At a Glance
Dates: Six departures between April and September 2027
Group Size: 2–6 guests. Guaranteed departure with two bookings
Duration: 9 Days/8Nights
Trip Style: Small group | Cultural journey | Road trip | Rural homestays
Locations: Ulaanbaatar and Mongolia’s central heartland, including Khustai, Khogno Khan, the Khangai Mountains and Kharkhorin
Price: Depends on departure date. See details on page
Key Experiences
- Four families, four perspectives: Spend time alongside four families in Mongolia’s central heartland, each with their own routines, livelihoods and connections to the landscapes around them. These are families we have worked with for many years, not specially arranged visits.
- A journey shaped by the seasons: From spring livestock births and the return of summer pastures to autumn’s cooler temperatures, each departure reflects a different time of year. Selected summer departures also include a local festival.
- Wildlife and wide-open landscapes: Look for Mongolia’s reintroduced takhi (Przewalski’s horses) in Khustain Nuruu National Park and explore the contrasts of Khogno Khan, where granite mountains meet sand dunes and open steppe.
- Kharkhorin and the Orkhon Valley: Explore one of Mongolia’s most historically significant regions, including Erdene Zuu Monastery, the Kharkhorin Museum and a local calligraphy project.
- Contemporary Mongolia: Spend time in Ulaanbaatar and small towns gaining a broader picture of Mongolia beyond its nomadic heritage.
- Space in the journey: Enjoy time that isn’t organised around an activity or attraction. There are opportunities to walk, sit, watch everyday life or simply enjoy being in the landscapes.
Highlights: 'Helping herd the animals, comb for cashmere, meals with families. Trade of binoculars!'
Modern Nomads Journey Details
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Description
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Itinerary Overview
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Pricing
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Map Of Route
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Accommodation, Toilets & Showers
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Meals & Drinks
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Transport & Road Travel
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Included
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Excluded
A Journey Through Mongolia's Central Heartland
Modern Nomads is designed for travellers who want to experience Mongolia's landscapes, history and everyday life but have a limited amount of time. Rather than trying to cover the country, we concentrate on the central heartland, allowing more time in each place.
Our route brings together Khustain Nuruu National Park, Khogno Khan's sand dunes and granite mountains, the rolling Khangai Mountains and the historic Orkhon Valley. Along the way, we spend time with four families who have been part of the EL story for many years.
Staying alongside these families provides opportunities to understand how rural life changes with the seasons, how people work with their livestock and how modern Mongolia continues to evolve. There are no specially arranged performances of daily life. We are welcomed into the ordinary routines of our hosts, joining in where appropriate and enjoying time together.
Beyond the family stays, there are monasteries, museums, small towns and roadside stops to explore. Some days involve longer journeys, while others allow more time in one place. The itinerary is deliberately flexible, reflecting the realities of travelling through Mongolia and our belief that the road is part of the holiday.
You’ll find the key locations and experiences below. For the full day-by-day flow (and the why behind it), please email us. We share the detailed itinerary by email so we can explain the pacing, driving days and options in context. We also keep a few moments back as a quiet surprise.
Day One | Welcome to Ulaanbaatar: Spend time in Mongolia's capital, gaining a sense of the city beyond its main sights and discovering more about contemporary Mongolia.
Day Two | Khustain Nuruu National Park: Look for takhi (Przewalski's horses) in their natural habitat and spend time with Batchuluun and his family, members of the Bayansonginot Cooperative.
Day Three & Four | Khogno Khan: Explore the granite mountains, sand dunes and open steppe of Khogno Khan, staying alongside Davaasuren and his family, whose camels provide an opportunity to explore the surrounding dunes.
Days Five & Six | The Khangai Mountains: Spend time alongside Galbadrakh and his yak-herding family in the rolling foothills of the Khangai Mountains, gaining an insight into their everyday lives and work.
Days Seven & Eight | Kharkhorin and the Orkhon Valley: Discover the history and culture of Kharkhorin, including Erdene Zuu Monastery, the Kharkhorin Museum and a local calligraphy project. Spend time alongside Tumee and his family in the Orkhon River Valley, experiencing another perspective on rural life in Mongolia.
Day Nine | Return to Ulaanbaatar: A road journey back to the capital, with opportunities for stops along the way. The tour ends with a transfer to your chosen accommodation. A complimentary airport transfer is also included, arranged according to your onward travel plans.
A Day to Suit You | Complimentary Terelj Experience: We also offer a complimentary day trip to the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue, Turtle Rock and Aryabal Temple. This can be arranged before or after your Modern Nomads journey, depending on your travel plans and availability.
Accommodation is an important part of Modern Nomads. Rather than using conventional tourist ger camps throughout the journey, we stay in simple accommodation provided by the families we work with.
The facilities are basic, but this approach allows you to spend more time alongside our host families and contributes directly to their household income.
Family Gers and Rural Accommodation
During the journey, you'll stay in guest accommodation provided by our partner families. Most have a small number of guest gers, set up according to the season and local conditions.
Accommodation is generally shared with two or three other guests, although the exact arrangements vary between families and locations. You will always have your own bed or sleeping space.
At Galbadrakh's family homestay, we currently use private guest gers, as indicated in the itinerary.
These are family-run facilities, not hotels. Furnishings are simple, and electricity, heating and other arrangements vary depending on the location and season.
Bedding and Sleeping Bags
You'll need a sleeping bag for the family accommodation. You may also want to bring a sleeping mat for extra comfort and a small travel pillow.
We have a limited number of sleeping bags available to borrow free of charge. These are purchased locally and are not temperature-rated, so please bring your own suitable sleeping bag if you are concerned about warmth or are travelling early or late in the season.
Toilets
Outside Ulaanbaatar, most of the toilets on this journey are simple outdoor squat or long-drop toilets.
There are also very few public toilets along Mongolia's rural roads. During driving days, we stop in suitable places in the countryside, and your trip assistant will explain how this works.
Toilet paper is provided, although we recommend bringing hand sanitiser and any personal hygiene items you may need.
Showers and Washing
Running water and shower facilities are limited in rural Mongolia. Our host families do not generally have showers for guests.
Where possible, we visit local town shower houses. These are used by local residents and usually have simple private cubicles with hot water. Please bring your own towel.
We also provide washing bowls and detergent for washing small items of clothing by hand. There are no washing machines available during the rural part of this itinerary.
Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar
Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar on the first and final nights is not included in the tour price.
We prefer to leave this choice to you because travellers have different budgets and preferences. We provide hotel recommendations and can help with bookings if required.
Meals
Food is part of the experience of travelling through Mongolia, whether we're preparing a meal in our mobile kitchen, stopping at a roadside guanz or sitting down to eat with one of our host families.
Each EL team travels with a simple mobile kitchen. Most meals outside Ulaanbaatar are prepared by your trip assistant or eaten in small local restaurants along the way.
We don't routinely expect our host families to prepare meals for our guests. Access to shops and fresh ingredients can be limited, and dietary requirements among travellers are increasingly varied. Taking responsibility for most of our meals reduces the work involved for our hosts and gives us more flexibility.
Our trip assistants are not professional chefs, but they are experienced in cooking for small groups on the road. Meals are generally simple, filling and based on ingredients available locally. We shop regularly in towns along the route, both to replenish supplies and to support local businesses.
Dietary Requirements
We can usually cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free diets, but please discuss your requirements with us before booking.
Fresh fruit, vegetables and specialist ingredients can be difficult to obtain outside Ulaanbaatar, particularly in spring or remote areas. Meals may therefore be less varied than you're accustomed to, and some ingredients may appear quite frequently.
We would rather explain these limitations in advance than promise a level of choice we cannot reliably provide.
Vegetarian Options in Mongolia
Meals in Ulaanbaatar
Lunch during your complimentary Intro to Ulaanbaatar is included. Other meals in the capital are not included unless specifically stated in the itinerary.
Drinks and Drinking Water
We provide drinking water throughout the journey, collected from water stations in towns along our route and carried in larger reusable containers.
We recommend bringing a filtered reusable water bottle. Alternatively, you can use a standard reusable bottle with suitable water-purification tablets. We provide information about filtered bottles, including an available discount, when you book.
If you prefer commercially bottled water, you can purchase it in shops along the way.
Tea and coffee are provided with meals and at various times during the day.
Soft drinks and alcohol are not included, apart from the welcome drink during your Intro to Ulaanbaatar. These can be purchased locally, although choices become more limited outside larger towns.
Why We Ask Travellers to Bring a Reusable Water Bottle to Mongolia
Our Drivers and Vehicles
Every EL journey is accompanied by an experienced Mongolian driver who knows the country's roads, tracks and changing conditions.
We work with older male drivers, many of whom have been part of our team for years. Their English may be limited, but they bring extensive practical experience, local knowledge and an understanding of how to navigate Mongolia's challenging road network.
Our drivers own their vehicles, which may include UAZ Furgon 4×4 vans, Hyundai Starex or Mitsubishi Delica vehicles. Because they are individually owned, interiors and seating arrangements vary, and some seats may face backwards. Vehicles are fitted with lap belts or standard seat belts, depending on the model.
We choose our drivers first for their experience, reliability and approach to their work, rather than prioritising a particular vehicle type.
This is not a luxury 4×4 journey. The vehicles are practical, and some have travelled many thousands of kilometres across Mongolia.
We contribute towards vehicle maintenance, and the vehicles used on our journeys undergo the required inspections and licensing for tourism use.
Meet Our Drivers Here.
What Road Travel Is Like
Mongolia is vast, and travelling between places is part of the experience rather than simply a means of getting somewhere else.
Modern Nomads includes paved roads, gravel surfaces and rough rural tracks. Depending on the season, roads can be dusty, muddy, corrugated or uneven. Average driving speeds may be considerably slower than visitors are used to.
The driving times shown in the itinerary are estimates. Weather, traffic, road conditions, river levels and occasional vehicle problems can all affect how long a journey takes.
We deliberately allow flexibility in our plans. There are opportunities to stop for photographs, visit roadside restaurants, explore small towns or simply take a break.
Breakdowns and Delays
Vehicle problems can happen, particularly on Mongolia's unpaved roads. Our drivers know their vehicles and are experienced in dealing with routine repairs and unexpected difficulties.
If a problem takes longer to resolve, our wider Mongolian team helps coordinate the next steps.
We always aim to keep the journey moving safely, but delays and changes are part of the reality of travelling in rural Mongolia.
We believe the road is part of the holiday, and we encourage guests to approach it with patience, curiosity and flexibility.
Your Mongolian Team
An experienced male Mongolian driver and a female English-speaking trip assistant throughout the rural journey, supported by the wider EL team in Ulaanbaatar.
Transport
All transport during the journey, including fuel, driver costs and the transfers and activities described in the itinerary.
Airport or Railway Station Transfers
Complimentary transfers on arrival and departure, arranged according to your travel plans.
Intro to Ulaanbaatar
Our complimentary introduction to the capital, including a local-style lunch and welcome drink.
Accommodation Outside Ulaanbaatar
Simple guest accommodation provided by our partner families, as outlined in the itinerary. Accommodation is shared unless otherwise stated.
Meals
Meals as shown in the day-by-day itinerary. Most are prepared by the EL team or enjoyed in local restaurants.
Drinking Water, Tea and Coffee
Drinking water throughout the journey, together with tea and coffee at meals and during the day.
Entrance Fees
Entrance fees for the monasteries, museums, protected areas and other included visits accompanied by the EL team. Separate photography or camera permits are excluded.
Festival Admission
Admission to a local festival where specifically included in your departure itinerary.
Horse and Camel Riding (If Included In Itinerary)
Optional horse and camel riding activities are included in the tour price unless otherwise stated. Please note that not all itineraries include these activities.
Riding helmets are provided, although these are purchased locally in Mongolia and may differ from the standards, fit or styles you are familiar with at home.
For horse riding, we recommend previous riding experience. All guests wishing to take part in horse or camel riding must have appropriate travel insurance that specifically covers these activities.
Practical Support
Pre-departure information and ongoing support from the EL team before and during your journey.
There is no compulsory food or tipping kitty on our trips.
What's Not Included & Other Costs to Consider
International Flights and Train Tickets
International flights and rail tickets to or from Mongolia are not included. We can advise on routes and provide guidance on rail arrangements, but international flights must be booked independently.
Ulaanbaatar's international airport code is UBN.
Ulaanbaatar Accommodation
Accommodation on your first and final nights in Ulaanbaatar is not included.
This allows you to choose accommodation that suits your own preferences and budget. We provide recommendations and can help with reservations.
Travel Insurance
Comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory for all EL guests. Your policy should include emergency medical treatment, evacuation and repatriation, cancellation and curtailment, together with any activities you plan to undertake.
We provide further guidance when you book.
Passport and Visa Costs
Passport, visa and any applicable registration fees are not included.
Visa requirements depend on nationality and can change. We can provide guidance once we know which passport you will be travelling on.
Personal Spending
Souvenirs, additional snacks, soft drinks, alcohol and other personal purchases are excluded.
There is no compulsory spending kitty.
Optional Gratuities
Our team members are paid for their work and do not rely on tips as part of their wages.
If you would like to give a gratuity at the end of your journey, it is entirely optional and appreciated. We provide guidance when you book.
Camera and Photography Permits
Some monasteries, museums and other sites charge additional photography fees. These are not included.
Personal Sleeping Equipment
You will need a sleeping bag for rural family accommodation. A sleeping mat and travel pillow may also be useful.
We have a limited number of sleeping bags available to borrow free of charge, although these are not temperature-rated.
Other Practical Information
Wi-Fi and Mobile Data
Wi-Fi is available in many Ulaanbaatar hotels and cafés but becomes much less reliable in rural areas.
For more regular access to the internet, we recommend purchasing a Mongolian SIM card or suitable eSIM. Coverage is not guaranteed throughout the route.
Delayed or Lost Luggage
If your luggage is delayed, we'll help you with the practical arrangements for its recovery.
If a separate driver journey to the airport is required, the additional time and fuel costs are charged separately.
Before You Travel
We provide detailed pre-departure information covering packing, weather, accommodation, insurance, money, etiquette and practical arrangements once your booking is confirmed.
Travelling With Our Team
Every journey is accompanied by one of our intergenerational Mongolian teams — an experienced male driver and a female English-speaking trip assistant. They take care of the practical day-to-day running of the journey, but just as importantly, they bring their own personalities, experiences and perspectives to the time you spend together.
We deliberately employ women as our trip assistants, including women who can be overlooked by a tourism industry that often favours guides who have lived, studied or worked abroad. For them, tourism offers more than paid work. It can provide greater financial independence and stability, time away from family and social responsibilities, the chance to develop new skills, and an opportunity to explore more of their own country. It can also be challenging, asking them to step outside familiar roles and build confidence through experience.
Your booking helps us provide this work, together with ongoing support, on a long-term basis rather than simply hiring people when we need them.
Our drivers are typically older Mongolian men with years of experience on Mongolia's roads. Bringing different generations together works well. There can be very traditional expectations around age, gender and authority in Mongolia, but travelling and working together creates its own rhythm. Decisions are shared, people learn from each other and, over time, strong friendships develop.
We don't hire our team for a season and then start again the following year. We work with and support them throughout the year, and many have been part of EL for a long time. That familiarity matters when you're travelling together for days or weeks — the team aren't strangers assembled for your departure.
The same applies to many of the families you meet along the way. These are people with whom we have long-standing relationships, not hosts selected simply because they happen to be on an itinerary. You'll spend time with them as their everyday lives allow, rather than expecting them to perform an experience for you.
And there are people behind the journey too. Jess and Turuu remain closely involved, together with Tuya in our Ulaanbaatar office. Even when your team is several hundred kilometres away, they're still part of a wider EL network supporting the trip.
FAQs
We have a detailed FAQ page covering everything from packing lists to payments. Below are answers to a few of the most common questions our guests tend to have at this stage.
What are your booking conditions and insurance requirements?
Deposit
- Deposit of US$ 600 pp with flexible payment options for the remaining balance
Booking Conditions
Our booking terms and conditions cover payments, cancellations, and other key details. You can read them here.
- If you decide to cancel your trip, by choice or necessity, up to 10 weeks before departure, we will fully refund your deposit (and balance if paid). Refunds will be made in GBP or US$ excluding fees we incurred to receive your payment and any cancellation fees we incur for domestic flights or accommodation booked at your request. The actual amount you receive may be lower or higher depending on the exchange rate used by your bank.
- If you decide to cancel between 10 and 31 days before departure, we will fully refund your balance (if paid), and your deposit will be held as credit to be used on a different trip instead (with no cut off date. This can be transferred to a friend or family member). Refunds will be made in GBP or US$ excluding fees we incurred to receive your payment and any cancellation fees we incur for domestic flights or accommodation booked at your request. The actual amount you receive may be lower or higher depending on the exchange rate used by your bank.
- If you cancel within 30 days of departure, we will retain the following percentage of your deposit and balance.
- 30 days before departure – 50% of holiday cost
- 29 – 15 days before departure – 90% of holiday cost
- Less than 15 days before departure – 100% of holiday cost
Notes
- There is no time limit on when you may use your deposit credit, but it is non-refundable if you decide to cancel in future.
- Failure to join the tour will also mean you forfeit the tour cost. We will deduct the cancellation charge(s) from any monies you have already paid to us.
Travel Insurance — Required For All Journeys
We ask all travellers joining an Eternal Landscapes journey to have comprehensive travel insurance in place before they travel.
Mongolia is a vast country, and many of our journeys spend time in remote areas. Good travel insurance is part of travelling responsibly including for your own peace of mind.
We provide travel insurance guidance on booking, but it is your responsibility to choose a policy that meets your needs and covers the activities included in your journey.
Your policy should include cover for:
emergency medical treatment
medical evacuation and repatriation
trip cancellation or curtailment
personal injury
If your journey includes horse riding, please check that this is specifically covered, as some standard policies exclude it.
Before your trip begins, we ask you to send us a digital copy of your insurance certificate.
Please check your policy carefully before travelling and speak directly with your insurer if you are unsure about any aspect of your cover.
Who is this experience for?
This Is Right For You If…
Modern Nomads is suited to travellers who are curious about Mongolia beyond its best-known sights, comfortable with simple rural accommodation and willing to approach the journey with patience and flexibility.
You don’t need to be especially fit or experienced in adventure travel, but you should be reasonably active, comfortable with long road journeys and happy to share accommodation with other group members.
Above all, this journey suits people who enjoy spending time with others, appreciate ordinary encounters and don’t feel that every hour needs to be filled with organised activities.
This May Not Be Right For You If…
- You prefer luxury accommodation or frequent hot showers
- You’re uncomfortable with basic rural facilities, including occasional shared accommodation
- You expect fixed schedules and tightly planned days
- You’re looking for staged cultural performances or highly curated moments for social media
- You approach travel with a checklist mindset rather than an interest in everyday life
Accessibility Considerations
Our small-group journeys are shaped around traditional celebrations, rural environments, and specific travel routes. As a result, experiences may or may not be suitable depending on individual accessibility needs. We encourage travellers to review our Accessibility Information page for further detail and to get in touch with us directly with any questions — we’re always happy to talk through what’s possible and help you decide whether a particular trip is the right fit.
Can this journey be adapted as a tailor-made trip?
If our travel philosophy resonates with you but you’d prefer a private trip or some flexibility around the itinerary, we can tailor elements of this experience to suit your needs. This might include upgrading some accommodation, adjusting travel dates, or extending or shortening the journey. Get in touch to talk through the options and see what’s possible.
Do I need to know anything about Mongolian cultural etiquette?
You don’t need to arrive in Mongolia knowing every custom or tradition. When you book, we’ll provide an introduction to Mongolian culture and etiquette, and once you’re here, your trip assistant will help you navigate the everyday customs you encounter along the way.
Small gestures can carry meaning in Mongolia. These might include stepping over rather than on the threshold of a ger, accepting tea or food with your right hand, being mindful of where you point your feet, or showing respect around the stove, family altar and central supports inside a ger.
But please don’t worry about getting everything right. Our hosts understand that visitors may be unfamiliar with local customs, and your trip assistant will be there to offer gentle guidance when needed.
What matters most isn’t memorising a list of rules, but approaching the people you meet with curiosity, consideration and respect. A willingness to listen, learn and adapt goes a long way.
If you’d like to explore more before travelling, you’ll find stories and insights into Mongolian culture and everyday life in our Journal.
What should I pack?
Mongolia’s weather, road conditions, and accommodation styles vary widely by season and region, so packing well makes a real difference to your comfort.
We send all guests detailed packing information on booking, but you can also use our seasonal guides as a starting point. For summer journeys, see our Mongolia summer packing list. For colder months, see our Mongolia winter packing list.
Discover More About the Places You'll Visit On Modern Nomads
