11-day Best of Mongolia Tour: Gobi, Kharkhorin & Orkhon Valley
Embark on the ultimate journey to experience the Best of Mongolia. This highlights tour includes everything you don’t want to miss, from the incredible sights and solitude of the enigmatic Gobi Desert to Genghis Khan’s ancient capital city and living with a local family. This highlights tour is a thoughtfully curated journey designed to introduce travelers to the landscapes, history, and living traditions that form the core of Mongolia and the people who live here. This is a great tour if you’re visiting Mongolia for the first time.
Solo Traveler: $7,200 USD
2 – 3 People: $4,500 USD/person
4 – 5 People: $4,000 USD/person
6 – 8 People: $3,500 USD/person
- Tour Type: Highlights of Mongolia
- Book Now (Private Itinerary)
- No Reviews
Dates: May 10 – October 5, 2026 (11 Days, 10 Nights)
Book For: 1 – 8 People
Languages Available: English, French, German
Stay: Hotels, Ger Camps, Homestay
Tour Type: Highlights, Cultural, Homestay
Included: Local Mongolian Guide, Private Driver, Domestic Flight (one way), Meals, Accommodation (including two nights in Ulaanbaatar), Airport Transfers
Price to Book:
Solo Traveler: $7,200 USD
2 – 3 People: $4,500 USD/person
4 – 5 People: $4,000 USD/person
6 – 8 People: $3,500 USD/person
This Best of Mongolia Tour takes you to the country’s best landscapes and landmarks, giving you the ultimate experience as a first time visitor.
Travel down through the Gobi Desert experiencing the natural beauty and traditions that make that part of the country a can’t miss.
After spending time in the serenity of the Gobi, travel to the ancient capital of Genghis Khaan, Kharkhorin. None of the original capital still stands today, but visiting the Kharkhorin Museum and Erdene Zuu Monastery, which was built from the rubble of the original capital, is a powerful experience. Dive into the history of the Mongol Empire and get a better understanding of how the country’s past shaped its future.
From there, take a beautiful scenic drive through Central Mongolia, for one last adventure living and immersing with a local nomadic family. Learn about the traditional nomadic herding culture by living it alongside your hosts. Become a part of the family and help them with chores that are actually helpful to them. Take everything you’ve learned about Mongolian culture (including your new favorite Mongolian phrases), and gGo from a tourist to a traveler during this memorable end of trip experience.
Throughout this thoughtfully curated journey, your private guide will introduce you to the landscapes, history, and living traditions that form the core of Mongolia. Your knowledgeable guide is there to answer your questions and make the journey as seamless as possible.
Balanced by comfortable city stays and a manageable travel pace, this itinerary is ideal for those seeking a genuine sense of adventure when visiting Mongolia for the first time.
Booking this private tour will give you one of the most well-rounded, highly-rated experiences you can have in just 11 days.
While no single journey can show everything, this trip brings together the most essential elements of Mongolia: history, landscapes, and nomadic culture. This is the best tour you can book for a complete and meaningful introduction to the country.
Highlights of this 11-day Best of Mongolia travel itinerary include:
- Begin and end in central Ulaanbaatar, with time to experience the capital and optional city add-ons.
- Domestic flight to the Gobi Desert to cut down on the driving.
- Explore the Gobi’s most famous sites by foot, including the Flaming Cliffs and Khongoryn Els Singing Sands.
- Experience wide open landscapes, quiet nights observing the Milky Way and famous Dark Skies, and the slower rhythm of nomadic life.
- Travel overland to Kharkhorin, the former capital of the Mongol Empire, and explore its historical significance.
- Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery, Mongolia’s oldest surviving Buddhist monastery.
- Spend multiple days living with a nomadic herder family, sharing daily routines, meals, and traditions.
- Stay in traditional gers with shared accommodation, offering an authentic steppe experience.
- Enjoy a well-paced itinerary that balances immersion and comfort.
- Travel with an experienced local guide who provides cultural context and manages logistics seamlessly.
Table of Contents
Want to extend your trip? Add-on these Experiences
🐴 Day Trip to Terelj National Park and the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue (Book for any day, it’s the perfect day trip to get into the spirit of Mongolia)
🤝 Check out the Black Market with a Local (Book for any day except Tuesdays (closed), great for gear shopping, souvenir browsing, and feeling like a local)
🚙 Visit Khustai National Park + Mongol Nomadic Camp (search for wile Przewalksi’s horses before learning about ancient Mongolian traditions, available for booking 365 days a year)
11-day Itinerary: Best of Mongolia (includes Gobi Desert, Kharkhorin, and Orkhon Valley)
Beginning in Ulaanbaatar, this private tour provides cultural and historical context of what life has been like in this part of the world from centuries past to present.
While there are some long driving days, this tour is about embracing the journey and the experiences that happen when you least expect them. Mongolians are incredibly hospitable and friendly people, so you never know when you’ll be invited in for milk tea or what friends you’ll make along this route.
We’ve designed this itinerary to cover everything you shouldn’t miss as a first time traveler to Mongolia. Beautiful landscapes, free-grazing horses, herder encounters, and getting a general idea of how life sustains on the steppe is at the core of this trip.
This isn’t just a journey along a designated route, this is an adventure that will take you into the heart of the people, landmarks, and culture that shape what this place is all about.
We welcome anyone to join this tour, this experience is great for families, couples, and groups of friends looking for an intimate and authentic experience.
Day 1: Arrive in Mongolia & Welcome Dinner
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital city, where your airport pick-up will be arranged upon arrival. After checking into your hotel, take time to rest, adjust to the time zone, or enjoy a short walk around the city center.
In the evening, gather for a welcome dinner with your guide for this experience. This is a chance to get acquainted, go over the journey ahead, and enjoy your first taste of Mongolian cuisine before the adventure begins.
- Stay: Centrally Located Hotel Near Sukhbaatar Square
- Meals: Welcome Dinner
Day 2: Ulaanbaatar City Tour
In the morning, you’ll be picked up from your hotel and begin the day at Gandantegchinlen Monastery, the country’s most important active Buddhist monastery. This visit offers a calm and meaningful introduction to Mongolia’s main religion and spiritual traditions, setting cultural context for the journey ahead.
From there, continue to the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, where you’ll gain a clear overview of Mongolia’s history, from the rise of the Mongol Empire to modern times. The visit is intentionally unhurried and focused on grounding your understanding before experiencing the landscapes and heritage firsthand. Visiting the museum with your guide is a great way to start the trip, they’ll show you the must-see artifacts housed in the museum and explain the relevance between artifacts and your journey ahead.
Afterwards, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and a walk through the city.
In the evening, attend a traditional cultural performance showcasing Mongolia’s artistic heritage through music, dance, throat singing, contortion, and live instruments.
After the cultural show, the evening is yours to spend at leisure. With your hotel located beside the city’s main square, you’re perfectly placed to experience Ulaanbaatar after dark.
Whether that means live music at our favorite jazz cafe and popping into local bars, restaurants, or cafés, the evening is yours to spend however you like as the capital comes to life.
- Stay: Centrally Located Hotel Near Sukhbaatar Square
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3: Into the Gobi Desert (Domestic Flight)
Depending on the domestic flight schedule, you’ll be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight south to the Gobi region. After landing in Dalanzadgad, the capital of Mongolia’s southern province, continue by road to your ger camp.
As the journey unfolds, you’ll notice the landscape and climate shift dramatically, from greener terrain to the wide, arid openness of the desert. Along the way, stop for a short visit to the Gobi Museum of Nature and History, offering helpful insight into the region’s geology, wildlife, and desert ecosystems, an important introduction to the environment you’re about to explore.
Arrive at your ger camp and settle in before enjoying dinner in this remote setting, surrounded by the quiet vastness of the Gobi.
- Stay: Ger Camp (Shared Gers, Twin Accommodation)
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Yoliin Am Ice Valley & Khongoryn Els Singing Dunes
After breakfast, set out for Yoliin Am Ice Valley, also known as the Valley of the Bearded Vulture.
Walk into the narrow canyon, where ice can linger deep into the warmer months, and enjoy a gentle hike surrounded by dramatic rock walls and alpine wildlife, an unexpected contrast in the heart of the Gobi.
From here, begin the drive toward the desert’s most iconic landscape. By late afternoon, arrive at camp and take in the dramatic views of the vast Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes just in front of you.
As the light softens, climb the dunes to take in sweeping sunset views over the desert. For those feeling playful, slide back down the dunes on sleds and enjoy a simple, joyful moment in the sand.
After dinner, settle into a quiet night in the desert. With no light pollution, the stars emerge in full clarity often revealing the Milky Way stretching across the sky.
- Stay: Ger Camp near the Sand Dunes (Shared Gers)
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Camel Ride, Nomad Family Visit & the Flaming Cliffs
After breakfast at camp, enjoy a relaxed morning in the Gobi. Head out for a camel ride along the sand dunes, offering a different perspective on the desert landscape. Visit a local nomadic herder family to learn about daily life in this arid region, then venture out in search of a hidden Gobi oasis, an unexpected pocket of life in the desert.
In the afternoon, begin the drive toward the legendary Flaming Cliffs (Bayanzag). As you approach, the landscape opens into vast, flat steppe stretching endlessly in every direction. This is a place where the scale and stillness of Mongolia truly settles in.
Arrive at camp and settle in for the night. After a warm meal at the ger camp, enjoy the solitude of the open steppe before turning in for a peaceful evening.
- Stay: Ger Camp near the Flaming Cliffs (Shared Gers)
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Flaming Cliffs Discovery & Ongi Monastery
After breakfast, set out to explore the legendary Flaming Cliffs (Bayanzag), the site where the world’s first dinosaur eggs were discovered.
Begin at the visitor center and watch a short documentary about Roy Chapman Andrews, whose expeditions brought global attention to this remarkable place. Walk along the ridgelines of the red cliffs, where sweeping views stretch across the steppe and, with a bit of luck, small fossils can still be spotted on the ground.
Nearby, visit a small local souvenir shop featuring handmade items by Gobi women. The surrounding town is also known for growing fruits and vegetables in desert conditions; if the season allows, you may have the chance to taste fresh local produce.
In the afternoon, begin the scenic drive toward Ongi Monastery, stopping for a picnic-style lunch along the way as the landscape gradually shifts once again. Arrive at a camp set beside the monastery ruins, an important historical site that was destroyed during the Soviet-era purges, marking a somber chapter in Mongolia’s past.
This evening offers a luxurious pause and added comforts. Enjoy a hot shower, sauna, and laundry facilities if needed, followed by a relaxed dinner before settling in for the night.
- Stay: Ger Camp near Ongi Monastery (Shared Gers)
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: From Desert to Grasslands (Drive Toward the Ancient Capital)
In the morning, visit Ongi Monastery, walking through its quiet ruins while learning about its difficult history and the ongoing efforts of monks to restore spiritual life to the site. It is a place that reflects both loss and resilience, offering a powerful moment of reflection before the journey continues.
Afterwards, begin the drive north toward Mongolia’s grasslands. As the hours pass, the landscape gradually softens and the desert gives way to greener valleys, cooler air, and increasing signs of life. Along the way, pass nomadic herders with their animals, moving through wide valleys and open pastureland.
Today is the final long Gobi driving day before returning to the city at the end of the journey.
Lunch will be enjoyed picnic-style at a scenic spot along the route. By evening, arrive at your camp near the ancient capital, settle in, and enjoy a warm meal before resting for the night.
- Stay: Ger Camp near Kharkhorin (Double Occupancy)
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Days 8 – 9: Live with a Nomad Host Family in the Orkhon Valley
Begin Day 8 with a visit to the Kharkhorin Museum, where you’ll explore the story of Mongolia’s ancient capital and imagine life during the height of the Mongol Empire.
Continue to Erdene Zuu Monastery, the oldest standing Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. Here, learn about early beliefs, architecture, and spiritual traditions that shaped the region.
Afterwards, travel into the heart of the Orkhon Valley, a place of deep historical and spiritual significance. For centuries, Mongol Khans repeatedly chose this valley as their home, drawn by its fertile land, flowing river, and natural balance. Over the next two days, you’ll begin to understand why.
Exploring this UNESCO-protected valley is a highlight of the tour!
Arrive at your nomadic host family and spend time living alongside them. Help with daily chores, learn how to prepare traditional Mongolian dishes, and practice riding a Mongolian horse.
Evenings are spent gathered around bonfires, sharing traditional Mongolian feasts, stories, and quiet moments under open skies. Life here moves at a different pace: simple, grounded, and deeply connected to the land.
- Stay: Nomadic Homestay (Shared Accommodation)
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10: Return to Ulaanbaatar & Farewell Dinner
Today, say goodbye to your nomadic host family and begin the journey back to civilization. After ten days of travel through Mongolia’s landscapes and traditions, take a moment along the way to offer gratitude to the land that has carried you through this experience.
Stop for lunch en route before continuing on to Ulaanbaatar. Upon arrival, check back into the comfort of the city hotel and enjoy time to rest, refresh, or take a final walk around the capital.
In the evening, gather for a farewell dinner with your guides and the team who made the journey possible. Use this chance to reflect together, share stories, and close this experience on a high note.
- Stay: Centrally Located Hotel Near Sukhbaatar Square
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Farewell Dinner
Day 11: Depart Mongolia
Today marks the end of your journey. Airport transfers will be arranged according to your departure time, taking you from the hotel to the airport for your outbound international flight.
As you leave Mongolia, you’ll carry with you memories shaped by wide landscapes, shared meals, quiet moments, and meaningful encounters, an experience that stays long after the journey ends.
- Meals: Breakfast
What's Included
- All airport transfers (including your international arrival/departure and transfers for your domestic flight)
- One-way domestic flight
- Two hotel nights in Ulaanbaatar
- All accommodation and transportation during the trip dates
- An experience and professional local Mongolian guide
- All activities listed on the itinerary
- Meals* (breakfast, lunch, dinner) as outlined on the trip itinerary. Vegetarian and other meal requests are able to be accommodated.
What's Not Included
- International flights.
- Visa costs and fees.
- Travel Insurance that covers medical evacuation and cost of participation (required).
- Personal expenses such as laundry, alcoholic beverages, telephone calls, optional activities, and meals which are not included in the trip itinerary.
- Tips and additional gratuities.
Visit our tour cancellation policy page if you have any additional questions.
Book Now
The price to book this 11-day Best of Mongolia Tour: Gobi, Kharkhorin, & Orkhon Valley is:
Solo Traveler: $7,200 USD
2 – 3 People: $4,500 USD/person
4 – 5 People: $4,000 USD/person
6 – 8 People: $3,500 USD/person
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