📍 Mongolia

MONGOLIA XXL: GOBI DUNES TO TAIGA REINDEER HERDERS JOURNEY

Singing dunes vibrating at dusk, ruined temples guarding canyon entrances, reindeer grazing beneath taiga pines. Mongolia, from desert to arctic.

≈ 22
Days
3490
Km
13
Stops
📖 9 min read 🔄 Last updated: 2026-01-17

Follow Khongoryn Els' singing dunes, then explore desert canyons where ruined monasteries hide in rock. Cross the Orkhon Valley and its meadows, reach Lake Khövsgöl with its cold waters, then enter forests where the Tsaatan people raise reindeer. From Gobi to taiga, the contrast strikes.

Your day-by-day itinerary

1
Day

Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar - Photo 1Ulaanbaatar - Photo 2Ulaanbaatar - Photo 3Ulaanbaatar - Photo 4Ulaanbaatar - Photo 5Ulaanbaatar - Photo 6Ulaanbaatar - Photo 7Ulaanbaatar - Photo 8Ulaanbaatar - Photo 9
9 photos
Day 1
🔍

Discover

1
Sükhbaatar / Chinggis Khaan Square
2
Gandantegchinlen Monastery
3
National Museum of Mongolia
4
Dinosaur Museum (paleontology)
🎯

Activities

→
Guided tour of Ulaanbaatar
→
Evening stroll around the square
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 270 km
Travel time: 4h30
2
Day

Tsagaandelger Steppe Camp

endless grassland nomad family ger hospitality

Tsagaandelger Steppe Camp - Photo 1Tsagaandelger Steppe Camp - Photo 2Tsagaandelger Steppe Camp - Photo 3Tsagaandelger Steppe Camp - Photo 4Tsagaandelger Steppe Camp - Photo 5Tsagaandelger Steppe Camp - Photo 6Tsagaandelger Steppe Camp - Photo 7Tsagaandelger Steppe Camp - Photo 8
8 photos
Day 2
🔍

Discover

1
Viewpoints over the Dundgovi steppes
🎯

Activities

→
Journey to the entrance of the Gobi Desert (tracks and photo stops)
→
Setting up camp in the wilderness
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 120 km
Travel time: 2h30
3
Day

Tsagaan Suvarga White Stupa

white rock formations eroded canyon lunar landscape

Tsagaan Suvarga White Stupa - Photo 1Tsagaan Suvarga White Stupa - Photo 2Tsagaan Suvarga White Stupa - Photo 3Tsagaan Suvarga White Stupa - Photo 4Tsagaan Suvarga White Stupa - Photo 5Tsagaan Suvarga White Stupa - Photo 6
6 photos
Day 3
🔍

Discover

1
Baga Gazriin Chuluu (granite formations)
2
Viewpoints and granite chaos (short hike)
3
Tsagaan Suvarga (White Stupa)
🎯

Activities

→
Progressive trek between rock formations and steppe
🚗
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance: 300 km
Travel time: 6h
4
Day

Yolyn Am Gobi Gurvansaikhan

ice canyon vultures eagles gobi depths

Yolyn Am Gobi Gurvansaikhan - Photo 1Yolyn Am Gobi Gurvansaikhan - Photo 2Yolyn Am Gobi Gurvansaikhan - Photo 3Yolyn Am Gobi Gurvansaikhan - Photo 4Yolyn Am Gobi Gurvansaikhan - Photo 5Yolyn Am Gobi Gurvansaikhan - Photo 6
6 photos
Day 4
🔍

Discover

1
Düngenee Canyon (walk along the watercourse)
2
Yolyn Am (Vulture Valley) — narrow gorge
🎯

Activities

→
Horseback option on canyon sections
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 150 km
Travel time: 4h
5
Day

Khongoryn Els Dunes

singing dunes two hundred meters high

Khongoryn Els Dunes - Photo 1Khongoryn Els Dunes - Photo 2Khongoryn Els Dunes - Photo 3Khongoryn Els Dunes - Photo 4
4 photos
Day 5
🔍

Discover

1
Bayanzag cliffs (Flaming Cliffs)
2
Khongor dunes (Khongoryn Els)
🎯

Activities

→
Ascent of a high dune (the "singing dunes")
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 130 km
Travel time: 2h30
6
Day

Ongiin Khiid

ruined monastery desert river oasis setting

Ongiin Khiid - Photo 1Ongiin Khiid - Photo 2Ongiin Khiid - Photo 3
3 photos
Day 6
🔍

Discover

1
Ongi monastery and ruins on the other shore
🎯

Activities

→
Walk along the bank of the Ongiin Gol
🚗
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance: 260 km
Travel time: 5h30
7
Day

Kharkhorin Erdene Zuu

genghis khan capital ancient monastery walls

Kharkhorin Erdene Zuu - Photo 1Kharkhorin Erdene Zuu - Photo 2Kharkhorin Erdene Zuu - Photo 3Kharkhorin Erdene Zuu - Photo 4Kharkhorin Erdene Zuu - Photo 5Kharkhorin Erdene Zuu - Photo 6
6 photos
Day 7
🔍

Discover

1
Arvaikheer — covered market and city discovery
2
Kharkhorin (Karakorum) — enclosure and temples of Erdene Zuu
🎯

Activities

→
Central steppes connecting route
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 130 km
Travel time: 2h30
8
Day

Naiman Nuur Shireet

eight lakes volcanic highland horse trails

Naiman Nuur Shireet - Photo 1Naiman Nuur Shireet - Photo 2Naiman Nuur Shireet - Photo 3Naiman Nuur Shireet - Photo 4Naiman Nuur Shireet - Photo 5Naiman Nuur Shireet - Photo 6
6 photos
Day 8
🔍

Discover

1
Naiman Nuur National Park (Eight Lakes)
2
Shireet Tsagaan Lake — panorama over the Khangai mountains
🎯

Activities

→
Approach trek and bivouac setup
🚗
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance: 140 km
Travel time: 5h
9
Day

Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake

crater lake volcanic cone fishing eagles

Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake - Photo 1Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake - Photo 2Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake - Photo 3Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake - Photo 4Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake - Photo 5Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake - Photo 6
6 photos
Day 9
🔍

Discover

1
Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur (White Lake) — shores and volcanic flows
🎯

Activities

→
Partial approach on horseback, beginning of the lake tour
🚗
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance: 260 km
Travel time: 6h
10
Day

Moron

Moron - Photo 1Moron - Photo 2Moron - Photo 3Moron - Photo 4
4 photos
Day 10
🔍

Discover

1
Mörön — city center and market
2
Mongolian wrestling stadium (according to local program)
🎯

Activities

→
Northern route through valleys and passes
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 220 km
Travel time: 4h30
11
Day

Tsagaan Nuur Taiga

tsaatan reindeer herders ancestral taiga territory

Tsagaan Nuur Taiga - Photo 1Tsagaan Nuur Taiga - Photo 2Tsagaan Nuur Taiga - Photo 3Tsagaan Nuur Taiga - Photo 4Tsagaan Nuur Taiga - Photo 5Tsagaan Nuur Taiga - Photo 6Tsagaan Nuur Taiga - Photo 7Tsagaan Nuur Taiga - Photo 8Tsagaan Nuur Taiga - Photo 9Tsagaan Nuur Taiga - Photo 10
10 photos
Day 11
🔍

Discover

1
Meeting with Tsaatan families (reindeer herders)
🎯

Activities

→
Track to the taiga and camping by the lake/forest
🚗
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance: 280 km
Travel time: 6h
12
Day

Orkhon Valley Waterfall

green valley horseback nomads waterfall canyon

Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Photo 1Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Photo 2Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Photo 3Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Photo 4Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Photo 5
5 photos
Day 12
🔍

Discover

1
Orkhon Valley — pastoral landscapes
2
Ulaan Tsutgalan Falls (Orkhon waterfall)
🎯

Activities

→
Long transfer north→center (stops and photos)
✈️
Next stop
✈️ Flight / transfer day
Distance: 700 km
Travel time: 12h
13
Day

Orkhon Valley Waterfall

green valley horseback nomads waterfall canyon

Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Photo 1Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Photo 2Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Photo 3Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Photo 4Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Photo 5
5 photos
Day 13
🔍

Discover

1
Immersion with nomads of the Orkhon Valley
🎯

Activities

→
Participation in daily tasks (wood, herds, horses)
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 150 km
Travel time: 3h
14
Day

Erdene Khamba Khogno Tarna

sand dunes meet forested sacred mountains

Erdene Khamba Khogno Tarna - Photo 1Erdene Khamba Khogno Tarna - Photo 2
2 photos
Day 14
🔍

Discover

1
Erdene Khamba Monastery (Khögnö Tarna) — ruins and temples
2
Khogno Khan Park — ridges and dunes of Elsen Tasarkhai
🎯

Activities

→
Walk on the rocky slopes and dunes
🚗
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance: 380 km
Travel time: 6h30
15
Day

Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar - Photo 1Ulaanbaatar - Photo 2Ulaanbaatar - Photo 3Ulaanbaatar - Photo 4Ulaanbaatar - Photo 5Ulaanbaatar - Photo 6Ulaanbaatar - Photo 7Ulaanbaatar - Photo 8Ulaanbaatar - Photo 9
9 photos
Day 15
🔍

Discover

1
Return to Ulan Bator — free time (souvenirs, last walk)
🎯

Activities

→
Khogno Khan → Ulan Bator route

🗺️ Itinerary map

🗺️ Nearby itineraries

WEST MONGOLIA → GOBI → NORTH: 17 DAYS OF ICONS AND TRAILS

📅 25 days 🛣️ 3990 Km

❓ Frequently asked questions

What weather should you expect?

Summer (June-August): Peak season with warmest weather (15-25°C), accessible remote areas, and traditional festivals including Naadam. All tourist infrastructure operational but highest prices and crowds.

Spring (April-May): Mild temperatures (5-20°C), fewer tourists, and reasonable prices. Some remote areas may still be inaccessible due to weather, but cities and main attractions fully operational.

Autumn (September-October): Comfortable temperatures (8-18°C), stunning fall colors, and fewer crowds. Excellent photography weather with clear skies, though nights become quite cold.

Winter (November-March): Extremely cold (-20 to -10°C) but unique experiences like ice festivals and winter nomadic life. Lowest prices but limited accessibility to remote areas and harsh conditions.

How many days should I plan?

We believe you will enjoy this itinerary best by dedicating between 18 and 26 days. The next step will allow you to adjust the duration of your stay.

What to discover in Mongolia?

Nomadic paradise with vast steppes, traditional culture, and incredible hospitality. Experience yurt living, horseback adventures, and authentic nomadic lifestyle. The country offers cultural immersion with natural beauty and adventure activities. Mongolia provides life-changing cultural experiences with natural wonders and cultural authenticity.