About
Example Itinerary
The Dunes of the Gobi
- Duration
- 6 days / 5 nights
- Price Per Person
-
Terms & Conditions
Price is based on double or twin hotel room occupancy and includes accommodation, transfers, car/driver, English-speaking guide, activities and entrance fees, breakfasts and some casual lunches while touring. Flights and optional special activities will be quoted separately. Most personal expenses, including dinners, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities can be paid on the spot while traveling. Prices may vary depending on season, choice of accommodation and other factors.
- Interests
- Glamping
- Destinations
- Mongolia
The vast desert region of the Gobi features diverse terrains and this 6-day itinerary explores the Hongor Els - the desert’s spectacular sand dunes. Stay in comfortable ger camps - the traditional form of housing for nomadic Mongolians, trek by camel into the Gobi dunes and spend time with local herders. On this trip you’ll also get to explore the rugged Yol Valley and climb the Flaming Cliffs - a prolific archeological site. End your stay in the capital, Ulaanbaatar.
This itinerary is an example. It’s designed to inspire you and provide you with thoughtfully curated ideas. You can choose to do this exact itinerary or completely personalize it. All trips are 100% bespoke.
Highlights
- Singing Dunes: The Hongor Els, or Singing Sand Dunes, get their name from the odd humming noise the wind makes as it passes over the sand.
- Flaming Cliffs: Also known as Bayanzag, the red and orange cliffs of this South Gobi treasure are home to dinosaur fossils, wildlife, and the Moltsog sand dunes.
- Gobi Culture: Have tea with local camel herders in their ger tents and use their camels to trek remote desert areas.
Day-by-Day
Day 1
Map ▲Gobi Desert
This itinerary begins in Dalanzadgad, in the sparsely populated Ömnögobi - southern Gobi - area. A guide will meet you at the airport and drive you to your accommodation for the night - a traditional ger camp. On the way to the lodge, stop for a sunset trip to the Flaming Cliffs, so-called for the bright red hue of the sandstone at sunset. This is also where the first discovery of dinosaur eggs was made.
Hotel Options
Day 2
Map ▲Gobi Desert
Today you’ll return to the cliffs and hike to the top for spectacular views. Next, visit the nearby saxaul groves to enjoy lunch before embarking upon the half-day drive to the sands of Hongor Els. An immense dune almost 75 miles long, Hongor Els is located inside the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park.
Gobi Desert (south)
Day 3
Map ▲Gobi Desert
Explore the dunes today, meeting local herding families and enjoying views from the tallest dunes. You’ll have the chance to enjoy tea with the camel herders in one of their ger tents, and even use their camels to trek to more remote desert areas. The Hongor Els - Singing Dunes - got their name from the humming noise the wind makes as it passes over the sand. Spend the night at Three Camel Lodge.
Day 4
Map ▲Gobi Desert
You’ll drive across the Gurvansaikhan Mountains to the Yol Valley area today - a full day’s journey. Also known as the Valley of the Vultures after the lammergeier vultures who inhabit the area, Yol Valley is a strikingly beautiful gorge with a deep ice field, which often remains year round. After traveling all day, you’ll enjoy a relaxing evening back at the lodge.
Gobi Desert (south)
Day 5
Map ▲Gobi Desert
Today you’ll get to explore the Yol Valley properly with a full-day excursion into the Gurvansaikhan Mountains and the gorge itself. Spot lammergeier wheeling above the ravine, as well as wallcreeper birds clinging to the cliffs. Depending on the amount of ice and snow, it may be possible to hike the entire length of the valley today before returning to camp.
Day 6
Map ▲Departure »
After breakfast, we’ll drive you to Dalanzadgad airport for the 90-minute flight to Ulaanbaatar. Here in the Mongolian capital, you can catch up on shopping before your onward flight.
Why Remote Lands?
Exclusively Asia
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
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