A journey in Mongolia is like no other, and more than anywhere else, it is essential to choose the tour that suits you expectations, dreams and limits.
Deciding to travel to Mongolia is often the fulfillment of a dream, especially for horse riders. Can you imagine yourself cantering in infinite steppes beside Mongol nomads?
But if you want your journey to live up to your dream, many parameters have to be taken into account.
We try to give you a few indications in this page, but you will soon discover that in Mongolia, everything is always possible ...
That's why the advice of our specialists Cecile and Claire will be certainly precious to you!
THE BEAUTY OF MONGOLIA is made of unlimitedness, of dizziness in front of a vast and intact nature, punctuated by white yurts and colored Buddhist temples ...
Nature lovers, contemplative spirits, if rough tracks do not frighten you, Mongolia is for you!
THE EMOTION OF MONGOLIA is made of encounters with a very charming nomadic population, living in an ocean of greenery between heaven and hearth, riding their horse, faithful companion of a lifetime.
If you think, as St Exupery, that "If you differ from me, far from hurting me, you enrich me", then you will find in Mongolia an eternal spring of spiritual and human wealth which will open you the doors of a lifestyle based on the respect for nature, the rhythm of the seasons, and the step of the herds.
A rough life, which is the price to pay for a freedom that we have forgotten.
This beauty and these feelings will be yours if you are ready to go and find them at the end of rough dirt tracks.
The routes can be long and tiring, it is the logical consequence of the unlimitedness and the very low population density of the country, that involves bad road structures.
Choose thus rather to dedicate yourself to a single region if you are afraid of long hours in 4x4, because of back pain for example.
By staying in the Orkhon Valley region, for example, you will discover a good part of the diversity of the landscapes of Mongolia, by optimizing time spent in transports.
Another important point, is that almost nothing is planned for the "tourist" (no hotel outside Oulan Bator), but it is the delight which waits for the "real traveler" ready to sacrifice a little of his material comfort to go off to explore a country which is often the journey of a lifetime...
Can you imagine a more beautiful way of discovering Mongolia than from horseback, the symbol of freedom for the Mongol nomads?
If you are an experienced rider, discover all the variety of our horse riding tours in all the regions of Mongolia...
If the choice of a horse riding tour is obvious for the numerous riders we send every year to the steppes of Mongolia, a fit non-rider can also find there the opportunity to discover this activity in particularly rewarding conditions.
It is possible, if you are fit enough (used to hiking for example), to choose an equestrian tour. Our Hiking & Horse Riding Tour has precisely been created for you!
We also recommend our "Nomadic Life" tour, which have been specially studied to discover various regions of Mongolia, staying in guest yurts with the nomads, and giving you the possibility to ride a horse with the nomadic family if you wish.
As all our tours, this package is very easily privatizable, so that you can travel with your family and friends, without worrying about your equestrian level with regard to the rest of a group which could be constituted by confirmed riders.
Hiking in Mongolia is a wonderful way to live close to this fantastic nature for a few days.
Except in the Altai Mountains, the hiking difficulty is moderate. You will hike through gentle slopes, large valleys, along wild rivers and in larch forests.
Every day, you will meet nomadic families, and their free roaming herds of horses, yacks, sheep and goats are an important part of the landscape ... and of the fun of those hiking tours!
For families, we have created a dedicated hiking tour including a horse for the children to rest when needed, so that adults can enjoy a normal hiking pace.
If you don't want to ride or hike, join one of our discovery tours in a 4x4 with your experienced driver and our selected English-speaking guides...
Our discovery tours in Mongolia are the only opportunity to visit in a single journey different remote regions of Mongolia, when a horseback ride or a hike dedicates itself to an in-depth exploration of a region.
Moreover, vehicles are the only way to visit the southern part of the Gobi Desert - one of the main attractions in Mongolia - as horses can not live there, and climate is too extreme for hiking.
Check carefully the accommodation of your tour before booking, as it is a very important part of the experience of your tour in Mongolia. Outside of Ulaanbaatar where you will find hotels, only 3 kind of accommodation are available.
The Orkhon Valley is "Mongolia as you imagine it": vast landscapes strewed with white yurts, woody mountains where Buddhist monasteries hide...
The Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape was inscribed by UNESCO in the World Heritage List as representing evolution of nomadic pastoral traditions spanning more than two millennia.
In a single journey, if you add a stop at Khogno Khan (known as the "Mini-Gobi"), at the Tsenkher warm springs or at the Ugii Nuur Lake, you will discover highly varied faces of Mongolia, with the shortest possible road transport.
It is also in the Orkhon Valley that you will find the highest diversity of experiences: stays in nomadic families, horseback trails, hikes, discovery tours with accommodation in yurt camps or camping...
Several horse riding tours and hiking tours are dedicated to the Orkhon Valley, and all our discovery tours spend at least 3 nights in this region.
A secret gem of Mongolia, Arkhangai receives less tourists than the Orkhon Valley and is therefore more authentic and preserved. It's worth the distance (you will need 2 full days on the road to reach the starting point of your tour), you will discover huge grasslands, with smooth mountains and impressive canyons.
Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur Lake and Khorgo Volcano definitely deserve a visit, with their incredible landscape of ancient lava flows.
Our Transmongolia Horse ride will take you deep into this region.
Gobi could mean fascination: fascination for the desert, its cliffs sculptured by the wind and the sand, its huge dunes where the last camels roam, its mysterious canyons which seem to lead to another world ...
If you want to visit the most famous sites of the Gobi Desert (Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs, Khongor Els Dunes, Yoliin Am Canyon), you will have to choose a discovery tour, as there are nos horses there and the climate is to extreme for hiking.
Our Gobi Desert & Orkhon Valley Tour takes you from the Gobi Desert to the Orkhon Valley in 2 weeks, to experience both the desert and the steppe landscapes.
It is however possible to hike or ride a horse in typical Gobi landscapes, thanks to a northern strech of dunes between Ulaanbaatar and the Orkhon Valley. You can try our Gobi & Steppes Horse Riding Tour.
We have decided to STOP our tours in Khentii and Terelj regions, as these are subject to severe garbage problems. As it is only 70 km from Ulaanbaatar, many people go there just for the weekend, and the place is desperately dirty. Moreover, the service in the yurt camps is very bad compared to the high prices they charge, due to the high demand for short trips from the capital city.
We have decided to STOP our tours at Lake Khövsgöl because we don't want to be part of the touristic harassment of the reindeer breeders (Tsaatans or Dukhas).
We have decided to STOP our tours in the Altai Mountains because of the frequent outbreaks (foot and mouth disease, plague) and the lack of safe infrastructures.
Given the extreme continental climate which reigns in Mongolia, the best season extends from the middle of May to the end of September.
During this period, the temperatures are very pleasant and days are long.
During the rest of the year, it is still possible to travel to Mongolia, you will just have to be ready for very low temperatures (down to -25°C) with very little snow. We only offert tours with nights in guest yurts as most yurt camps are closed and it is impossible to camp because of the weather.
