Mongolia · GOBI DESERT TOURS
The Gobi is a flight or two days of driving from Ulaanbaatar, so this is the booking to make first. The 15 below range from a Semi-Gobi day at Elsen Tasarkhai to a week among the dunes and red cliffs, priced and clear about how much of it is road.
Travel from Ulaanbaatar to Elsen Tasarkhai with an English-speaking guide such as Bachi Nyangar or Angrag. Expect a long road trip, sand dunes, a short camel or horse ride, local lunch, a ger visit, and a close look at nomadic life.
“Amazing sightseeing, camel riding, Ger visit. An absolute eye-opening and unforgettable experience!”
Travel from Ulaanbaatar to Kharkhorin and Elsen Tasarkhai with an English-speaking guide such as Ang, Baaska, or Davka. Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery and the Kharkhorum Museum, ride a two-humped camel among dunes, share dinner with nomads, and sleep in a traditional ger.
“Wonderful tour and a must to do if you are in Mongolia. Baaska was an excellent guide. He was very knowledgeable,kind and nice. if you really want to see Mongolia this is the tour for you.”
Travel from Ulaanbaatar to Elsen Tasarkhai, about 280 kilometers southwest, for sand dunes, a Bactrian camel ride, nomadic hospitality, and Mongolian food. Guides such as Urtaa handle the day with hotel pickup, snacks, tea, lunch, and return transport. Expect about 11 hours, with much of it spent on the road.
“My husband and I recently travelled to Mongolia. We arrived a couple of days before our organized tour in part to enjoy the Semi-Gobi tour. We waited outside our hotel for over 1.5 hours and our pickup never arrived. We texted - no answer. We called and asked the hotel staff to call on our behalf and we were told that the phone number provided on the Viator website was not viable. This was a HUGE disappointment. We are STILL waiting for our refund.”
Travel from Ulaanbaatar to Kharkhorin and Elsen Tasarkhai with an English or Russian-speaking guide. See Erdene Zuu Monastery, the old Mongol capital, mini Gobi dunes, and nomadic life. Guide Jana is praised for her care and flexibility, though vehicle and guide arrangements should be confirmed.
“The trip to Kharhorin was an unforgettable experience! Even the journey there took me through an impressive landscape of endless steppes, gentle hills, and small nomadic camps. One of the highlights was the visit to Erdene Zuu Monastery, the oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. We were even lucky enough to see a film being shot there, which was a unique bonus. A particularly special part of the trip was the opportunity to stay with a local family. This allowed me to experience Mongolian hospitality up close and try traditional dishes, making the trip feel even more authentic. A big compliment goes to the guide: he was not only very knowledgeable…”
Leave Ulaanbaatar with an English-speaking guide such as Iggy, Namja, or Monkhmanlai, then cross grassland to Elsen Tasarkhai for a camel ride and ger stay. You’ll share traditional food with a nomadic family, visit Khugnu Tarni Monastery, Kharkhorum Museum, and Erdene Zuu.
“This guide is a real gem: knowledgeable in Mongolian history, kind, eager to please, flexible, willing to customize your tour, fluent in English, enthusiastic - the whole package. I’m a UN employee who was on mission, a woman touring alone. Read more”
Travel from Ulaanbaatar through Mongolia’s Gobi region in a private or small group with an English-speaking guide, cook, driver, and 4WD. You’ll hike Yolyn Am, ride camels at Khongor Sand Dunes, visit Bayanzag and Tsagaan Suvarga, and sleep in simple ger hostels.
“The itinerary is well chosen and time is optimized. It's a great way to meet Gobi and the people who live there. Accommodation and food are good if you're not vegetarian or vegan (if you are, you'll need dehydrated dishes, as there's meat at every meal). The landscapes are magnificent. Our guide Anku was very nice, encouraging us when it was physically hard and organizing our stay when there were unforeseen events. We have rain and floods in Gobi, it's very rare but it happens and it made our stay even more unique :). A special thanks to our driver Dava who overcame the weather conditions with a smile and…”
Spend 40 hours traveling from Ulaanbaatar to Sainshand by sleeper train, with a guide and driver for Khamriin Khiid, Bayanzurkh Mountain, Shambala Stupa, and Danzanravjaa Museum. Guides speak English, Japanese, Korean, or Russian, and groups are limited to 10.
“Loved our guide Taisun and our driver. Taisun was a great guide. Very knowledgeable with excellent English skills. My only complaint is somewhere different for lunch.”
Travel from Ulaanbaatar through Baga Gazariin Chuluu, Tsagaan Suvarga, Yoliin Am, Khongor Els, Bayanzag, Ongi Monastery, and Kharkhorin. You’ll ride with a group of no more than 10, sleep in family yurts or tourist camps, and return with a cashmere stop.
“Thank you Enza Tours for the good Organisation und the good tour-guide and the good driver - We will come again and we will tell people from your good service”
Leave Ulaanbaatar for Elsen Tasarkhai, the Little Gobi about four hours away. Your private guide, including Bayar when assigned, leads a dune walk, camel or horseback outing, lunch, and a visit with a nomadic family. Plan for a 7 to 9 hour day.
“Bayar was a very good guide and helped me thru all the way as a solo traveler. He speaks very good English. It was a memorable experience.”
Spend seven days traveling privately from Ulaanbaatar through Dundgovi and Omnogovi. See monasteries, granite formations, Tsagaan Suvarga, Yolyn Am, Khongor Sand Dunes, and Bayanzag, with meals, water, transport, and a camel ride included.
“I went off season, meaning most camps were already closed; nevertheless everything was arranged to sleep with nomadic families! One truly incredible experience. From pick up at the airport and all through the Gobi I was so well lookeRead more”
Take a domestic bus from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad, then explore Yol Valley and Khongor Sand Dune by vehicle, horse, and camel. English-speaking guides such as Dawka and Gantur lead this private four-day trip, with ger stays, local meals, and a return bus included.
“The tour was perfect. Amgaa (organizer) and Gantur (guide) are super. We visited Yolin Am, Singing Dunes, Flaming Cliffs (Gobi Desert), div. Museeums, slept in Gers (mongolian tents), ate (traditional) mongolian food, learnt mongolian history and had a great time. Thank you again for the experience.”
Travel privately from Ulaanbaatar through Baga Gazriin Chuluu, Tsagaan Suvarga, Ongi Monastery, Kharkhorin, Orkhon Waterfall, and Elsen Tasarkhai. You will sleep in family yurts, tourist camps, or ger hostels, eat most meals, and ride a camel in the sand dunes.
“What an amazing tour. We experienced horse riding, camel riding (included in the tour) and I saw a very nice cute eagle too (plus other amazing attractions). Our meals were great and some of them were arranged in restaurants which was qRead more”
Leave Ulaanbaatar at 5:00 am for a private day in Mongolia’s semi-Gobi. Ride a camel near Elsen Tasarkhai, visit a nomad family, eat lunch, and look for wild Przewalski horses in Khustai National Park. Bata is one staff member praised by name, though camel time and park access can vary.
“We drove for 10 hours for a 20 minute camel ride. It was it. Literally. We didn't see the sand dune or the Hustai park because of the torrential rain and the lack if time. Our car was old, with a broken windscreen wipes and seats and no safety features at all. It's not worth it for this type of money. On a brighter side, the scenery was fantastic.”
Leave Ulaanbaatar for the Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes, ride a camel, eat with a nomadic family, and sleep in a traditional ger. Guide Bachi, also listed as Baji, may lead the trip. The $234.88 price includes transport, meals, lodging, and fees, with a small group capped at 15.
“Bachi is a great guide with a wealth of knowledge and the family you stay with is very kind and giving. There’s some beautiful scenes and lots of yummy traditional Mongolian food. The Camel ride is actually only about 10-15 mins but still very enjoyable”
Spend eight days crossing Mongolia from Ulaanbaatar through the Gobi and Orkhon Valley in a 4WD vehicle. You’ll visit the Chinggis Khaan statue, White Stupa, Yol Valley, Khongor dunes, Flaming Cliffs, Ongi Monastery, and Karakorum, with camel and horse rides included. Guides such as Zaya and drivers such as Davaa have led past departures.
“Great driver and great guide who both took excellent care of me, and amazing vistas! Definitely sold me on Mongolia, and there were a fascinating mixture of different landscapes. The horse and camel riding experiences were very enjoyable as well. NGL though, the living conditions are pretty grim. The tents are cold even with the sleeping bag they give you, the toilets are outhouses where you usually need to bring your own paper/soap/etc, beds are less than comfortable and the roads are often bad. Completely worth it, but best to be prepared.”
Pick a park, a desert or a saddle.
