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Winter horse riding tour in Mongolia


Why you'll love this tour ...

 

  • Ride in the famous Orkhon Valley (World Heritage) magnified by the winter and deserted by tourists...
  • Discover the traditional life of Mongolian nomads in wintertime, a wonderful human experience.
  • Ride in the sand dunes of Bayan Gobi Desert, an exclusive "premiere".
  • Horseback rides in Hustai National Park to discover the wild Przewalski horses.
  • The unique experience of traveling on horseback in wintertime in Mongolia, a personal challenge you will be proud of.
  • The safety of an experienced team who organizes winter horse riding tours each year (see our photo-album)
  • 100% financial guarantee for your tour in Mongolia.

Dates and Rates


Each tour is guaranteed with a minimum of 2 persons.
The 1st person who books a tour can choose the language:

Dates with an ENGLISH speaking guide
Dates with a FRENCH speaking guide

 

Guide From To  Rate /pers.  Status
24/03/2024 02/04/2024 1930 € 8 places left*
  31/03/2024 09/04/2024 1930 € Minimum 2 pers.
  07/04/2024 16/04/2024 1930 € Minimum 2 pers.
  14/04/2024 23/04/2024 1930 € Minimum 2 pers.
  21/04/2024 30/04/2024 1930 € Minimum 2 pers.

 

*What is a Guaranteed Departure?

After taking time off work, booking your flights and arranging for your neighbour to feed the cat, the last thing you need is for your trip to be cancelled because of a lack of people on your tour. Our guaranteed departures give you the peace of mind to book the tour that suits you.

A guaranteed departure means that the tour will definitely operate on the day it is scheduled and will not be cancelled for lack of participation. All guaranteed departures will run except in the event of a natural disaster or other similarly disruptive event that is beyond our control.

 

SMALL GROUP SUPPLEMENT

The rate is based on 5 persons.
Groups of 2, 3 or 4 riders: + 220 € / pers.

Applies to the 4 first riders booked. When the 5th rider is booked the supplement is refunded for all riders.

SINGLE ROOM

+ 150 € / pers. (2 nights in Ulan Bator only).
This single room supplement applies if you want a single room in Ulan Bator.
No single supplement is due if you are OK to share your room with another person (same gender) even if we do not find another person willing to share.

 

MEETING POINT / TRANSFERS

Day 1: Grouped transfer from Ulan Bator Airport on arrival of Turkish Airlines flight (usually around 07:10am depending on the season).
If you are already in Ulan Bator, the meeting point is in the lobby of the hotel at 12:00.
Day 10: Grouped transfer to Ulan Bator airport on time for Turkish Airlines flights.


Please wait for our written agreement on your flight schedule before buying your tickets.

INCLUDED

Tour and visits as described, horseback rides as described, full board from lunch of day 1 to breakfast of day 11 except 1 dinner, English speaking translator, local 4x4 minivan with driver, a cook per group > 4 persons, nomadic equestrian guide, financial guarantee of your deposits.

 

NOT INCLUDED

International flights, 1 dinner, drinks except water, tea and coffee, personal expenses, booking fee (15 €/person), travel insurance, visa if necessary.

Tour itinerary

EXCLUSIVE! This winter horseback ride in Mongolia is not for the faint-hearted!
The weather in Mongolia from November to March is very cold, but also very dry, so you will enjoy the wonder of infinite steppe glittering under a forever blue sky.

Our experienced team will lead you safely through a unique personal, equestrian and human experience ...

Discover on horseback the magic landscape of Orkhon Valley, the dunes of Bayan Gobi desert and the wild Przewalski horses in Khustai National Park.

The frozen Orkhon Falls, the dunes and the encounter with Przewalski wild horses under the clear blue sky will be a lifetime experience...

 

Day 1 - Ulan Bator

Welcome to Mongolia!

Your English or French speaking translator is waiting for you at Ulan Bator airport at the arrival of Turkish Airlines flight for a grouped transfer. You can book any flight landing before Turkish Airlines flight. If you are already in Ulan Bator, you can join the group at 12:00 in the lobby of the hotel.

Lunch in Ulan Bator.

Visit of the Gandantegchinlin Monastery with its impressive golden Buddha Statue.

At the end of the afternoon, time off at the hotel to recover from the tiredness of the journey (the time difference is generally felt very strongly and makes it difficult to visit after 4pm).

Dinner and overnight at a 3* hotel (twin room).

 

Day 2 - Ulan Bator - Hustai National Park (Przewalski wild horses)

Breakfast, then drive to the Hustai National Park.

Lunch at Hustai yurt camp.

After lunch, we can try and find the wild Przewalski Horses with our vehicle.

The rest of the afternoon is devoted to a good warm shower.

The Hustai yurt (ger) camp has quite modern showers compared to the rest of the country, and even in the heart of winter, you can normally have a hot shower, you should take advantage!

In the late afternoon, we go into the Park with the car in search of the famous Przewalski wild horses.

Dinner and overnight at ger (yurt) camp (2 to 4 persons / yurt).

Day 3 - Hustai Park - Karakorum

Breakfast at the yurt camp, then drive to Karakorum (Kharkhorin).

Lunch at Kharkhorin.

Visit of Erdene Zuu Monastery.

Dinner and overnight at a yurt camp (2 to 4 persons / yurt), or with a nomadic family, or in a guesthouse in Kharkhorin depending on the availability (most gercamps / hotels are closed in winter).

 

Day 4 - Karakorum - Orkhon Valley (nomads)

Breakfast, then drive through the Orkhon Valley.

We are progressing slowly on tracks surrounded by the famous landscape of the Orkhon Valley.

In winter, the nomads move their yurts and herds to their wintering sites, a location protected from the winds, the hollow of a valley or near the forest. An enclosure is often arranged to gather the herd and allow the animals to keep warm.

We arrive at the yurts of the nomadic family where we will spend 4 nights on time for lunch.

First horse ride in the Orkhon Valley with our nomadic friends.

Dinner and overnight in a guest yurt installed alongside that of our host family (up to 5 persons / yurt).

Days 5 and 6 - Orkhon Valley winter horseback ride and Nomadic life

During these 2 days, we discover the wonderful Orkhon Valley on horseback.

Every day, we ride to a different part of the Valley: the famous Orkhon Falls, frozen by the cold, or a pass from where we enjoy a fantastic view over the valley ....

The precise itinerary depends on the weather, as the climate can be very challenging in winter. We always keep your safety first.

As it is impossible to stop for a picnic lunch because of the cold, we do not stop during the day, and we have a late lunch in the yurt when we come back to the camp.

Those days are also a wonderful opportunity to discover the traditional way of life of Mongolian nomads: how the whole family cope with winter extreme cold, how babies and children are protected, how they take care of the yaks, horses and sheep herds ...

The nomadic family will take great care of you, as they are very proud to welcome foreign visitors in wintertime. They will keep a fire burning in the stove at night.

Dinners and overnights in a guest yurt installed alongside that of our host family (up to 5 persons / yurt).

 

Day 7 - Orkhon Valley last horse ride - Khogno Khan / Bayan Gobi Park

Breakfast.

In the morning, we enjoy our last horse ride through the beautiful landscapes of the Orkhon Valley.

Lunch with our hosts, and we have to say goodbye to this so nice nomadic family, to drive through the Orkhon valley towards Khogno Khan / Bayan Gobi Park.

Dinner and overnight with a nomadic family.

 

Day 8 - Horse riding in Khogno Khan / Bayan Gobi Park

Breakfast.

In the morning, short horseback ride along the spectacular cliffs (2 hours).

The contrast between the cliffs and the frozen marshland that borders them is spectacular!

Difficult to imagine that in summertime, this area is a Garden of Eden where nomads often gather their herds in this vast wet plain.

This horse ride can be turned into a camel ride depending on the way the horses managed to cope with winter weather.

Visit of the Ovgon Khiid Monastery, set in a dramatic scenery.

Meals and overnight with a nomadic family.

 

Day 9 - Road to Ulan Bator

On the road again to Ulan Bator, through the spectacular landscapes of frozen steppe.

Lunch en route.

The rest of the afternoon is dedicated to shopping in stores downtown where you will find traditional clothing and objects of daily life.

In the late afternoon, you will attend a show with traditional dances, music and songs from Mongolia, especially the amazing Khoomei.

No dinner included, to let you choose among the varied dining opportunities offered by Ulan Bator.

Night at Nine hotel or similar (3* - twin room).

 

 

 

Day 10 - Ulan Bator

Breakfast and transfer to airport on time for Turkish Airlines flights.

Practical Information


MEETING POINT / TRANSFERS

Day 1: Grouped transfer from Ulan Bator Airport on arrival of Turkish Airlines flight (usually around 07:10am depending on the season).
If you are already in Ulan Bator, the meeting point is in the lobby of the hotel at 12:00.
Day 10: Grouped transfer to Ulan Bator airport on time for Turkish Airlines flights.

 

Language: English speaking translator.

Group size: 2-10 persons.

Accommodation


Due to the winter climate in Mongolia, you will sleep in heated yurts or guesthouses, and in a hotel in Ulaanbaatar.

With a good personnal equipment, especially a warm down sleeping bag and warm clothes, you will enjoy fully your winter trip in Mongolia.

More information about accommodation during our tours in Mongolia ...

Horses and Equestrian Ability


This horse riding tour in Mongolia is for experienced riders only.

Physical fitness is required as the average temperatures during the day can go as low as:
-20°C (December / January),
-10° (February)
or -5°C (November / March).
About climate in Mongolia
...

Tour Reviews


Your travel expert - Sabine

"This tour is each year more popular, as travellers who know Mongolia in summertime are curious to discover it in wintertime. It is a fascinating experience, both for the magic of the glittering landscape, and the incredible life of the nomadic families."

Contact


"I've just got back from the Mongolia winter ride, coinsiding with Tsagaan Sar and although i havent yet had chance to upload all my photos and fully explain it all i have to say it was THE MOST INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!
I have travelled to quite a lot of countries and been horse riding for 24 years, but i have never expereinced anything like it.
Such amazing hospitality and kindness from the Nomadic people we stayed with, and an amazing insight into how they live and work through some of the most extreme conditions in the world, and all the time whilst riding the most wonderfull horses who despite having lived out in a heard all winter still looked after us riders and demostrated a whole new way of riding.
And topping it off, we got to see the rare Przewalski horses in the wild too!! I have learnt so much and feel truly lucky to have gone on this ride and i cannot recommend it enough. I wanted to say a HUUUGE thank you for making this dream possible." - Natalie - Feb. 2017

"The cold, snow and blue skies add a magical touch to this horse riding tour at the end of the world. The beauty of landscapes frozen in ice, the Mongolian kindness and hospitality, and a flawless organization have made this trip an extraordinary experience. I have only one desire: to travel there again!" Elisabeth V. - Feb. 14

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Our office in Mongolia


Mongolia Travel & Tours
/ Randocheval Mongolie LLC

8 toot, 33 bair, Erkhuugiin gudamj
7r khoroo, Sukhbaatar duureg
Ulaanbaatar, MONGOLIA

Our office in France


Randocheval Mongolie
1645 route du Vernéa
38440 Moidieu Détourbe
FRANCE
+33 437 02 2000 (Monday to Friday)

IMPORTANT - Flights in Mongolia


Be aware that very few airlines go to Mongolia, flights are therefore quickly fully booked, especially between June and September. Book at least 6 months in advance to have the best air fares.
If your luggage has been delayed, the airlines do NOT deliver it in Mongolia, they keep it available in Ulan Bator. If your tour has already started, and you are already in the Orkhon Valley for example, it can be very expensive to deliver it.
We can do it for you at extra cost:
- 50 € for a delivery inside Ulan Bator
- 100 € for a delivery in Hustai
- 200 € for a delivery in Khogno Khan
- 300 € for a delivery in Karakorum, the Orkhon Valley or Arkhangai
- 400 € for a delivery at Lake Khövsgöl or in the Gobi Desert
This cost includes the driver & the vehicle for 1 or 2 days depending on the distance + fuel for the vehicule for the round trip + meals and accommodation for the driver if the roundtrip is more than 1 day.
If your flight is late, the same rates apply if you need a private transfer.