for the best lighting conditions for photography.
Accommodation is planned to be a mix of staying in comfortable tourist camps, in eco-camps (more basic and 'genuine' ger camps), and also at least one night with an actual nomadic herder family so you can experience the amazing way of life of these incredible people. This, again, is able to be adjusted to suit your preferences if needed.
The route will take you through the key places of interest in the desert, then on to the lush central region. You will see places of geographic interest and great beauty, and to places with amazing history. These include:
Baga Gazriin Chuluu – a beautiful region of rocky outcrops and formations
Tsagaan Suvarga – white cliffs, believed to have once been an ocean seabed. Timed for dawn photography.
Yoliin Am (Eagle Canyon / Ice Canyon) – a canyon so deep the sun never reaches the bottom and ice often persists even through the heat of summer.
Khongoriin Els (Singing Sand Dunes) – ride camels and then climb to the top of the massive dunes which stretch 180kms long, and up to 300m high. Sunset or sunrise make for spectacular photography.
Petroglyphs – bronze age rock drawings
Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs) – incredible cliffs that glow red in the sunset. The site of some of the world's most significant dinosaur fossils
Ongiin Hiid (Ongiin Monastery) – The ruins of one of the largest monasteries in Mongolia, destroyed in the Russian purges
Kharhorin and the Erdene Zuu Monastery – Dating back to 1586, it is one of the country's oldest working monasteries, on the site of the capital city of the Ancient Mongolian Empire.
Tuvkhun Monastery – A short hike up to a monastery nestled high on a rocky crag.
Fairfield Guesthouse Cafe and Bakery – a lovely comfortable end to the tour, and a launching point for further exploration and adventure in central Mongolia.
Notes:
This tour is entirely customisable to suit your schedule and interests and budget. Please discuss your individual circumstances with us, and we'll be happy to work with you on your travel plans.