Golden felt

<p>Arrival at the Chinggis Khaan international airport in Ulaanbaatar, thecapital city of Mongolia. Your guide-interpreter and driver will welcome you at the airport and lead you on the city tour. The capital has plenty to offer. On the tour you will visit the Gandan Monastery, a historical and spiritual Buddhist temple in the city. Then you can walk around the National History Museum and the Chinggis Khaan Square in front of the Mongolian Parliament house to help you get a general knowledge and information about the Mongolian history and culture.</p><p>FB, Peaceful night at « White House » tourist hotel</p>

<p>Today, a one of a kind “Gobi Desert” awaits you!</p><p>After your breakfast at the hotel, you will take off from the capital on your private vehicle to see one of the 33 “Gobi” (a local word for “Desert”), the Central Gobi. After you settle at the Sweet Gobi geolodge camp, you can freely set off to the sand dunes of Elsen Tasarkhai, one of the most picturesque places of Mongolia, where you can see a wonderful combination of sand dunes, majestic granite mountains, grassy green land, a clear fresh spring and a tiny lake. Make your experience even better by walking and climbing on the sand dunes or opt to riding a two-humped camel. </p><p>FB, Overnight in yurt at « Sweet Gobi » geolodge</p>

<p>Continuing your trip to one of cultural highlight places of Mongolia, “Karakorum” was the capital of the Mongol Empire during the time of Chinggis Khaan (1162-1227). Now it is a small town in the middle of the grasslands. There are some remains of the city scattered to see around. However, most stones of the old buildings were later used to build the nearby “Erdene Zuu” Monastery. Erdene Zuu means’ hundred treasures. The building dates from 1586 and once consisted of more than a hundred temples. Sadly, the complex has been subjected to many political ups and downs, at last being actively restored since 1990. It is one of the cultural and spiritual highlights in Mongolia. The complex is fully fenced and every fifteen meters there are stupas, 108 in total, in the walls. </p><p>FB, Night in bivouac tent</p>

<p>Continue to the Orkhon Valley’s culturallandscape sprawls along the banks of the Orkhon River in Central Mongolia, inscribed by UNESCO in the World Heritage List as representing evolution of nomadic pastoral traditions spanningmore than two millennia. Here, you participate in the opening ceremony of the Felt Festival, which gathers the felt craftsmen of the Uvurkhangai region since 2013. You canenjoy the demonstration of traditional felt making and other activities on this day. After the event you return to the camp “Ursa Major” and with a clear sky you can observe the stars, the planets and the Moon with the MEADE LX-200 telescope, one of the most powerful in Mongolia. </p><p>FB, Night in bivouac tent</p>

<p>You set off with your team in the direction of a nearby village Bat-Ulziit to participate in the Yak Festival! This local event gathers nomadic families from all over the region, whom which commonly gather to watch the local Naadam with wrestling, horse racing and archery games! There several interesting activities take place, such as the selection and prize winning of the most beautiful yak. You may also have a chance to watch a yak polo! </p><p>FB, Night in bivouac tent</p>

<p>The journey continues in direction of the ruins of Ongi monastery. In the last century, Ongii Khiid was one of the largest monasteries in Mongolia, but It was destroyed in 1939 during the Stalinist purge of religious and cultural heritages. You arrive at the ruins early in the afternoon and can spend the day exploring the ruins of Ongi, its small museum and the landscape around. </p><p>FB, Night in yurt camp « Secret of Ongi Monastery»</p>

<p>Departure to the Bayanzag, also called the Flaming Cliffs (Flaming Rocks). This is the region, in the Gobi Desert, where dinosaur fossils have been found. American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews gave this region its name after he visited it in 1920. The rocky landscape gives a glowing orange color, like its name suggests. The area has become famous as the first site of dinosaur eggs. Other discoveries have also been made in the area such as the remains of a velociraptor.</p><p>FB, Overnight with a nomadic family</p>

<p>Continuing the trip, you arrive at the national park of Khongor with its spectacular sand dunes like Duut Mankhan, meaning the singing dune. The dunes extending up to the foot of the high Altai Mountains range, lie about 180 kilometers from Dalanzadgad. It is at a distance of 130 kilometers along the desert tracks to Bogd in Uvurkhangai in the north, and 215 kilometers to Bayanlig on the northwest in Bayan Khongor. Travel through the desert is either by camel rides or by cars with drivers who are knowledgeable about the desert. </p><p>FB, Night in yurt camp « Gobi discovery-2 »</p>

<p>Your team reach the Gurvan Saikhan National Park. The park hosts more than 200 bird species and you can find more than 600 different plant species. There are gazelles, gerbils and even snow leopards. After visiting the small museum of Yoliin Am (“Vultures valley” in Mongolian), you can take a nice stroll through the valley which ends by a chasm. If you are lucky you can see one of the massive vultures who habit there, which also gives their name to the valley. </p><p>On foot or on horseback, you move into the groove formed by the riverbed, and might be surprised to find a small hidden glacier believed to be eternal.</p><p>FB, Night in bivouac tent</p>

<p>Your journey continues to Tsagaan Suvraga (White Stupa) located in Ulziit Soum, Dund-Gobi province. The name is given by local people to the impressive and legendary cliff which has been eroded by nature. Having 10 million years of history, the cliff indicates different eras through its colored layers. Tsagaan Suvraga is interesting to see, with its sheer slope facing east, which from a distance seem like ruins from an ancient city. </p><p>FB, Night in bivouac tent</p>

<p>On your last day in the countryside you depart to the northern region to reach the Baga Gazariin Chuluu in the middle of the dusty plains. Attention, the road is not all asphalt and is full of potholes. Still, at your destination the view is beautiful: an undulating landscape with horses, cows, sheep and goats grazing in the vast landscape, occasionally herded by a horseman with a lasso on a long stick in his hand. </p><p>FB, Night in yurt camp « Baga Gazariin Chuluu »</p>

<p>After breakfast you return to the capital Ulaanbaatar and arrive at your hotel. Take this time to have a little rest, then you’ll go shopping in the State Department Store, the largest shopping mall in Mongolia, a leftover of the Soviet occupation. There, you can find cashmere, leather, and whatever you want for souvenirs, presents and gifts. </p><p>In the evening you’ll indulge in Mongolian culture with a folklore show, concert of traditional music and contortion. You’ll hear performances with the Traditional Mongolian instrument Morin Khuur, a two-string fiddle adorned with a carved horse’s head; overtone singing, previously only used by shamans to enter into communication with the spirits.</p><p>At last, a farewell dinner with your team to wrap up an excellent journey full of memories. </p><p>FB, Peaceful night at « White House » tourist hotel</p>

<p>After having breakfast in the hotel, your team will drive you to the “Chinggis Khaan” international airport 2 hours before your departure.</p><p>Have a safe journey back!</p>