Mongolia Spring Nomads

Today, our team will let you know a departure time — typically between 08:00 and 09:30 — by which you’ll need to be packed and ready to go.

Once everyone is together, you travel a short distance west towards Khustai Nuruu National Park, a protected landscape central to Mongolia’s conservation story.

Today you’ll:

• Stop at a local supermarket on the outskirts of the city — practical, everyday places stocked with everything from pineapples and wool socks to shelves of vodka
• Visit Khustai Nuruu National Park, best known for the reintroduction of the takhi (Przewalski’s horse), the world’s only truly wild horse
• Begin at the park’s information centre to gain context on the research, monitoring, and conservation work carried out here
• Spend time in the park itself, accompanied by a park biologist when available, or a local guide when not
• Observe the landscape and look for red deer, marmots, corsac foxes, raptors, and — hopefully — takhi, always from a respectful distance and following strict guidelines

Afternoon & Evening

Later, you’ll continue to the southern edge of the park, where you’ll stay with the Batchuluun family on their winter pasture. The afternoon and evening are unhurried, with time to rest, take in the views, or — if you wish — join a felt-making session hosted by the family. As night settles in, take one last look at the sky before drifting off to sleep to the quiet sounds of livestock moving around the ger.

Logistics

Accommodation: Simple private guest ger next to Batchuluun herding family (you will share a ger with 2-4 other members of the group.). | Asian style outside long drop toilet. No showers.

Meals: L/D

On Day Three, after breakfast and packing up, you travel to Khogno Khan — a granite mountain landscape long regarded as sacred. Within a relatively compact area, the landscape shifts between open steppe, quiet valleys, freshwater springs, and the nearby Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes.

We’re particularly fond of this area for its sense of space and variety. You’ll stay at a small, simple family-run camp owned by the Davaasuren family, who live close to the dunes. The setting itself is very much part of the experience.

As today is primarily a travel day, the pace is flexible and shaped around your arrival time. A picnic lunch is usually taken en route if weather allows. Once you arrive, your EL team will show you to your ger and help you settle in before quietly turning their attention to preparing dinner.

The rest of the afternoon is left open. You may wish to rest after the journey, sit outside and take in the views, or head out for a gentle walk towards the dunes. Your trip assistant will be on hand to talk through options, allowing the time to unfold at a pace that feels right.

The next day is left deliberately open, with time to explore the surrounding landscape in a way that suits your energy and interests. Options can be discussed with your trip assistant. You may choose to:

Walk independently along the sand dunes, easily accessed from the ger camp

• Visit the sacred granite mountains, including Erdene Khambiin Khiid, a small 17th-century meditation temple once associated with Zanabazar
• Continue on foot from Erdene Khambiin Khiid to the ruins of Övgön Khiid, following a birch-lined mountain path through quiet, rocky terrain
• Spend time with local herders, including the option to ride a camel if this appeals, with routes and duration shaped by weather and conditions
• Some walks involve uneven ground and climbs, and your trip assistant will help you choose what feels comfortable.

This is a place for space — to walk, to pause, or simply to sit and watch the landscape change.

Logistics

Accommodation: Simple private ger at small family-operated ger camp (3-4 guest gers, you will share a ger with 2-4 other members of the group.). Outside short drop toilet. No showers.

Meals: B/L/D

Your journey continues to the district of Tsenkher in Arkhangai Province, set within the rolling valleys and high pastures of the Khangai Mountains. Here, you’ll be welcomed by the Galbadrakh family, whose lives are closely shaped by yak herding and the seasonal rhythms of the mountains.

Yaks are central to daily life in this part of Arkhangai — providing milk, dairy products, fibre, transport, and resilience in a demanding climate. Our long-term partnership with the Galbadrakh family is rooted in supporting this way of life in a respectful, practical way. Visits are designed to fit around family routines rather than disrupt them, ensuring that daily life continues as normal.

The family are active members of Ar Arvijin Delgerekh, a local cooperative and NGO supporting yak-herding families across Arkhangai. Through the cooperative, families process and sell spun yak down, helping them receive fairer value for their fibre and diversify income while keeping yak herding viable for the future.

Today you’ll:

• Travel into the Khangai Mountains and arrive at the Galbadrakh family’s summer pasture
• Settle into your ger and take time to meet the family
• Begin to observe daily life on the pasture — the movement of the yaks, ongoing work, and the quiet rhythm of the landscape
• The rest of the day is kept unhurried, allowing space to adjust to the setting and pace of life here.

The next day is intentionally flexible and may include:

• Spending time with the family and learning about yak herding life
• Optionally helping with everyday activities such as herding, milking, dairy-making, or working with yak wool
• Observing how knowledge, labour, and care are shared within the household
• Taking a walk into the surrounding hills from the spring pasture, with wide views
• All activities depend on the season, weather, and the family’s workload, and participation is always optional. Your trip assistant will help talk through what’s possible.

Meals: B/L/D

After saying goodbye to the Galbadrakh family, you travel into the wide, open folds of the Orkhon River Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape and one of the most important regions in Mongolia’s history.

This is a place where grassland, river and human movement have shaped one another for centuries. The Orkhon River has long provided water for livestock, routes for seasonal migration and the foundation for nomadic life. Often described as the cradle of Mongolian civilisation, the valley continues to support herding families today much as it has for generations.

At the heart of the valley lies Kharkhorin, the ancient capital of Ögedei Khan and the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. We’ve outlined your options for time in Kharkhorin and the surrounding valley below.

For two nights, you’ll stay with Tumee and Jargaa, herders who live and move within the Orkhon River Valley, relocating three to four times a year as part of their seasonal cycle. The Orkhon remains their anchor point throughout the year. Their home is around a 30-minute drive from Kharkhorin.

On arrival, you’ll meet your hosts and be shown to your ger. As your team comes together to prepare dinner, you’re welcome to help, sit and take in the valley views, or wander down to the river.

Today you’ll:

• Travel into the Orkhon River Valley, following the course of the river
• Arrive at the home of Tumee and Jargaa and be shown to your ger
• Settle in while the team prepares dinner
• Spend a relaxed afternoon — helping with tasks, taking in the valley views, or walking down to the river
• The evening is quiet and unstructured, shaped by the landscape and the pace of daily life.

The second day is deliberately left open and shaped around your interests: You may choose to:

• Spend time at the family’s home, relaxing or walking down to the river
• Explore the Orkhon Valley on horseback (from a short ride to a longer day out), or on foot
• Travel into Kharkhorin to explore the town and surrounding historic sites
• Visit Erdene Zuu Khiid, Mongolia’s oldest monastery, enclosed by a wall of white stupas
• Visit the Kharkhorin Museum for deeper context on the valley and its empires
• When open, visit Erdenesiinn Khuree, with the option to join a hands-on calligraphy session supporting local artists
• Nothing is fixed, and participation is always optional. Your trip assistant will help you talk through options.

Logistics

Accommodation: Simple private guest ger next to family ger (3-4 guest gers, you will share a ger with 2-4 other members of the group.). | Basic long drop outside toilet | hot shower available at the local town shower house - your own private cubicle with plenty of hot water. Queue with the locals and enjoy experiencing a little of their daily way of life

Meals: B/L/D

You travel back to Ulaanbaatar over the course of the day, retracing the same road as earlier in the journey. As our drivers often say, travelling in the opposite direction reveals different details — familiar landscapes seen from a new angle.

The return to the city can feel abrupt after days spent in wide, open spaces. For that reason, the remainder of the day is kept deliberately free.

On arrival:

• You’ll be transferred to your city accommodation, marking the formal end of the journey
• The rest of the day is yours to rest, reset, or step out and explore at your own pace
• We remain available should you need any support after the trip concludes
• Your departure is also taken care of, with a complimentary airport transfer included.

Meals: B/L