Expedition to Mongolia with Calypso: Gobi legends and Orkhon Valley

11
days
27.07.2025
3 450 USD

Expedition to Mongolia with Calypso: Gobi legends and Orkhon Valley

Duration of the tour: 11 days/10 nights

Tour dates: July 27 - August 6, 2025


Domestic flight and meals all days are included in the price of the trip

Route map: Wave
We are waiting: Wave
Night among the forests of northern Mongolia
Gobi desert and climb a dune
Orkhon Valley National Park
Real Nomadic Show
The top of the tallest statue of Genghis Khan in the world
Tour program: Wave

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar in the morning. We go to the hotel to rest. In the afternoon we walk around Ulaanbaatar, the capital of all Mongols. In the evening, we have a joint welcome dinner. 

In the morning, we leave Ulaanbaatar and head towards the majestic, huge statue of Genghis Khan, after which we make our way to Terelj National Park, where we will visit the Aryabal Temple and the Turtle Stone. And of course, we will be able to breathe in the mountain air of Mongolia.  

In the morning we will rest at our lodge and return to the Ulaanbaatar airport for a bit. Today our expedition to the interior of the country will begin! We will take an evening flight to the South Gobi region (600 km).

After landing in Dalanzadgad, we will go by jeep to a tourist camp with all amenities near the Yolin Am Gorge (Yol Valley National Park) for accommodation. 

Today we will drive across the vast expanse of the Gobi Desert to our next destination. The Khongor Dunes, the highest sand dunes in Mongolia. These dunes are 20 km wide and 100 km long. The Hongoriiin River flows along the dunes and creates oases. The color of the dunes changes every hour during the day, from yellow to silver, and red at dawn. The dunes make a sound reminiscent of an airplane engine on a windy day, which is why they are called the "Singing Dunes". The largest and most impressive sand dunes, the Hongor Dunes are also known as the "Singing Dunes".

In the South Gobi region, we will learn what hospitality is and what the real nomadic life of herders looks like, consisting of such traditional activities as eating, milking goats or camels, preparing dairy products, riding a camel, as well as watching how to put up a yurt, how to make a thread from camel hair and other activities 


After breakfast, we will move to Bayanzag, the Red Rocks area, where a dinosaur egg clutch was found for the first time in human history.

We continue our journey to Bayanzag, the bottom of the Ancient Sea that existed 60-70 million years ago, where many paleontological finds have been discovered. The place is known as "burning cliffs", so named by the American explorer Roy Andrew Chapman, who visited Mongolia in 1920. For 2 years, he searched for dinosaur fossils in the Mongolian Gobi, and found them in Bayanzag and Nimakht. He brought his paleontological finds on 70 camels. Chapman presented Mongolia with one large skeletal find, which is now on display at the Ulaanbaatar Museum of Natural History. He found 10 species of dinosaurs, 8 of which were discovered in Mongolia. After visiting Bayanzag, we move on to our next destination - across the Ongi River to Saihan Ovoo, in the Dundgovi region, in south-central Mongolia. The Ongi Monastery, formerly one of the largest monasteries in Mongolia, was founded in 1660 and consisted of two temple complexes on the north and south banks of the Ongi River. However, in the 1930s, the monastery was completely destroyed and more than 200 monks were killed by the Communists. After the introduction of democracy in Mongolia in 1990, the monks returned to Ongi Monastery, where they began their Buddhist education as children 60 years earlier. These monks began to lay new foundations on the old ruins with a vision of rebuilding Ongi Monastery and revitalizing Buddhism in Mongolia.


After breakfast, we will go to our guest house, which is located in the heart of ancient nomads. After accommodation, we will enjoy lunch. But we will prepare for the meeting with the Orkhon Waterfall, which we will visit tomorrow.

Today we will visit the Tuvkhun Monastery and Orkhon Waterfall, making stops along the way at Uurtin Tohoi and Temeyen Chuluu. Tuvkhun Monastery was built in 1654 by St. Zanabazar, one of the greatest representatives of Buddhism in Mongolia. He chose this special place to build one of the most beautiful monasteries when he was 14 years old. The monastery is located on a forested rocky mountain on the border of Uvurkhangai and Arkhangai provinces. The monastery was destroyed once in 1688 and rebuilt in 1773.

Uurtin Tokhoy. So named because of its steep cliff that forms a right angle at the bend of the Orkhon River. Located at an altitude of 1630 meters above sea level and Huurtin Tokhoi, as it was originally called, this rock offers a magnificent view of the Orkhon Valley.

Temeyen Chuluu grave stones: The Temeyen Chuluu burial site is located around the Talbiun Guesthouse. The surrounding area contains many graves and mounds dating back to the Bronze Age.

Orkhon Waterfall. The magnificent waterfall is located in the impressive Orkhon Valley and was formed about 20,000 years ago due to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The Orkhon is the longest river in Mongolia, and Ulaan Tsutgalan is the largest waterfall with a height of 26 meters.


We head to Harkhorum, the capital of the ancient Great Mongol Empire. The city was founded in 1220. Harkhorum was the capital of Mongolia for 140 years and the capital of the Mongolian Empire for 32 years. The Erdenesuu Monastery and the ruins of Harkhorin were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996. The main tourist attractions include the Erdenesuu Monastery, the newly built Harkhorum Museum, the outdoor museum and the mosaic map of Genghis Khan.


We are heading towards Ulaanbaatar, but on the way we will stop at the Mongol Nomadic ger camp. This is our last touch of the Gobi Desert and the incredible beauty of the dune landscapes before returning to the capital. At Nomadic Camp we will enjoy a Mongolian nomadic show.  

We return to the capital, have a rest and in the evening go to a farewell dinner with local traditional music in a local restaurant. 

Shopping and departure. 

The cost of the tour: Wave
3 450 USD
per person in a double room:
The price of the tour includes:
local guide services;
accommodation in hotels and guesthouses in double rooms;
domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar to the heart of the Gobi Desert;
Meals: breakfast, lunch (snacks), dinner;
transportation services along the entire route;
The price of the tour does NOT include:
international air travel;
entrance tickets not according to the program;
medical insurance;
additional drinks;
tips to the guide and driver;
souvenirs, shopping, and other personal expenses.
Our photo report: Wave

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