3 Weeks Great Mongolia & Horseback Trip — Self-Launched

Land at Chinggis Khaan International, buy a local SIM (Mobicom/Unitel, ~£6 for 10GB) at the airport, change cash to tugrik and stock up on water/snacks. If you're joining a local Gobi tour or a shared 4x4, this is departure day — most budget operators leave mid-morning from the State Department Store area. Alternatively overnight in UB and leave at dawn Day 2. The drive south is ~6-7 hours on paved road then dirt track.

🚌Shared 4x4/van from UB, ~£40-60 pp shared (or public bus UB–Dalandzadgad ~£12 if going direct to Gobi)

🛏Tourist ger camp near Tsagaan Suvarga, ~£12-15 pp/night (or basic guesthouse)

• →Buy SIM card and change money in UB
• →Join shared 4x4/minivan heading south
• →Visit White Stupa (Tsagaan Suvarga) limestone cliffs
• →Panoramic sunset over steppe and badlands

Continue south into Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. Base yourself in a ger camp near Yoliin Am or the park entrance. Walk the Yoliin Am valley — a narrow canyon that keeps ice in its gorge well into summer — and visit the small natural history museum with dinosaur eggs and bones. Bring layers: it's cold in the shaded gorge even in July.

🚌Shared 4x4 within the park, cost bundled in Gobi tour

🛏Ger camp near Yoliin Am, ~£12-18 pp/night

• →Visit natural history museum with dinosaur eggs and bones
• →Hike Yoliin Am valley
• →Visit the ice gorge
• →Park entrance fee

Drive west to the 'Singing Dunes' — 200m high, stretching 180km. Climb the ridge and run/slide down, then walk to the nearby Khongoriin River for a wash and cool-off. Sunset from the dunes is the highlight. Cash is king out here; there are no ATMs south of UB.

🚌Shared 4x4, ~3-4 hrs driving

🛏Ger camp or host family near the dunes, ~£12-18 pp/night

• →Drive to Khongoriin Els sand dunes
• →Climb and slide down the dunes
• →Sunset viewing from the dune ridge

Second day at the dunes — climb the biggest dune for panoramic views, walk along the Khongoriin River, or arrange a camel ride with a local herder family (~£8-12 for a short ride). Lunch with a host family is a classic here. Sort your onward lift or negotiate a shared vehicle toward Bayanzag tonight.

🚌On foot / camel; shared 4x4 within the area

🛏Ger camp or host family, ~£12-18 pp/night

• →Climb the biggest sand dune
• →Optional camel riding with local herders
• →Lunch with a nomadic host family
• →Swim/paddle in the Khongoriin River

Drive north to the red sandstone cliffs where Roy Chapman Andrews found the first dinosaur eggs in the 1920s. Best at sunset when the rock glows orange. Walk the base of the cliffs looking for fossils (don't take any — it's illegal). This is the end of many standard Gobi tours, so it's a good point to split from a shared group.

🚌Shared 4x4, ~2-3 hrs from Khongoriin Els

🛏Ger camp near Bayanzag, ~£12-18 pp/night

• →Visit Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)
• →Sunset photography from the cliffs
• →Fossil-hunting walk along the escarpment

Long driving day north toward the Ongi River valley. The ruined Ongi Monastery complex (two sites, north and south of the river) was destroyed during the 1930s purges — sobering but beautiful. Overnight in a nearby ger camp; some operators run this as a homestay.

🚌Shared 4x4, ~5-6 hrs driving from Bayanzag

🛏Ger camp near Ongi, ~£12-18 pp/night

• →Explore Ongi Monastery ruins (north and south sites)
• →Walk along the Ongi River
• →Local dinner in a ger camp

Head into the Khangai foothills to a host family who will be your riding base. Meet the family, meet the horses, learn basic Mongolian riding commands, and help pack gear onto yaks. Cook a Mongolian barbecue (khorkhog) together — hot rocks and mutton in a sealed milk churn. This is the start of your riding leg.

🚌Shared 4x4; homestay pickup from family

🛏Nomadic family ger (homestay), ~£10-15 pp including meals

• →Meet Mongolian host family
• →Introduction to horses and packing yaks
• →Help prepare Mongolian barbecue (khorkhog) dinner
• →Experience nomadic family lifestyle

Mount up and ride out to Shireet Lake with a local horse guide, yaks carrying gear. Riding is typically 3-5 hours, walking pace with short breaks. Bring your own basic PPE if you want it — the operator on the original tour was criticised for not providing any, so a cheap riding helmet and gloves are worth packing. Bring cash for your horse guide; tip/gratuity is expected separately.

🚌On horseback ~3-5 hrs; yak support for luggage

🛏Campsite by Shireet Lake or host family ger, ~£10-15 pp

• →Horseback riding to Shireet Lake
• →Pack gear onto yaks
• →Ride through Khangai foothills

Ride through mountain meadows and larch forest around the lake. Wildflowers in July; autumn colours in September. Your horse guide rides with you — be clear about your comfort level. Rest 15-30 min 2-3 times per day.

🚌On horseback, ~3-5 hrs

🛏Campsite or host family ger, ~£10-15 pp

• →Horseback riding through mountain landscapes
• →Explore the lake area on foot
• →Sunset by the lake

Ride to the Orkhon Waterfall (Ulaan Tsutgalan) — a 20m waterfall on the Orkhon River, best in summer after rain. Then the practical bit: you'll need a transfer onward to Kharkhorin (Karakhorin) — either back to the family base to collect a vehicle or arranged pickup. Some riders overnight near the falls first.

🚌Horseback + shared vehicle transfer to Kharkhorin (~1-2 hrs)

🛏Guesthouse in Kharkhorin, ~£10-15 pp/night

• →Horseback riding to Orkhon Waterfall
• →Visit Orkhon Waterfall (Ulaan Tsutgalan)
• →Transfer/ride toward Kharkhorin

Morning at Erdene Zuu — Mongolia's oldest surviving Buddhist monastery, founded 1586 on the site of the former imperial capital of the Mongol Empire. Then transfer to Tsenkher's hot springs (a proper bathhouse-style resort; entry ~£5-8) for an afternoon soak at 86°C source water cooled into pools. Overnight in a ger camp or guesthouse at the springs.

🚌Shared vehicle Kharkhorin–Tsenkher, ~2 hrs

🛏Ger camp or guesthouse at Tsenkher, ~£15-20 pp/night

• →Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery
• →Explore Kharkhorin town
• →Tsenkher hot spring baths

Drive northwest into Arkhangai Province to the White Lake — a volcanic crater-lake at ~2,060m, surrounded by open steppe. Swimming is possible in summer (cold). Arrange a lakeside ger camp; this is one of the most photogenic spots in central Mongolia. Travel with a shared 4x4 or as part of a small central-Mongolia loop tour.

🚌Shared 4x4 from Tsenkher, ~3-4 hrs

🛏Lakeside ger camp, ~£12-18 pp/night

• →Visit Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur (White Lake)
• →Lakeside walk and swim
• →Sunset over the lake

Hike up Khorgo volcano, extinct for thousands of years, to the crater rim at ~2,210m — about 45 min each way at a gentle pace. If you'd rather ride, local herders at the lake will take you part way on horseback (£8-12). The lava field at the base is eerie and quiet. Back to the lake for the night.

🚌On foot / optional local horse hire; short shared vehicle if camp is far

🛏Lakeside ger camp, ~£12-18 pp/night

• →Hike to Khorgo crater rim at ~2,210m
• →Optional horseback ride toward the volcano
• →Explore the lava field

Long transfer day north through the Khangai Mountains — river valleys, forested passes and open high pasture. Picnic lunch en route. Overnight in Shine Ider village (basic guesthouse) or camp. Stock up on cash and any supplies here: banking and shops thin out badly further north.

🚌Shared 4x4, ~6-7 hrs driving

🛏Basic guesthouse in Shine Ider, ~£10-15 pp/night

• →Scenic drive through Khangai Mountains
• →Picnic lunch stop
• →Arrive Shine Ider village

Reach Khuvsgul Nuur (Hovsgol), Mongolia's 'Blue Pearl' — a 2.7-million-year-old lake holding 2% of the world's fresh water. Settle into a ger camp or guesthouse near Khatgal (the main lakeside village). Everything here can be arranged locally: horse hire, boats, hiking guides. Cash only in most places.

🚌Shared 4x4, ~2-3 hrs from Shine Ider

🛏Ger camp or guesthouse by the lake, ~£12-20 pp/night

• →Visit Lake Khuvsgul
• →Explore around Khatgal
• →Lakeside sunset walk

Swim (cold, but clear), hike the ridge behind Khatgal for views across the lake, or hire a horse from a local herder for a half-day ride (£10-15). Boat trips and a short ferry to the far shore can be arranged locally. Rest-day pace — you've earned it after the riding days.

🚌On foot / local boat / local horse hire

🛏Ger camp or guesthouse by the lake, ~£12-20 pp/night

• →Swimming in Lake Khuvsgul
• →Hiking to a lakeside viewpoint
• →Horseback riding with local herders
• →Optional boat trip

Drive southeast out of Khuvsgul Province through Ikh Uul and open steppe country toward Bulgan. Long transfer day; picnic lunch en route. Overnight in Bulgan or a nearby sum (small town) guesthouse. Local buses run between Khatgal/Murun and Bulgan/Erdenet at fixed schedules but are infrequent — check the day before.

🚌Shared 4x4 (~6 hrs); alternatively local bus Khatgal–Bulgan/Erdenet if scheduling fits

🛏Guesthouse in Bulgan, ~£10-15 pp/night

• →Drive through Ikh Uul and steppe
• →Picnic lunch en route
• →Overnight in Bulgan area

Short drive to Uran Togoo, an extinct volcano and protected area in Bulgan Province — small, walkable crater with views over the surrounding steppe. Walk the rim, look for raptors (this is good eagle country). Overnight in Bulgan or push towards Erdenet.

🚌Shared 4x4, ~1-2 hrs from Bulgan

🛏Guesthouse in Bulgan or Erdenet, ~£10-18 pp/night

• →Visit Uran Togoo volcano
• →Walk the crater rim
• →Birdwatching over the steppe

Drive east to Amarbayasgalant Khiid — one of Mongolia's most important monasteries, beautifully restored, built in the 1720s for the body of the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu. It sits in a broad valley on the Iven Gol river between the Burenkhaan mountains. Overnight in a nearby ger camp or guesthouse.

🚌Shared 4x4, ~4-5 hrs

🛏Ger camp or guesthouse near the monastery, ~£12-18 pp/night

• →Visit Amarbayasgalant Monastery
• →Explore Iven Gol river valley
• →Views of the Burenkhaan mountains

Continuing back toward UB, stop in the forested valley around Dogankhad — a hot-spring/leisure resort area in Selenge Province. Day-pass use of the pools is often possible (~£5-8) without an overnight stay. Note this is a good point to switch back to a public bus toward UB if you're travelling independently (local buses run Erdenet/Darkhan–UB for ~£6-10).

🚌Shared 4x4, ~3-4 hrs; public bus onward possibility if splitting from group

🛏Guesthouse or resort-adjacent lodging, ~£12-20 pp/night

• →Drive to Dogankhad resort area
• →Optional hot-spring pools day pass
• →Walk the forested valley

Morning at Aglag Buteel Khiid — a meditation monastery on the slopes of Garid mountain, about 1.5 hrs from UB, with walkways, shrines and a large Buddha statue built into the hillside. Continue into Ulaanbaatar for your flight home (or a night in a guesthouse/dorm if your flight is next morning — UB hostels ~£8-12 pp/night). Don't forget a last meal of buuz or khuushuur.

🚌Shared 4x4 to UB, ~1.5-2 hrs; or public bus from UB-adjacent towns

🛏UB guesthouse/hostel if staying an extra night, ~£8-12 pp

• →Visit Aglag Buteel temple
• →Walk Garid mountain trails
• →Return to Ulaanbaatar
• →Farewell dinner / final night in UB