Sukhbaatar Square

You will be met at the airport and transferred into Ulaanbaatar which translates literally as ‘Red Hero’ where you will check in to your centrally located hotel. Depending on your flight time, this afternoon enjoy a city tour including Sukhbaatar Square and the National Museum of Mongolian History.

Gandantegchenling Monastery

We will also visit Gandan Monastery which is the largest and most important working monastery in Mongolia, home to an impressive 26m high statue of a Buddhist figure featuring precious stones and gilded with gold leaf. In the evening there will be a welcome dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

There will be an opportunity to walk through the town and visit the local market which will give you a real flavor of the region and its people. Stock up on any snacks and drinks at the local supermarket for your upcoming trek. Dinner tonight in a local restaurant.

Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

Today we take a rugged drive through the high desert towards the head of the spectacular beauty of the Tavan Bogd National Park, a vast mountainous landscape that provides a breath-taking natural border between Mongolia and neighbouring China and Russia. The park is home to the five ‘saintly’ peaks that give it its name including the snow-capped heights of Kuiten Uul, the highest mountain in of Mongolia at 4,374m. On the way we will encounter nomadic Tuva families who are an indigenous people of Central Asia. We will meet one of the families and take time to learn about their way of life. Here we will also meet our guides and hire pack animals for our trek. Set up camp and prepare our luggage for the next 3 days.

Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

After breakfast, our camels or horses will be loaded and we begin the trek to the base camp (3100m) of the snow-capped Tavan Bogd massif. The hike rises steadily taking us over lush alpine tundra and crossing glacial run offs which can sometimes be very muddy. There are views directly across the glacier with the snow-capped peaks in the distance. Set up camp for two nights next to the 20km long Potanin glacier which is the largest and most imposing of the twenty glaciers in Mongolian Altai. Enjoy time taking in the awe-inspiring landscape.

Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

Today we will climb to the summit Malchin Peak (4050m) which rises directly from the camp to the Russian border. This will be an early start as it is a full day’s trekking over rocky terrain with some loose rocks but it is non-technical and the peak can be summited without any climbing equipment. Weather conditions can change suddenly but we hope to be rewarded with wonderful views of all the glaciated peaks of the Alai Tavan Bogd, and Potanin glacier as well as Russia and Kazakhsthan to the North and Mount Khuiten to the South.

Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

In the morning we will trek up the valley towards the head of Tsagaan Gol valley where we will join our vehicles again and continue our journey back to the Tuva family where we met our trekking guides and hired the pack animals. We will have time to rest, enjoy the beauty of our surroundings, and reflect on the adventures of the past few days.

Olgiy

Today we say goodbye to our trekking guides and take a long drive towards Kazak family, where closer to Golden Eagle Hunters Festival. Our journey will be invigorating taking us across the wide open spaces of high desert and steppe and over high mountain passes. We will be staying a short distance from the town in gers set up next to our host family and, whilst the accommodation is comfortable, the facilities are basic with washing facilities limited to a bowl of water and a long drop toilet. In the evening we hope to enjoy true Kazakh hospitality whilst learning about the eagle hunters nomadic lifestyle and how they train their eagles.

Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

This morning we have the first opportunity to experience the remarkable colour and pageantry of the Golden Eagle Hunters Festival of Altai. Altai's more intimate celebrations provide a chance to enjoy the splendor and spectacle of the festival. Today's events include the opening ceremony with a parade of the eagle hunters dressed in full regalia, competitions to test the agility and mastery of bird and hunter, horse racing, camel racing, equestrian games, and the highly entertaining 'Bushkashi' - goat skin tug-o-war on horseback.

Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

Returning to the festival this morning we will enjoy more spectacular photo opportunities as we take in another day of exhilarating competition and colour on the high desert steppes. In the late afternoon, the winners of the festival will be announced at the awards ceremony.

Ulaanbaatar Department Store

After breakfast we transfer to the airport for the mid-morning flight to Ulaanbaatar. We then return to UB for further exploration and last minute souvenir shopping - cashmere, leather goods and traditional handicrafts are all good options and the guide will recommend the best places to go for these. In the evening a concert of traditional Mongolian music and dance including throat singing followed by dinner.

Today we travel 54km east of the city to visit the giant Genghis Khan statue at Tsonjin Bolog. This imposing statue, which is approx. 40m tall, depicts the Mongolian ruler astride his horse and it is possible to climb up onto the horse’s head for a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.

Gorkhi Terelj National Park

We then continue northwards to the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park to see Turtle Rock and visit the Aryabala Meditation Temple built on a hill with commanding views of the countryside before returning to UB in the afternoon. Enjoy a farewell dinner at another of our favourite restaurants in the city.

Transfer to the airport for departure