The Gobi & Karakorum
The classic southern loop. Dunes, an ice canyon, the Flaming Cliffs, and the old capital, in one week.
- Length
- 7 days
- Price
- from ~$2,350 pp
- Best months
- May to September
- Shape
- Overland loop
A signature journey, and a starting point. Every trip is designed personally around you.
The route
Hover a marker for the day. Click it to jump to that day below. The full day-by-day is written out under the map.
Day by day
- Day 1 - Start
Ulaanbaatar
We meet in UB, check the Land Cruiser, and head south the same morning. The city thins out fast. Within an hour it's just grassland and the odd herd of horses.
- Day 1 · 1 night
Baga Gazriin Chuluu
Granite hills sticking out of flat steppe. A good first night to shake off the city. There's a small ruined monastery and a spring, and the rocks glow at sunset.
- Day 2 · 1 night
Tsagaan Suvraga (White Stupa)
White and orange cliffs that drop away like an old seabed, because that's what they are. Best at sunrise. The wind here can be brutal, so we camp on the sheltered side.
- Day 3 · 1 night
Yolyn Am (Eagle Valley)
A deep canyon in the Gurvan Saikhan mountains. There's often ice at the bottom into July. We walk in a couple of kilometres. Bring a layer, it's colder than you'd expect for the Gobi.
- Day 4 · 1 night
Khongoryn Els (Singing Dunes)
The big dunes. Some reach 300 metres and the climb is a slog in soft sand, but the view from the top is the one people remember. Camel ride in the morning if you want it.
- Day 5
Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)
The Flaming Cliffs, where the first dinosaur eggs were found back in the 1920s. We time it for late afternoon when the red sandstone really lights up, then push on to Ongi.
- Day 5 · 1 night
Ongi Monastery
Ruins of a monastery the purges destroyed in the 1930s, sat on a quiet river. The ger camp here is simple but the setting is lovely. A calm night after a long drive.
- Day 6 · 1 night
Kharkhorin / Erdene Zuu
Mongolia's old capital from the days of the empire. Erdene Zuu is the country's oldest monastery, ringed by 108 stupas. Day 7 is the drive back to UB, paved most of the way.
Enquire about this journey
A signature journey, and a starting point. Every trip is designed personally around you. Tell us your dates and group size and we'll shape this route around you, then put honest numbers to it. The from ~$2,350 pp figure is a starting point, not a quote.