Best of Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

The crew will greet you upon your arrival at the airport. A city tour can be arranged depending on your arrival time. Ulaanbaatar is a fast-growing modern city with more than 1.3 million habitants. City sightseeing includes Bogd Khan's Winter & Summer Palace, a series of beautiful traditional buildings in which the eighth Living Buddha and the last king lived. It is now a museum displaying fascinating artefacts and costumes associated with the last king as well as his collection of stuffed animals.

In the evening your tour guide will give you a short briefing about the coming trip and answer all your questions before he takes you to a famous Mongolian restaurant for the first taste of Mongolian food.

Today you will take a plane to Olgii, capital city of Bayan-Olgii province. Unlike the rest of Mongolia, which is dominated by Khalkh Mongolians, about 90% of Bayan-Olgii's population are Kazakh, almost all of them are Muslims. Olgii even has its own little mosque.

Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by our local team and drive into the national park. We will set up our tented camp on a truly idyllic spot further in the park.

Today you will go deeper to Tavan Bogd National Park to begin an 18 km descent into the base camp. Camels will carry your baggage, which will be managed by the polite and supportive Tuvan people. On your way, you’ll pass by the Potanin and Alexander Glaciers, which have ice peaks. The glaciers are situated between 3,500 and 4,000 meters above sea level. They are the source of the Tsagaan River and run for 16 kilometers. You will get ready for the next day's trek to Malchin Peak when you arrive at base camp.

The Tavan Bogd Mountains are considered sacred to local Kazaks, Tuvans and Mongolians. The park stretches from Russia along the Chinese border, following the Altai Mountain Range that divides China, Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan, for over 200 km. Ancient tribes have left many artifacts, using the region for religious ceremonies. Today, tens of thousands of petroglyphs in the park are part of a World Heritage Site. In addition, there are numerous Turkic Stone Men and stone burial mounds.

You will start your trekking day from base camp. After a good breakfast, set off for our expedition to the Tavan Bogd Glacier. You will trek through a high mountain terrain of rocks and wetlands. You will have a beautiful view of the 5 mountain peaks of the Tavan Bogd Mountain and of its glacier. In front of you, you will have the absolute top of the Altai Mountain Chain and the highest mountain peak of Mongolia.

Your final destination of today is the smallest of Tavan Bogd’s mountain peaks, the Malchin peak (4050m). From the mountaintop you can see Russia and China.

Today, you will drive to Khurgan & Khoton Lakes. On the way, you can drive to Tsengel sum to see big and beautiful 2 deer stones located 15km to the south, which is registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Khurgan and Khoton lakes are the second largest and clearest of all lakes in Mongolia, the average depth is 26m, and the maximum depth is approximately 58m. The Khoton and Khurgan Lakes are connected by a wide natural channel. The landscape around the lakes is very beautiful and picturesque, with snow-capped mountains.

Today you will start driving back to Olgii town. On the way near Sagsai village you will visit Kazakh families in their traditional Ger, bigger than Mongolian Gers and brightly decorated with handmade rugs. You will enjoy a cup of tea and share with your hosts delicious Kazakh dishes while chatting and deepening your knowledge of rich Kazakh culture and custom.

This afternoon you will go trekking in a nearby mountain valley and ride on horseback together with hunters through the scenic landscape. In the evening you will head back to Olgii.

Today you fly back to Ulaanbaatar. Our team will take you directly to your hotel. You may enjoy the free afternoon to catch up on all the places you haven’t visited yet. You can check out the beautiful cultural show, enjoy the colourful and rhythmic Mongolian dance, throat singing, or admire the contortionists.

Your tour ends after breakfast. You may depart any time you wish.