Do you want to attend the Mongolian famous traditional holiday Naadam Festival? Although short of time to visit Mongolia in July during the Naadam Festival month? You are lucky! We celebrate the Khuree Tsam Danshig Naadam Festival in August. We proudly offer the August Naadam Festival because it is the most authentic yet activities-filled festival one can enjoy while staying in one place. Let you have the best experience, we combined this amazing Naadam Festival with the best-selling and most comprehensive tour we have organized for the past 10 years. On this trip, you will attend the August Naadam Festival on the first day. Then, travel to the well-known scenic and unique destination Gobi Desert to discover its hidden beauties and be captivated by its vast openness that stretches as far as your eyes can see. You also ride a two-humped Bactrian camel. Afterward, you will travel to the famous Orkhon Valley in central Mongolia, visit nomads to sample an authentic Mongolian barbecue, and learn firsthand the nomadic life. Further north you travel, the landscape becomes more attractive with majestic mountains, crystal clear water rivers and lakes, and the fertile mountain valleys filled with nomadic dwelling gers and their numerous animals. In north Mongolia, you will discover volcanoes and historical relics, enjoy Khuvsgul Lake and its beautiful surroundings, visit one of the largest ancient monasteries, ride a horse, and meet the representative of the Reindeer herding Dukha tribe.

Day 1 - Attend the Naadam Festival

Your guide and driver will meet you at your accommodation between 7:40 and 8:10 AM and start the trip to the Hui Doloon Khudag Naadam Festival field. You will spend the whole day seeing the Naadam events and sports, including the religious ceremonies, religious Tsam Dance, the Naadam Festival opening, horse racing, wrestling, horse archery, and knuckle bone shooting. Return to Ulaanbaatar in the evening and transfer to a hotel after dinner. Accommodation: 3* hotel Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2 - Watch the archery competition and Tsagaan Suvarga colorful mud cliffs

In the morning, you will watch the archery competition for about an hour. The countryside adventure starts heading to Tsagaan Suvarga. It is one of the most famous highlights in the Gobi. Tsagaan Suvarga is a strange natural formation of colorful, massive mud cliffs that look like stupas, mound-like structures containing relics. Hiking through the cliffs offers the chance to take amazing photographs. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 - Drive to Gobi Gurban Saikhan Mountain National Park, visit Eagle Valley

The Gobi Gurban Saikhan means "Three beautiful mountains in the Gobi.” The Gobi Gurban Saikhan Mountain is a beautiful national park itself rich in wildlife and scenic places. Among them, Yoliin Am/Eagle Valley is the one accessible by car. After our vehicle brings us to a designated parking area, we will walk through the resplendent valley into the depths of a sheer rock canyon, which accepts no sunlight. Therefore, it has ice until the end of June. The hiking continues 2.5 to 3 hours for travel into the valley and back to the vehicle. Golden eagles, elusive wild sheep and ibexes are indigenous to the valley. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 - Khongor Sand Dunes, camel riding

Our journey will continue to Khongor, the largest sand dunes. After reaching the sand dunes, we’ll go hiking along the green river shore, climb sand dunes, visit a nomad family and have an hour of camel riding. If you can climb one of the tallest sand dunes, don't forget to spread the sand northwards against the wind to find the reason hy locals call the sand dunes "Singing Sand.” The views are fantastic from the top of the sand dunes. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 - Flaming Cliffs

Our adventure will continue to the Flaming Cliffs, where American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews found the remains of dinosaurs including the first dinosaur eggs ever discovered in the world. We will enjoy exploring the cliffs in search of dinosaur fossils we may find and visit the Gobi tree grove named “Bayanzag.” Which means “rich in saxaul trees.” This tree only grows in the Central Asian Gobi. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 - Drive to Ongi Monastery on the open steppes

Drive first through slate mountains and next on 80 km Ongi steppes leading to Ongi Monastery, one of the biggest seven monasteries in Mongolia. There were two separate monasteries consisting of more than 30 temples on the shores of the Ongi River surrounded by the Gobi mountains; however, the temples were destroyed during the socialist purge of the 1930s. Now the ruins of the monasteries cover a huge area. Visit a new active temple, a ger museum, explore the monastery ruins and climb a nearby mountain to have panoramic views of the surrounding areas. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 - Kharkhorin, ancient Monastery Erdenezuu

This day’s tour takes place in the transition zone from the Gobi desert to the mountain steppes. Kharkhorin, formerly known as Kharakhorum, was once a capital of Chinggis Khaan's Great Mongol Empire in the 13th century. After the move of the Mongolian capital to Beijing, and the fall of the Empire, Karakorum was abandoned and then destroyed by Min soldiers in 1388. Today, in the vast valley of the Orkhon River, the awe-inspiring ancient monastery Erdenezuu coexists with Kharkhorin town. See some valuable religious artifacts in the monastery museum, view its stunning architecture and the Kharakhorum Museum display remnants of the ancient city. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8 - Arkhangai province, explore more about the nomadic life and have an authentic Mongolian barbecue

This day begins with a short tour of Tsetserleg town of Arkhangai province including its interesting local market. Continue the journey to meet a yak-herding nomadic family and relish in an authentic Mongolian barbecue for lunch. Discover more about the traditional nomadic life of northern Mongolian nomads. Next, drive through the picturesque landscapes of Arkhangai with a stop at Chuluut River canyon. Arrive at picturesque Khorgo Terkhiin Tsagaan National Park late afternoon. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 - Explore the Terhiin Tsagaan National Park

The Khorgo Terkhiin Tsagaan National Park was established to protect the spectacular mountain scenery and endangered species of its flora & fauna. There are several extinct volcanoes within the National Park area, but Khorgo is the most easily accessible volcano. Lava flow from the volcanoes blocked the north and south Terkh Rivers forming the fresh-water lake Terkhiin Tsagaan. Except for the lake and volcano, the national park is extremely beautiful, rich in flora, and is a famous pastureland area where many nomads reside with their animals, mainly yaks. Today, you will climb the volcano on stairs and trails. Upon reaching the top, you will walk along the volcano rim with outstanding views of surrounding areas; a small village can be seen from the volcano, as well as a bird’s eye view of Terhkiin Tsagaan Lake. In the afternoon, travel to freshwater Lake Terkhiin Tsagaan and explore caves. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10 - Overnight near Shine Ider

Today, we watch birds while driving and walking along the shore of Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake. The driving will be scenic through a flower-carpeted mountain valley, and feature some ancient historical remnants as well as a drive through a high mountain pass. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11 - See deer stones and Khuvsgul Lake

The journey continues to the world's freshest pure-water lake, Lake Khuvsgul. This 136km-long, 38km-wide lake lies 1600m above sea level in the middle of a Siberian taiga forest and among majestic sheer rock mountains. The lake and its surrounding area are pristine and have much to offer its guests. Along the way, we explore ancient deer stones spread widely throughout Central Asia. Some 600 deer stones have been found in Central Asia, 500 of them found in the territory of Mongolia. Deer stones are the first monuments of humans; the earliest of them belong to the 13th to the 9th century BC, while most of them date to The Bronze Age. On restored, standing stones, pictures including the sun, the moon, belts, knives, and jumping deer were carved fantastically. After settling in at a ger camp conveniently located on the western shore of the lake, you will enjoy free time. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12 - Reindeer Family Visit and Horse Riding Tour at Khuvsgul Lake

The Reindeer Tsaatan people live in the depths of the taiga forest. A few reindeer are the primary resource of their livelihood. In summer months, some reindeer families move down from the Taiga mountains close to the lake to supplement their income. After breakfast, we will visit the reindeer people and take pictures with reindeer. Then, we will drive back to the ger camp to have lunch and spend rest of the day riding horses along the lake’s shore and climb a nearby mountain to see the lake from up. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13 - Uran Togoo extinct volcano

Urantogoo volcano became extinct 800,000 years ago. The northern slope of the mountain and inside of the crater are covered with trees and it features a small lake. The summit of the mountain is accessible after a challenging hike up, but the amazing vista is well worth it once you are on the top. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 14 - Amarbayasgalant Monastery

Along the way to Amarbayasgalant monastery, we will drive via Erdenet, a copper mine city and a central town of Bulgan province. Amarbaysgalant is the second largest and the most stunning monastery in terms of architecture. It was built in Chinese and Mongolian style between 1727 and 1736. The afternoon visit to the monastery features huge statues of Buddha built on the mountains. Accommodation: Ger camp Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 15 - Return to Ulaanbaatar

Today is the last day to be in the unique and unforgettable countryside of Mongolia. Upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar, guests check into a hotel and enjoy a restful, free afternoon. Accommodation: 3* Hotel Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 16 - Transfer to the airport/railway station.

We will transfer you to the airport/railway station. Meals: Breakfast

2 nights in 3* hotel 13 nights in ger camps Transfer service by van 1 hour camel and 2 hours horse riding English Speaking guide Entry fees to national parks and the museums Daily bottled water Meals as indicated in the itinerary. Departure airport transfer

Items of personal nature Items of personal use International travel Alcoholic drinks & beverages Bar bills, laundry, telephone calls Travel & medical insurance Visa fee Optional activities & additional services Single supplements Gratiuty for the guides and drivers