Day 1
Riding: No riding.
You will be met at Ulaanbaatar airport and transferred to your 4 star hotel in the city.
After lunch you will walk through the Yurt District to visit the Gandantegchinlin Monastery for some cultural experiences before returning to your hotel to rest (swimming pool, gym and spa available). Dinner with the group in the evening.
Day 2 - Ulaanbaatar - Khogno Khan Park
Riding: 1 - 2 hours
After breakfast you will be transferred c. 5 hours (depending on road conditions) to Khogno Khan Park. Lunch is taken en-route.
In the afternoon you will have your first short ride in the Bayan Gobi - this is your only opportunity to ride in the typical Gobi desert landscape as your hosts have no horses further south in the Gobi desert. Ride to the small Ovgon Khiid Monastery which is set within dramatic scenery.
This evening you will spend your first night in a touristic yurt/ger camp - each ger sleeps up to five people in single beds and there are showers in a separate building.
Day 3 - Khogno Khan
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
After breakfast set off for a full day of riding through the Bayan Gobi's semi-desert steppes. The dramatic scenery offers the high dunes of Elsentasarhai against black cliffs and the winding river adding a stripe of green. Your picnic lunch is brought to you by your support vehicle and so you carry nothing on horseback which allows you plenty of chances to canter!
In the afternoon you continue riding through this amazing landscape, where the contrast between the desert dunes and the marshlands which border them is spectacular. You will pass suddenly from the desert to the garden of eden where nomads gather with their herds on the vast wet plains - a wonderful sight.
Arrive at your ger camp which is located in a semi-desert environment - the yurts here sleep 2 - 4 people in single beds.
Day 4 - Khogno Khan - Orkhon Valley
Riding: 1 - 2 hours
After breakfast you are transferred to the Orkhon Valley (4-5 hours drive) where you meet the nomads who will be guiding you through the valley. After a late lunch, the horses are allocated and you set out on your first ride into the valley - this is a short ride to give you time to get acquainted with your horse - there are different horses if you are not happy with the initial choice.
The rest of the day is free to spend time with the nomadic family - you can get involved in their daily tasks and get to know different members of the family. You spend the night in guest yurts which are close to the nomadic family yurts - these yurts are more simple than the ones in the tourist camps but are more authentic.
Day 5 - Orkhon Valley
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
Today you set off on your first full day of riding within the Orkhon Valley. Ride upstream into a landscape which gets wilder and wilder. This is a volcanic region and the ancient black lava flows contrast with the foaming white water of the Orkhon River. After a picnic lunch brought by the support vehicle, you continue riding until reaching a forest at the base of the Naiman Nuur mountains. Here you spend the night in a remote ger camp in the forest, with 2-4 riders in each yurt.
Day 6 - Orkhon Falls
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
Continue riding upstream until reaching the impressive Orkhon Falls. A picnic lunch is enjoyed en-route and you eventually reach your ger camp which is situated not far from the falls.
Day 7 - Uurt Canyon
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
Ride to one of the most famous sites in the Orkhon Valley - Uurt Canyon. Lunch will be a picnic brought by the vehicles. You are now in the downstream section of the valley with more open landscapes dominated by two mountain ranges. You'll meet lots of nomadic families with their herds who take advantage of the rich grass in the valley.
Your beautiful ger camp is located in a superb spot bordering the canyon of the Orkhon river. You spend two nights here (2-4 riders per yurt, showers in a separate building).
Day 8 - Uurt
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
Today's ride takes you into the surrounding mountains to get a higher view of the Orkhon Valley. You return to the same ger camp for a second night.
Day 9 - Khujirt
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
After breakfast set off riding to the southern mountains which border the Orkhon Valley in the Khujirt region. Khujirt is famous for it's pure water which is bottled and distributed throughout Mongolia. There are spectacular views of the river which is now much wider as it weaves through the grassy hills - this is the Mongolia of your dreams.
In the afternoon you reach a unique and environmentally friendly ger camp which has spectacular views of the whole valley. As the camp is eco-friendly there are no showers but warm, wet towels are brought to you twice a day - surprisingly effective! You can also request a unique "yurt coiffeur" if you need your hair washing! The gers here sleep 2-3 riders.
Day 10 - Karakorum
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
Today is your last day of riding within the Orkhon Valley and takes you through some of the most beautiful areas of the park. The river is very calm here and the water reflects the sky like a mirror; the dark blue water contrasts with the lush green grass and the many white yurts. Many herds roam the steppes and you can take numerous photographs which typify Mongolia. In the last few miles before reaching Karakorum - the former capital of the Mongolian empire - the valley narrows offering wonderful views of the river from the mountain slopes.
After saying goodbye to your horses and nomadic friends you spend the night in a yurt camp (2-4 riders per yurt).
Day 11 - Karakorum - Hustai National Park
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast you visit Erdene Zuu Monastery before being transferred to Hustai National Park, home to the wild Przewalski horses. The drive takes c. 4 hours depending on road conditions. In the afternoon you set out into the park in vehicles to try and view the wild horses, known locally as Takhi. Dinner and overnight in a ger camp (2-4 riders per yurt).
Day 12 - Hustai - Ulaanbaatar
Riding: No riding.
After an early breakfast you are transferred back to Ulaanbaatar (c. 2.5 hours). After lunch there is time for discovering the city and doing some shopping. In the late afternoon you are taken to a show where traditional music, songs and dances are performed, including the Khoomei.
Dinner is not included this evening so that you can choose from the many options on offer in the city. Overnight at Nine hotel or similar (3 star).
Day 13
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast you are transferred to the airport for your flight home.
Note: All programmes and itineraries are weather dependent; in the face of adverse, or unexpected, weather conditions reasonable attempts will be made to provide equivalent riding. All programmes are accurate at the time of writing. However, the team may adapt or modify details, whilst aiming to provide a similar experience.
