Central & West Mongolia — Altai Mountains (15 Days

Tour overview

This is Mongolia for travellers who want it wide, wild, and wonderfully varied. In just over two weeks you’ll cross from the cultural heartland of ancient empires into the dramatic emptiness of the west — where salt lakes shimmer at high altitude, dunes rise from open plains, and the Altai Mountains cut a jagged line against the sky.

You’ll move through changing worlds: monastery courtyards and volcanic landscapes, migratory bird lakes and remote national parks, and finally the great finale — a trekking journey in Altai Tavan Bogd, home to glaciers, border peaks, and Mongolia’s highest mountains. Along the way there’s time for what makes Mongolia unforgettable: evenings with nomadic families, the quiet rhythm of life on the steppe, and a rare cultural encounter in Bayan-Ülgii with an eagle master’s family.

Tour facts

• Duration: 15 days / 14 nights

• Start / End: Ulaanbaatar / Ulaanbaatar (ends with domestic flight back)

• Travel style: Private overland expedition + trekking in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

• Accommodation: Tented camping, tourist camps, nomadic family stays, and local hotels

• Pace: Adventurous (long drives + multi-day trekking)

• Highlights: Khogno Khan • Karakorum & Erdene Zuu • Khorgo & White Lake • Telmen Lake • Bor Khar dunes • Hyargas Nuur NP • Achit Lake • Ulgii • Altai Tavan Bogd NP & Potanin Glacier • Malchin Peak trek • Eagle master family • Khovd culture & historic fortification

• Best season: Late spring to early autumn (typically June–September)

• Good to know: Permits are required for Altai Tavan Bogd National Park (arranged as part of the trip logistics)

Day-by-day program

Day 1 — Khogno Khan: where mountain, forest and Gobi meet

Drive west to Khogno Khan Natural Reserve — a protected landscape where granite peaks rise above open steppe and Gobi-like scenery, with pockets of forest tucked into the folds of the mountains. It’s one of Mongolia’s most photogenic “all-in-one” landscapes, and the perfect first day to settle into the vastness, the light, and the feeling of travelling far beyond the city.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Tented camping

Day 2 — Karakorum: the legacy of the Great Mongol Empire

Continue to Karakorum, once the capital of the Great Mongol Empire in the 13th century — a place where Mongolia’s history feels written into the landscape. Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery Museum, Mongolia’s first major Buddhist centre, and learn how it was closed and severely damaged during the political purges of the 1930s. You’ll also see local landmarks such as the historic turtle rock before settling in for the night.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Ger guesthouse

Day 3 — Khorgo & White Lake: a volcanic landscape turned serene

After breakfast you travel onwards to the Khorgo–White Lake region. The lake was formed by ancient lava flows, and the surrounding countryside carries a wild, elemental beauty — basalt textures, open skies, and a calm that feels almost otherworldly after the bustle of Karakorum.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Tourist camp

Day 4 — Telmen Lake: high-altitude waters and migratory birdlife

Drive to Telmen Lake in Zavkhan Province. This large salt lake sits at around 1,789 metres above sea level and is known for its islands and the seasonal presence of migratory birds. It’s a peaceful day of big horizons and reflective water — classic western Mongolia in a single scene.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Nomadic family stay

Day 5 — Bor Khar sand dunes: a quiet desert chapter

Today you continue to Bor Khar sand dunes — a remote dune area where the landscape becomes softer, warmer, and wonderfully minimal. As the wind reshapes the sand, the scenery changes by the minute, and the silence feels almost physical.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Tented camping

Day 6 — Life on the steppe: hiking and time with your hosts

A slower, more intimate day. Enjoy a hike in the surrounding landscape, and if you wish, take part in daily nomadic chores — learning through doing, sharing meals, and experiencing the rhythms of life that have shaped Mongolia for centuries.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Nomadic family stay

Day 7 — Hyargas Nuur National Park: salt lake wilderness

Drive to Hyargas Nuur National Park in Uvs Province. One of western Mongolia’s most impressive lake systems, Hyargas is vast and dramatic — fed by rivers and connected to a network of nearby lakes, including the freshwater Airag Nuur. In season, birdlife is abundant, with nesting sites and wide-open wetlands that feel completely untouched.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Tourist camp

Day 8 — Achit Lake: western Mongolia’s freshwater jewel

Travel to Achit Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the region, lying at about 1,435 metres above sea level. After days of salt lakes and desert edges, Achit feels like a gentle reset — calm water, open views, and a softer palette of colours and light.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Tented camping

Day 9 — Ulgii: the cultural gateway to the far west

Arrive in Ulgii, the capital of Bayan-Ülgii Province and the heartland of Mongolia’s Kazakh culture. This is also a practical day: permits are required to enter Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, and preparations begin to shift from road journey to mountain expedition.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Local hotel

Day 10 — Into Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

Drive into Altai Tavan Bogd National Park — a huge wilderness of peaks, valleys, and glacier-fed rivers, set near Mongolia’s western borders. You’ll spend the night at the park’s entry area, with the mountains now dominating the horizon and the trekking days about to begin.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Tented camping

Day 11 — Trek to base camp: Potanin Glacier

Begin your trek toward base camp near the Potanin (Puton) Ice Glacier (approx. 18 km). The scenery grows steadily more dramatic: wide alpine valleys, sharp ridgelines, and the first real sense of the Altai’s scale. This is the moment the journey becomes a true mountain adventure.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Tented camping

Day 12 — Malchin Peak: a summit day on the borderlands

An epic trekking day (approximately 8–10 hours). You’ll hike up to Malchin Peak — one of the five peaks of the Tavan Bogd massif on the Mongolia–Russia border — and then return to base camp. The views are vast and unforgettable: glacier lines, endless mountain layers, and the feeling of standing at the edge of a continent.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Tented camping

Day 13 — Eagle master family stay: Kazakh traditions in Bayan-Ülgii

Drive toward Ulaanhus to stay with an eagle master’s family. This is one of the most distinctive cultural experiences in Mongolia: learning about eagle hunting, how the birds are trained, and the stories and identity tied to this tradition. (Please note: summer is typically off-season for hunting due to the eagles’ moulting cycle.)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Nomadic family stay

Day 14 — Khovd: Mongolia’s most diverse province

Drive to Khovd, known as one of Mongolia’s most ethnically diverse regions. Visit the local museum to get a deeper understanding of the cultures that meet in this part of the country. You’ll also see the mud wall fortification “Sangiin Kherem,” built by the Manchus in 1762 — a fascinating historic trace in an otherwise timeless landscape.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Local hotel

Day 15 — Fly back to Ulaanbaatar

Transfer for your domestic flight back to Ulaanbaatar — ending a journey that has crossed Mongolia from its imperial heart to its high, glacier-cut western frontier.

Meals included: Breakfast

Accommodation: Not included (end of tour)

Included

• Private transport with experienced driver (including fuel)

• English-speaking guide

• Accommodation as listed (tents / tourist camps / nomadic family stays / local hotels)

• Meals as listed day by day

• Activities and visits described in the itinerary

• National park entry and permits as required for the described route (including Altai Tavan Bogd permit arrangements)

Not included

• International flights

• Domestic flight baggage overages (if applicable)

• Travel insurance

• Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks

• Snacks and personal purchases

• Personal equipment (e.g., trekking gear/clothing beyond what’s specified)

• Tips/gratuities (optional)

Upgrade option

A deluxe upgrade (higher-end accommodation and selected upgraded services) is available upon booking