Day 01 |
Hong Kong / Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar) Flight schedule: OM298 12:05-16:45
Arrival to Ulaanbaatar, traditional entertainment and welcome dinner
Your guide will meet you upon your arrival in Ulaanbaatar and transfer you to a local 4-star hotel in the center of Ulaanbaatar.
At 6 pm, we will watch a folk performance with traditional music, folk songs, and throat singing. Then follows a welcome dinner and tour briefing hosted by the guide.
Overnight: Bayangol Hotel Meals: -- / -- / Dinner
|
Day 02 |
Ulaanbaatar/ XIII Century Royal Camp Distance: 53km; 557m up, 469m down
Transfer to the starting point and cycle across grasslands to XIII Century Royal camp
After breakfast, transfer to the edge of Ulaanbaatar. Having assigned and tuned the bikes, we start with a 10km easy pedal across wide-open grasslands. The riding surface is predominantly a packed soil that is easy for biking. Each day, however, you can expect short rocky sections, grassy trails, and stream crossings, always a fun experience. Further and until the end of the day, grasslands alternate with mountain slopes and scenic rock formations in the background.
Our destination is the XIII Century Royal Camp, a stylized demonstration of a medieval nobleman's camp where lavishly decorated interiors, a wild environment, and the absence of modern facilities make the atmosphere feel real. After the visit, continue to the glamping camp with spacious 2-person tents where you can freely stand, big sturdy folding beds and sleeping bags, a spacious shower tent with an electric shower, a camping toilet, and a dining tent for social time and meals. A support team of guides, drivers, and cooks will accompany you throughout the day to provide guidance, meals, and camping facilities
Overnight: tents Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
|
Day 03
|
Cycle across the great steppe to Khenty mountain range Distance: 57km; 371m up, 596m down
Today we get a chance to admire the vastness of the Mongolian grassland. Often called the steppe, it’s a boundless expanse where the horizon lies as far as one can see. The feeling of its immensity and pristineness is inconceivable. Just a few nomadic tents and some domestic animals are all that we see today. Encounters with herders are always a great opportunity to learn about the local culture and lifeways, not to mention a great photographic opportunity. This evening, we camp having reached the edge of the Siberian mountains
Overnight: tents Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
|
Day 04
|
Cycle in the Khenty mountain range Distance: 40km; 465m up, 171m down
Further into the mountains, we leisurely pedal along scenic mountain slopes covered in Siberian woods, enjoying impromptu encounters with local people. We visit their homes and taste food and dairy products. Tonight, we spend another night in tents in a spectacular campsite with lush meadows and woods in the background.
Overnight: tents Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
|
Day 05
|
Cycle to Tuul river and transfer to ger camp Distance: 15km; 350m up, 220m down
We ride along mountain slopes covered in small patches of larch and other coniferous trees. Bear, wolf, lynx, and boar inhabit its depths, as well herbivores such as elk, a few kinds of deer, and the many fur animals typical of boreal forests. But, of course, it’s not realistic to encounter wild animals in warm seasons and especially on trails trodden by human beings, yet you acutely feel the immense wilderness.
After lunchtime, we part with the support team and transfer to a comfortable resort where you will have a chance to experience a night in felt-covered traditional tents, known as gers. You can also take a short horseback riding excursion. Although somewhat short, Mongolian horses are strong and enduring. Accompanied by local guides you can feel the freedom of riding in the open grassland.
Overnight: Traditional Mongolian tents (Ger) Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
|
Day 06
|
Visit the statue of Chinggis Khan, and return to Ulaanbaatar, sightseeing and shopping
After breakfast, we visit the giant statue of Chinggis Khan on horseback, a Guinness Record holder as the world’s tallest equestrian statue. Here, you can glance at the grassland for the last time and take your photo with the Man of Millenia, the Chinggis Khan. Other optional activities include riding a camel, photographing with a Golden Eagle on your arm, or having your name written in traditional Mongolian calligraphy.
On returning to the capital city, we visit the Winter Palace of Bogd Khan, showcasing rare statues of Buddhist deities and personal belongings of Mongolia’s last king. After lunch, we walk the central city square with a grand statue of Chinggis Khaan and time permitting visit the National Museum of Mongolia introducing the nation’s history from early humans to the modern era. You can visit the largest cashmere shop in Ulaanbaatar before having the final dinner at a hotpot restaurant.
Overnight: Bayangol Hotel Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
|