Mongolia to Beijing by Rail — Self-Launched
9 days · Mongolia & China
G Adventures charges £2,000
No-markup version: ~£745 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of G Adventures' 9-day Classic trip from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing: the same Buddhist monasteries, Mini Gobi dunes, ger camps, nomadic family lunch and dumpling-making, Terelj National Park hikes and archery, the Genghis Khan statue, and the legendary overnight Trans-Mongolian train into China — booked independently for roughly a third of the tour price. You'll use local guesthouses and family-run ger camps instead of a private group vehicle, join shared/day tours or hire a driver-guide for the steppe legs, and take the same international sleeper train. Costs are approximate backpacker rates in GBP and exclude international flights, Mongolia/China visas and travel insurance.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Land at Chinggis Khaan International Airport and take the public shuttle bus or a taxi (~£6-8) into the city centre. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in the Sukhbaatar Square area — dorms and simple private rooms are plentiful and cheap. Spend the afternoon acclimatising with a wander around Sukhbaatar Square and the National Museum of Mongolia (~£3) if you have energy. In the evening, eat at a local khuushuur (fried dumpling) canteen or a Modern Nomads-style restaurant, and stock up on water and snacks for the steppe. Sort out your Mongolian SIM/eSIM and download offline maps — signal disappears outside the capital.
🚌Airport shuttle bus or taxi (~£6-8)
🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Sukhbaatar Square (dorm ~£8, private room ~£18)
- →Sukhbaatar Square
- →National Museum of Mongolia (optional, ~£3)
Ulaanbaatar's Buddhist and Soviet heritage
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Do the capital's highlights independently — everything in the centre is walkable or a short bus/taxi hop. Start at Gandan Monastery (free entry, small camera fee) for the 26-metre gilded Migjid Janraisig statue and morning prayers. Walk or bus to Zaisan Hill for the Soviet-era mosaic memorial and city panoramas (free). After lunch, visit the Bogd Khan Winter and Summer Palace (~£4) with its royal treasures and Buddhist art. Consider a Gobi Cashmere outlet stop or the State Department Store for supplies. Book your Mini Gobi driver-guide and ger camp for tomorrow this evening via your guesthouse or a local operator like Sunpath Hostel's tour desk.
🚌Walking, city bus (~£0.30/ride) and occasional taxi (~£2-3)
🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Sukhbaatar Square
- →Gandan Monastery
- →Zaisan Hill memorial
- →Bogd Khan Palace Museum
Steppe road trip to the Mini Gobi
Elsen Tasarkhai, Mongolia
Travel west by shared minibus or a hired driver-guide (~£55-70 per person for a shared 2-day vehicle split between 3-4 travellers) across the open steppe to Elsen Tasarkhai, the 'Mini Gobi'. It's roughly 3 hours on sealed road plus track. Hike the golden dunes and the small rocky hills, then check into a family-run ger camp — simple two-bed gers with shared shower/toilet blocks, usually ~£18-25 per person including breakfast and dinner. Ask your camp to arrange a traditional Mongolian barbecue (khorkhog) dinner, cooked with hot stones in a milk churn — a highlight and often ~£8-12 extra.
🚌Shared minibus or hired driver-guide from Ulaanbaatar (~£30-35 per person if split)
🛏Family-run ger camp at Elsen Tasarkhai (shared facilities, ~£20 per person half board)
- →Elsen Tasarkhai dune hike
- →Khorkhog barbecue dinner
- →Sunset on the steppe
Khugnu Khan hike and nomadic family visit
Elsen Tasarkhai / Khugnu Khan, Mongolia
Hike up through pine forest and granite ridgelines around Khugnu Khan mountain (free, 2-3 hours) and visit the hillside ruins of Övgön Khiid Monastery. In the afternoon, arrange a homestay-style visit to a local herder family through your ger camp or a community tourism group (expect ~£15-25 including a buuz dumpling-making session and home-cooked lunch). Learn about herding, try airag (fermented mare's milk) if offered, and ask permission before photographing. Return to camp for dinner under the stars — the Milky Way here is genuinely jaw-dropping.
🚌Local driver-guide / walking
🛏Family-run ger camp at Elsen Tasarkhai
- →Khugnu Khan mountain hike
- →Övgön Khiid Monastery ruins
- →Nomadic family dumpling-making and lunch
East to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, Mongolia
Travel back through Ulaanbaatar and on east to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park — either a hired driver (~£40-50 shared) or, on a budget, a marshrutka/shared taxi to Terelj village from Ulaanbaatar's Bayanzurkh bus area for a few pounds. National park entry is ~£2-3. Settle into a ger camp in the valley (plenty of family-run options, ~£15-20 per person). Take an easy late-afternoon walk along the Tuul River or up to a nearby viewpoint before dinner at camp.
🚌Hired car or shared minibus, ~2 hours from Ulaanbaatar (~£15-20 per person)
🛏Ger camp, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park (~£18 per person)
- →Terelj valley walk
- →Park entry
Turtle Rock, Aryaval Monastery and archery
Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, Mongolia
Full day on foot and by local taxi-hire inside the park. Start at Turtle Rock (Melkhii Khad), free to visit, then climb the hillside steps to Aryaval Meditation Monastery for valley views. After lunch back at camp, book a traditional archery session through your camp or a local outfit (~£8-12), then hike the river valleys and forested hills in search of marmots and birds of prey. This is also prime horse-riding country — a one-hour ride runs roughly £10-15 if you fancy it.
🚌Walking and short local taxi hops (~£5)
🛏Ger camp, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
- →Turtle Rock
- →Aryaval Meditation Monastery
- →Archery session
- →Valley hike
Genghis Khan statue and back to the capital
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Return to Ulaanbaatar, stopping at the 40-metre stainless-steel Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue at Tsonjin Boldog (~£8-10 entry, plus a small charge to ride the lift up to the horse's head). Shared driver or a combo of minibus plus a short taxi works. Back in the capital by early afternoon, check into your hostel and use the time to buy your international train ticket at the Ulaanbaatar railway station ticket office (buy 1-2 days ahead in high season; ~£75-110 for a 4-berth hard sleeper, more for a 2-berth soft sleeper) — bring your passport and USD/MNT cash. Farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
🚌Hired car back to Ulaanbaatar (~£15 per person split)
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Ulaanbaatar
- →Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue Complex
- →Train ticket purchase
Board the Trans-Mongolian Railway
Ulaanbaatar to Beijing (overnight train)
Pack light and buy provisions — bread, cheese, fruit, noodles and water from a supermarket near the station, plus a thermos of hot water for instant noodles. The train departs Ulaanbaatar early afternoon/evening and crosses the border at Zamyn-Üüd/Erlian overnight, a slow, memorable process with passport checks in the small hours. In a 4-berth hard sleeper you'll share with other travellers or Mongolian and Chinese passengers — a great way to meet people. Bring earplugs, a sleep mask and your own mug/cutlery. Note: crossing into China means Great Firewall restrictions on Google, Gmail, WhatsApp and Instagram — sort a VPN before you travel.
🚌Trans-Mongolian Railway, Ulaanbaatar–Beijing (~£75-110)
🛏Overnight international sleeper train (4-berth hard sleeper; 2-berth soft sleeper costs more)
- →Trans-Mongolian sleeper train
- →Border crossing at Erlian
Arrive in Beijing
Beijing, China
The train rolls into Beijing Railway Station around early-to-mid afternoon. Clear immigration, set up Alipay/WeChat Pay (link a card before you arrive — cash works but apps are near-essential in China), and take the metro (~£0.50) or a taxi to a hostel in the Dongcheng or Gulou area if you're extending your stay. If you're flying out today, allow at least 3-4 hours after arrival for the airport trip. Worth adding a couple of extra nights for the Forbidden City, hutongs and Great Wall — easily booked independently via Klook or GetYourGuide.
🚌Beijing metro or taxi from Beijing Railway Station (~£1-5)
🛏None included (add a Beijing hostel night ~£12-18 if extending)
- →Beijing arrival
- →Optional hutong walk or Great Wall day trip if extending
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£745 | £2,000 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,255 per person (63%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£745
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Mongolia to Beijing by Rail — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £745 per person for 9 days in Mongolia & China. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £2,000 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £745 — a saving of roughly £1,255 (63%) per person.
How long is the Mongolia & China trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through Mongolia & China.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, road-trip trip through Mongolia & China, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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