Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar, Terelj and the Gobi
8 days from Ulaanbaatar: two nights in Terelj with a herding family and a morning on horseback, then a flight to the Gobi for Yolyn Am, the Khongor dunes and the Flaming Cliffs.
8 days · Round trip from Ulaanbaatar · up to 12 guests
Steppe, granite and larch in central Mongolia Photo: Francisco Anzola, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mongolian_countryside_(2540213983).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Ulaanbaatar
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 5 h on day 5
- Activity level
Moderate
Walking is easy to moderate: a steep stepped path of about 1 km up to the Aryabal temple; a morning of about two hours on a Mongolian horse at a walk, no experience needed; about 4 to 5 km in and out of the Yolyn Am gorge above 2,000 m; an hour's climb up soft sand on the Khongor dunes; 1 to 2 km on the rim of the Flaming Cliffs. Every one of these has an easier option or can be sat out. The real effort is the vehicle: two days of about five hours on rough Gobi tracks (days 5 and 6), broken by stops every hour or so.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 6 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 850 (estimated price)
- Season
- June to September
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Chinggis Khaan statue on the steppe, with the walk up inside to the horse's head
- The stepped path to the Aryabal Meditation Temple in the quiet late afternoon
- A morning on horseback with herders in the Terelj valley, no experience needed
- An afternoon with a herding family: milk tea, dried curd and dumplings made together
- Fly to the Gobi instead of two days on the road, then walk into Yolyn Am after the day visitors leave
- A camel ride at Khongoryn Els and the climb to the crest at sunset
- The Flaming Cliffs at sunset, where the first dinosaur eggs known to science were found
- An evening of throat singing and the horse-head fiddle on the last night, included
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 5 h, on day 5.
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 850 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 5 h, on day 5.
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
- Welcome 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 through the new districts of Khan-Uul. Almost half of Mongolia's people live in the capital, spread along the Tuul River valley at about 1,350 m, with Soviet-era blocks, glass towers, Buddhist temples and districts of gers climbing the hills at its edges. If you land early, walk to Sukhbaatar Square, the wide square in front of Government Palace with its seated statue of Chinggis Khaan, a few minutes from the hotel.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing: how the ger camps work, how to pack a soft bag for Terelj and the Gobi flight, and which two days are long in the vehicle. Then we sit down 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.
The Chinggis Khaan statue and into Terelj
Ulaanbaatar to Tsonjin Boldog, then Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Gorkhi-Terelj
- Drive about 2.5 h
Leave your big bag at the hotel and bring the soft one. We leave at 9 and drive about an hour east to Tsonjin Boldog, where a 40 m stainless-steel Chinggis Khaan on horseback stands above the open steppe. Stairs inside take you up through the horse and out onto its head, and the grassland runs to the horizon in every direction. From there it is about an hour north into Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, a valley of larch forest and granite outcrops along the Terelj River, about 1,600 m up.
Afternoon
We stop at Turtle Rock, a boulder that looks like its name, then lunch at our ger camp and an hour to settle in. In the late afternoon, when the day visitors from the city have gone, we walk up the stepped path to the Aryabal Meditation Temple, past boards with Buddhist teachings, for the view down the whole valley.
Evening
Dinner at camp, then the first night in a ger.
Included
- The Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue at Tsonjin Boldog, with the walk up to the horse's head
- Gorkhi-Terelj National Park entry and Turtle Rock
- Late-afternoon walk to the Aryabal Meditation Temple with your guide
- Lunch and dinner at the ger camp
Easier option: Walk only to the foot of the steps, or stay at camp with tea and watch the valley.
More active option: Carry on past the temple onto the ridge behind it for a wider view, about 30 minutes more with your guide.
Free time: An hour at camp after lunch
Activity: The path to Aryabal is about 1 km with many steep steps. Cover shoulders and knees inside the temple.
A morning on horseback, an afternoon with a herding family
Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, the valley and a family's ger
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Gorkhi-Terelj
- Drive about 30 min
A slow day in one place.
Morning
After breakfast, in the cool of the morning, local herders bring their horses to camp. Mongolian horses are small, sturdy and used to beginners, and we ride at a walk for about two hours along the Terelj River and up a side valley, with a herder leading anyone who wants it. Helmets are provided.
Afternoon
Lunch is back at camp. In the afternoon we drive a few minutes to visit a herding family who spend the summer in the valley. Inside their ger they offer salty milk tea and aaruul, the hard dried curd, and show how the felt, the stove and the furniture are arranged; depending on the season you may help with the milking. Then we make buuz, steamed mutton dumplings, together and eat them with the family.
Evening
Back at camp, the evening is free: watch the light go off the granite, or sit by the stove in your ger.
Included
- Horse ride of about two hours with local herders
- Visit to a herding family, with milk tea and dried curd
- Making buuz dumplings with the family
- Lunch and dinner at the ger camp
Easier option: Skip the ride and walk the level valley floor along the river with your guide, or ride for half an hour with a herder leading.
More active option: Ride the full two hours and carry on up to a viewpoint with the herders, about an hour more; included.
Free time: Evening free at camp
Activity: No riding experience needed. Wear long trousers and closed shoes. The family visit is a real home, not a show; your guide translates.
Fly to the Gobi, walk into Yolyn Am
Terelj to Ulaanbaatar airport, fly to Dalanzadgad, then Yolyn Am
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Yolyn Am
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive about two hours from Terelj to Chinggis Khaan International Airport by the road through Nalaikh, without going back into the city, for the flight south to Dalanzadgad, the capital of the South Gobi, about an hour and a half in the air. Flying saves the two days of driving across the Middle Gobi that most trips spend in the vehicle.
Afternoon
Our 4x4s and drivers, sent down ahead of us, meet the plane, and we drive about an hour west to our ger camp at the foot of the Gurvan Saikhan mountains, the Three Beauties, for lunch and a rest. In the late afternoon, when the day visitors have gone and the heat is easing, we stop at the small natural history museum at the park gate, then walk into Yolyn Am, a gorge that narrows between steep rock walls with a stream along its floor.
Evening
Look for ibex on the slopes and bearded vultures overhead, then dinner at camp under a very big sky.
Included
- Transfer from Terelj to Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN)
- Flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad (DLZ)
- Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park entry and the natural history museum at the park gate
- Late-afternoon walk into the Yolyn Am gorge with your guide
- Lunch and dinner at the ger camp
Easier option: Rest at camp after the flight and skip the gorge, or walk only the first part of the valley, which is wide and level, and wait by the stream.
More active option: Carry on past the narrows to where the gorge opens out again, about an hour more on the same stony path.
Activity: The airline sets the flight time; if it leaves early, this is the one day we may leave Terelj before 8 am, and we tell you when we confirm your dates. About 4 to 5 km on foot in the gorge, on a stony path above 2,000 m. Domestic flights allow less baggage, usually about 15 kg in the hold.
West to the Khongor dunes
Yolyn Am to Khongoryn Els along the Gurvan Saikhan range
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Khongoryn Els
- Drive about 5 h
One of the two long days of the trip, and we say so plainly: about 190 km and five hours of driving, much of it on desert tracks.
Evening
There is no shorter way to the dunes and no scheduled flight closer to them, and stopping halfway would mean a night with nothing to see, so we break the day up instead. We leave at 8:30 and follow the mountains west across gravel plains, past herders' gers and camel herds, stopping every hour or so to stretch, take photos and swap seats. Lunch is a hot meal on the way, at a camp where one fits the route or set up by our crew with tables and chairs. By mid-afternoon the dunes rise ahead, a pale wall of sand running for over 100 km, its highest crests up to about 300 m. After a rest, a camel-herding family takes you for an hour's ride along the foot of the dunes. After an early dinner we climb to the crest for sunset.
Included
- Drive west along the Gurvan Saikhan range with stops for photos
- Hot lunch on the way
- Camel ride of about an hour with a camel-herding family
- Sunset climb of Khongoryn Els with your guide
- Dinner at the ger camp
Easier option: There is no shorter drive. Take a front seat if you get car sick, and at the dunes stay at the foot for sunset or climb only to the first ridge.
More active option: Climb to the highest crest and walk the ridge before sliding down the steep face.
Free time: An hour at camp before the camel ride
Activity: A long day on rough tracks, no more than four guests per 4x4. The dune climb is about an hour in soft sand, steep near the crest; bring sunglasses and a buff against blowing sand.
Across the Gobi to the Flaming Cliffs
Khongoryn Els to Bayanzag (the Flaming Cliffs)
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bayanzag
- Drive about 5 h
The second long day: about 180 km and five hours of driving, mostly on desert tracks, north-east across the Gobi.
Evening
As on day 5, the alternative would be a night in between with nothing to see, so we break the drive with a stop every hour or so and a hot lunch. Before we go, anyone who wants it can walk back onto the sand at first light while the dunes are empty; breakfast is at 8 and we leave at 9. We reach our ger camp near Bayanzag in the afternoon, with time to rest before the light softens. Then we walk the rim of the Flaming Cliffs, red and orange sandstone that glows in the low sun. In 1922 and 1923 American Museum of Natural History expeditions led by Roy Chapman Andrews found here the first dinosaur eggs recognised by science, with Protoceratops and the first Velociraptor. Your guide shows where. We stay until sunset, then dinner at camp.
Included
- Optional dawn walk on the dunes
- Drive across the Gobi with stops for photos
- Hot lunch on the way
- The Flaming Cliffs at Bayanzag from late afternoon to sunset, with your guide
- Dinner at the ger camp
Easier option: There is no shorter drive. 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: Join the dawn walk on the dunes before breakfast.
Free time: Rest at camp on arrival
Activity: About 1 to 2 km on the cliff rim, on crumbly ground; stay back from the edges. Fossils must be left where they lie: removing them is illegal.
Fly back to Ulaanbaatar: Gandan and a last evening
Bayanzag to Dalanzadgad, fly to Ulaanbaatar
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Ulaanbaatar
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
For anyone who wants it, a dawn walk back to the cliffs while they are empty and the colour returns with the first sun; it is optional, and the rest of us meet at breakfast.
Afternoon
Then we drive about two hours to Dalanzadgad for the flight north, and lunch is in Dalanzadgad or Ulaanbaatar, whichever fits the flight time. Back at the same hotel, you collect your big bag. In the afternoon we visit Gandan, the largest working monastery in Mongolia, where you can turn the prayer wheels in the courtyard and see the tall gilded statue of Migjid Janraisig in the main temple, then the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, opened in 2022, which follows the Mongol states over several floors from the Xiongnu to the 20th century. The late afternoon is free for the cashmere shops or a rest.
Evening
In the evening a concert of Mongolian music and dance, with khoomii throat singing and the horse-head fiddle, then a farewell dinner together.
Included
- Optional dawn walk at the Flaming Cliffs
- Flight from Dalanzadgad (DLZ) to Ulaanbaatar
- Lunch on the way
- Gandan Monastery with your guide
- The Chinggis Khaan National Museum
- An evening concert of Mongolian music, dance and throat singing
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Sleep in instead of the dawn walk, and skip the museum for a rest at the hotel.
More active option: Join the dawn walk at the cliffs before breakfast.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Ulaanbaatar
Activity: If the Gobi flight is late, we keep the concert and dinner and move Gandan to the morning of day 8 for anyone with a later flight. That is why this trip never flies back from the Gobi on the day you fly home.
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 time, ask us about extra nights in Ulaanbaatar or Terelj, or about the 13-day trip that adds Karakorum and the wild horses of Khustai. Your guide says goodbye at breakfast and checks every transfer.
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.
- Ulaanbaatar1 night
- Gorkhi-Terelj2 nights
- Yolyn Am1 night
- Khongoryn Els1 night
- Bayanzag1 night
- Ulaanbaatar1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: June to September is the season. Terelj is green in July and August, when most of the year's rain falls in short afternoon showers; in September the larches turn yellow and nights near freezing are possible. Gobi afternoons can pass 35 C in July, and wind and dust are possible, most often early in the season. Ibex and bearded vultures are often seen at Yolyn Am, but no sighting is certain.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers with a week who want the steppe, a herding family and the real Gobi, not only the Mini Gobi
- First-time riders who want an easy morning on horseback with herders leading
- Travellers happy in a ger camp for five nights if they know what the bathrooms are like
- Solo travellers who want a fair single price and a small group
Not for you if you want
- Anyone who cannot sit about five hours on rough tracks on two days in a row
- Travellers who want two nights at the dunes or Karakorum and the wild horses: the 13-day trip covers those
- Travellers who need hotel comforts every night, steady power or Wi-Fi
- Step-free access: sand, stony paths and steep steps throughout
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Ulaanbaatar1 night
- Gorkhi-Terelj2 nights
- Yolyn Am1 night
- Khongoryn Els1 night
- Bayanzag1 night
- Ulaanbaatar1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: 2 in Ulaanbaatar (1 at the start, 1 at the end), 2 at a ger camp in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, 1 at a ger camp near Yolyn Am, 1 by Khongoryn Els and 1 near Bayanzag
- 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
- Ger camps with real beds and a stove, with a private bathroom in the ger wherever the camp has them; 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)
- Our own vehicle and driver in Ulaanbaatar and Terelj, including the transfer from Terelj to the airport
- Flights from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad (DLZ) and back, with checked baggage
- Our own 4x4 vehicles and local drivers for the three Gobi days, no more than four guests per vehicle
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 8, including on both flights
- Local herders leading the horse and camel rides
Activities
- Tsonjin Boldog: the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue and the walk up to the horse's head
- Gorkhi-Terelj National Park: entry, Turtle Rock and the Aryabal Meditation Temple walk
- Terelj: a horse ride of about two hours with local herders
- Terelj: an afternoon with a herding family, with milk tea and buuz made together
- Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park: entry, the park museum and Yolyn Am
- Khongoryn Els: a camel ride with a herding family and the sunset dune climb
- Bayanzag: the Flaming Cliffs at sunset and a dawn walk
- Ulaanbaatar: Gandan Monastery, the Chinggis Khaan National Museum and an evening concert of music, dance and throat singing
- All park, entry and camera fees for included visits
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 6 lunches, a hot sit-down meal on every driving day
- 7 dinners: a welcome dinner, five 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
- Lunch on day 8
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, drivers, herders and camp staff
- Excess baggage on the domestic flights
- Naadam festival tickets
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 850 (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?
Seven nights in a central Ulaanbaatar hotel and ger camps, 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 7 dinners, airport transfers, both Gobi flights, our own vehicles and drivers with no more than four guests per 4x4, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan, including the horse and camel rides, the concert and all entry fees.
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 in the Gobi, 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 both flights to and from the Gobi. Experienced local drivers handle the vehicles, and local herders lead the horse ride in Terelj and the camel ride at Khongoryn Els.
How long are the drives? Can I see the Gobi in a week?
Most days have under four hours in the vehicle, because we fly from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad and back. The exceptions are days 5 and 6, about five hours each on Gobi tracks between Yolyn Am, the Khongor dunes and the Flaming Cliffs, broken by hourly stops and a hot lunch. Day 4 is the only possible start before 8 am, set by the flight.
What are the ger camps like? Is there a private bathroom?
Tourist gers have real beds, a stove the staff light on cold nights and space for two or three. We choose camps with a private bathroom in the ger wherever they exist; at some Gobi camps the bathrooms are in a shared block, and we tell you which when we name the camps. Power is limited at some camps.
How fit do I need to be? Do I need to ride?
Moderate fitness is enough. The horse ride is at a walk with herders leading, no experience needed, and you can walk instead. The Aryabal steps are steep, Yolyn Am is 4 to 5 km on a stony path and the dune climb is an hour in soft sand, each with an easier option.
I am travelling solo. What will it cost?
Solo travellers pay the same trip price plus a single supplement of CAD 850 for a room and ger of their own, shown up front with no surprise at checkout. Single gers at the Gobi camps depend on what each camp holds; we confirm yours when we name the camps. If you would rather share, ask when you book.
When is the best time to go to Mongolia?
June to September, when the ger camps are open and Terelj is green. July is the warmest, with hot Gobi afternoons, and Naadam fills Ulaanbaatar from 11 to 13 July. September is cooler and quieter, with yellow larches and cold nights. Outside these months most camps close.
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, or the end of 2026 by some accounts, so it may have lapsed for 2027 departures. 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 confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until we do. Prices are per person sharing, with taxes; the small group starts from CAD 5,040 and the private trip from CAD 9,070.
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.
How is this different from your 13-day Mongolia trip?
This trip has the same Gobi sights by air, two nights in Terelj instead of a day trip, and one night at each Gobi stop. The 13-day trip adds two nights at the Khongor dunes, Ongi, Karakorum and the wild horses of Khustai, with more driving.
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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