Modern Nomads | Small Group Tour | 9 Days | Various Departures

This small group journey allows you to explore three of Mongolia’s most recognisable landscapes — expansive open steppe, sand dunes and the historic Orkhon River Valley — while also experiencing something less easily defined: the rhythm of everyday life in modern Mongolia.

Travelling through the central heartland, you will spend time with four different families, each offering a different perspective on rural life. These are not one-off tourism encounters. They are families we work with through long-term local community partnerships, which have developed over many years. Because of that, we know the people behind the experience and understand more of the realities of their lives — the work involved, the seasonal pressures, the changes taking place and the everyday joys as well as the challenges.

You will stay alongside family homes and encampments and have time simply to be in each place rather than constantly moving on. The aim is not to present rural Mongolia as a performance, or to promise an idea of “authenticity”, but to introduce you to Mongolia as it is lived by the people who call these landscapes home.

At the same time, each region has its own history, traditions and contemporary character. Along the way you might take a camel ride beside the dunes of Khogno Khan, explore a monastery, visit a small-town museum, spend time with a local calligraphy project, or simply stop at a provincial market or roadside cafe. These experiences help build a broader picture of Mongolia — one that includes both its nomadic heritage and the way people live today.

The journey is deliberately compact, but it is not rushed. Mongolia is enormous and this itinerary does not try to cover everything. Instead, it focuses on one part of the country in greater depth, giving you time to notice the differences between landscapes, communities and ways of life.

Across the year, each departure has been designed to have its own character. Whichever departure you choose, the journey remains rooted in the same idea: to travel through Mongolia in a way that is personal, grounded and connected to the people and places that make it what it is.

Ulaanbaatar

April 25: Welcome To Mongolia! Final Arrival day & Intro to Ulaanbaatar

On arrival, enjoy a complimentary transfer from the airport to your chosen accommodation. Join us for an informal introduction to Mongolia’s capital through local eyes, a local-style lunch, and a welcome drink

• Your own choice of accommodation | Free transfer | Local lunch

Central Heartland 

April 26: Wild horses at Khustai

Drive to and explore Khustain Nuruu’s wildlife and steppe environment, home to Mongolia’s wild takhi (Przewalski’s horse)

• Simple shared  guest alongside Batchulunn herding family | Outside squat toilet | Approx 3-4 hours driving time | B/L/D

April 27 & 28 : Sand dunes & sacred mountains at Khogno Khan

Drive to and explore the striking contrasts of this sacred granite mountain, where open steppe meets golden sand dunes.

• Simple shared  guest ger provided by Davaasuren herding family | Outside squat toilet & no showers | Apr 27 - Approx 6-7 hours driving time | B/L/D

April 29 & 30: Yak herding family homestay in the rolling Khangai Mountains

Live alongside a yak-herding family, sharing in the daily challenges and rewards of life in the Khangai Mountains. From tending animals to navigating the rhythms of a remote landscape, it’s an immersion into resilience as much as tradition.

• Simple private  guest ger alongside herding family (outside squat toilet & no showers) | April 29: Approx 6  hours driving time | B/L/D

May 1 & 2:   Discover culture and history at Kharkhorin & Orkhon River Valley

Spend two immersive days exploring the cultural and natural heritage of Kharkhorin —a UNESCO World Heritage site. Highlights include Erdene Zuu Monastery, the Kharkhorin Museum and the fabulous calligraphy centre.

• Simple shared  guest alongside Tumee herding family | Outside squat toilet & warm shower at local town shower house | May 1- Approx 7 hours driving time | B/L/D

May 3: A road trip back to Ulaanbaatar  

A travel day concludes with a transfer to your chosen accommodation in Ulaanbaatar. Enjoy a hot shower, take a wander, browse a few shops, or sit with a good coffee.

Your own choice of accommodation| Approx 3 hours driving time | B/L

Day To Suit You: It's all about Chinggis Khaan at Terelj National Park (complimentary day trip)

Enjoy a complimentary day being a true tourist as you visit the monumental 131-foot high statue of Chinggis Khaan and a few of the highlights of Terelj National Park.

• Your own choice of accommodation | Approx 1.5-2 hours driving each way | Local lunch

• Final group size of 2 guests: USD 2,825 pp
• Final group size of 3-4  guests: USD 2,650 pp
• Final group size of 5  guests: USD 2,430 pp
• Final group size of 6  guests: USD 2,215 pp

During this journey, you’ll experience a variety of accommodation styles, each offering insight into daily life in Mongolia and shaped by the season and setting:

Mongolian Family Ger Camps

Throughout the experience you’ll stay in a traditional Mongolian gers provided by our partnering families. Each family typically sets up 4–5 guest gers, thoughtfully adapted for the season. While the setup is simple and typically shared with 2-3 group members, you’ll always have your own bed and a comfortable personal space.

A sleeping bag is required at the family accommodation: We provide a free rental service but our bags are not temperature rated.

Facilities: Showers are available every 2–3 days at the local public shower house. Toilets are traditional outdoor short-drop latrines.

Ulaanbaatar

Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar on Day One and Nine are not included although we provide recommendations and can help with booking.

Meals

Each EL team travels with a simple mobile kitchen, and most meals outside Ulaanbaatar are either prepared by your trip assistant or eaten in local restaurants along the way. We also stop at guanz — local roadside cafés — and, where appropriate, share meals with the families we stay with.

We deliberately don't expect rural families to provide meals for our guests. Access to shops and fresh supplies can be limited, and dietary requirements have become increasingly varied. Preparing much of the food ourselves gives our host families less work and gives us more flexibility over what we can provide.

Our trip assistants are not trained chefs, but they cook for their own families and know how to keep you well fed on the road. Food is simple, filling and based around ingredients we can realistically buy as we travel. We grocery shop every few days in towns along the route, which helps us keep supplies fresh while also giving you a glimpse into everyday life in Mongolia.

Fresh fruit and vegetables can be limited outside Ulaanbaatar and larger towns, particularly in more remote areas and depending on the season. If five portions of fruit and vegetables every day are essential to you, rural Mongolia may be challenging.

We can usually accommodate vegetarians and a range of dietary requirements, including vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free diets, but please speak with us before booking. Choice can be limited and meals may become repetitive — there may be rather more boiled rice than you are used to! We would much rather explain the realities beforehand than promise a level of variety that isn't always possible once you are on the road.

In Ulaanbaatar, meals are generally not included unless specifically shown in the itinerary. On this journey, the included UB meal is lunch during your Intro to Ulaanbaatar day.

Vegetarian Options in Mongolia

Drinks & Drinking Water

We provide drinking water throughout the journey, collected from the water stations found in towns along our route. Rather than routinely buying single-use bottles, each team carries larger reusable water containers.

We recommend bringing a filtered reusable water bottle. We can provide a 15% discount, with details sent when you book and linked below. Alternatively, bring a standard reusable bottle and some Aqua Tablets for additional water purification.

If you would prefer bottled water, you can buy it yourself in shops along the way.

As well as drinking water, we provide tea and coffee with meals and at various times throughout the day.

Soft drinks such as juice and fizzy drinks are not included but are widely available. Alcohol is also excluded apart from the welcome drink during your Intro to Ulaanbaatar day. Beer, vodka and other drinks can be bought in shops and supermarkets along the route, although the choice becomes more limited in rural areas. Your team makes regular shopping stops during the journey.

Why We Ask Travellers to Bring a Reusable Water Bottle to Mongolia

Transport

Our driving team is made up of experienced Mongolian men we know personally and have worked with for many years. Their English is limited, but their driving knowledge is exceptional — from navigating rough terrain to mongolchlokh, improvising the Mongolian way when a tyre bursts or a vehicle breaks down.

And breakdowns can happen. Mongolia is hard on vehicles, particularly away from paved roads. What matters to us is having drivers who know their vehicles, understand the terrain and can usually deal with problems as they arise.

Each driver owns his own vehicle. Depending on the journey, this may include a UAZ Furgon 4×4 van, Hyundai Starex or Mitsubishi Delica. Because the vehicles are individually owned, interiors and seating layouts vary, including forward- and rear-facing seats. Vehicles are fitted with either lap belts or standard seat belts.

If you are expecting a luxury or high-end 4×4, that is not our style of travel. We choose our drivers first for their experience, reliability and knowledge, and then for the vehicle they own. Using driver-owned vehicles also helps provide long-term work and income for experienced local drivers and their families.

We contribute towards vehicle maintenance, and the vehicles used for our journeys undergo the required annual inspections and licensing for tourism use in Mongolia.

Learn more about our drivers and their tour vehicles here.

Travel Times

Road travel is a central part of experiencing Mongolia. It is a vast country, and getting from one place to another is very much part of the journey.

The daily travel times shown in the itinerary are estimates rather than promises. We deliberately allow generous timings because road surfaces, weather, traffic, river levels and occasional vehicle issues can all affect progress.

Average speeds are usually around 30–65 km/h, depending on conditions. On unpaved routes, the road may vary from relatively smooth gravel to corrugated tracks, rocky sections, mud, sand or uneven ground, sometimes all within the same day.

You really do need to be comfortable with road travel to enjoy this style of journey.

Transportation to and from the airport or train station: on arrival and departure days