THE WITHOUT CORNERS SPACE TOUR (#2) 13 days / 12 nights

Across the steppe and the Gobi Desert

DAY 1ULAAN BAATAR - HUSTAII N.P. - RASHANTArrival at Ulaan Baatar Airport. Transfer to the centre of the Capital and change money. Then drive (2 hours) to Hustaii National Park. Rest time and visit inner park (possible by horse). Here, you can see many wild animals like eagles, marmots, gazelles, foxes and the famous Takhi wild horses (Prewalski horses). Lunch picnic. In the afternoon drive across the steppe to reach Rashant, a small village where is settled the ger camp. Dinner & overnight at ger camp (Full Board).

DAY 2RASHANT - UVGUN KHIID - ONGII KHIIDBreakfast. Drive to south-west direction toward the Middle-Gobi. On the road stop to visit the small Monastery of Uvgun localted in the Khogno Khan Natural Reserve. Lunch picnic. Prosecution to Ongii Khiid, the “door” of the Gobi Desert. Arrival and lodge at the ger camp. Dinner and overnight stay. (Full Board)

DAY 3ONGII KHIID - BAYANZAGBreakfast. In the morning drive to Gobi desert toward Bayanzag. Arrival at the ger camp and lunch. Time for relax. In the late afternoon trek on “Flaming Cliffs” where the American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews found, in 1922, the first dinosaur fossils of Mongolia and the first dinosaur egg nest in the world. You will walk along and through the hills, searching for dinosaur bones. You’ll stay here until sunset to admire the rocks that go redder and redder, as if they were on fire. Return to the camp. Dinner and overnight stay. (Full Board)

DAY 4BAYANZAG - YOLIN AM - KHONGORYN ELSEBreakfast. Drive to Yolin Am (The Vultures’ valley). Situated in the Gurvainsaikan National Park, you’ll walk along this narrow valley, watching ibex (wild goats), vultures, eagles, marmots, wild flowers similar to edelweiss. At the end of the valley, in summertime too, lie ice and snow accumulations. Lunch picnic. In the afternoon drive to Khongoryn Else, in the far Gobi desert, the great and wide desert where in summertime temperature can go above 45°C. Khongoryn Sand Dunes is a wild landscape where the wind accumulated the sand on the slopes of a black mountain chain. Lodge at the ger camp close to the sand dunes. Dinner and overnight stay (Full Board)

DAY 5KHONGORYN ELSE - ONGII KHIIDBreakfast. Morning trek or camel ride on the sand dunes. Then, drive back to Ongii Khiid, Lunch picnic in Bulgan. In the afternoon arrival at the ger camp settled on the Ongii river in an extraordinary spot. Visit of the ruins of this big monastic complex that hosted more than 2.000 monks and that was destroyed by the Soviets in 1939. Dinner and overnight stay in ger camp. (FB)

DAY 6ONGII KHIID- KHARKHORINBreakfast. Today the trip shall lead towards north-west and the dry and dusty landscape turns again into a green scenery. On the way stop in Khujirt, a small village where you can buy water and other supplies and where you will have lunch your picnic lunch. In the afternoon drive to Kharkhorin, the ancient capital of Chinghis Khaan. Dinner and overnight stay at ger camp (Full Board)

www.wtmongolia.com - info@wtmongolia.com

DAY 7KHARKHORIN - TSENKHER HOT SPA Breakfast. The morning is dedicated to Kharkhorin. The ancient capital, known in the past as Kharakhorum, was entirely destroyed by the Chinese in the 14th century, but upon its ashes, in 1586, was built one of the most important monastery of the country: Erdene Zuu with its white walls, its 108 stupas, its temples. Visit the local market, the new Museum, Phallus Rock. After lunch (at local restaurant), departure toward Tsenkher Hot Spa driving along wild and amazing valleys with many animals. Stop at local families. Arrival at the ger camp and time for relax, massage or go to the baths. Dinner & overnight at ger camp (Full Board).

DAY 8TSENKHER HOT SPA - TSETSERLEG - KHORGO UUL/TERKHIIN TSAAGAN NUURBreakfast. In the morning departure to the Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park, a volcanic area with gorgeous landscapes, lakes and ancient flows of lava eroded by winds and rivers. Lunch picnic on the road. Arrival to the ger camp close to Khorgoo Volcano. Short trek (30 minutes) to the summit from where you can grasp all the surrounding panorama. Here the ancient caldera hosts a small rain lake and on the slopes wild and colourful flowers grow. Dinner and overnight stay at ger camp (Full Board)

DAY 9KHORGO UUL/TERKHIIN TSAAGAN NUUR - TSETSERLEGBreakfast. The morning will be dedicated to explore this interesting area. Relax on the windy shores of Tsagaan Lake. Walking, fishing, horse riding.....Lunch picnic or at a ger camp restaurant on the lake. In the afternoon drive to Tsetserleg. Dinner at restaurant. Overnight stay at the best local hotel.- 2**- (Full Board)

DAY 10TSETSERLEG - ULAANBAATARBreakfast. In the morning visit the Buyandelgeruulekch Monastery and the local market in Tsetserleg, the “Garden city”. Departure to come back to Ulaanbaatar. Lunch at a local restaurant on the road. Arrival in the Capital and lodge at a central hotel. Dinner free. Overnight stay. (Half Board)

DAY 11ULAAN BAATAR - TERELJ NATIONAL PARK- ULAAN BAATAR Breakfast. Departure towards the Terelj National Park a very popular area. It is almost uninhabited by humans, only by a few nomads and farmers. Inside the park, there are ranges of protected animals such as birds (250 species), moose, and bears. . The park has many rock formations: the most famous formations,named for things they resemble, are Turtle Rock and the Old Man Reading a Book. Lunch at a local restaurant. Afternoon free for leisure (horse riding, trekking, relax...). Return to the Capital. Dinner free. Overnight stay (Half Board)

www.wtmongolia.com - info@wtmongolia.com

www.wtmongolia.com - info@wtmongolia.com

DAY 12ULAAN BAATARBreakfast. All day dedicated to the Capital. In the morning visit Gandan Monastery, the most important Buddhist core for the Mongolian people. Here, before the Soviet purges, there were more than 10.000 monks. You’ll visit the Buddhist schools, the Tibetan-style temple which contains a 26 mt. high Avalokitesvara’s golden statue, the Buddhist temples where it is possible to attend lamas’ prayers. After the Natural History Museum that hosts a unique collection of Dinosaur fossils such as Tarbosaurus (a relative of the T-Rex), Protoceratops, eggs,..... Lunch free. Afternoon free for shopping, for individual visit or watching a folk songs & dances show. Dinner free. Overnight stay in hotel. (B&B

DAY 13ULAAN BAATAR - FLIGHT BACKBreakfast and transfer to the airport.