12-day Gobi Desert & Eight Lakes (Khüisiin Naiman Nuur) Adventure
About this tour
12 days tour has the Gobi desert's highlight landscapes as Hongor sand dunes, Bayanzag, Yolyn Am, and Tsagaan suvraga. In the central part, we will visit not known, but the beautiful part of Eight Lakes. We will make a horse trek 2 days through Eight pieces of lakes. Daily ride is 3-5 hours according to your wish. Horses are kind to visitors and horse herders are experienced with tourists so even if it is your very first time riding, it will be an adventure. We will visit a nomadic family and try traditional food. The average daily drive by the off-road standard is 250- 300 km. Tour is planned according to an average standard. We will stay mostly with Tourist Ger Camp. Which has proper toiled and hot showers in the middle of nowhere, in Mongolian vast wild nature.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Baga Gazariin Chuluu, Mongolia
Day 1 – Baga Gazriin Chuluu (Middle Gobi). In the morning, your guide and driver will pick you up from your accommodation in Ulaanbaatar. We drive around 250 km (4–5 hours) to the Middle Gobi Desert. Lunch will be in a local restaurant in Mandalgobi town. Baga Gazriin Chuluu is a 35 km² granite stone plain, where massive rock formations rise layer upon layer. This quiet, non-touristic area is perfect for hiking and exploration. We visit a small cave and the ruins of a tiny temple hidden in a rocky valley. Wildlife here includes argali sheep, ibex, and foxes. Overnight in a traditional Mongolian ger camp, far from crowds — a place for calmness and wide open space.
Day 2: Baga Gazariin Chuluu, Mongolia to Tsagaan Suvarga (White Stupa), Mongolia
Day 2 – Tsagaan Suvarga & Black Gobi Rock Paintings. After breakfast, we drive toward Tsagaan Suvarga (White Stupa). Along the way, you may see vultures soaring, camels, and classic Gobi desert landscapes. We walk around Tsagaan Suvarga, famous for its colorful cliffs and panoramic views — an excellent photography spot. Lunch and rest at a hotel on the open steppe, where endless grasslands stretch outside your window. In the afternoon, we drive to a Bronze Age rock painting site in the remote Black Gobi. This mysterious area feels like another planet — dark rocks, silence, and ancient carvings left by early humans. Despite the remoteness, nomadic families still live here with camels, sheep, and goats. Return to camp for dinner and relaxation.
Day 3: Tsagaan Suvarga (White Stupa), Mongolia to Yolin Am Ice Field, Mongolia
Day 3 – Yolyn Am (Vulture Gorge). Today we explore Yolyn Am Valley, located in Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. Lunch in Dalanzadgad town, then visit a small local museum displaying Gobi minerals, dinosaur fossils, taxidermy animals, and petrified stones. Walk through the dramatic gorge where bearded vultures fly above steep cliffs. Along the stream, you may spot pikas and sometimes ibex drinking water. Overnight near the national park.
Day 4: Yolin Am Ice Field, Mongolia to Hongor Els Camp, Mongolia
Day 4 – Hongor Sand Dunes & Nomadic Family. Drive to the magnificent Hongor Sand Dunes, the southernmost point of the tour. The contrast between the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains and the dunes running parallel is breathtaking. Nomadic families live here with sheep, goats, and camels. On the way, we visit a local Gobi family. Arrive at the ger camp by lunchtime. In the afternoon, enjoy camel riding and climb the 200-meter-high singing dunes. Relax at camp in the evening.
Day 5: Hongor Els Camp, Mongolia to Flaming Cliffs, Mongolia
Day 5 – Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs). Drive to Bayanzag, also known as the Flaming Cliffs. Optional hiking through bold black mountains along the way. After lunch, walk through the red sandstone cliffs where dinosaur eggs were first discovered in the world. During the Jurassic period, this area was once the bottom of a sea or large lake. Overnight in a remote ger camp on the open steppe.
Day 6: Flaming Cliffs, Mongolia to Ongi Monastery, Mongolia
Day 6 – Ongi Monastery Ruins. Today we cross toward Central Mongolia via off-road routes to Ongi Monastery. Explore the ruins beside the Ongi River and hike nearby black hills. The monastery was built in 1760, once home to nearly 1,000 monks, and destroyed in 1937 during political purges. A powerful historical and spiritual site.
Day 7: Ongi Monastery, Mongolia to Uyanga, Mongolia
Day 7 – Eight Lakes Base Camp. The landscape changes dramatically today — greener mountains, yaks, and horses appear more frequently. Lunch in Arvaikheer town, where we purchase supplies for the upcoming horse trek. In the afternoon, drive through mountain passes to the Eight Lakes (Khüisiin Naiman Nuur) base camp. Arrive beside Shireet Lake. Overnight in a tourist ger camp.
Day 8: Uyanga, Mongolia to Bat-Ulzii, Mongolia
Day 8 – Horse Riding to the Lakes & Nomadic Family. We begin a two-day horse trek (total riding distance approx. 10 km). Pack light — luggage is carried by yaks. Preparation takes time in the morning. Ride 4–5 hours, passing three lakes, with a picnic lunch by the water. In the afternoon, arrive at a nomadic family’s camp near the fourth lake. Overnight in the family’s spare ger. Our horses are calm and suitable for beginners, guided by experienced local herders.
Day 9: Bat-Ulzii, Mongolia to Orkhon Waterfall, Burgaasatayn Hiid, Mongolia
Day 9 – Horse Riding & Orkhon Waterfall. Continue riding through forest landscapes for 3–4 hours. After lunch, meet our vehicle and drive to Orkhon Waterfall. Check into a ger camp near the falls. Evening hike around the waterfall.
Day 10: Orkhon Waterfall, Burgaasatayn Hiid, Mongolia to Tsenkher Hot Spring Resort, Altan-Ovoo, Mongolia
Day 10 – Tsenkher Hot Springs. Drive through the Khangai Mountains to the hot springs, arriving around lunchtime. The natural hot spring water comes from 86°C underground, and tourist camps offer relaxing pools. Enjoy a long soak after the horse trek. Optional short hikes nearby.
Day 11: Tsenkher Hot Spring Resort, Altan-Ovoo, Mongolia to Khugnu Tarna camp, Гурванбулаг, Mongolia
Day 11 – Khugnu Khan Mountain & Elsen Tasarkhai. Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery in Karakorum, then continue to Khugnu Khan Mountain, a granite range rising from the steppe. Hike through rocky valleys and semi-desert landscapes near Elsen Tasarkhai (Mini Gobi).
Day 12: Khugnu Tarna camp, Гурванбулаг, Mongolia to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Day 12 – Return to Ulaanbaatar. Morning drive back to Ulaanbaatar with lunch en route. Arrival around 2–3 PM. Your 12-day journey through Mongolia’s nomadic culture, wild nature, horse trekking, and deep adventure comes to an end.
What's included
What to know
Tour has one-day nomadic family's spare Ger stay at Eight lakes and 2 days horse trek (3-5 hours daily)
Route & locations
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Baga Gazariin Chuluu, Mongolia