Across the Orkhon Valley

Overview

• Two days in Naiman Nuur Park with pack yaks, only on this tour
• Four nights with nomad families, including a yak-herding family
• Saddles made for your comfort and to suit the Mongolian horse
• The Orkhon Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Route

Numbers mark where you spend each day. The route starts and ends in Ulaanbaatar.

1. Day 1Ulaanbaatar+

   • Arrive in Mongolia. Your English-speaking guide meets you at Chinggis Khaan Airport and takes you to your hotel.
   • Visit Gandantegchinlin Monastery and the National Museum of Mongolian History.

   Meals

   Not included

   Overnight

   4* hotel (twin or triple room)

2. Day 2Ulaanbaatar to Kharkhorin+

   • A long drive, 6 to 7 hours, to Kharkhorin, Mongolia's old capital, with a picnic lunch on the way.
   • Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery.
   • Meet the horse guides and horses in the evening and camp under the open sky at the edge of the Orkhon Valley.

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   Overnight

   Tent

3. Day 3Into the Orkhon ValleyOn horseback+

   On horseback

   • Start riding into the Orkhon Valley.
   • Support vehicles bring the picnic lunch and the camp, so the horses carry only you.

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   Overnight

   Tent

4. Day 4Tuvkhun MonasteryOn horseback+

   On horseback

   • Ride up to Tuvkhun Monastery, about 400 years old and over 2,600 m above sea level.
   • Ride back down with views over the vast valley and its forested mountains, and camp in the wild.

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   Overnight

   Tent

5. Day 5Into the Khangai MountainsOn horseback+

   On horseback

   • Ride deeper into the Khangai Mountains and camp in the wild.

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   Overnight

   Tent

6. Day 6The lava fields of the OrkhonOn horseback+

   On horseback

   • Ride past ancient lava flows meeting the Orkhon River, traces of the eruptions that shaped the valley.
   • Camp near the entrance to Naiman Nuur Park.

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   Overnight

   Tent

7. Day 7Into Naiman Nuur Park with pack yaksOn horseback+

   On horseback

   • Yak guides join the group, and the gear and your bags go onto pack yaks.
   • Reach a yak-herding family to stay with for two nights, with lunch and dinner together.
   • Ride around the lakes nearby.

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   Overnight

   Yurt with the family (4–5 people per yurt)

8. Day 8The lakes of Naiman NuurOn horseback+

   On horseback

   • Ride through forested mountains to the lakes of Naiman Nuur Park, with a picnic lunch in the park.

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   Overnight

   Yurt with the family

9. Day 9Back toward the Orkhon ValleyOn horseback+

   On horseback

   • Say goodbye to the family and ride a steep mountain trail back toward the Orkhon Valley, with the pack yaks and their guides.
   • Camp by the forest between Naiman Nuur Park and the Orkhon Valley.

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   Overnight

   Tent

10. Day 10The Orkhon WaterfallOn horseback+

    On horseback

    • Ride to a nomad family in the Orkhon Valley, with a picnic lunch on the way.
    • See the Orkhon Waterfall.

    Meals

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

    Overnight

    A yurt of your own with the family

11. Day 11Orkhon Valley to Khogno Khan+

    • Say goodbye to the horse guides and the family, and drive to Khogno Khan Park, the desert-like Mini Gobi.
    • Visit Ovgon Monastery.

    Meals

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

    Overnight

    Yurt with a nomad family (4–5 single beds)

12. Day 12Khogno Khan to Ulaanbaatar+

    • Leave early and arrive in Ulaanbaatar in the afternoon, with a picnic lunch on the way.
    • Go shopping with your guide.
    • Evening show of traditional Mongolian music, song and dance.

    Meals

    Breakfast and lunch; dinner is yours to choose in Ulaanbaatar

    Overnight

    4* hotel (twin or triple room)

13. Day 13Ulaanbaatar+

    • Transfer to the airport.

    Meals

    Breakfast

    Overnight

    Departure

Where you sleep

• 6 nightsTents
• 4 nightsGuest yurts with nomad families
• 2 nights4* hotel in Ulaanbaatar

What's included

Good to know

Meeting point

Chinggis Khaan Airport, Ulaanbaatar

Guides speak

English, French

Group size

3–10 people

• Small group: +€300 Per person for groups of 2 or 3, refunded once a 4th traveller books.
• Single room: +€200 Per person, for your 2 nights in Ulaanbaatar.

What travellers say

• We had an amazing time with you guys. It was such a beautiful place to be and you guys made it even better! The food was amazing, and we could not believe you went to all that work to meet our dietary requirements (vegetarian)! Also warm showers, plenty of snacks, lots of water, tea, coffee - you guys had thought of everything! We had better food with you at the campsites than we often do at home! Your English was also amazing and we learnt so much about Mongolian history through talking to you and visiting monasteries and other historical sites. We cannot stop telling our friends all about our amazing trip to Mongolia, it was truly an unforgettable experience. It's so amazing that we could spend the whole day on horseback, and then turn up to a campsite with dinner ready already and tents, bags, everything already set up - thank you! You guys worked really hard and so we had such a beautiful and relaxing trip. I wish we were back there with you, Grace and the rest of the team!

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• Our trek across Mongolia was the trip of a lifetime and an absolute dream come true for me. It exceeded all of my expectations. It is the most beautiful country I have ever seen with the most diverse scenery and landscapes, and horseback is the perfect way to experience it. The guides could not do enough for us, anything we needed or wanted was aquired. And their humour, care and dedication was really what made the trip extra special, we felt like we had made friends for life. The horses were fantastic, so much fun, so foot sure, clever and tough. They had as much energy on the last day as they had on the first! And getting to ride the same horse throughout the trip meant you could build a partnership with your steed. We were immersed in the culture, customs and food of Mongolia. Staying with the nomadic families was fascinating and they were so welcoming, happy to answer a myriad of questions. We got to experience almost all of the Mongolian pastimes, including milk vodka distillation, wrestling, archery, singing and dancing. If you are going to go anywhere on a horse-riding holiday, go to Mongolia! It is genuinely one of the best things I have ever done. The Mongolian horses are named by their build and colour, so some horses have the same name. I nicknamed mine Beanz, he was fantastic! He was fast, but had breaks. He was quite strong in some of the canters but nothing a reasonably experienced rider couldn't manage. He didn't put a foot wrong for the whole journey, though he could be a bit spooky and buzzy at times. But again absolutely nothing to worry a reasonably experienced rider, and a complete Saint compared to my thoroughbreds at home! I still miss him!

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• If you're trying to decide on a riding holiday then this is the one! I couldn't recommend Mongolia more highly as a destination and this trip specifically because of the knowledge, expertise and incredible hospitality of the local team, as well as of course the amazing scenery! As far as we could understand, horses are not named in the same way in Mongolia as in Ireland, so we nicknamed ours. Mine was Conor McGregor because of his wiry build and chestnut colour!! Contrary to his namesake though, he couldn't have been more obliging!

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• Amazing and gorgeous trip, highly recommended, the guides were totally well organized, nice and funny. Thanks for the travel recommendation!