Naadam Festival & Kharakhorum Tour

Day 1. Arrival in Ulaanbaatar
Upon arrival you will be met and assisted by your official Mongolian representative. After airport formalities transport to Hotel about 30 minutes. Afternoon visit the Museum of Mongolian History (exhibits of Mongolian ethnic lifestyles) / visit Chinggis Square (there is a Great Chinggis Khaan’s Memorial complex) for city orientation. In the evening dine at Mongolian famous traditional restaurant, serving authentic taste. Overnight in 3 star Hotel /D/

Day 2. Drive to Terelj National park and Nomads’ Lifestyle tour
Breakfast at the Hotel, before we leave Ulaanbaatar you can go to nearby bank for money exchange and shop for your personal concern. Drive to Terelj National Park, on the way we will have short brake at Turtle rock. There you have great opportunity to take photos of gorgeous stiff rock. Afternoon, arrive in Princess Lodge having lunch in the GER restaurant. Late afternoon see the river and hike the mountain nearby and spend rest of the day at Princess Lodge having nature wooden Sauna or shower. Overnight in Princess Lodge /B, L, D /

Day 3. Horse riding tour to Princess temple ruins in Khan Khentii landscape
After having nice tasty breakfast served by the Lodge staff, ride horse like a nomadic Mongol to Princess Temple, our local horse guide will assist you all the time. We ride on horseback around 16 km two ways through spectacular valleys and across small rivers surrounded by highly–eroded rock formations of the Khan Khentii Mountains. Lunch break on picnic at a site chosen for its spectacular setting. Visit the ruins of Princess Temple which was built in 1740. Late afternoon arrive in Princess Lodge and enjoy rest of the having several activities including traditional game and bonfire in the evening and Sauna and shower time. Overnight in Princess Lodge /B, L, D /

Day 4. Khan Khentii strictly protected area – Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast we drive back to Ulaanbaatar. En route visit nomadic family. Watch their everyday life and try dairy product. After arrival rest of your day will be guided sightseeing in UB spent in shopping at most beautiful handcrafts of the country and shop at local brand cashmere factory. Overnight in 3 star Hotel /B, L, D /

Day 5. Ulaanbaatar – Elsen Tasarkhai (Sand dunes), Camel riding trip
After breakfast at Hotel, drive to Kharkhorum city, on the way break at Elsen Tasarhai (Sand dunes) also known as Bayan Gobi is a suitable place for breaking between Khogno Khaan mountain and Kharkhorin. Elsen Tasarhai literally means “an isolated torn-off piece of sand” and it is a small sequence of real desert in the midst of green steppes, continues about 80 km. It feels like in the Gobi Desert, and visitors can hike in the sand dunes. You will ride Camel about two hours. Afternoon drive Kharkhorum (about 1.5 hours). Overnight at GER tourist camp /B, L, D /

Day 6. Kharkhorum: More explorations of people & place
After breakfast at tourist camp, visit Kharkhorum and its ancient ruins, Erdene Zuu. The monastery was built in 1586 and is surrounded by a massive 400m-x 400m wall. Not a single nail was used in the construction of the ornate temples, only a few of which remain standing after the communist purges. Mongolia´s ancient capital Kharkhorum, Chinggis Khaan´s fabled city, was founded in 1220 in the ORKHON Valley, at the crossroads of “The Silk Road”. It was from there that the Mongol Empire was governed, until Kublai Khaan moved to Beijing. 

After lunch drive to Orkhon Khar ruin, was the capital state of the Uigar State (9th Centure A.D). Visit Orkhon Khar ruin. Archeological studies demonstrate area of the city was allotted for trade and handicraft, and in the center of the city, were palace, monastery and temples. Then drive to Orkhon’s black ruin Turkic inscribed monument. Khushuu Tsaidam is a Turkic inscribed monument of the Turkic State (6th to 8th Centuries A.D). The mountain is 3.3 meters high and 1.3 meters wide and the inscription consists of 68 lines. Overnight in GER tourist camp /B, L, D /

Day 7. Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, we drive and join the highway to Ulaanbaatar City. Arriving at the capital town around midday. Free time in Ulaanbaatar. Overnight in Hotel /B, L, D /

Day 8. Naadam Festival
After Breakfast, participate The Naadam festival opening ceremony and enjoy watching wrestling and archery contests. These manly sport are most popular in Mongolia since ancient times such as wrestling, horse racing and archery. At present it is a national holiday held 11-13 th of July each year to commemorate the Mongol People’s Revolution. The traditional style of wrestling has its own long-standing ritual. The second element of the Three Manly Sports is horse racing. The third element of the national competitions is archery, which has been perfected over centuries. Full day in Ulaanbaatar exploration & enjoy Naadam Festival. Overnight in Hotel /B, L, D /

Day 09. Naadam Festival
Next day, after breakfast drive to the horse race course about 36 km and see the Daaga (2-year-old horse) race of 10km and the Soyolon (5-year-old horse) race of 25km. In the evening we’ll have exciting performance in Tumen Ekh Chuulga to see traditional folklore showing dance, song, Buddhist ritual mask dance and so on. Overnight in Hotel /B, L, D /

Day 10. Ulaanbaatar – Depart
Breakfasts at the hotel. Transport to the airport for your departure flight to home. /B/

Tour Available Dates:

Tour price:

Accommodation
Ulaanbaatar: Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia has many hotels ranging from basic 1* to high-end 5*. Some international hotel chains have opened such as Kempinski, Ramada, and Best Western to name a few. Some of Selena Travel Mongolia tours do not include hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, where clients are advised to take care of their own accommodation in Ulaanbaatar. Please refer to your tour program (Included services and Exclusions section) for more details. Your Selena Travel advisor is happy to assist you with hotel booking on your request. Below you will find some suggested hotels in Ulaanbaatar:

• Best Western Gobi Kelso ***
• Springs hotel ***
• Ramada hotel ****
• Kempinski Khan Palace ****
• Best Western Premier *****

Outside Ulaanbaatar
Please take in mind that traveling in the countryside of Mongolia is often tough, a trip is conducted in remote areas where there’s no hotel and paved roads exist.
Outside of Ulaanbaatar, tourist Ger camps are the best accommodation for travelers. A Ger is Mongolian traditional dwelling made of felt layers and wooden construction, and the Mongols have lived in Gers since the time immemorial. Tourist Ger camps offer comfortable Gers with 1-4 beds with good bedding, and also have western style showers and WCs (mostly shared). A few Ger camps offer en-suite Gers at additional charge (please ask your Selena Travel advisor for this). Due to remoteness some tourist Ger camps may not excel in service, so travelers may not always expect high pressure showers, bubble baths or gourmet food etc.

Food
During your tour in Mongolia you will be eating in good restaurants in Ulaanbaatar, we have a great variety in restaurants in the capital city. Once you are outside the capital, Ger restaurants in Ger camps and local cafes in the small towns and villages will be the places where you will be eating. Ger restaurants often have set menu, but their food is usually very good (Ger camps provide mostly continental breakfast, lunches consist of salad, soup, main course and dessert, whilst, dinners are usually salad, main course and dessert).
During your longer driving days you will take packed lunch from Ger camps (often vegetable salad, main course such as fried chicken/noodles/dumplings and a chocolate bar etc). Vegetarians are well taken care of both in Ulaanbaatar restaurants and tourist Ger camps.