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Overview

The Orkhon Valley is an extensive area of pasture land which stretches c. 80km in length and 15km in width between the banks of the Orkhon river. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, it's considered the cradle of nomadic Mongolia and many families still perpetuate the traditional way…

Highlights

  • Riding with traditional Mongolian horsemen
  • Flying across the open steppes on your little horse
  • Camping in beautiful, remote locations
  • Visiting families and sampling yak's milk vodka
  • Hearing your support crew sing around the campfire

Essential Facts

  • 1 itinerary available
  • £2605 $3490 €2980 per person
  • Max 10 riders per group
  • Average of 3 - 5 hours riding per day
  • Weight limit: 95kg / 210 lbs / 15st

Description

The Orkhon Valley is an extensive area of pasture land which stretches c. 80km in length and 15km in width between the banks of the Orkhon river. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, it's considered the cradle of nomadic Mongolia and many families still perpetuate the traditional way of life. Yurts nestle alongside the rivers and herds of horses, yaks, sheep and goats graze the grasslands.

The well-known Orkhon Falls are actually the Ulaan Tsutgalan River Falls - as the river falls into a spectacular canyon created after an earthquake and volcanic eruption more than 20,000 years ago, they form a cascade of water which is 20m high and 10m wide. The white foam from the falls is contrasted by the black rock which forms the canyon walls - yet deep within the walls of the canyon there are trees and flowers which benefit from the abundance of water.

With your nomadic Mongolian guides you can discover this beautiful region on horseback. The hardy and tough little Mongolian horses are perfect for traversing the wide open spaces of the grasslands as well as the surrounding mountains. This is the Mongolia of your dreams with the steppes stretching out in front of you and the yurts and herds dotted all around.

Riding in Mongolia is always an adventure and a cultural experience, but it is your choice as to how rustic you wish to be. Trails are available which offer the comfort of traditional yurts every night, together with the luxury of showers! Or you can spend your nights camping in really remote areas where there are no ger camps - Mongolia is one of the last countries where you can literally camp wherever you wish. Your belongings are transported by vehicles so that you are unencumbered and can enjoy exhilarating canters.

The itinerary also includes visits to the Bayan Gobi, where the desert sand-dunes contrast against the lush grasslands. Visits to Karakorum - the ancient capital of the Mongolian Empire - and Hustai National Park - home of the Przewalski's wild horses - are also included together with visits to monasteries that you discover along your journey.

Horses & Riding

Tack

A hybrid of a Russian treed saddle which has been adapted for visitors. English/Western saddles are too long for the horses short backs. These saddles have a deep seat and a comfortable cushion strapped to the top. They are simple but functional.

Horses

The Mongolian horses, whilst small in stature are huge in strength and resilience. They live out all year in harsh conditions in almost wild herds, but are still docile and obedient when caught for riding. They do still retain an element of "wildness" however and these rides are for competent riders only. Nothing beats cantering across the endless steppes on your Mongolian horse, alongside your nomad hosts and guide.

Riding

There is 1 itinerary:

  • Orkhon Valley Comfort Ride is a trail ride

Ages

16+ years recommended. Children aged 12 and over may be accepted provided they are experienced regular riders.

Health

You must be in good health and with good physical fitness.

Weight

95kg / 210 lbs / 15st

Food & Accommodation

Food

Mongolian food is essentially based on animal products - meat (red food) and dairy (white food). Traditionally these are eaten at different times of year with summer months being dedicated to white food and winter months the red food. During the summer months the females are breeding and therefore lactating, producing milk for cheese, butter, yoghurt etc. The nomads' energy requirements are lower during the summer months as well, as the temperatures are stable. During the winter months they consume a lot of meat as they require much larger quantities of calories to bear the extreme cold.

On these trails the traditional Mongolian diet has been adapted to accommodate western tastes.

Accommodation

This tour is designed as a comfort option for those who do not want to camp. First and last nights will be at comfortable hotels in Ulaanbaatar. On the trail you will stay in traditional Mongolian accommodation; yurts or gers. These are circular structures with a lattice framework which contain 2-5 beds. Some nights will be in simple guest gers set up near your Nomadic hosts familys camp or in specialist tourist yurt camps which have purpose built wash block.

Itineraries

Orkhon Valley Comfort Ride Tented / Standard accommodation.

Other Activities

There are some non-riding visits included, such as to monasteries and special sites, but the trails are predominantly riding tours and non-riders cannot be accepted.

However, the Nomadic Life Experience ride can accommodate non-riders and a vehicle is on-hand to show you the sites. These rides are also suitable for children.

All of the rides include lots of cultural interactions with nomadic families which delight both riders and non-riders.

Travel

There is a choice of airlines flying to Mongolia but none are direct. The dates and transfers have been chosen to coincide with Turkish Airlines (through Istanbul) as they have proven to be the most reliable over the last couple of years. Alternative options include Air China (through Beijing) and MIAT airlines (national Mongolian carrier) with flight links through Frankfurt, Beijing, Tokyo and Istanbul (to name a few).

Airport transfers are included provided you arrive/depart at set times, which coincide with the arrival/departure of the Turkish Airlines flight. If you choose to arrive later or depart earlier, then you will have to take a taxi, which costs c. 50 USD each way. Turkish Airlines change their flight schedules throughout the season, but if you book the Turkish Airlines flight then your transfer is definitely included!

Testimonials

Johanna F., July 19, 2023

The countryside was vast and beautiful. The horses strong and hard-working. The climate offered you everything you can think of – sometimes within one day. People were somewhat shy but when you got to know them extremely nice and funny. I was really pleased with the little horses. Half wild but at the same time so obedient and honest when being ridden. Also very strong, yet fairly sensitive in the mouth. Always eager to gallop.


Maddie R., July 19, 2023

This was an amazing holiday - would highly recommend. I loved the riding (it was very hard to say goodbye to my Mongolian pony who I’d named Ron) but it was also so interesting from a cultural aspect. I really liked that everyday we rode through different, spectacular scenery and camped in a new location. Waking up to a herd of horses and foals outside your tent or a yak cantering past was pretty cool.


Simone, Oct. 28, 2019

What an amazing adventure. The horses, the landscapes, the culture and the people made for a perfect Mongolian experience.


Natasha G., Sept. 7, 2017

An amazing holiday. Good group of fellow riders. A great team of Mongolian staff. Guide, horsemen, drivers and chef did a fantastic job of looking after us at all times - very attentive. Other than the guide, none of them spoke English but that didn't stop us having a good time with them all. Good tents, lovely warm Gers and decent hotel. The chef was great and kept us well fed and managed to prepare 2 birthday cakes with basic, mobile cooking equipment! Even though we were warned that they (horses) were semi wild, they were all extremely well behaved. Saddles were comfortable. English speaking guide did a fantastic job of translating between us and the Mongolians and providing info on Mongolia. Horsemen looked after horses and riders very well and were always aware.
(Favourite memory?) Hard to say as lots of them - lovely long gallops, camp fire, singing horsemen, beautiful landscapes, welcoming nomads...


Itinerary & Pricing

Day 1 - Arrival

Riding: No riding.

Your English speaking translator is waiting for you at Ulan Bator airport at the arrival of Turkish Airlines flight TK236 usually landing at 07:15am for a grouped transfer. Immediate departure for the Mongolian Steppe!

A 2h30 drive takes you to the famous Hustai National Park, home to Przewalski's wild horses, also known as Takhi. Lunch at the yurt camp where you will also spend the night.

Your driver will take you on a 4x4 safari in Hustai National Park, in search of Przewalski's wild horses, as well as deer and marmots, which abound in this protected area. Dinner at the yurt camp.

For your first night in Mongolia, you will discover the traditional Mongolian yurt (up to 4 riders per yurt - showers in a separate building).

Day 2 - Hustain Park - Khogno Khan Park

Riding: 1 - 2 hours

After breakfast at the yurt camp you continue your journey by 4x4 to Hogno Han Park, also named the Bayan Gobi Desert, the ‘rich Gobi’, where the first part of your horseback trail through the dunes and steppes of Mongolia will take place (approximately 2-3 hours’ drive depending on traffic conditions).

You will meet the nomadic herder who will be your equestrian guide for these two days of trail riding in the Bayan Gobi Desert. It is impossible to ride a horse in the southern Gobi Desert as only camels can be found there. This northern tongue of the desert is therefore a unique opportunity to ride a horse in a typical Gobi Desert landscape.
In the afternoon, we will go on our first horseback ride along the cliffs of Khogno Khan to enjoy spectacular views before reaching Ovgon Khiid Monastery, which we will visit in the magnificent setting of a valley with a geological landscape tortured by erosion.

Dinner and overnight stay in a guest yurt close to the nomadic family (up to five people per yurt).

Tonight, you will sleep in a "guest-yurt" close to our nomad family's yurts.

PLEASE NOTE: The comfort in guest yurts is simpler than in the yurt camps as there is no shower building, but you will experience the real nomadic way of life.

Day 3 - Khogno Khan

Riding: 4 - 6 hours

After breakfast, you set off for one of the most spectacular days of this horseback trip! This region is truly the heart of Mongolia. It is not only the geographical centre, but also lies at the meeting point of three major Mongolian ecosystems: two of the country's three major mountain ranges - Khangai and Khentii - and a northern tip of the Gobi Desert.

Mount Batkhan overlooks this region and gives rise to several rivers that mix their waters with the sand of the Elsentasarkhai dunes - the ‘sand fracture’ - forming changing and spectacular landscapes.

You ride through the dunes of Elsentasarhaï and along the cliffs of Bayan-Gobi, across vast semi-desert steppes that give us a sense of the immensity of Mongolia. You are sure to encounter herds of Bactrian camels, which are numerous in this region.

Enjoy a picnic lunch where you can enjoy the contrast between the desert dunes and the lush green area along the river - it's spectacular!

This day's trail ride takes you from the desert to the Garden of Eden, as nomads often gather their herds in this vast wet plain.

Arrive at the end of the day at a yurt camp, located in a semi-desert part of the park. Dinner and overnight stay at the yurt camp (2 to 5 riders per yurt, in individual beds, showers and toilets in a separate building).

PLEASE NOTE that these two days can be reversed, with the night at the yurt camp first and then the night in the guest yurt.

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 and showers in a separate building.

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 - Orkhon Valley

Riding: 4 - 6 hours

Breakfast and departure for a very invigorating day on horseback following the Orkhon river.

Lunch by the river, which you cross on one of the very few bridges, allowing you to start climbing the Khangai Mountains that border the valley, until you reach the edge of the forest.

Dinner and overnight stay in a guest yurt close to the nomadic family (up to five people per yurt).

Day 8 - Orkhon Valley (Tovkhon Monastery) - Hot Springs

Riding: 4 - 6 hours

Enjoy a hearty breakfast to build up your strength before the long day ahead. You ride on horseback through the forest to the Tovkhon monastery, which you then visit on foot. You continue your trail by riding down to the valley. The views of this wide valley, overlooked by wooded peaks, are spectacular.

Lunch brought by the 4x4 vehicles at the foot of the Khangai Mountains, on the side of the valley. We continue our ride along the river, once again over terrain that lends itself to long gallops.

This afternoon ride will take us to natural hot springs, a fantastic experience, especially after all those days in the saddle! Don't forget your swimming suit ...

Dinner and overnight stay at a yurt camp close to the springs (2 to 5 riders per yurt, in individual beds, showers and toilets in a separate building).

Days 9 to 11 - Ride to Karakorum

Riding: 4 - 6 hours

These three days on horseback are still in very open terrain allowing for galloping and trotting. On days 9 and 10, we sleep in guest yurts with nomadic families, so the day-by-day program can change depending on how these families move their yurts and their herds.

Our ultimate goal is to reach Karakorum, the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire, the symbolic end point of the equestrian part of our journey.

On the last evening with our nomadic herders, we share the gifts we have brought to help their families in this very isolated life. Our drivers are often nomadic herders themselves, and everyone will be happy to find something to help their families or their elderly parents. For humans: moisturising cream, lip balm, sun cream, sunglasses, pocket folding knife or Swiss army knife, medicines such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, concentrated antiseptic mouthwash, eye drops, creams for arthritis or burns.

For the horses: healing or antiseptic cream, footpick, currycomb, or brushes. All these things, which are hard to find on the steppe, will be divided up according to each person's needs.

Dinner and overnight stay at a yurt camp close to Karakorum (2 to 5 riders per yurt, in individual beds, showers and toilets in a separate building).

Day 12 - Karakorum - Ulan Bator

Riding: No riding.

Breakfast and visit to the Erdene Zuu monastery. We then set off towards Ulan Bator.

Lunch in a restaurant en route (6-7 hours’ drive depending on the traffic conditions).

Transfer to a hotel or yurt camp on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, heading towards the airport.

Dinner and night at the hotel / yurt camp in a double or triple room.

Day 13 - Departure

Riding: No riding.

After breakfast you are transferred to the airport for your flight home.

Accommodation

8 nights in ger camps - each ger contains single beds (2-5) and a central stove. Showers are usually available in separate buildings and restaurant tents provided comfortable eating facilities.

4 nights in a nomadic family guest yurt - these are simpler but more authentic with single beds but no showers, although water can be boiled over a fire for washing.

Please note: Single Accommodation is not available. There are limited single tents available which much be requested when booking and are first come, first served.
Experience Experienced

You need to be an experienced rider who is capable and confident at all paces in the outdoors. The terrain allows for long canters.
Minimum group size 2
Maximum group size 10
Departure windows

June 9, 2026 - June 21, 2026

July 14, 2026 - July 26, 2026

Aug. 18, 2026 - Aug. 30, 2026

Pricing

2026
Rider, Sharing		 £2605 $3490 €2980
Included 12 nights accommodation, all meals from dinner on arrival day to breakfast on departure day (except dinner on the first night in Ulaanbaatar), tea, coffee and water, tours/visits as described, riding, set-time transfers
Not included Flights, dinner on first night in Ulaanbaatar, drinks, visa, insurance, tips & other personal expenses.

Extras

2026 - Small Group Supplement £305 $410 €350 per person
Paid to Far and Ride
To confirm with only 2, 3 or 4 riders in the group. This is removed/refunded when the group reaches 5 riders.
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.