Experience the Naadam Festival, a celebration of Mongolia’s nomadic heritage and the Three Manly Sports: wrestling, horse racing and archery. Meet nomadic families, explore the Gobi Desert, the Orkhon Valley, and other stunning landscapes, and discover the millennia-long story of living and migrating in harmony with nature.
Meet your tour leader at the airport in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s cosmopolitan capital, and settle into the five-star Novotel Ulaanbaatar. Enjoy pre-Naadam Festival celebrations on the square, joining Ulaanbaatar residents who gather annually wearing traditional deel (silk gowns), to celebrate Mongolian clothing and show off their finest colors. Enjoy a welcome dinner with your fellow travelers. (D)
Thursday, July 10Ulaanbaatar
Join your tour leader on a walking tour of Mongolia’s capital. Explore the country's history at the spectacular Chinggis Khaan National Museum, newly opened in 2022, and marvel at the splendid art and architecture of the Choijin Lama Temple Museum. (B,L,D)
Friday, July 11Naadam Festival: Wrestling and Archery
Naadam, the annual festival of the Three Manly Sports: wrestling, archery and horse racing, officially begins with the pageantry, music and dancing of the Naadam opening ceremony at Ulaanbaatar’s Naadam Stadium. After watching the ceremony, take in the wrestling, archery and anklebone shooting tournaments. (B,L,D)
Saturday, July 12Naadam Festival: Horse Racing
Head west onto the Mongolian steppe for a Naadam horse race, featuring children riding bareback on Mongolia’s legendary steeds. After the race, settle into your first ger (nomadic dwelling) at the beautifully decorated Mongol Nomadic Cultural Heritage Center. The family that runs the resort delights in sharing nomadic traditions, such as games, food and music, to guests. (B,L,D)
Sunday, July 13Nomadic Life
Embark on an early morning expedition to Hustai National Park in search of Przewalski’s horses, the world’s only truly wild horses. Then, delve deeper into nomadic life with a visit to a nomadic family who summer near Mt. Hugnu Khan, a site of profound cosmic energy. Spend the evening cooking and enjoying a meal, sharing traditions and, if interested, riding horses. Spend the night at a picturesque ecolodge in the shadow of the Elsen Tasarhai Sand Dunes. (B,L,D)
Monday, July 14Khans and Lamas
Venture further into the steppe to explore the remote UNESCO World Heritage Orkhon Valley, the cradle of nomadic civilization. Reach Harhorin, the site of Karakorum, the 13th century capital of the Mongolian Empire, and visit Mongolia’s oldest monastery, 16th century Erdene Zuu. Then, travel down the valley to the Ursa Major Ecolodge, located in a stunning setting overlooking the Orkhon River and spend the first of two nights at this elegant retreat. (B,L,D)
Tuesday, July 15Valley of History
Explore the Orkhon Valley. Join your tour leader on a search for ancient graves and monuments marking millennia of nomadic life or enjoy a hike along the river, enjoying herds of yaks and horses in pastures alive with demoiselle cranes and other bird life. In the evening, gaze at the blanket of stars through the ecolodge’s telescope. (B,L,D)
Wednesday, July 16Ulaanbaatar: Cultural Center
Return to Ulaanbaatar and enjoy a performance of throat singing, contortionism and folk dancing by the renowned Tumen Ekh Ensemble. (B,L,D)
Thursday, July 17Genghis Khan
See how contemporary Mongolia is shaping its future with an eye toward the past. On the steppe east of Ulaanbaatar, visit the towering 131-foot tall Genghis Khan Statue, built in 2006 for the 800th anniversary of the Mongol Empire. Return to the city for dinner. (B,L,D)
Friday, July 18Oasis in The Gobi Desert
Fly to Dalanzadgad, the capital of South Gobi Province, located in the shadow of the Three Beauties Mountain Range. The mountains provide shelter and sustenance to nomadic herders, their herds and myriad wildlife. Hike through Yolyn Am Canyon. The high rock walls, covered in juniper and wild rhubarb, form an oasis home to Lammergeier bearded vultures and Siberian ibex. Settle into a ger at Dream Gobi Lodge for your two nights in the desert. The lodge is the desert’s premier resort, a community-based oasis of excellent food and service in the stillness of the Gobi. (B,L,D)
Saturday, July 19Flaming Cliffs
Start the day by meeting a family who raise the Gobi’s most iconic animals: two-humped Bactrian camels. Learn more about these remarkable animals on a camel ride through the gently undulating Molstog Els Sand Dunes. Then, explore the red sandstone Flaming Cliffs. The cliffs, rich in dinosaur fossils, are renowned for the world’s first discovery of dinosaur eggs, uncovered in 1923 by an American Museum of Natural History expedition led by zoologist Roy Chapman Andrews. (B,L,D)
Sunday, July 20Ulaanbaatar
Fly back to Ulaanbaatar. Explore an exhibit of dinosaur fossils from the Gobi Desert and visit Gandantegchenlin Monastery, the center of Mongolian Buddhism. In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with your fellow travelers. (B,L,D)
