Explore this ancient land that was ruled by Genghis Khan and served as inspiration for Coleridge's Xanadu. Visit a canyon so deep and shaded that its floor is a permanent ice sheet. Meet nomads who herd camel as their people have for centuries. Cross the Gobi Desert and sleep in a nomadic tent on your way to the sweeping steppes.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1
You are met on arrival and transferred to your hotel in China's capital city of Beijing.
Day 2
Start your day walking through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, followed by the Temple of Heaven and Hongqiao Market.
Day 3
Fly to Mongolia's capital, Ulaan Baatar. Visit the Natural History Museum and enjoy a traditional music and dance performance during dinner.
Day 4
This morning, fly to Dalanzadgad for a first taste of the Mongolian "Outback." Drive to Yolyn Am for a walk through a river gorge so deep and shaded that its floor is a permanent ice sheet. This evening, spend the night in a traditional ger (tent) camp.
Day 5
Drive across the red cliffs of Bayanzaag and on to the scrubby plains of the northern Gobi Desert. Meet nomadic camel breeders and herdsmen, living as they have done for centuries, as you travel to the ruins of the ancient Ongiin Monastery.
Day 6
Travel northward today reaching the sweeping steppe land that frames the Orkhan River Valley, the heartland of Mongolia. The balance of the day's drive is spent in the grassy plains with stops with local nomad families.
Day 7
This morning, explore the ruins of ancient Karakorum, once the capital of Genghis Khan's Mongolian empire and inspiration for Coleridge's Xanadu. Continue with a visit to the Erdenezuu Monastery, Mongolia's first great center of Tantric Buddhism, which continues to be the leading religion of the nation.
Day 8
Travel overland to Ulaan Baatar, stopping at the Khustain Nature Reserve (supported by the World Wildlife Foundation) to learn about the resurgence of the takhi (wild horse).
Day 9
Bid a fond boyartai to Mongolia as you depart on your flight for Beijing.
Day 10
Transfer to the airport to board your homebound flight.
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