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Mongolia, the largest landlocked country in the world, is located in East Asia and bordered by China to the south, east, and west, and Russia to the north. Its capital, Ulaanbaatar, is a blessed sparsely populated natural beauty while the country’s grand nature is home to the endangered snow leopard and Gobi bear.
From barren desert to rolling sand dunes; rocky valleys to deep canyons; lush, green national parks to snow-capped mountain ranges —Mongolia’s seclusion and geographic variety make it ideal for discovery via grand adventures…something the best Mongolia tours are all able to deliver.
It is famous for its nomadic way of life, rich cultural heritage, and distinct blend of traditional and modern influences with vast and bumpy landscapes.
Known for its signature distinguishing feature, the nomadic lifestyle, which can still be seen today as 40 percent of Mongolians are living as Nomadic herders in remote villages sleeping in traditional ger tents.
As a curious traveler wishing to get the most authentic and first-hand experience of a typical Mongolian Nomadic lifestyle, visiting a nomadic family and partaking in their everyday activities of milking cows, making cheese, and even sleeping in a ger tent will be a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in this unique way of life.
Covering an area of 1,564,116 square kilometers (603,909 square miles) with a population of just 3.35 million people, Mongolia becomes one of the most untapped and undisturbed natural wonders in the world.
What this means to travelers is an inexhaustible possibility of adventure and an unimaginable connection to mother nature. From the grassy steppes and mountains of the north and west to the Gobi desert of the south, there is a unique bit of hidden wonder in every cubic foot waiting to be discovered.
In your quest to explore Mongolia, there are many ways to go about it. Some of you will prefer to hit the road alone while some of you will want to hang on with a partner. Both of these ways are okay but the best way to really get the most out of Mongolia is by joining a group tour.
Group tours are made up of solo travelers, couples and even small families coming together because of their interests in a common destination. This makes it so much easier for you to share your experiences with the group and even make everlasting friendships along the way. Nothing beats a friendship made while making memories.
Well, in case you doubt that, try making new friends while hiking one of the peaks of Mongolia. You will surely understand what we mean.
By the way, Mongolia is too huge a country to be explored alone. This incredible vast land has so much to offer to you as a traveler and it can be quite stressful trying to figure out what activities to do on day 1 in Mandalgovi not to talk about days 2 and 3. Heck! What if you should spend a week or two? That’s a bitter-sweet nightmare right there.
We do not mean to scare you but we just want you to not be energy-frozen during your trip planning to Mongolia. You should be excited and energetic to be on the get-go to discovering the hidden gems of this magical country. This is why we are giving you these 6 best tours to discover Mongolia with ease.
Besides, tour operators will give their all in making your trip as seamless as possible because they have no choice but to make you happy. They will take care of your travel itinerary, accommodation, meals and transportation and plus they will lead the way to a great adventure. What on earth can beat that?
So, without further ado, here are the 6 best Mongolia tours to disco with Ease. Top-rated Tour Operators provide these six best tours, which provide exceptional experiences and excellent value for money. We carefully filtered and selected them in order to provide you with a list of the best tours in Mongolia.
So, much as we have done for the best Georgia tours and best Nepal tours, here we are going to be talking about one of the best Mongolia tours (and their operators), so you can be inspired – and then choose with confidence.
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Nomadic Mongolia
G Adventures
What is it like to travel with the world’s best small group adventure travel operator with over a thumping 30 years of experience? Oh, you do not need to explain, we understand that feeling. We understand how it feels while traveling with G Adventures, a European tour operator with a proven track record in organizing the best experiences for its clients.
G Adventures takes pride in showing you the best places on the face of the earth and why you should always be on the get-go in search of hidden gems of the world. They have taken travelers to every nook and corner of the globe, this time, they want to take you to Mongolia for an unforgettable discovery. Are you set?
On this tour, you will be taken on a thrilling adventure to discover first-hand the typical nomadic lifestyle. Let’s say that you will experience living like a local in the remote villages of Mongolia. We are forced to ask how the nomadism way of life still stays today as a prominent part of the lives of 40% of Mongolians. A little bit of story here. Since the dawn of time, the Mongols have been nomadic people.
Genghis Khan established the Mongol Empire in the 13th and 14th centuries by uniting many nomadic tribes of the Mongol steppe, which is now known as modern-day Mongolia. Long after the reign of Genghis Khan, nomadism remains a way of life in modern Mongolia. Interesting! But you can find out more when you get to Mongolia.
You will visit the Gobi Desert located in southern Mongolia where you can find endangered species like snow leopards and Bactrian camels. The area is well known for its dunes of sand and rolling mountain peaks. You will meet a nomadic camel-herding family and opt to hike along the sand dunes as well as explore the area by riding a camel. We bet this is your first time on a camel’s back. No?
This fully-guided trip takes a group of 14 between the ages of 12 to 90 years old. It is family-friendly and highly adventurous and costs $2323 per person including your accommodation, meals and transportation for 14 days.
Wild Mongolia
Intrepid Travel
What is the one thing you will never, ever trade? Time? You got it! Time is unquestionably your most valuable commodity at all times, even when you are on a thrilling vacation to Mongolia. We understand that you may be concerned that you will spend all of your valuable time with a group and will be constantly on the move If you opt for a group tour.
Well, you don’t have to worry about finding time for yourself with Intrepid Travel. Because there is always a mix of group and ‘you’ time on the tour. They know that you need time for yourself to rest well or be out and about with your partner exploring the nearby city on your own.
Intrepid Travel is known for its small tour groups of 10 people on average, as well as for embarking on massive adventures – all while traveling responsibly and building long-lasting friendships between people who shared everlasting memorable moments during a trip.
On this tour, you will mostly stay in tourist ger camps once you are outside of Ulaanbaatar, where you will encounter simple conditions such as outdoor toilets and nights without hot water. Don’t freak out, calm down. This is just going to be for a few days. By the way, have you ever used an outdoor toilet? If you have never, yuh! Happy First Time.
At the family ger camps, you will experience life as a nomad, living close to the land and the animals. There may be mattresses on the floor in a shared ger, with little or no electricity and no washroom facilities. You will appreciate your life and the comfort in which you live after this experience.
Because this is nothing like what you are used to, it is a challenge to get out of your comfort zone and experience the ways of living of the nomads. This is a true taste of a Mongolian Nomadic Lifestyle living in the open by the countryside.
But there’s more to this trip than that. Typically, the driving distance between destinations is hours long, but there will never be a dull moment because those long driving hours will be turned into relaxing road trips. From unwinding your tired body to singing beautiful songs with your tour group and discovering the unique scenery along the way, you are sure to love Mongolia more.
What is even more exciting is the occasional stops to interact with the locals and build strong connections with them. Nothing beats the feeling of connecting with a fellow human being from a completely different background; It is a pure feeling.
We have not even covered a pinch of what you can do on this tour. It’s an unending list. You can join the trip if you are between the ages of 15 to 99 years old. It costs $3491 per person and takes a group of 12 for 15 days. It includes your accommodation, meals and transportation.
Mongolia Explorer
Explore!
Explore! As the name suggests, is a European tour operator with over 40 years of experience designing and guiding tours both within and outside of Europe. They enjoy taking their guests to hidden gems of a destination that few or no other travelers are aware of; it’s as if that is their unique weave of secrets. But what do you expect from a company in its forties? We mean, they have been in the game for a long time.
They believe that visitors should experience a country rather than just observe it. After all, why are you going on this trip in the first place? Explore will bring you closer to the Nomads and their way of life in their quest to give you an unforgettable experience.
Have you ever heard of the biggest traditional celebration in Mongolia? The Naadam Festival is an annual celebration of the three games of men. The games as prescribed by the Mongolians are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing, and archery, which can be dated as far back as the 13th century.
We were surprised to find out that traditional cuisine, or Khuushuur, is served throughout the Sports Stadium, along with a special fermented horse milk drink or sometimes called airag. Is horse milk drinkable? Well, you can find that out when you attend the festival.
On this tour, you will cross paths with the Gobi desert, visit the revived Erdene Zuu Monastery and explore Genghis Khan’s ruined capital of the 13th-Century which is located in what is now known as Central Mongolia. After centuries of ruin, the leftovers of Karakorum are still seen on the earth’s surface. This makes it an interesting place to visit and learn about the once-biggest empire on planet earth.
After your historical exploration, you will be ready to visit and discover the Yol Valley, where you will take a leisurely walk. The valley’s scenery is breathtaking, with permanent glaciers, small waterfalls, and a narrow, steep-sided canyon; you might be lucky to set eyes on the rare animals such as Siberian Ibex, snow leopards, and bearded vultures living there.
The tour is fully-guided and family-friendly. It takes a group of 16 between the ages of 16 to 85 years old and costs $3910 per person for 13 days including your accommodation, meals and transportation.
Wild Mongolia and Golden Eagle Festival
Sundowners Overland
Sundowners Overland was founded by fearless explorers of Melburnian origin who explored from Australia to Asia and all the way to Europe in search of that one true authentic travel experience some 55 years ago. This incredibly knowledgeable tour operator has stayed true to its founding principles of providing exceptional and captivating journeys for travelers. They have served generations of travelers in a way that few can match.
You will be taken on an exciting journey through Mongolia’s beautiful mountainous regions, traverse the steppe and desert in search of ancient archaeological sites, stay with a nomadic family, and witness the vibrant Golden Eagle Festival.
On this tour, you will visit Mongolia’s largest monastery, Gandan Khiid, where you will be able to interact with Buddhist monks as they go about their daily rituals. Recently, there are over 150 monks living here. You will see the impressive 25-meter-tall Buddha made out of gold, which is a symbol of Mongolian national pride and cultural revival.
After thrilling sightseeing, you will visit the striking Khorgo Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park and the region’s most notable natural wonder; the Great White Lake. Many extinct volcanoes can be found within the national park area, the last of which is the Khorgo volcano, which is the most glorious among Mongolia’s over 300 extinct volcanoes.
The spectacular basalt-covered valleys are home to rare flora and fauna that you may see during your visit. Terkhiin Tsagaan, a freshwater lake formed after a lava flow from the volcanoes blocked the north and south of the Terkh rivers, is famous for its fish and birdlife, including the Ruddy Shelduck and Great Cormorant.
This tour takes a group of 15 people between the ages of 16 and 90 years old. It is fully guided and family-friendly too. It costs $6490 per person for 16 days including your meals, transportation and accommodation.
Mongolian Panorama
World Expeditions
World Expeditions is a leading small-group travel company that was founded in 1975. For over 48 years, the company has lived on a simple philosophy of providing extraordinary adventures for small groups of travelers with a keen focus on responsible tourism and community support.
This philosophy is even stronger today, with itineraries ranging from multi-day authentic adventures and cultural treks to cycling journeys and mountaineering exploration spanning every continent.
Known for its responsible traveling initiatives that remain at the center of its global operations, World Expedition is supported by some of the world’s most experienced and respected travelers. They vow to continue innovating groundbreaking itineraries, redefine their classics and continue taking their travelers off the beaten path on each adventure.
This thrilling journey will take you through the mountain glaciers, desert landscapes, huge lake basins, and steppe grasslands of far western Mongolia. In the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, you will embark on an adventurous trek to the base of Turgen Mountain, where there is a long glacier at the foot of the peak.
You will be opportune to visit local nomadic herders to learn about their traditional way of life, from the hunting mastery of the Kazakhs to the hauntingly beautiful throat-singing of the Tuvan people.
The scenery is beautiful, and the air is clean and crisp, with the majestic mountain peak towering above. During the summer, nomadic families in the area move their gers up into these valleys to graze their livestock herds. This forges a relaxing scenery in the open with charming weather and breathable fresh air. You will have the feeling of unwinding in the world’s most sparsely populated country.
There is so much more to explore and learn in this vast virgin land than we can possibly pen down. So lace your hiking boots, grab your backpack and head out for an exciting journey to the land of the nomads.
This tour takes a group of 14 people between 16 to 80 years old and costs $4390 per person for 18 days. It is fully guided and family-friendly and includes your accommodation, meals and transportation.
Cycling In Mongolia And The Naadam Festival
Exodus Travel
Exodus Travels is a European tour operator that has been taking people on extraordinary and thrilling adventure vacations for 45 years.
They have always believed that there is something special about visiting a new country, learning about a new culture, or simply being in a new environment – whether it’s a mountain range, desert, or jungle – that can’t be matched. We agree; there is something special about travel in general. How about you?
Exodus Travel took its first group of travelers to the Himalayas Mountains 45 years ago and has since expanded to offer more than 500 itineraries in over 90 countries. What happens when experience meets a desire to travel? Nothing but an incredible and unforgettable adventure.
On your bikes, you will cycle through the mysterious virgin lands of Mongolia going across wide and open steppes into dramatic mountain scenery. The clean and crisp air blows while you ride past the nomadic families setting up their gers with their herds grazing by a close grassland. This will mark the start of a great adventure on a bike.
From Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital you will board an overnight train to Erdenet – Mongolia’s third-largest city which is also the home to one of the largest copper mines in the world. While on the train, you can enjoy the breathtaking views of the countryside and appreciate nature’s perfect creation. You will spend the night in very comfortable compartments on the train.
From your camp, you will cycle through undulating terrain, crossing the Orkhon River and head to the capital of the once biggest empire in the world – the Karakorum which is now known as Harhorin. But, after a 35-kilometer cycle, you deserve a relaxing shower before embarking on your journey to discover the history behind the ruins of this once-great empire.
You will head out to explore Erdene Zuu Monastery, Mongolia’s largest and most famous monastery. It was built in 1586 on the ruins of the ancient capital by Abtai Khan. Many parts of the monastery were damaged during the tragic Stalinist purges of the 1930s, but a majestic wall with 108 stupas and a number of temples still remain to be seen on the face of the earth.
We have tried to pen down the best tours to discover Mongolia but the feeling of experiencing these tours can never ever be represented on paper. There are endless possibilities in Mongolia – trying the nomadic lifestyle, hiking or biking or attending the Naadam Festival and so on. As a traveler, it is really up to you to design your peak. We have paved the way for you to start your thrilling adventure.
If none of these tours work for you in Mongolia, please do not worry. There is a wide variety of tour options in the country, and we are confident that there will be something that fits your needs and interests.
Take a look at all the group tours in Mongolia now, which you can sort by private or group, maximum sizing, budget, dates and much (much more). The team at TourRadar is also always more than happy to answer any questions, provide further information or assist in any way in finding the perfect tour for you.
