Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Mongolia: Lake Khovsgol, the reindeer herders and Karakorum
13 days from Ulaanbaatar: fly north to Murun for four nights at Lake Khovsgol, with a boat day, a horse day and a reindeer herders' camp, then south by a hot-spring camp and Terkhiin Tsagaan lake to Karakorum.
13 days · Round trip from Ulaanbaatar · up to 12 guests
Horses by Lake Khovsgol near Khatgal Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Horses_in_Kh%C3%B6vsg%C3%B6l_01.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 13 days, 12 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Ulaanbaatar
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 5.5 h on day 7
- Activity level
Moderate
Walking is easy to moderate: a few kilometres on forest and lakeside paths at Khovsgol, the 20 to 30 minute climb up the Khorgo volcano on stony steps, and short walks around monasteries. The horse day is about three hours in the saddle at a walk with local horsemen leading; no riding experience is needed, and you can ride for half an hour or walk instead. Lake Khovsgol sits at about 1,645 m and Terkhiin Tsagaan at about 2,060 m. Three days have five to five and a half hours in the vehicle (days 7, 10 and 12), broken by stops and a sit-down lunch; every other day has under four hours, and the four days at the lake have almost none.
- Meals included
- 12 breakfasts, 11 lunches, 11 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,050 (estimated price)
- Season
- June to September
Highlights
Why this trip
- Fly to Murun instead of two days on the road, then the Bronze Age deer stones of Uushigiin Uver on the way to the lake
- Four nights in one ger camp on the west shore of Lake Khovsgol, with larch forest behind and the water in front
- A morning boat trip on the lake, included, not sold as an extra
- A horse day with local horsemen along the shore and up through the larches to a viewpoint
- A morning with a Tsaatan reindeer-herding family when they are camped by the lake, said plainly when they are not
- A soak at a hot-spring camp south of Murun, then two nights at Terkhiin Tsagaan with a walk up the Khorgo volcano
- Erdene Zuu at opening and the Karakorum Museum in the UNESCO-listed Orkhon valley
- Gandan at morning prayers and an evening of throat singing in Ulaanbaatar, both included
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 5.5 h, on day 7.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,050 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 5.5 h, on day 7.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar
Chinggis Khaan International Airport to your hotel in Ulaanbaatar
- Dinner
- Stay in Ulaanbaatar
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN), in a valley about 50 km south of the city, where a driver meets you for the hour or so into Ulaanbaatar. The capital spreads along the Tuul River valley at about 1,350 m: Soviet-era blocks, glass towers, Buddhist temples, and districts of gers and wooden houses climbing the hills at its edges. Our hotel is central, a few minutes' walk from Sukhbaatar Square and the seated statue of Chinggis Khaan in front of Government Palace, so if you land early you can stretch your legs straight away.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing: how the ger camps work, what to pack in a soft bag for the flight north, what to wear for the horse day, and which three days are long in the vehicle. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner of Mongolian food, buuz dumplings, khuushuur and grilled meat, with vegetarian dishes on request.
Included
- Pick-up at Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Plan to land by about 4 pm to join the briefing; later arrivals are met and briefed the next morning.
Ulaanbaatar: Gandan and the National Museum
Ulaanbaatar: Gandan Monastery, the National Museum of Mongolia and an evening concert
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ulaanbaatar
- Drive about 30 min
A gentle first day in the city before the countryside.
Morning
We start at Gandan, the largest working monastery in Mongolia, in the morning while the monks are at prayers: turn the prayer wheels in the courtyard, listen to the chanting, and see the tall gilded statue of Migjid Janraisig in the main temple. Then the National Museum of Mongolia, a short drive away, where your guide walks you through the Bronze Age deer stones you will see in place on day 3, the clothes and jewellery of the country's peoples, including the Tsaatan reindeer herders, and the history of the empire whose capital you reach on day 10.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a restaurant near Sukhbaatar Square. The afternoon is free: rest after the flight, look for cashmere, or visit the Choijin Lama Temple Museum on your own.
Evening
In the early evening we go together to a concert of Mongolian music and dance, with khoomii throat singing, contortion and the horse-head fiddle. Dinner afterwards is on your own.
Included
- Gandan Monastery at morning prayers, with your guide
- The National Museum of Mongolia, with your guide
- Lunch near Sukhbaatar Square
- An evening concert of Mongolian music, dance and throat singing
Free time: Afternoon free; dinner on your own
Activity: Cover shoulders and knees at Gandan, and walk clockwise around the temples. Pack your soft bag tonight for the flight north.
Fly to Murun, the deer stones and Lake Khovsgol
Ulaanbaatar to Murun by air, then Uushigiin Uver and the west shore of Lake Khovsgol
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Lake Khovsgol
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive to the airport for the flight north-west to Murun, the capital of Khovsgol province, about an hour and a half in the air.
Evening
Flying saves the two days of driving, or the night train to Erdenet, that the other Khovsgol trips spend getting here. Our vehicles and drivers, sent up from Ulaanbaatar ahead of us, meet the plane. About 20 km west of town, at Uushigiin Uver in the Delger Moron valley, stand a group of carved deer stones, granite slabs about 3,000 years old covered in stylised flying deer, with burial mounds around them; with your guide you walk among them. Lunch is in Murun, then about 100 km north on a paved road to Khatgal at the southern tip of the lake and up the west shore to our ger camp, where we stay four nights. Khovsgol is a deep, clear lake about 136 km long, set in larch forest at about 1,645 m. The evening is free to walk the shore.
Included
- Flight from Ulaanbaatar to Murun (MXV)
- The deer stones of Uushigiin Uver, with your guide
- Lunch in Murun
- Khovsgol Lake National Park entry
- Dinner at the ger camp
Easier option: Stay by the vehicle at the deer stones; the site is level grass and can be seen from the track.
More active option: Walk the lake shore north from camp before dinner.
Free time: Evening free by the lake
Activity: The drive figure covers Murun airport to the deer stones and back, then about 125 km on to the camp; the morning transfer to the Ulaanbaatar airport is about an hour more. Domestic flights allow less baggage, usually about 15 kg in the hold; leave the rest at the Ulaanbaatar hotel.
A morning on the lake
Lake Khovsgol by boat from the west shore
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Lake Khovsgol
- Drive about 30 min
No long drive for the next three days.
Afternoon
The lake is usually calmest in the morning, and afternoon wind can raise real waves, so we go out on the water after breakfast. The boat trip runs for about two hours along the shore: the larch forest comes down to the water, the far side of the lake is a line of mountains, and on a clear day the water is clear enough to see the stones on the bottom near the shore. Where the park and the weather allow, we land on a small island or a quiet beach for tea. Lunch is back at camp. The afternoon is free, and this is the slow part of the trip on purpose: read on the shore, walk the forest paths behind camp, or put a toe in water that rarely warms much above 10 C.
Evening
Late in the day your guide leads an easy walk up the hill behind camp to a stone ovoo, the cairn where travellers leave an offering, for the evening light across the lake.
Included
- Boat trip on Lake Khovsgol, about two hours
- Evening walk to an ovoo above the lake, with your guide
- All meals at the ger camp
Easier option: Stay in the boat at the landing, and watch from camp instead of the hill walk.
More active option: A longer forest walk of two to three hours along the shore with your guide in the afternoon.
Free time: Afternoon free at the lake
Activity: Life jackets are provided. If the wind is up, the boat moves to another morning of our stay at the lake.
A horse day by the lake
Lake Khovsgol, on horseback along the shore and into the larch forest
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Lake Khovsgol
Horses are how people have always moved around Khovsgol, and today you see the lake that way.
Morning
After breakfast local horsemen bring their stocky Mongolian horses to camp, fit each rider with a saddle and a helmet, and lead the group at a walk along the shore and then up through the larch forest to a viewpoint over the lake, about three hours in the saddle in all with a break at the top. No riding experience is needed: the horses are calm, the horsemen hold the lead rope for anyone who wants it, and nobody goes faster than a walk unless they ask and the horseman agrees. If you would rather not ride, walk the first part of the route with your guide and meet the riders at a clearing.
Afternoon
We are back at camp for lunch. The afternoon is free: rest, walk the shore, or sit with the camp staff over milk tea.
Evening
In the evening, ask the horsemen about their animals and the herding year.
Included
- Guided horse ride of about three hours with local horsemen, helmets provided
- All meals at the ger camp
Easier option: Ride for half an hour near camp, or walk with your guide to the clearing where the riders stop.
More active option: Experienced riders can ask for a longer ride in the afternoon with the horsemen, included.
Free time: Afternoon free at the lake
Activity: Wear long trousers and closed shoes with a heel. Mongolian saddles are firm; there is a weight limit for the horses, which we confirm when you book.
The reindeer herders
Lake Khovsgol: a Tsaatan family's summer camp on the west shore
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Lake Khovsgol
- Drive about 1 h
The Tsaatan, who call themselves Dukha, are a small people who herd reindeer in the taiga of the Sayan mountains west of the Darkhad valley, several days from here on horseback, and this trip does not go there.
Morning
In summer some families bring part of their herd down to the west shore of the lake, and when a family our partner knows is camped there and is happy to receive us, we spend the morning with them. We drive a short way up the shore, sit in their ortz, the canvas tipi they live in, and hear through your guide how the reindeer give milk, carry loads and are ridden. The fee for the visit goes to the family. Reindeer suffer in the lake's summer warmth, and some lakeside camps are run mainly to sell souvenirs, so we only visit a family whose animals are well kept. If no such family is there, we tell you before you travel and visit a Darkhad herding family instead.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free.
Included
- Morning visit to a Tsaatan reindeer-herding family when one is camped by the lake, with the fee paid to the family; otherwise a visit to a Darkhad herding family
- All meals at the ger camp
Easier option: Stay at camp in the morning; the visit involves a short walk on uneven ground.
More active option: Walk back along the shore path from the herders' camp instead of driving, about two hours.
Free time: Afternoon free at the lake
Activity: Ask before taking photos of people, and do not feed the reindeer. Carvings made from antler are sold at the camp; buying from the family is the best way to support them.
South to a hot-spring camp
Lake Khovsgol to Murun, then a hot-spring camp near Jargalant
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Hot-spring camp near Jargalant
- Drive about 5.5 h
The first of the trip's three long days, and we say so plainly: about 305 km and five and a half hours of driving.
Evening
Leaving the lake by the way we came takes us back past Khatgal to Murun, about 125 km on paved road, and from there the only ger camp of our standard on the way south is at the hot springs near Jargalant, about 180 km further on rougher road; stopping earlier would mean a night with nothing to see and a longer day tomorrow. We leave at 8 after breakfast, stop for coffee and a stretch at Khatgal, and reach Murun for a sit-down lunch in town. South of Murun the land opens out into broad river valleys with herders' gers and big herds of yaks and horses; we stop every hour or so for photos and to stretch. We reach the camp in the late afternoon. The water comes out of the ground hot, and the camp has pools to soak in: the best cure for a day in the vehicle. Dinner is at camp, and the evening is free.
Included
- Sit-down lunch in Murun
- The hot spring pools at the camp
- Dinner at the ger camp
Easier option: There is no shorter way on this day. Take a front seat if you get car sick, stay in the vehicle at any stop you like, and rest at camp on arrival.
Free time: Evening free at the hot springs
Activity: Bring a swimsuit and flip-flops. Bathrooms at this camp are in a shared block. The camp and the exact spring are confirmed with our ground partner before each season.
Over the Khangai to Terkhiin Tsagaan
Hot-spring camp to Terkhiin Tsagaan lake and the Khorgo volcano
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Terkhiin Tsagaan
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
After a last morning soak and breakfast, we leave at 9 on tracks south through the hills of the northern Khangai, about 100 to 120 km and three and a half hours with stops. If rain has made the track hard going, the drivers take the longer way round by the main road to Tariat instead, and we climb Khorgo tomorrow morning.
Afternoon
Lunch is a hot meal set up by our crew by a river on the way. We come down into the Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan National Park in the early afternoon. Terkhiin Tsagaan, the Great White Lake, about 16 km long, the lake at around 2,060 m, was formed when lava from the Khorgo volcano dammed a river, and black lava fields still run along its shore. We settle into our ger camp by the lake for two nights. In the late afternoon, when the day visitors have gone, we drive to the foot of the Khorgo cone and climb the stepped path to the rim, 20 to 30 minutes, to look down into the crater and out over the lava fields and the lake.
Included
- Drive through the northern Khangai with stops for photos
- Hot lunch on the way
- Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan National Park entry
- Late-afternoon climb to the rim of the Khorgo volcano, with your guide
- Dinner at the ger camp
Easier option: Stay at the foot of the volcano and walk a short way into the lava field instead of the climb.
More active option: Walk the full circuit of the crater rim, about 30 minutes more.
Free time: Evening free by the lake
Activity: The path up Khorgo is steep stone steps; at this altitude, take it slowly.
A day at the Great White Lake
Terkhiin Tsagaan lake
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Terkhiin Tsagaan
- Drive about 30 min
A slow day in one place after two days on the move.
Morning
After breakfast your guide leads a walk along the lake shore and out onto the lava fields, where larches grow out of the black rock, to a herding family who keep yaks by the lake. Sit in their ger over milk tea and fresh dairy, the curd and cream that families here make all summer, and see how the yaks are milked and the felt is made.
Afternoon
We are back at camp for lunch. The afternoon is free: rest in the ger, take a book to the shore, hire a rowing boat from the camp, or walk around the small island at the lake's edge if the water is low.
Evening
The light is long and soft in the evening, the best time for photos of the lake with the volcano behind. Dinner is at camp, and anyone who wants to can go out after dark: there are very few lights here, and on a clear night the sky is thick with stars.
Included
- Guided walk along the lake shore and the lava fields
- Visit to a yak-herding family
- All meals at the ger camp
Optional experiences
- Rowing boat hire from the camp, paid locally
Easier option: Drive to the herding family instead of walking, and spend the morning at the camp.
More active option: A longer walk of three to four hours along the shore to the river outlet with your guide.
Free time: Afternoon free by the lake
Activity: About 5 km on foot on the morning walk, on uneven lava ground; good shoes matter.
Tsetserleg and on to Karakorum
Terkhiin Tsagaan to Taikhar Chuluu and Tsetserleg, then Kharkhorin
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Kharkhorin
- Drive about 5 h
The second long day: about 295 km and five hours of driving, mostly on paved road.
Evening
There is no closer good night stop between the lake and Karakorum, so we break the day in three. We leave at 8:30, pass the Chuluut river gorge, and stop at Taikhar Chuluu, a great granite rock rising alone from the steppe near Ikh Tamir, covered in inscriptions, with a legend of a hero who threw it there. Late morning we reach Tsetserleg, the capital of Arkhangai, a small town against a mountain with a temple above it. The provincial museum is in the old temple buildings of Zayain Gegeenii Sum, a monastery founded in the 17th century, and shows how herding families lived: saddles, felt, silver and a ger set up as it would be. Lunch is a sit-down meal in town. Then about two hours south-east, dropping into the Orkhon valley, to our ger camp near Kharkhorin, the town beside the old capital, by late afternoon. Dinner at camp.
Included
- Taikhar Chuluu rock
- The Arkhangai museum in the Zayain Gegeenii Sum temples, Tsetserleg
- Sit-down lunch in Tsetserleg
- Dinner at the ger camp near Kharkhorin
Easier option: There is no shorter way on this day. Take a front seat if you get car sick, stay in the vehicle at any stop you like, and rest at camp on arrival.
More active option: Climb the steps above the museum in Tsetserleg to the hillside temple for the view over the town, about 20 minutes.
Free time: Evening free at camp
Karakorum and Erdene Zuu
Kharkhorin: Erdene Zuu, the Karakorum Museum and the hill above the valley
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Kharkhorin
- Drive about 30 min
We are at Erdene Zuu when it opens, before the day visitors arrive from Ulaanbaatar. Founded in 1585, partly from the stones of Karakorum, it was the first great Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, and its long white wall is lined with stupas, 108 by tradition. Most of its temples were destroyed in the purges of the late 1930s; a few survived as a museum, and monks have been back since 1990. With a local guide we walk the temples and, if they are sitting, listen to the monks chant. Then the Karakorum Museum, where a scale model shows the capital that Chinggis Khaan chose and his son Ogedei walled in the 1230s, and the stone turtle that once marked its edge.
Afternoon
Lunch is in town. The afternoon is free: rest at camp or walk by the Orkhon River. Late in the day we drive up to the hill above town, where a monument to the empires of Mongolia looks over the Orkhon valley, a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape since 2004.
Included
- Erdene Zuu Monastery at opening, with a local guide
- The Karakorum Museum
- The stone turtle of Karakorum
- Sit-down lunch in Kharkhorin
- The empires monument on the hill above town, late in the day
Easier option: Rest at camp in the afternoon.
More active option: Walk along the Orkhon River from camp with your guide in the afternoon, about two hours.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: Cover shoulders and knees in the temples, and walk clockwise around them.
Back to Ulaanbaatar by the Mongol Els dunes
Kharkhorin to Elsen Tasarkhai, then Ulaanbaatar
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Ulaanbaatar
- Drive about 5.5 h
The third long day: about 365 km and five and a half hours on the paved road east to Ulaanbaatar. There is no flight from Kharkhorin and no stop between that would add more than it costs, so we leave at 8 am and make the first break about 90 km out of Kharkhorin, at Elsen Tasarkhai, where a strip of sand dunes, the Mongol Els, runs across the green steppe below Khogno Khan mountain. Walk out onto the sand for half an hour and have a coffee.
Afternoon
Then about two and a half hours more to a sit-down lunch at a roadside restaurant near Lun, where the road crosses the Tuul river, about two thirds of the way. The last stretch crosses open steppe, with a stop for photos. We reach Ulaanbaatar in the late afternoon, back at the hotel where you left your extra luggage, with time for a shower and a rest.
Evening
In the evening we sit down to a farewell dinner together, a last chance to swap photos and thank the drivers who have carried us across the country.
Included
- A walk on the Elsen Tasarkhai dunes
- Sit-down lunch near Lun
- Farewell dinner in Ulaanbaatar
Easier option: There is no shorter way on this day. Take a front seat if you get car sick, stay in the vehicle at any stop you like, and rest at the hotel on arrival.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Ulaanbaatar
Activity: The longest drive of the trip, all on paved road; we stop every hour or so.
Depart from Ulaanbaatar
Your hotel in Ulaanbaatar to Chinggis Khaan International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel, then the trip ends. Chinggis Khaan International Airport is about 50 km south of the city, an hour's drive and more at rush hour, and we time your transfer to fit your flight: plan to leave the hotel about three hours before an international departure. With a later flight the morning is yours. Walk to the Choijin Lama Temple Museum, a group of early 20th century temples now hemmed in by office towers, or climb the steps of Zaisan Hill for a view over the whole city and the Tuul River below it. The State Department Store and the shops around Sukhbaatar Square are the last chance for cashmere, felt slippers and other things to take home. If you would like more of Mongolia, our Gobi, Karakorum and Terelj trip starts from the same city, and we can add hotel nights between the two. Your guide says goodbye at breakfast and checks that every transfer is booked.
Included
- Drop-off at Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN)
Free time: Free until your airport transfer
Activity: Any flight time works; the transfer is about an hour.
- Ulaanbaatar2 nights
- Lake Khovsgol4 nights
- Hot-spring camp near Jargalant1 night
- Terkhiin Tsagaan2 nights
- Kharkhorin2 nights
- Ulaanbaatar1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: June to September is the season. In early June the lake may still carry ice along the shore and the larches are only just green; July and August are the warmest months, with daytime temperatures in the high teens to mid-twenties at the lake, and also the wettest, mostly in short showers that can last an afternoon. September brings yellow larches, fewer visitors and cold nights, with frost possible at Khovsgol and Terkhiin Tsagaan. Afternoon wind can raise waves on Khovsgol, so the boat goes in the morning. Expect horses, yaks, sheep and goats everywhere, marmots on the steppe and birds of prey along the roads.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want northern Mongolia's lakes, forest and herding life without seven-hour drive days or tent nights
- Anyone who wants time in one place: four nights at Lake Khovsgol and two at Terkhiin Tsagaan
- First-time riders who want a gentle horse day with local horsemen
- Travellers who have done the Gobi, or plan to, and want the green north
- Solo travellers who want a fair single price and a small group
Not for you if you want
- Anyone set on living with the Tsaatan in the taiga: that is a separate expedition of a week or more on horseback
- Travellers who need hotel comforts every night, private bathrooms, steady power or Wi-Fi
- Anyone who cannot sit five to five and a half hours in a vehicle on three days of the trip
- Step-free access: forest paths, lava ground, stone steps and horses throughout
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
12 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Ulaanbaatar2 nights
- Lake Khovsgol4 nights
- Hot-spring camp near Jargalant1 night
- Terkhiin Tsagaan2 nights
- Kharkhorin2 nights
- Ulaanbaatar1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 12 nights: 3 in Ulaanbaatar (2 at the start, 1 at the end), 4 at one ger camp on the west shore of Lake Khovsgol, 1 at a hot-spring camp near Jargalant, 2 by Terkhiin Tsagaan lake and 2 near Kharkhorin
- A central Ulaanbaatar hotel of a 3-star-plus standard, within walking distance of Sukhbaatar Square, the same one at the start and end so you can leave luggage
- Tourist ger camps with real beds, a stove and hot showers, with a private bathroom in the ger where the camp has them (at Khovsgol and the hot-spring camp bathrooms are in a shared block); we name each when we confirm your dates
- Rooms and gers shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN)
- The flight from Ulaanbaatar to Murun (MXV), with checked baggage
- Our own 4x4 vehicles and local drivers from Murun back to Ulaanbaatar, no more than four guests per vehicle
- The boat trip on Lake Khovsgol
- A private vehicle and driver in Ulaanbaatar
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 13, including on the flight
- Local horsemen on the horse day and a local guide at Erdene Zuu
Activities
- Ulaanbaatar: Gandan Monastery, the National Museum of Mongolia and an evening concert of music, dance and throat singing
- Uushigiin Uver: the Bronze Age deer stones
- Lake Khovsgol: national park entry, a boat trip of about two hours, a horse ride of about three hours with local horsemen, and a morning with a Tsaatan reindeer-herding family when one is camped by the lake (otherwise a Darkhad herding family), with the fee paid to the family
- Near Jargalant: the hot spring pools at our camp
- Terkhiin Tsagaan: national park entry, the Khorgo volcano climb, a lava field walk and a yak-herding family
- Taikhar Chuluu rock
- Tsetserleg: the Arkhangai museum in the Zayain Gegeenii Sum temples
- Kharkhorin: Erdene Zuu, the Karakorum Museum, the stone turtle and the empires monument
- Elsen Tasarkhai: a walk on the Mongol Els dunes
- All entry and camera fees for included visits
Meals
- 12 breakfasts
- 11 lunches, a sit-down meal on every driving day
- 11 dinners: a welcome dinner, nine at the ger camps and a farewell dinner
Not included
- International flights to and from Ulaanbaatar
- Visa, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance, which should include medical evacuation and horse riding
- Dinner on day 2 and lunch on day 13
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, drivers, horsemen and camp staff
- Excess baggage on the domestic flight
- Rowing boat hire at Terkhiin Tsagaan
- Carvings and crafts bought from herding families
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,050 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Twelve nights in a central Ulaanbaatar hotel and ger camps, 12 breakfasts, 11 lunches and 11 dinners, airport transfers, the flight to Murun, our own 4x4s and drivers with no more than four guests per vehicle, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, the lake boat, the horse day, the herders' visit, the concert and all entry and park fees.
Will we really meet the Tsaatan reindeer herders?
Only when a family is camped by the lake, which changes from year to year and week to week. Their home is the taiga, days away on horseback. When a family our partner knows is by the lake, we spend a morning with them and pay them directly; if not, we tell you before you travel and visit a Darkhad family. We will list the usual weeks once confirmed.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, travelling in 4x4s of no more than four guests each, so everyone has a window seat on the long days and the whole group fits around one table at the camps.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from arrival to departure, including on the flight to Murun. Experienced local drivers handle the vehicles, local horsemen lead the horse day, and a local guide joins us at Erdene Zuu.
How long are the drives?
Three days are long: day 7 (about 305 km, five and a half hours, the lake to the hot springs), day 10 (about 295 km, five hours, mostly paved) and day 12 (about 365 km, five and a half hours on paved road). Each has stops every hour or so and a sit-down lunch. The four days at Khovsgol have almost no driving.
Do I need riding experience for the horse day?
No. The horses are calm, local horsemen lead the group at a walk and hold the lead rope for anyone who wants it, and helmets are provided. You can ride for half an hour instead of three, or walk with your guide. There is a rider weight limit, which we confirm when you book.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderate. The walks are a few kilometres on forest and lakeside paths, plus the 20 to 30 minute climb up the Khorgo volcano above Terkhiin Tsagaan, a lake at about 2,060 m. Every demanding part has an easier option. The bigger effort is sitting through three long days in the vehicle.
I am travelling solo. What will it cost?
Solo travellers pay the same trip price plus a single supplement of CAD 1,050 for a room and ger of their own, shown up front with no surprise at checkout. If you would rather share, ask when you book. Solo guests get the same gers, seats and tables as everyone else.
When is the best time to visit Lake Khovsgol?
June to September, when the lake camps are open. Early June can still have ice along the shore; July and August are warmest but bring most of the rain in short showers; September has yellow larches, fewer visitors and frosty nights. Naadam fills Ulaanbaatar from 11 to 13 July.
Do I need a visa for Mongolia?
US citizens do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days. UK, Australian and most EU passports are on a visa-free list for up to 30 days that currently runs to 1 January 2027, so check the current list. We confirm the rules for your passport, including Canadian, when you book.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and request to book. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing, with taxes; the small group starts from CAD 5,340 and the private trip from CAD 9,615.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private style is for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide, vehicles and drivers. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote a comparable route, or combine it with our Gobi trip.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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