Mongolia12 days
Mongolia: Naadam Festival & Khuvsgul Lake — 12 Days
Follow the Three Manly Sports from Khuvsgul's Khatgal festival to Lake Khuvsgul's shores, with stops at Kharkhorin, Khorgo volcano, and Buddhist monasteries.
This route arrives in Mongolia days before Naadam, the nation's most significant annual celebration, held on July 11 each year. The festival marks Mongolia's Independence Day and unfolds across the entire country—each province and village holds its own ceremonies featuring the Three Manly Sports (horse racing, archery, and wrestling), traditional music performances, and Mongolian food. This itinerary builds toward Khatgal's local festival on July 11, then spends unhurried time at Lake Khuvsgul, Asia's second-largest freshwater lake and home to the Tsaatan reindeer herders. The route south passes through the Orkhon Valley's historical centers—Kharkhorin, where the capital of the Mongol Empire once stood, and two significant Buddhist monasteries that survived the political upheavals of the 1930s. The northern portion of the journey follows the border between Central Asian steppes and Siberian Taiga forest, a geographical transition visible in the landscape itself.
Highlights
- Takhi wild horse viewing at Khustai National Park, where Przewalsky horses have been reintroduced to their native habitat since the 1990s
- Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes trekking and camel riding in the steppe midway between Khustain and Kharkhorin
- Erdene Zuu Monastery in Kharkhorin, Mongolia's oldest Buddhist monastery, founded in the late 16th century
- Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park: trek into the crater of an 8,000-year-old dormant volcano overlooking Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake (61 sq. km)
- Naadam festival opening ceremonies in Khatgal, July 11, featuring horse racing, archery, wrestling, and traditional deel attire
- Lake Khuvsgul shoreline and forests (2,760 sq. km, formed 2 million years ago), with optional visits to Tsaatan reindeer herding families
- Uran Togoo volcano: walk into a 600-meter-wide, 50-60 meter-deep crater surrounded by steppe and forest
- Amarbayasgalant Monastery, one of Mongolia's three major monastic centers, built in 1727 using traditional joinery with no metal fasteners
- Gandan Monastery, Bogd Khan's Winter Palace Museum, and Zaisan Memorial in Ulaanbaatar
Day by day
1Arrival and Takhi Wild Horses at Khustai National ParkKhustai National Park · ger camp
Upon arrival, you are met by the local team and transferred 140 kilometers to Khustai National Park. The park was established in 1992 to reintroduce Takhi—also known as Przewalsky horses—to their native Mongolian habitat. These are the world's only truly wild horse species never domesticated; they had vanished from the Mongolian steppes by the mid-1950s. In the 1990s, through coordinated efforts led by Dutch conservation organizations, small populations were returned to Mongolia. Today their numbers grow steadily. Depending on your arrival time, you drive deeper into the park to observe these horses moving freely across the grassland and learn about their ecology and reintroduction history. Overnight in a standard ger camp.
2Elsen Tasarkhai Sand Dunes and Kharkhorin's MonumentsElsen Tasarkhai · Kharkhorin Museum · Erdene Zuu Monastery
After breakfast, you depart for Kharkhorin, capital of the historical Mongol Empire, 300 kilometers away. The journey passes through 200 kilometers of rolling steppe before arriving at Elsen Tasarkhai—locally called 'Mini Gobi'—where long sand dunes rise unexpectedly amid grassland. You stop here to experience the landscape on foot and ride camels across the dunes. Upon reaching Kharkhorin, you visit the Kharkhorin Museum, which houses artifacts from the Orkhon Valley cultural landscape spanning thousands of years of empires and kingdoms. Across the town stands Erdene Zuu Monastery, the oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, founded in the late 16th century. For centuries, thousands of monks lived within these grounds and shaped Mongolian culture profoundly. The monastery was damaged during the political purges of the 1930s, but its layout and grounds have been preserved. The complex contains both restored temples and active worship spaces open to visitors. Overnight in a standard ger camp.
3Khorgo Volcano and Terkhiin Tsagaan LakeKhorgo volcano · Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake · Arkhangai province · a standard ger camp
You travel to Arkhangai province to reach Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park, 350 kilometers south. The park's centerpieces are Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake, covering 61 square kilometers and hosting abundant bird life, and Khorgo volcano, now dormant. The volcano erupted over 8,000 years ago; that eruption directly shaped the surrounding landscape and the form of the lake itself. You have the opportunity to walk along the lake's shore and trek up the volcano's crater to take in a panoramic view of the valley and forest landscape below. Overnight in a standard ger camp.
4Journey to Ulziit Khishig CampUlziit Khishig camp
You travel 220 kilometers northward to Ulziit Khishig camp, positioned on the route toward the journey's northern destination. The camp sits in a verdant valley surrounded by forest and trees on a hillside. Overnight in a standard ger camp.
5Arrival at Lake KhuvsgulLake Khuvsgul · Moron · ger camp · Lake Khuvsgul shore
You continue 210 kilometers north to Lake Khuvsgul, the route's main destination. The journey passes through Moron, capital of Khuvsgul province, before arriving at your camp on the lake's shore. Khuvsgul is Asia's second-largest freshwater lake, spanning 2,760 square kilometers and formed approximately 2 million years ago. It lies at the boundary between Central Asian steppes and Siberian Taiga forest—a geographic meeting point visible in the landscape's mix of grassland and dense woodland. The lake is home to the Tsaatan people, also known as Dukha, one of Mongolia's most distinct ethnic groups. They sustain themselves primarily through reindeer herding, a practice adapted to the region's climate and terrain. Overnight in a standard ger camp.
6Naadam Festival in KhatgalKhatgal · ger camp
On July 11, Mongolia's Independence Day, you travel to the nearby town of Khatgal to attend the opening ceremonies of the local Naadam festival. The streets fill with locals wearing traditional Mongolian deel robes in vivid colors and patterns. The Three Manly Sports take center stage: horse racing across open grassland, archery competitions, and wrestling matches. Spectators and participants alike gather for a celebration that has been held in similar form for millennia. Overnight in a standard ger camp.
7Lake Khuvsgul: Optional ActivitiesLake Khuvsgul · local nomadic families · Tsaatan reindeer herding camps · Lake Khuvsgul shoreline and adjacent valleys · Lake Khuvsgul edge and surrounding taiga
A free day at the lake. The camp offers multiple optional activities: boat rides across the water, horse riding along the shoreline and adjacent valleys, visits to local nomadic families to observe everyday life, visits to Tsaatan reindeer herding camps, and forest trekking along the lake's edge and into the surrounding taiga. Overnight in a standard ger camp.
8Journey to Sod Camp, Bulgan ProvinceSod Camp · Bulgan province
You depart for Bulgan province, traveling 350 kilometers to Sod Camp, reaching it in the afternoon. The camp is positioned opposite a mountain range with trekking available in the surrounding terrain. Nearby is a mineral spring known for its therapeutic properties. Overnight in a standard ger camp.
9Uran Togoo Volcano and Amarbayasgalant MonasteryUran Togoo · Amarbayasgalant Monastery · Bulgan town · a local nomadic family
After breakfast, you drive to Uran Togoo, a dormant volcano surrounded by green steppe and forest. This volcano, the largest of four in the surrounding valleys, erupted approximately 24,000 years ago. The landscape offers substantial trekking opportunities. The volcanic crater measures 600 meters wide and 50 to 60 meters deep, and can be walked into directly. You then drive to Bulgan town for lunch. After lunch, you visit a local nomadic family to observe the traditional pastoral lifestyle that has survived and adapted into the modern era. In late afternoon, you arrive at Amarbayasgalant Monastery, considered one of Mongolia's three major monastic centers. Unlike many Mongolian monasteries damaged or destroyed during the 1930s political purges, Amarbayasgalant survived in relatively better condition. Built in 1727, it was constructed using traditional Mongolian joinery techniques with no metallic beams or nails—the entire structure relies on interlocked wood joinery. The monastic grounds and surrounding hills offer contemplative spaces for observation and walking. Overnight in a standard ger camp.
10Return to UlaanbaatarUlaanbaatar · camp and monastic grounds · en route · 4- or 5-star hotel · hotel
You spend the morning at the camp and monastic grounds before beginning the 350-kilometer return to Ulaanbaatar. Lunch occurs en route. Upon arrival in the capital, you check into a 4- or 5-star hotel. Dinner follows. Overnight in the hotel.
11Ulaanbaatar City TourGandan Monastery · Sukhbaatar Square · National History Museum · Bogd Khan's Winter Palace Museum · Zaisan Memorial Hill
After breakfast at the hotel, your city tour begins at Gandan Monastery, which serves as the center of Buddhist practice in contemporary Mongolia. You tour the monastic grounds and learn its history during the turbulent 20th century. You then proceed to Sukhbaatar Square in the city center, the focal point of the 1990 democratic revolution that transformed Mongolia's political system. The National History Museum stands across the square, displaying artifacts from the Bronze Age through the present era of democratic Mongolia. After lunch, you travel to the southern part of the city to visit Bogd Khan's Winter Palace Museum, the former winter residence of the Bogd Jabzandamba VIII, Mongolia's last aristocratic ruler. Finally, you ascend Zaisan Memorial Hill, which overlooks much of Ulaanbaatar. The monument was built in memory of Soviet and Mongolian soldiers killed in World War II. From the hilltop, you observe panoramic views of the capital and surrounding landscape. A farewell dinner precedes your return to the hotel. Overnight in the hotel.
12DepartureChinggis Khaan International Airport
Transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport for departure.
Where you go
- 1Khustai National Park
- 2Elsen Tasarkhai
- 3Kharkhorin Museum
- 4Erdene Zuu Monastery
- 5Khorgo volcano
- 6Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake
- 7Lake Khuvsgul
- 8Moron
- 9Khatgal
- 10Lake Khuvsgul
- 11Uran Togoo
- 12Amarbayasgalant Monastery
- 13Bulgan town
- 14Ulaanbaatar
- 15Gandan Monastery
- 16Sukhbaatar Square
- 17National History Museum
- 18Bogd Khan's Winter Palace Museum
- 19Zaisan Memorial Hill
- 20Chinggis Khaan International Airport
Included
- Hotel, all meals specified in the itinerary
- Tickets and tours for attractions specified in the itinerary
- All museums and attractions in the itinerary
- 2 bottles of mineral water per person per day
Not included
- Air tickets and airport taxes
- Luggage tips
- Insurance
- Personal expenses
- Air tickets
- Meals on the train