Saturday 10th July

• Arrival in Ulan Bator at your leisure and meet together at 6 pm at our central accommodation

• Late lunch in Ulan Bator

• Dinner where we will get to know our new members of the group and have our first look at the nightlife of Ulan Bator

• Overnight in Ulan Bator

Sunday 11th  July

• Up early for breakfast this morning.

• Today marks the first day of the Naadam Festival – three main activities will be in full swing today, horse racing, archery and Mongolian wresting!

• You will get to experience the opening ceremony, the atmosphere will be electric with a display reminiscent of Genghis Khan with a dizzying display of horse riders, dancers and monks

• We will see the first few rounds of the horse racing competition which is immense in every way. There will be several thousand riders including kids in a 10km open land dash

• To maintain our newly found Mongolian roots, we will head back to our hostel for Mongolian meat pie (Khuushuur) and drink fermented mare’s milk!

Monday 12th July

• Up early this morning for our second day at the festival. This time it’s Mongolian wrestling which is interesting as the fighters are not categorized by their weight! The dress of the fighters is also quite different.

• Lunch in the afternoon

• Archery after lunch. This is extremely cool and not just any old archery competition. They use the same compound bow that was instrumental in Genghis Khan’s conflicts and victories

• Beautiful Mongolian dinner this evening of hotpot filled with tender lamb meat before heading out for a few beers

• Overnight at our hostel

Tuesday 13th July – Mount Khogno Khan Natural Reserve

• Up bright and early this morning to drive from Ulaanbaatar to Mount Khogno Khan Natural Reserve which is about 250km

• The reserve is spectacular and apart from the landscape, we will hopefully see an abundance of native wildlife

• A Mongolian lunch in the surroundings of the park

• After lunch in the afternoon we will go hiking or camel riding through the sand dunes

• We’ll camp out under the stars tonight as we stay in a traditional ‘Ger’

Wednesday 14th  July – Terelj National Park

• Big adventure ahead today as we journey on to Terelj National Park. Along the way through no shortage of jaw dropping Mongolian landscapes, we will stop at Melkhii Khad

• Another authentic lunch when we arrive at the park

• We will have an excellent guide here that will take is trekking and explore the area such as Khagiin Khar lake and the Tuul River as well as a temple

• Another really authentic Mongolian experience tonight sleeping in a Ger at Terelj National Park

Thursday 15th July – Terelj National Park

• Horse riding in Terelj National Park today

• Lunch in the afternoon

• Time to head back from Terelj National Park to Ulaanbaatar

• Some very cool statues of Genghis Khan en route that we will stop at

• Arrive back for dinner in Ulaanbaatar

• Overnight at our hostel

Friday 16th July

• We will make the short journey to Zaisan Memorial. This is a gigantic fresco constructed in honor of The Red Army, that liberated Mongolia from the Japanese. The site of the memorial also offers incredible views of Ulan Bator.

• Back to the city for a visit to The Memorial Museum for Victims of Political Persecution.

• Lunch this afternoon at Chojin Temple Restaurant.

• Visit to Gandantegchinlen Monastery, one of the most important sites of Mongolian Buddhism. This was the only monastery allowed during the Soviet era.

• Sukhbaatar Square, with an iconic statue of Genghis Khan

• Military Museum of Mongolia filled with military hardware

• Head back to our hostel and have a final dinner this evening to say our goodbyes over a few farewell beers

• Overnight in Ulan Bator

Saturday 17th July

• Today marks the end of the Mongolia Tour. We can assist with transfers to the airport or train station for your onward destination