NextTribe Discovery Call: Questions about this or any other trip? Click here to schedule a phone call with Jeannie Edmunds, COO of NextTribe.
Once, Genghis Khan and his horsemen rode out of this landscape and changed the world. What hasn’t changed is the steppe they left behind.
For more than 5,000 years, people have been living in Mongolia in essentially the same way: moving with the seasons, reading the land, raising their animals, and building their homes in hours. The Mongol Empire once stretched across half the known world, and yet its people chose to remain in felt tents on an open steppe — under a sky so vast and so blue it seems less like weather and more like a statement.
We have easy, interest-free payment options.
Here, wild Takhi horses graze on grass that stretches to the horizon, sharing the landscape with gazelle, wapiti deer, and the occasional Mongolian wolf. The land is ancient and largely untouched, and the culture that has thrived within it is every bit as extraordinary. This is one of the last places on Earth where nomadic herding isn’t a historical footnote — it’s just Tuesday.
Mongolia’s central heartland — our focus for this journey — is the country’s historic and geographic core: the sweeping steppe of the Orkhon Valley, the ancient capital of Kharkhorin, and the mountain and hot spring country of the Khangai range. It offers the best all-round introduction to modern Mongolia without requiring domestic flights, which means more time experiencing the country and less time in airports.
Please note that this is a sample itinerary. Accommodations and activities may change but we will always replace them with something of equal or better value.
Activity Level 4.5: We have this rating not because the trip is all that physically demanding but because this trip is a rougher than the rest of our NextTribe trips. We are often sleeping in yurts, and while they can be very nice inside, travelers may have to share a bathroom or may encounter other challenging issues. This is not a trip for people who expect the best of Western amenities. This is for people who are up for adventure and may have to go without a hot shower for a day or two in order to experience this fascinating country. You need to be able to manage your own luggage.
Dive into Nomad Culture
We’ve built in multiple opportunities to spend real time with local families — joining them for meals, lending a hand with daily tasks, and learning how life actually works when your home moves with the seasons. It’s the kind of access most travelers never get.
Supremely Exotic
From ornate monastery courtyards to the sight of a two-humped Bactrian camel ambling across the dunes, Mongolia earns its reputation as genuinely unlike anywhere else. The loovuuz (fur-lined hat) is not a fashion choice — it’s a necessity. You’ll understand why.
Pristine Natural Beauty
Mongolia is home to some of the most untouched landscapes on the planet. Wild Takhi horses — the ancient Przewalski’s breed, once extinct in the wild — graze on open steppe alongside gazelle, wapiti deer, and the occasional Mongolian wolf. The granite peaks of Khogno Khan rise above sand dunes that have no business being there (but are all the more wonderful for it). The Khangai Mountains — one of Mongolia’s oldest and most important ranges — roll into forested valleys where yaks roam and eagles circle. Across all of it: that sky. Blue, vast, and entirely in charge.
Hot Springs in the Hills
After days of long drives and wide-open steppe, the Tsenkher Hot Springs arrive like a very reasonable reward. Set within the Khangai mountain forest, the natural thermal pools are piped directly from the source into small outdoor pools at the ger camp — and soaking in them while watching birds of prey glide overhead is, frankly, hard to improve upon. We spend two nights here, so there’s time to linger.
More Experience, Less Windshield Time
Mongolia is enormous, and we’ve been deliberate about keeping the journey tight. By focusing on the central heartland, we’ve cut out the domestic flights and long detours that fragment other itineraries — so you spend your time around fires, in gers, and at family tables rather than in transit.
"I’m amazed how on each of my NextTribe trips, a bond is created immediately among a dozen women who have joined for a new experience and an adventure. It never feels as if you’re on a tour, but instead traveling the world with new friends."
--Sherry T.
"I was totally shocked by how much I enjoyed my trip with this wonderful group of ladies. We all came from various parts of the country and various backgrounds, yet we bonded like old friends. This was my first trip with the group and I will definitely be doing it again!! I'm pretty much a loner but I felt right at home. Truly a great time every minute."
--Christine B.
A driver will meet you at Chinggis Khaan International Airport once you’ve cleared immigration and collected your bags. Fair warning: the drive into Ulaanbaatar can take up to two hours, and city traffic has a mind of its own. Grab a tea or coffee before you set off — the first stretch is smooth, but the city will test your patience closer in. Our drivers know every shortcut worth knowing.
We keep Day 1 deliberately flexible to accommodate different arrival times. If you land before lunch, Ulaanbaatar’s museums and galleries offer an easy, jet-lag-friendly afternoon — we’ll send suggestions ahead of your trip. For those already on their feet, we’ll gather later for a short walk across Sukhbaatar Square and a relaxed welcome dinner. Nothing complicated. Just a friendly start.
Our introduction to Ulaanbaatar is intentionally flexible — plans here often come together closer to the time, and that’s part of its charm. This first full day could include felt-making with Tsagaan Alt (White Gold), an all-women NGO supporting disadvantaged women through traditional craft or time in the studio of one of Mongolia’s leading female artists or a visit to the country’s principal Buddhist monastery, home to the magnificent Migjid Janraisig statue — and possibly a blessing for the journey ahead.
We’ll head west through Ulaanbaatar’s traffic (patience, as always) and into the central heartland.
Khogno Khan Nature Reserve is a place of granite peaks, secluded valleys, freshwater springs, and the Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes — a narrow band of dunes that sit between steppe and mountain in a way that makes you wonder who approved the planning. The area is ecologically protected, the Tarna River threads through it, and the ger camp sits in the foothills of the mountain itself. The setting does a lot of the work.
The afternoon is yours: rest after the drive, watch livestock move across the plain, wander the trails near camp, or simply sit outside under that intensely rendered dome of a sky.
The morning starts slowly, which is the correct pace for a day at Khogno Khan. Your team will help you organize the day’s activities from the options below — and if any don’t appeal, the camp offers a perfectly good view and a chair to sit in.
A short visit to Erdene Khambiin Khid — a small 17th-century temple built as a meditation retreat and partially restored after the purges of the 1930s — is followed by a birch-bordered walk to the ruins of Övgön Khiid, about 2 kilometers each way, with a more challenging circular option back via a small mountain pass.
Our partner family, the Davaasurens, keep Bactrian camels — the terrain here suits them well. A two-hour camel ride across the dunes and steppe is one of those experiences that is simultaneously ridiculous and completely wonderful. Highly recommended.
After breakfast, you’ll drive west through Arkhangai Province to Tsetserleg, arriving in the afternoon. Tsetserleg doesn’t try to impress you — it’s a working provincial capital, shaped by the pastoral economy it serves rather than by tourism. Tree-lined streets, Soviet-era buildings, schools and monasteries, newer shops: all sitting side by side in a way that feels lived-in and honest.
If the town market is open, it’s worth a wander — stalls selling meat, dried curds, horse tack, and household goods give a clear picture of daily life in this part of Mongolia. The Museum of Arkhangai Province, housed in part of the former monastery complex, offers well-curated exhibits on Buddhist and traditional Mongolian life. Or skip both and take in the view: Tsetserleg sits on the northeastern slopes of the Khangai Mountains, and Bulgan Uul rises above the town with wide mountain panoramas.
Meet the Galbadrakh Family
A short drive from Tsetserleg brings you to the rolling hills of the Khangai Mountains and the home of the Galbadrakh yak herding family, one of our longtime partner families. Expect to be welcomed warmly and put to work pleasantly. The morning might involve a Mongolian cookery lesson, milking a yak (which is more dignified than it sounds), learning how the family processes milk into cheese and dried curds, or watching them comb and spin yak wool. What you do will depend on the family’s rhythm that day — which is rather the point.
Tsenkher Hot Springs
In the afternoon, you’ll make your way to Tsenkher Hot Springs — a journey that sometimes involves navigating muddy tracks and fording small rivers, particularly if there’s been rain. Consider it part of the adventure. The springs themselves sit within a mountain forest steppe landscape of real beauty, and after you’ve settled into your ger, the hot spring pool awaits — thermal water piped directly from the source, mountain views in every direction, and no further obligations. Dinner is at the ger camp restaurant.
There is nowhere to be today, and that is entirely intentional.
The valley at Tsenkher is home to several ger camp resorts, each with a small outdoor pool fed by natural hot spring water. Soak, watch the birds of prey work the thermals above the forest steppe, and resist the urge to check the time. If you want a gentle outing, an easy walk uphill to the hot spring’s source makes for a lovely half-day — the landscape around it is beautiful, and arriving at the source feels satisfyingly elemental.
Lunch and dinner are at the camp restaurant. Everything else is optional.
After breakfast, you’ll drive to Kharkhorin — the site of Mongolia’s ancient capital during the height of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. Arrival is around lunchtime. Your accommodation is the Secrets of the Silk Road ger camp.
Erdene Zuu Monastery
Mongolia’s oldest monastery is an architectural and historical gem even if religion isn’t your main interest. Its vast compound, enclosed within a protective wall studded with 108 stupas, offers serene spaces for wandering and quiet reflection.
Kharkhorin Museum
This well-curated museum brings the Orkhon Valley’s layered history to life — Turkic, Mongol, and beyond. Clear exhibits, real depth, and a satisfying sense of context for everything you’ve been seeing on the steppe.
Erdenesiinn Khuree Calligraphy Center
A non-profit center dedicated to Mongolian art and calligraphy (seasonal). We can arrange a hands-on calligraphy lesson here — a meaningful way to connect with the culture and support the artists doing the work of keeping it alive.
The Orkhon Valley is one of those places that earns its UNESCO World Heritage status without needing to announce it. Grassland, river, and centuries of human movement have shaped each other here in ways that are still visible in the herding families living and working in the valley today. It’s often described as the cradle of Mongolian civilization, and standing on the open steppe, it’s easy to understand why.
The morning is unhurried — this is your last day in rural Mongolia, and we’ve kept the schedule light on purpose. In the afternoon, drive about 30 minutes to the home of Tumee and Jargaa, herders who move through the valley on their seasonal cycle, with the Orkhon River as their constant anchor.
Experienced riders can arrange a half or full day on horseback across the steppe. For everyone, the evening ends the right way: a traditional Mongolian barbecue, prepared by the team, eaten together out in the open. While dinner is underway, the options are a walk up a nearby hill, time helping the family with tasks, or a stroll down to the river.
Today you retrace the road east. As our drivers say: go the other direction, and you see everything you missed the first time. They’re right.
Arriving back in Ulaanbaatar after days on the steppe can feel abrupt — the city traffic, the noise, the buildings. We’ve kept the afternoon free to ease the transition. Options include a hot shower, coffee at one of the cafes near the hotel, a walk around Sukhbaatar Square, or souvenir shopping along Peace Avenue.
The evening ends with a farewell dinner at a restaurant with panoramic city views — a fittingly elevated way to say goodbye to a country that tends to get under your skin.
We’ll arrange your transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport. Allow 1–2 hours for the drive depending on your flight time, and let us know how early you’d like to arrive. Check-in is currently slow (no fast bag-drop yet), but once you’re through, security and passport control typically take under 30 minutes. The airport is compact and calm — departure gates are two minutes from security, and there are cafes, a bookstore, and cashmere boutiques for any last-minute shopping.
After booking the trip, you will recieve a travel guide with more detailed logistics and information.
It's tempting to book flights right away to get the best deal. We advise you wait until the trip has filled and is confirmed to book your flights. If you want to do it sooner, make sure you have good cancellation terms or trip protection insurance.
Arrival: Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) Saturday, July 25th before 5:00pm
Depart: Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) - Tuesday, August 4th - anytime
Passport: Please make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond the end of the trip.
Visa: US citizens do not need a visa to travel in Mongolia.
If you have any questions, you can contact our travel manager, Marcy, at travel@nexttribe.com
Ger camps are fixed-site lodgings made up of traditional felt gers (also known as yurts) adapted for travelers — a genuine balance of comfort and cultural authenticity. Each ger has beds, bedding, and a central wood stove (lit when the weather calls for it), with shared dining and washing facilities on site.
Standards vary from camp to camp. Some are connected to the electrical grid; others rely on generators. Water typically comes from wells rather than a continuous supply, which can affect showers and water pressure. Due to seasonal, logistical, and infrastructural challenges in Mongolia, very few accommodations offer air conditioning. This is simply how things work in rural Mongolia — not a problem to solve, just a reality to settle into. Patience and a degree of flexibility make the difference between finding it charming and finding it frustrating.
Meals at ger camps are home-style Mongolian and international dishes — soups, noodle dishes, dumplings, rice-based meals, salads, and bread, with tea always available. Hearty, warming, and designed to fuel long days outdoors rather than impress a food critic. They’re reliably good.
When the group eats out at local restaurants, we often opt for picnic lunches instead. Restaurant service in Mongolia, even when dishes are pre-booked, can arrive in waves rather than all at once — a picnic means everyone eats together, at the same time, without the wait. The food is similar in style: simple, nourishing, and Mongolian.
Dietary requirements: please let us know at the time of booking so we can advise on what’s possible and flag any likely challenges. Mongolia’s remote regions do have real limitations, and guests with specific needs should come prepared to be flexible. If you need five pieces of fresh fruit a day to function, Mongolia may test your resolve. If you’re happy to eat what’s available and approach meals as part of the experience, you’ll do just fine.
For more on vegetarian options in Mongolia, a link will be provided in your pre-trip materials.
Drive times in the itinerary are approximate — road conditions, weather, and the occasional puncture all have a say in how the day unfolds. Breakdowns are part of travel in remote Mongolia; our drivers handle them with impressive efficiency and good humor. Only a small percentage of tour vehicles are equipped with air conditioning. There are stops along the way for photos, meals, and the kind of unexpected moments that end up being the ones people talk about afterward. Only a small percentage of tour vehicles are equipped with air conditioning.
Mongolia has a tradition around travel: the energy you bring to the journey shapes the journey itself. Watching the clock, stressing over delays, and demanding to know when you’ll arrive is considered bad form — and, honestly, counterproductive. The travelers who love this trip most are the ones who take off their watch and let the road do what the road does.
Approximate Drive Times
Ulaanbaatar to Khogno Khan (Day 3): 6–7 hours
Khogno Khan to Tsetserleg (Day 5): 5 hours
Tsetserleg to Tsenkher Hot Springs (Day 6): 2 hours
Tsenkher Hot Springs to Kharkhorin (Day 8): 4–5 hours
Kharkhorin to Ulaanbaatar (Day 10): 7 hours
Inclusions
10 Nights Lodging
10 Dinners
9 Lunches
10 Breakfasts
Ground Transportation
All activities in the itinerary
Entrance Fees
Entrance fees to monasteries, temples, and museums are included when you are with the local team. Please note this excludes camera tickets.
Certain locations, such as the interiors of monasteries, require a camera ticket for permission to take photographs. These fees vary by site and are not included in your trip cost. Festival tickets are provided if listed in the itinerary.
Airport Transfers
If you arrive on the day of the start of the trip, airport transfer is included. If you arrive or depart outside the official arrival and departure days, transfer is not included.
Exclusions
Roundtrip Airfare
Passport & Visa Fees
Alcohol not mentioned in itinerary
Travel Insurance (required for international trips)
Gratuities to local guides, drivers, maids and hotel staff
This video will tell you if you’re a good fit for a NextTribe trip. We are proud that we’ve become known for how quickly and deeply our groups of women bond on our trips. One of our rules: No divas, please.
For more information, please contact our travel manager at travel@nexttribe.com