Steppe and Monastery Tour: Explore Mongolia's Wonders

Istanbul to Ulaanbaatar

We meet tour representatives at the International Terminal of Istanbul Airport at 15:30. After completing ticket and passport formalities, we depart at 18:25 on Türk Hava Yolları flight TK 236 for a direct flight to Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. As we travel towards Central Asia, we have dinner on board and spend the night on the plane.

Ulaanbaatar, history and modernity

We arrive in Ulaanbaatar at 07:20 local time. After being met at the airport, we check in to our hotel. Following a short rest, we set out on a city tour. During the tour, we visit Sukhbaatar Square, a symbol of Mongolia's independence; Gandan Monastery, home to a large Buddha statue; and the National History Museum, which traces the region's history from the Göktürks to the present day. After dinner, we stay overnight at our hotel.

Accommodation is at the 3-star International Hotel or similar hotels.

Bogd Khan Palace and Terelj

After breakfast, we visit the Bogd Han Palace Museum, which served as the winter residence of Mongolia's last king. We see religious artifacts in the museum. We then head to Terelj National Park. Here, after seeing Turtle Rock, a symbol of the region, we climb to Aryabal Meditation Temple on the mountainside to take in panoramic views of the surrounding area. We spend the night in traditional Mongolian tents at a site where the stars are clearly visible. Our accommodation is Terelj - Ger (Yurt) Camp.

The Genghis Khan statue and Karakorum

In the morning, we visit the Genghis Khan Statue, the world's largest equestrian statue at 40 metres tall. We take the elevator up to the horse's head and view the steppe from there. We then set off on a journey of approximately 6-7 hours to Karakorum, which Genghis Khan chose as his imperial capital. We have dinner at our camp and spend the night at Karakorum - Ger (Yurt) Camp.

Karakorum, the old capital

Today we visit Erdene Zuu Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, followed by Karakorum Museum, which displays archaeological finds from the region. In the afternoon, we take a short safari on camels, long used for transport across the steppe, and experience Mongolian nomadic culture firsthand. We sample local dishes at dinner and relax.

We spend the night at Karakorum - Ger (Yurt) Camp.

Wild horses at Khustai

After breakfast, we travel to Khustai National Park. The park is the natural habitat of Takhi (Przewalski) horses, the only horse species living in the wild today, which were reintroduced to the wild after facing the threat of extinction. With our guide, we observe nature and have the opportunity to photograph these rare animals. We spend the night at Khustai - Ger (Yurt) Camp near the national park.

Back to Ulaanbaatar and shopping

In the morning, we return to the capital. We visit Naran Tuul (Black Market), the city's largest and busiest market. Here, you can find a range of goods, from local handicrafts to antiques. We then stop to shop for world-renowned Mongolian cashmere. In the evening, we conclude our tour with a traditional Mongolian BBQ (Mongolian Barbecue) dinner.

We stay at the 3-star International Hotel or a similar hotel.

Return to Istanbul

After an early breakfast, we transfer to the airport. We depart for Istanbul at 09:10 on Türk Hava Yolları flight TK 237. We arrive at Istanbul Airport at 14:00 local time, and our tour ends.