The land of eternal blue sky — Genghis Khan's homeland, vast steppes, the Gobi desert, nomadic herders in ger camps, and golden eagle hunters in the Altai mountains.
3 million people in a country the size of Western Europe. Drive for hours seeing only horses, sheep and gers (yurts). Silence on a scale most travellers have never known.
Singing dunes at Khongoryn Els, dinosaur fossils at the Flaming Cliffs, two-humped Bactrian camels. The desert is cold in winter and dry in summer.
Stay with herding families — milk tea, fermented mare’s milk, mutton stews, sleep on a felt-lined floor. Genuine immersion, not staged.
Mid-July — wrestling, horse racing, archery. ‘Three manly games’ that go back to Genghis Khan. Best in Ulaanbaatar.
In the western Altai mountains, Kazakh families still hunt with trained golden eagles. The annual Eagle Festival (October) is extraordinary.
Roads are tracks. Lodging is basic. There are no shops between settlements. This is a trip for people who want the real thing.
Warm days, cold nights, dry roads, all ger camps open. Naadam Festival (Jul 11–13) is the highlight. Book the country well ahead.
Cooler shoulder months. May for greening steppe. October for the Eagle Festival in the west. Layered clothing essential.
Brutally cold. Camps close. Only Ulaanbaatar functions. We don’t run trips outside Jun–Sep.
Khongoryn Els dunes, Flaming Cliffs, ice valleys.
Endless grassland with herds, gers, falconers.
July festival — wrestling, racing, archery.
Western Altai Kazakhs still hunt with golden eagles.
Traditional felt-walled homes — still how most rural Mongolians live.
Lake in the north — Switzerland-like, taiga reindeer herders nearby.
Capital — 50% of the population. Soviet relics meet modern wealth.
Most prolific dinosaur fossil region on earth. Velociraptors first found here.
Our 15-day guided 4×4 self-drive across the steppe and Gobi. Ger camps, nomadic family stays, full Mongolian crew. Mid-August departure.
Naadam-timed trips, photographic expeditions, Eagle Festival add-ons, deeper west Altai immersion — all custom.
3 million people, 30 million livestock, of which ~4 million are horses. Children learn to ride before they walk.
He died in 1227 and was buried in secret — the funeral procession reportedly killed everyone they met to keep the location hidden. National pride forbids the search.
Only 3% of the Gobi is sand dunes. Most is gravel plain, rocky outcrops and pasture. The image of camel caravans crossing endless sand is mostly myth — and mostly the Sahara.
Our August expedition is one of the most remote trips we run. For other formats — Naadam, Eagle Festival, photography — we'd love to design it bespoke.