A trip for the friend of the desert. The tour that leads to the remote regions of the Gobi Desert.The south of Mongolia is dominated by the unique landscape of the Gobi Desert. Nucleus of the Mongol Empire, hub of the Silk Road, China’s springboard into space – the Gobi Desert has written history and yet in many areas it is still terra incognita, an unknown world. The dimensions of the Gobi Desert are gigantic. About 2,000 kilometers long and up to 1,000 kilometers wide, the desert stretches from Ulan Bator in the north to the Kunlun Shan Mountains in the south, from the foothills of the Tien Shan in the west to Manchuria in the east. It is thus considered the second largest desert on earth after the Sahara. Due to its altitude, the Gobi is a cold desert and therefore cannot be compared with the Sahara or other deserts. Nevertheless, the desert lover will find parallels in view of the endless, almost uninhabited expanses, the unique sand dunes and rugged rock formations. Those who have experienced the clear starry nights in the Gobi will not soon forget them. This tour leads directly into the Gobi almost to the Chinese border. The tour plan will also take you to the sites of dinosaur bones and give you the opportunity to learn about the nomadic way of life in the Gobi. Dinosaur finds are not the only witnesses in this region, which indicate that the Gobi was once rich in vegetation. At different places on this journey you will find again and again almost untouched rock drawings. For example at Tevish Uul (Uul = mountain). But not only there we will find rock paintings, also you will find these rock paintings more often in the canyons of the Gobi. The drive to the difficult to reach canyon formed by meltwater at the edge of the Nemengt Mountains is one of the highlights of this tour. Wind and sand gave the canyon the final touch. The area around the Nemengt Mountains is very sparsely populated. Here you will hardly meet nomads. From the Nemengt we will return to the northern part via less frequented tracks. However, the Gobi expedition will give you enough time to get in touch with the life of the nomads in the Gobi. You will be able to experience the hospitality of these very scattered Noma-den. Our guides, but also the drivers, who often have relatives in the Gobi will invite you and in a few moments you will be caught by their kindness. The life of these people is determined by nature and its rhythm. The camel is still the most reliable means of transportation, wool and meat supplier in the Gobi. During our visits to the nomads, you will experience how the needs of these animals determine of these animals determine their lives. Memories of the movie “The Weeping Camel” will be awakened. This tour connects all interesting points of the Mongolian Gobi and gives a deep insight into the nomadic life in the Gobi. The tour has in large parts expedition character, as it leads into very few inhabited areas of the Gobi. This also means that there may be changes in the route at short notice due to the track situation.

1. Day	Arrival in Ulaanbaatar, airport transfer, check-in at hotel, program briefing. After that we will visit Ulaanbaatar. You will visit the famous Gandan Monastery with the 27 mtr high Buddha statue. The monastery museum of the Tschojdshjin – Lama, the important Lama in the history of Mongolian Buddhism and a small city tour are also on the program. In the evening you will visit a folklore performance with traditional musical instruments, snake girls and the famous throat singing.
2. Day	Departure south to the “great earth mother stones” -Ikh gazriin chuluu.
3. Day	Today we will travel through the Mongolian grass steppe towards Tsagaan Suwarga Canyon via Tsogt Ovoo. Along the way, there will be plenty of time to stop by and visit the nomads living in the area. Tsagaan Suwarga, or White Stupa, is an area in the Gobi with vast canyons and a very beautiful play of colors. We will also visit the “petroglyphs”, a kilometer long band of rock drawings. The rock drawings are the oldest drawings in Mongolia.
4. Day	Continue towards Dalanzadgad and Vulture Gorge. Overnight stay near the gorge. Hike through the gorge. After exploring the gorge, we will continue through Gurvan Saikhan Mountains to the southern side. There we will visit a nomadic family with their camels.
5. Day	Hiking in the Vulture Gorge, then we drive to the famous gorge “Dungeneet Am”, where we have lunch in the coolness of the gorge. Passing through the gorge, the driver has to be very careful, because at the narrowest place just one car fits through. After that we drive further south into the Gobi.
6. Day	A full day in the Gobi, we will pass through a unique rocky landscape, shaped by the desert. Driving. The track leads partly through narrow gorges. Occasionally we come across nomads. Our destination for the day is the village of Guvantes in the southern Gobi.
7.Day	Continue from the village of Gurvantes to the “Tsulganaij Oases”. These oases are located a bit off the track, on the edge of the Gobi Reserve. The Tsulganaij oases are completely uninhabited, they are also not cultivated and depending on how much it has rained, the oases carry different amounts of water. With a little luck, sometimes a small lake forms where you can swim.
8.Day	Drive through the southern Gobi to the “Nemegt” Canyon. Hike through the canyon. This region in the Gobi is very rarely visited and is still largely untouched. You will not meet people here now, this region is too arid for that. The wind and the winter meltwaters, have created unique shapes from the soft sandstone.
9. Day	Today we have time for the Gobi. We spend the whole day in Nemengt Canyon. This canyon, formed by meltwater, is a vast labyrinth with many uniquely shaped gorges. We have the whole day to walk in the canyons and for sure you will find fossilized dinosaur bones.
10. Day	Today we drive a bit further north to the small village of Bayanlig. This place is within sight of the Altai foothills, which extend far into the Gobi. After passing the small village, we continue to the rock formation “Bichigt Khad”. In the canyons of Bichigt Khad there are extensive areas with rock paintings, which we will visit.
11. Day	In the morning we will drive to the “White Cave”. Tsagaan Agui cave is a bit hidden in Tsakhir mountains. Here we find the traces of stone age people and after that we drive through a unique rocky landscape in the Gobi to the “Tevish Uul”, a mountain massif where there are again extensive areas with rock drawings.
12. Day	Drive through a varied landscape to Khongoriin Else (Singing Dunes). Occasionally we will stop at the Gobi nomads. This route is very sparsely traveled and the drivers must always inquire about the condition of the road.
13. Day	A whole day to relax after the exertions of the desert journey, at the big sand dune. We will drive up to the dune as far as we can and climb it. Who is interested, can also use the day to explore the desert with a camel, the classic means of transport.
14. Day	Continue through the Gobi Desert to the “red Cliffs”, which we will reach in the late afternoon. The “red Cliffs” are also called the dinosaur graveyard, because here the first major dinosaur finds were made during the Gobi expedition of Sven Hedin. Nearby is also the largest saxaul tree forest in the Gobi. The saxaul tree is an extremely slow-growing tree that has adapted perfectly to the situation in the Gobi.>
15. Day	Continue to the ruins of Ongi Monastery. One of the largest monasteries in the Gobi. Today you can only visit the ruins.
16. Day	Visit to the ruins of the monastery. This monastery was once one of the largest. Today, only ruins can be visited and one can only imagine the former size. With a lot of commitment monks are slowly rebuilding this monastery. We have enough time to talk with the monks about their situation and Buddhism. We continue our journey towards Arwajcheer. Arwajcheer is the district capital for the northern Gobi area. Here we will do the shopping for the next days at the market. On the market the products from the region and goods which the nomads need are offered. There is a colorful hustle and bustle. After Arwajcheer we enter the Archhangai mountains. The track now becomes narrow and rocky. In one of the valleys we will spend the night.
17. Day	Through very beautiful Orkhon valley today we will go to Ulaangoll waterfall. The waterfall is located in the middle of a lava field and the landscape around the waterfall is uniquely pretty. We will have our lunch break on the banks of the Orkhon River. We can buy fresh yogurt and yak cheese from the nomads who live in this valley. The yak is very common in this mountainous region. After that we will continue our journey through the valley to Karakorum.
18. Day	In the morning detailed sightseeing of Karakorum, the former capital of Mongolia. In Karakorum is also the monastery “Erdene Zuu”. This monastery is one of the most important monasteries in Mongolia and has been partially restored. We will take our time to visit this unique historical site. Afterwards we will drive through the floodplains of Orkhon to Ogii Nuur. On the way we will visit some historical excavation sites (Khöschöö Tsaidam). Here, under Turkish supervision, a former palace from the ancient Turkish Empire is being excavated. The Turks are believed to have originated in this region. Later they were expelled by the Mongolian tribes.
19. Day	Return journey to Ulaanbaatar. Arrival in the early afternoon and time at your own disposal
20. Day	After a restful breakfast, today we will go to the “black market” in Ulaanbaatar. A colorful hustle and bustle awaits us there. Afterwards you will have the opportunity to store in some stores, cashmere things. The afternoon is at your disposal.
21. Day	Early return flight home
*) Program and route may be subject to change. Binding is the itinerary as it is sent in the booking confirmation