7 Day Horse Riding Trip in Tavan Bogd National Park

From Ulaanbaatar, take a 3 hour flight to Ulgii City in the Bayan-Ulgii province in Western Mongolia. Your English-speaking guide and driver will welcome you upon arrival and introduce you to Ulgii, with its unique Kazakh culture and language (you'll be surprised to know that little Mongolian is spoken in Ulgii). Visit the local market and the museum. After a meal, we begin our journey to the Tavan Bogd National Park, where you’ll be immersed in the stunning wilderness of West Mongolia and its ever-changing scenery. We’ll see rocky plains give way to green valleys, and see the rugged peaks of the Altai mountains before arriving at our first stop - Tsengel. In Tsengel, we will meet a traditional Tuvan throat singer, and enjoy a show of this unique Mongolian musical artform. We then drive to the Shiveet-Khairkhan sacred mountain, where we'll see ancient petroglyphs. It is surrounded by archaeological monuments constructed during the Bronze Age and through to the Turkic period. It is also home to a large number of ibex and wild goats. We will see a large Ovoo, a shaman shrine important to the local Tuvans and their shamanistic faith. In the evening, we will arrive at the campsite on the edge of the National Park boundary. We shall meet the Tuvan people who will prepare pack camels to support our trek. Enjoy a rusting fare around a campfire on the banks of the glacier Tsagaan River, Tsagaan Gol. (L/D/Tent)

After breakfast, we kick off day 2 with a horse ride towards the base camp of the snow-capped Tavan Bogd Massif and to the impressive Potanin Glacier - seeing both the Potanin and Alexander glaciers. The 20km long Potanin glacier runs down from the highest mountains of Mongolia and is an excellent base for trekking and climbing the surrounding peaks. This is where we’ll pitch our tents and camp for the night. (B/L/D/Tent)

Today we climb Malchin Peak, with an elevation of 4050 metres, it is the lowest of the Holy Five Peaks of Mongolia. It sits on the Mongolian-Russian border of Tavan Bogd and is a non-technical climb. Your English speaking guide and the local Tuvan guides, will lead us on a climb, mostly over rocks. At the top, enjoy marvellous views of all the Peaks and Potanin Glacier.

Today, we horse ride downhill to the Tsagan Gol Valley. After our long trek, we’ll be welcomed by a nomadic Tuvan family. We’ll sample their dairy products, their special milk vodka distilled from yak milk, and peruse their wonderful felt crafts.

We will drive to crystal clear tween lakes Khoton and Khurgan. We go on a full-day trek to see the mesmerising Khoton, Khurgan. Untouched and pure, the mountain rivers gushing into the lakes, make for an impressive landscape and a fabulous place to catch a wide variety of fish. We continue down the dramatic, steep valley along the river that drains from the Altai Tavanbogd Massif, and set up camp on the shores of Khoton Lake, under the snow-capped Ikh Turgen Uul. Our camp site will be a mere 3km away from China and will have a back drop of the beautiful snow-capped mountain range - outlining the Mongolian-Chinese Border. In the summer, the area is the pasture of Kazakh nomads, and In the evening, we will visit a local Kazakh family, observing their nomadic way of living

Today, we saddle up and horse ride for 18km along the Sumd-Airakh River. Cross small and large rivers on horse back, and ride through forests, before arriving at a camp set up by the team. Enjoy our last night camping in the National Park, facing the river and the Altai mountains. Enjoy the time spent with nomads who herd their cattle or milk their mares. Enjoy a traditional Kazakh meal, including: “Kaz” (horse sausage), the national dish of “Besbarmak” (a meat plate served with root vegetables and steamed flour), and “Koumiss” (fermented mare’s milk).

We return to Ulgii following the Khovd River, stopping to see deer stones, balbals, and Turkic stone men. We take a pit stop at Tsengel Soum, a small village center. After a full day of driving, we arrive in Ulgii. Rest overnight at a Guest house. OPTIONAL: Stay in a Ger.

We say farewell, as you fly back to Ulaanbaatar.