Day 1
Riding: No riding.
You will be transferred from Ulaanbaatar airport to your three star hotel (transfer timed to meet the Turkish Airlines flight).
After lunch you take a short walk through the Yurt District to visit the Gandantegchinlin Monastery, followed by a show with traditional dances, music and songs from Mongolia, especially the amazing Khoomei.
Dinner is not included this evening so that you can choose from the many dining opportunities available in the city.
Day 2 - Ulaanbaatar - Khogno Khan
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast at your hotel, you are transferred by road to Khogno Khan and the Bayan Gobi national park with lunch taken along the way. You will arrive to a family ger camp and meet your riding guide. You sleep in a guest yurt close to the family yurt (up to five riders per yurt, showers available).
Days 3 to 7 - Khogno Tarn - Ugii Lake
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
After breakfast you start your epic riding adventure. For the next five days you will ride between cliffs and dunes along the Khogno Tarna Sacred Mountain. This region is rarely visited by tourists who tend to stay in the southern part of the Bayan Gobi where roads and tourist ger camps make it easier. However, you are heading north, keeping the cliffs of the mysterious Khogno Tarna mountain to your right.
This mountain is full of historic legends - it hosted the large Ovgon Khiid Buddhist monastery which was destroyed and all the monks killed by the troops of Galdan Boshigt Khan in 1640. The temple was later rebuilt but destroyed again during the communist regime in 1937. In the mid 1990's it was again rebuilt and you will have the chance to visit it on your first riding day.
Your five days of riding are full of variety as different ecosystems meet here - steppe, taiga, desert, rivers and impressive granite formations. During the week you will also have the chance to ride camels in the dunes of Bayan Gobi.
Eventually you end this part of the ride close to Ugii Lake which is famous for its migratory birds (there is a short transfer to the lake from where you leave the horses).
All nights are camping in tents, with a shower to share.
Day 8 - Ugii Lake - Arkhangai
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast, you drive east to the departure point for the second part of your horseback trail in Arkhangai. A picnic lunch is taken en-route as you cross the Khangai mountains. In the afternoon you will arrive at the yurts of the nomadic family who will guide you and have bred the horses you will ride. The exact arrival time will depend on the road conditions and so the afternoon is left free for you to discover the traditional lifestyle of Mongolian nomads. You can involve yourself in their daily activities and talk to family members.
Tonight you sleep in a guest yurt close to the family yurts - these yurts are more simple and there are no showers, but you experience the true Mongolian way of life.
Days 9 to 17 - Arkhangai
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
After breakfast with the family, your riding adventure begins. Over the next nine days, you will journey northwards through the Arkhangai region until reaching Lake Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur (White Lake). Each night will be spent in tents as you sleep in a different location each day. The Arkhangai is a very wild region which is covered by forest - the valleys are narrower than in the Orkhon Valley and the steppes gradually give way to larch forests. The rivers and valleys are aligned perpendicular to your direction of travel and so you will cross many rivers and mountains over the coming days.
Your first day of riding follows the banks of the Tamir river, which is mighty during the spring and summer. The Tamir valley is very green and wooded, with some of the poplar trees being more than 300 years old.
Continue riding across densely forested mountain ranges which are virtually uninhabited. You are immersed in a very wild Mongolia which is very different to the steppes of the Orkhon Valley. As your ride continues and the landscape opens up onto grasslands you may meet many yurts and herds belonging to the nomads. These open spaces offer many opportunities to canter.
The last few days are particularly beautiful as you ride along the Chuluut Canyon which was formed by the lava flow from Khorgo volcano. The basalt canyon is 100 miles long and offers spectacular scenery.
All nights in camps.
Day 18 - Arkhangai - Karakorum
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast you are transferred by road to Karakorum, the ancient capital of the Mongolian Empire. Here you can visit the Erdene Zuu Monastery.
Dinner and overnight at a yurt camp (2-4 riders per yurt with showers in a separate building)
Day 19 - Karakorum - Ulaanbaatar
Riding: No riding.
Breakfast and early departure to Hustai National Park, home of the wild Przewalski's horses, known locally as "Takhi". This will be a 3-4 hours drive depending on the condition of the roads. You will stop for lunch on the way.
After lunch, your driver will take you on a 4x4 safari in the Hustai National Park, searching for the Przewalski's horses. You may also spot deer and marmots which abound in this protected area.
In the late afternoon, you will return to Ulaanbaatar and can enjoy some free time for shopping at the Department Store. A final farewell dinner will be organised with the group.
Overnight at a 3 star hotel near the central Sukhbaatar square.
Day 20
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast, you are transferred to the airport for your flight home (which must depart after 7:00 am).
Note: All programmes and itineraries are weather dependent; in the face of adverse, or unexpected, weather conditions reasonable attempts will be made to provide equivalent riding. All programmes are accurate at the time of writing. However, the team may adapt or modify details, whilst aiming to provide a similar experience.
