DAY 1, Monday - Depart for Mongolia
Depart for Mongolia

DAY 2, Tuesday - Arrive in Ulaanbaatar
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's spiritual and economic center. Transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day is at leisure
Overnight: Ulaanbaatar

DAY 3, Wednesday - Gandantegchinlen Monastery, Genghis Khan Complex
Visit the revered Gandantegchinlen Monastery. This Tibetan-style monastery is home to more than 150 monks. Communist rule closed its doors through the 20th century, and it was lucky to have escaped the destruction that most other monasteries suffered. Afterwards depart to Genghis Khan Complex. Visit the museum and see exhibits relating to the Bronze Age and Xiongnu archaeological cultures in Mongolia. Have lunch at a restaurant inside the statue. Later, return to Ulaanbatar and visit the fascinating Zanabazar Fine Arts Museum, a sky-blue gem of Russian architecture. Its holdings include paintings and sculptures by Zanabazar, considered the "Michelangelo of Asia". Tonight, attend an orientation meeting with your Tour Manager, followed by dinner
Overnight: Ulaanbaatar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 4, Thursday - Flight to Moron
This morning, fly from Ulaanbaatar to Moron near the northern border with Russia. From here, drive to Lake Khovsgol, the largest freshwater lake by volume in the country. Remarkably, it holds 70% of Mongolia's fresh water. Here, stand amidst a magnificent tableau, a national park area of soaring peaks and pristine forest. After a scenic drive, settle in to your simple camp accommodations. Tonight, dinner is at the camp's restaurant
Overnight: Lake Khovsgol
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 5, Friday - Explore Khovsgol Province, Meet Yak Family, Discover the Tsaatan Reindeer People
You're in one of the world's most remote areas, and just above the northern border over the Ulaan Taiga range. A highlight of the day is your visit with a local Yak family in their ger, where you learn about their nomadic life. In the afternoon, perhaps join the optional boat trip to Lake Khovsgol, surrounded by the Khoridol Saridag and Bayan Mountain Ranges. Your boat tour will take you to the shore on the other side of the lake and the entire excursion will offer beautiful views and wonderful photo opportunities. This afternoon, meet the Tsaatan known as Reindeer people, one of the last groups of nomadic reindeer herders in the world. Back at the camp, there'll be free time to explore the grounds. After dinner tonight, join your fellow travelers, for drinks at a lakeside campfire
Optional: Lake Khovsgol Boat Trip (PM)
Overnight: Lake Khovsgol
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6, Saturday - Flight to Ulaanbaatar
Today, return back to Ulaanbatar. Upon arrival, embark on a city tour. View Sukhbaatar Square in the heart of the city. Its centerpiece is the statue of Damdin Sukhbaatar astride his horse, the heroic leader that led the 1921 revolution against the Russians and founded the Mongolian People's Republic. Several important buildings line the square, including the Government Palace, the National Theater of Opera and Ballet, and the Palace of Culture. You'll also see a statue of Genghis Khan, the 12th century founder of the great Mongol Empire. Visit the National History Museum. Here, view exhibits featuring Mongolia's geography, flora and fauna. You will see an outstanding collection of costumes hats and jewelry, representing Mongolia's ethnic groups. Tonight, dinner is at a local restaurant
Overnight: Ulaanbaatar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 7, Sunday - Flight to Gobi, Hike the Eagle Valley
Fly to the Gobi Desert today. Its landscape and legends truly are the stuff of dreams. This is where the double-humped Bactrian camel roams, and where many famed cities along the ancient Silk Road prospered. After landing in Dalanzadgad, Head to Yolyn Am, also known as Eagle Valley, and experience its starkly beautiful setting up-close during a hike down into the deep and narrow gorge, habitat of the lammergeier, an Old World vulture. You might also see wild goats and sheep high on the cliff walls. Afterward, continue to your camp. Tonight, have dinner at the camp's restaurant
Overnight: Gobi Desert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8, Monday - Visit Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs, Khuushurr Cooking Lesson
This morning, depart for the Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs*, a treasure trove among paleontologists. Here, in the 1920s, American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews led expeditions that uncovered specimens of Velociraptors, Tyrannosaurids, and dinosaur egg fossils at the foot of these red bluffs. The Flaming Cliffs, which stand alone amidst this vast landscape, got their name from their red-orange hues, especially prominent at sunset. In the afternoon, continue to camp and learn about khuushuur fried dumplings during a cooking lesson. Tonight, have dinner at the camp's restaurant*For Jun 2 & Jul 5 departures, days 8 and 9 will be switched.
Overnight: Gobi Desert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9, Tuesday - Journey to "Singing Sand Dunes", Camel Ride and Dune Climb
Today take a drive to the Khongoriin Els "Singing Sand Dunes." From the grass-green steppe, the golden dunes are a wonder to behold as they roll to the horizon. But they're even more of a wonder to listen to. Marco Polo was among the first travelers to tell of these desert sands that sing. Today, scientists believe that the dunes' curves and slopes form a gigantic musical instrument for the wind. During the visit to this spectacular site, board some Bactrian camels for a thrilling ride, and later climb the sand dunes. Afterward transfer to your lodge located right near these impressive dunes and spend the evening at leisure. Tonight, have dinner at the camp's restaurant
Overnight: Gobi Desert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10, Wednesday - Flight to Ulaanbaatar, Travel to Mt. Khogno Khan
Depart the lodge and begin your long drive to Dalanzadgad Airport. Along the way, you might spot herds of wild camels and scattered nomadic gers. Following lunch near the airport, board your flight back to Ulaanbaatar where you'll begin your journey by land over the Mongolian steppe, a wide-open space of nomadic horsemen and shepherds, clusters of gers, and endless wild plains. Later, arrive at your lodge and have dinner at a camp restaurant
Overnight: Argalant
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 11, Thursday - Erdene Zuu Monastery, Explore Karakorum
This morning, journey towards the Erdene Zuu Monastery area. Arrive in Karakorum, the 13th century capital of the Mongol Empire. Visit the Erdene Zuu Monastery. The oldest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. During communist rule, it was allowed to exist, only as a museum. Today is an active place of worship once again. Stop to see some temples, stupas and glittering gilded Buddhas. After lunch at a camp, visit the Karakorum museum. The exhibits include artifacts from the immediate area, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, plus prehistoric stone tools. You'll also see pottery, coins, religious statues, and stone inscriptions. Later, visit a local market. Time for some souvenir shopping before heading back to the camp for dinner
Overnight: Mt. Khogno Khan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 12, Friday - Travel to Ulaanbaatar, Folklore Show
Drive back to Ulaanbaatar today. On the way, have a home-hosted lunch with a nomadic family. Later, continue your journey to Ulaanbaatar and check into your hotel late afternoon. This evening, attend a Mongolian cultural show with folk dances, traditional music, featuring morin khuur (horse head fiddle), and throat-singing, the two-toned music locally known as "hoomii." You'll also enjoy some traditional "long song," in which each note is drawn out, and experience an authentic tribal shaman dance and contortion. Afterward, savor dinner at a local restaurant and bid farewell to your Tour Manager
Overnight: Ulaanbaatar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 13, Saturday - Depart Mongolia
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight
Meals: Breakfast