Gobi Desert & Horse Trekking to the Eight Lakes

Today, we will explore Ulaanbaatar on a city tour. We will visit Gandan Monastery, one of Mongolia’s most important Buddhist monasteries, and the Chinggis Khaan National Museum. In the evening, we will enjoy a traditional Mongolian concert.

We drive to Baga Gazriin Chuluu, a granite mountain known for its unusual formations, where rock layers appear cut and stacked horizontally. This distinctive landscape is home to ibex, argali (mountain sheep), and Mongolian gazelles. Among the rocks lie the remains of a 17th-century temple, an “eye spring” believed by locals to benefit eye health, and ancient burials and petroglyphs. Enjoy hiking through the rocky terrain and a clear, star-filled summer sky. Baga Gazriin Chuluu is ideal for travelers seeking nature, history, and tranquil landscapes.

Tsagaan Suvarga is a striking cliff formation rising up to about 60 meters (197 feet) high and spreading roughly 400 meters wide. The sedimentary layers were once the bottom of an ancient sea that covered this part of the Gobi. In the early morning light, the white, orange, and red colors slowly change, giving the landscape an almost otherworldly feel and often bringing to mind scenes from Mars.

Yol Valley (Yolyn Am) is a narrow mountain gorge in the Gobi Desert, where ice can remain in shaded areas for much of the year. The valley is home to wildlife such as bearded vultures, eagles, argali (wild mountain sheep), and ibex. We will hike approximately 3 km through the gorge before returning along the same route, covering a total distance of around 6 km.

Looking across the landscape, the sand dunes stretch for about 180 km (112 miles), bordered by rocky mountains to the south and a river-fed green oasis to the north. The tallest of these dunes is Duut Manhan, also known as the Singing Dune. From the top, wave-like patterns spread across the golden sand. On windy days, warm sand slides down the steep face of the dune, creating a soft whistling sound that gives the dune its name. This part of the Mongolian Gobi is also one of the few places where two-humped camels are found. We will hike up the sand dunes and enjoy a one-hour camel ride.

The name Bayanzag, meaning “rich in saxaul,” comes from the saxaul plants that once grew widely across the area. In 1922, American explorer and paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews and his team uncovered dinosaur eggs and fossils here, bringing international attention to the site. As the sun lowers in the evening sky, the clay cliffs take on deep shades of red and orange, a sight that led Andrews to name the area the Flaming Cliffs.

Ongi Monastery was once one of Mongolia’s largest and most important Buddhist centers. Founded in 1660, it stood on both sides of the Ongi River, with two temple complexes that together included around 28–30 temples, four Buddhist universities, and space for over 1,000 monks at its height. During the political purges of the late 1930s, the monastery was destroyed, leaving only ruins behind. After Mongolia’s democratic transition, restoration work began, and a temple was rebuilt in 2004. Today, the site is active on a small scale, and during the summer months, young monks can sometimes be seen practicing mantras.

Khuisiin Naiman Nuur, or the Eight Lakes, is a cluster of eight interconnected lakes set in a mountain basin of the Khangai Mountains within Naiman Nuur National Park. Surrounded by forested hills and summer wildflowers, the area is accessible only by horseback or on foot. We prepare for the next three days of horse trekking by packing our essentials into a small backpack suitable for carrying on horseback. We stay overnight with a local horse-herder family.

Today, we start horseback trekking through the mountainous and volcanic terrain of the Eight Lakes region towards Khuis Lake. We spend the night with a local nomadic family.

We continue horseback trekking to visit the remaining seven lakes before returning to Khuis Lake. We spend another night with the same nomadic family.

We ride horseback to the Orkhon Valley, where our vehicle will be waiting for us. The Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape is one of Mongolia’s most important historical and cultural regions and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For centuries, the valley has been a center of nomadic life and an important part of Central Asian history. Today, we visit the beautiful Orkhon Waterfall.

Kharkhorum was founded in the early 13th century and became the capital of the Mongol Empire in 1235 under Ögedei Khan. The city was enclosed by walls and included a palace and many buildings connected to trade and daily life. People of different cultures and religious backgrounds lived in Kharkhorum, making it one of the most diverse cities of its time. We will visit the Kharkhorum Museum and Erdene Zuu Monastery.

Elsen Tasarkhai is an 80 km-long belt of sand dunes, divided by a road into Mongol Els and Khugnu Tarniin Els. Despite the desert setting, the dunes are dotted with vegetation such as willow, elm, and hardy shrubs. We visit the sand dunes and a local nomadic family to experience their traditional way of life.

We drive back to Ulaanbaatar and enjoy a farewell dinner celebrating the unforgettable journey we have shared.