Experience the ultimate road trip adventure, combining the striking landscapes of the Gobi Desert, steppe, and sacred Lake Khovsgol with camel trekking, wild camping, and authentic connections with local communities, all capped by the State Naadam Festival.

The immense landscapes of Mongolia form a backdrop to any journey in the country but are a central element in our Untamed Mongolia adventure. One of our ‘Wild Tracks’ road trips, this is a remarkable and transformative travel experience that allows you to stay for longer and explore deeper.

Mongolians divide their country into three main landscapes – desert, steppe, and mountains and you’ll explore and discover the striking landscapes of the Gobi Desert, the high open steppe, and the spectacular lakeland and northern regions of Mongolia, including sacred Lake Khovsgol. But this isn’t about the highlights or a tick list of locations. Instead, our Untamed Mongolia will give you context, a real experience of Mongolia, the thrill of exploration, and also a sense of independence as well as the opportunity to engage with local communities that we work in long-term local community partnership with and understand their way of life, culture and the deep connection they have with the land.

This is the ultimate road trip and combined with a camel trek, wild camping, day hikes, and living alongside families that we work in partnership with, it allows you to immerse yourself in 21st Century Mongolia and its diversity of landscapes, its people, and its way of life.

This departure includes the State Naadam Festival in Ulaanbaatar.

Start Date: June 20th 2026

Duration: 23 Days (20 day option available – ask Jess for details)

Maximum Group Size: 6 which is refreshingly small by tourism industry standards—and we see that as a strength. Our small group sizes allow for more respectful, low-impact experiences with the host families we’ve built long-term community partnerships with. You’ll be one of few, not one of many, which creates a more genuine connection and a deeper, more personal insight into daily life. It also gives us the flexibility to adapt as we go, meaning no two journeys are ever exactly the same.

Your Local Team: Throughout your journey, you’ll be supported by our trusted Mongolian team—typically a male driver and a female trip assistant—who not only handle the logistics but also offer genuine warmth and insight along the way. You’ll also experience the hospitality and friendship of the local families we’ve built long-standing partnerships with. Jess and Tuya are available throughout your trip via WhatsApp for any questions or additional support.

FAQs: We’re a small company, but when you book with us, you can do so with flexibility & confidence

All images used throughout our website were taken either by EL guests or members of the EL team. This is the Mongolia that you will also experience.

June 20: Final Arrival Day "Intro To Ulaanbaatar'

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 & welcome drink

Gobi Desert

June 21: Baga Gazriin Chuluu rock formations

Travel through the vast open steppe to the dramatic and sacred granite formations of Baga Gazriin Chuluu.

Tent Camp | Outside squat toilet & no showers | Approx 6-7 hours driving time | L/D

June 22: Dalanzadgad & Gobi Museum of Nature and History

Arrive in the provincial capital of the South Gobi. Visit the Gobi Museum of Nature and History for insight into the region’s ecology and prehistoric past.

Twin-share ensuite hotel room | Approx 7-8 hours driving time | B/L * dinner independently or with team, your choice

June 23 & 24: Yolyn Am & Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park & Khongoryn Els sand dunes

Explore the dramatic Yolyn Am Canyon, nestled within the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park, before heading west to the towering dunes of Khongoryn Els.

Simple shared guest ger at family ger camp | Outside squat toilet & no showers | June 23: Approx 6 hours driving time | B/L/D

June 25: Bayanzag | The Flaming Cliffs

Visit the red sandstone landscapes of Bayanzag, known worldwide as the Flaming Cliffs, where the first dinosaur eggs were discovered—one of the Gobi’s most iconic sights.

Simple shared guest ger at family ger camp | Outside squat toilet & no showers | Approx 4-5 hours driving time | B/L/D

June 26 & 27: Erdenedalai homestay

Travel north into the wide, open landscapes of the Middle Gobi and the rural community of Erdenedalai, where you’ll be hosted by a herding family.

Simple shared guest ger alongside herding family | Outside squat toilet & no showers | June 26: Approx 6 hours driving time | B/L/D

Central Heartland

June 28: Khogno Khan Nature Reserve

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

Tent Camp | Outside squat toilet & no showers | Approx 6-7 hours driving time | B/L/D

June 29: Kharkhorin & Orkhon River Valley

Spend an immersive day 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.

Twin share ger at Anar Ger Camp | toilets & showers in separate block | Approx 2-3 hours driving time | B/L/D

June 30 & July 1: Tsenkher Homestay

Spend two days immersed in the rhythms and warm hospitality of a yak-herding family in the rolling Khangai Mountains.

Simple shared guest ger alongside herding family | Outside squat toilet & no showers | June 30: Approx 4-5 hours driving time | B/L/D

July 2 & 3: Suman River & volcanic landscapes

Journey to a landscape of quiet rivers and ancient volcanic formations—a location you won’t find in the guidebooks, and one that’s all the more magical for it.

Simple shared guest ger at family ger camp | Outside squat toilet & no showers | July 2: Approx 4-5 hours driving time | B/L/D

July 4 & 5: Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park

Discover White Lake, where you can wander the shoreline, climb nearby peaks, or simply pause to take in the park’s dramatic landscapes.

Tent Camp | July 4: Approx 2-3 hours driving time | B/L/D

Northern Mongolia

July 6: Zuun Lake

Break the journey with a stop at Zuun Lake—perfect for ridge walks with sweeping views, or simply finding a quiet spot to sit and breathe it all in.

Tent Camp | Approx 2-3 hours driving time | B/L/D

July 7 & 8: Khovsgol Nuur National Park

Experience the vast “Mother Sea” at sacred Khövsgöl Lake. For those seeking adventure, climb Chuchee Uul in the Khoridol Saridag Mountains for spectacular alpine vistas.

Shared ger at Gurvan Erdene Ger Camp or similar | toilets & showers in separate block | August 11: Approx 6-7 hours driving time | B/L/D

Ulaanbaatar & Nadaam

* July 9: Fly Ulaanbaatar

Take a domestic flight back to the capital, where the rest of the day is yours to spend as you wish.

Your own choice of accommodation | Approx 3 hours driving time | 1-2 hours transfer from Chinggis Khan International Airport | B * lunch depending on flight time

* July 10: Naadam Horse Racing

Travel to Khui Doloon Khudag to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy and traditions of Naadam’s horse races.

Your own choice of accommodation | Approx 1.5 hours travel time each way | L

* July 11 & 12: State Naadam

Two flexible days to experience the spectacle of Mongolia’s State Naadam. Using the guidance, and programme we provide, you’ll have the freedom to explore the celebrations at your own pace—wrestling, archery, horse racing, pageantry, and more. We also include a complimentary departure transfer on your final day.

Your own choice of accommodation

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 Gers

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, you’ll always have your own bed and a comfortable personal space.

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

Tent Camp

During the trek, you’ll sleep in camping tents These camps are intentionally simple—offering a minimalist and close-to-nature experience in the heart of the wild.

Mongolian Style Hotel

You’ll also spend two or three nights in a simple Mongolian-style hotel, typically in a twin-share room. Rooms are en-suite, though please note that hot water cannot always be guaranteed.

Ulaanbaatar

Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar on June 20 and July 10-12 is not included although we provide recommendations and can help with booking.

Map Of Route

Click on the link below to access the map

Group Size & Pricing

Our journeys are designed for small groups of 2–6 travellers with this trip guaranteed with five bookings.

Deposit: US$ 600 pp . Flexible payment instalments are available for the remaining balance.

Sliding Price Scale

Final group size of 5 guests: ~~US$ 5,720 pp~~ US$ 5,150 pp
Final group size of 6 guests: ~~US$ 5,170 pp~~ US$ 4,655 pp

We know your holiday funds are precious. This sliding scale keeps our trips personal and immersive, while making them more affordable when shared — so if you know someone who might like to join, invite them along and take advantage of our friends & family discounts.

Why Travel with Us?

We know budget is personal, and every traveller has different priorities. Our prices may be higher than those of larger or budget-focused operators, but here’s what your payment supports:

Small-scale, ethical tourism – we welcome just 150–200 travellers a year, keeping experiences personal and meaningful.
Micro group sizes – groups of 2–6, giving you the flexibility of a private trip with the social feel of a small group.
Thoughtfully designed itineraries – crafted by our founder, Jess, with an emphasis on flow, balance, and season rather than profit.
Long-term partnerships – we invest in our local team and host families, rather than hiring freelancers seasonally or arriving unannounced.
Positive impact – your payment supports local employment, community initiatives, and responsible travel practices.
Not luxury, but genuine – we prioritise authenticity, fairness, and connection over fancy extras.

Curious where your money goes? See the breakdown on our Positive Impact tab.

Included in the price

All meals outside of the city of Ulaanbaatar: These are mainly prepared and cooked by your local team so they are fresh and it means we offer more flexibility for any dietary requirements. We also provide filtered drinking water (not bottled), tea, and instant coffee.

You'll be supported by one of our great teams of a Mongolian driver and a female English-speaking trip assistant, ensuring an immersive experience. Jess and Tuya are available throughout via WhatsApp.

Our complimentary 'Intro To Ulaanbaatar' experience including a local lunch and welcome drink

A complimentary day visit to the Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex and Terelj National Park, including entrance fees and a local lunch

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

Entrance fees to monasteries, temples, and museums are included when you are with the local team. Please note this excludes camera tickets.

Festival tickets are provided if listed in the itinerary.

Not included in the price

International airfare to and from Mongolia

Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar: Our trip pricing excludes the price of accommodation in UB though. Why? Everyone is different is the standard of accommodation they prefer at the start and end of a trip. As there is now such a variety of hotels in UB it is easier to exclude this cost. I provide a list of ideas covering varying standards and budgets and I can also help with booking. There’s everything from a homestay through to Airbnb, US$10 guesthouses and the Shangri-La!

Domestic flight where/if applicable including any fees for excess luggage

Passport and visa fees: Let us know your nationality at the time of booking and we’ll confirm whether you need to apply for a Mongolian visa. It is a relatively easy process depending on your nationality and we can help with some of the formalities.

Travel insurance (mandatory)

Gratuities: Each member of the local team receives a responsible but fair salary and none have to rely on receiving gratuities to supplement their income. In addition, we make sure that everyone who works with us or helps us is fairly rewarded for their work and the service they provide. At the end of the tour, if you wish to make a gratuity to the local team then thank you – it is not compulsory but it is appreciated when given. We give detailed information on booking.

Personal Expenses: We provide detailed guidance on booking

Alcohol: Alcohol is available to buy in shops and supermarkets throughout your trip, and your team will make regular stops.

This 23-day experience promotes staying longer and exploring deeper, thereby making the most of your international flight.

No domestic flights. Emissions per km for domestic flights are high because a large proportion of the flight is spent taking off and landing. As we are serious about tackling the carbon footprint of the trips we offer, we try that a majority of our experiences don’t include domestic flights.

We only offer a very limited number of departures for this experience. Although we all love spending time in nature, we need to strike a balance. By having a limited number of departures each year we’re not creating a tourism circuit.

The maximum group size is six which is refreshingly small for the travel industry and allows us to manage our impact.

The experience has been built with a focus on Mongolian culture and on creating local benefits for local people & communities including families we work in long-term local community partnership with – helping to supplement their income to help prevent urban migration, face the challenges of climate change and allowing them to maintain their fragile herding lifestyle. More about who we work with.

Our team of female Mongolian trip assistants is breaking down barriers in tourism and leading the way for other Mongolian women from a diverse range of backgrounds to work in and be supported by tourism. Mongolia’s growing economy has not directly translated into better employment opportunities for women and by choosing to travel with us you’re helping us to create long-term development and employment opportunities for our brilliant trip assistants.

High unemployment rates and toxic masculinity are two very real issues faced by older more traditional men in Mongolia. By choosing to travel with us you’re helping us to provide long-term employment for our team of older, more traditional male drivers who have experience and accumulated knowledge but who would otherwise struggle to find employment and provide for their extended families.

We are in the process of measuring the carbon footprint of each experience we offer and balancing the footprint through the Mongolian Nomad Carbon Project. We wanted a high-standard project local to Mongolia where the local community had a positive say in the scheme and its impact. It’s the first project of its kind in Mongolia.

A donation is made to the Mongolian projects we support and that you will visit such as the Uuliin Nuur Community Project in Ulaanbaatar.

We are members of Tourism Declares A Climate Emergency and a signatory of The Glasgow Declaration which requires us to publish an annual Climate Action Plan. It also means we have essentially signed up to work towards halving our emissions by 2030. We must report publicly on an annual basis on progress against our interim and long-term targets, as well as on actions being taken. We do this in our Climate Action Plan linked above.

One of the five pathways defined in the Glasgow Declaration is ‘measure’ and we have started the process of measuring the carbon footprint of our tours.

We wanted an accurate footprint analysis whilst also keeping the process manageable, achievable, and affordable. Of the limited carbon calculators available to small tourism companies with a restricted budget we have signed up with the carbon calculator tool Carmacal – specifically designed for tour operators and the 2017 winner of the UNWTO Award for Innovation in Research and Technology.
However, there are limitations with this online tool in the fact that – like most online carbon calculators – you can only measure transport and accommodation and a few very specific activities. But, the main contributors to carbon footprints are food, consumption, transportation, and energy, and all are heavily utilised during a tourism experience.
As a result, founder Jess has worked with two postgraduate students from the Responsible Tourism Management Postgraduate Course of Leeds Beckett University in the UK – the only responsible tourism management MSc certified by the UNWTO – looking at how we can measure the carbon emissions of meals on tour as well as the carbon footprint of our office as well as certain tour activities.

Balancing Our Carbon Footprint

We are in the process of measuring the carbon footprint of each of our tours. Once this is complete, we will balance those emissions by purchasing Plan Vivo–certified carbon certificates (environmental service certificates that each represent the reduction or avoidance of one metric tonne of CO₂) through C-Level and the Mongolian Nomad Project, delivered in partnership with the Mongolian Society of Range Management. The Plan Vivo Standard is built on ethical principles that deliver long-term climate, livelihood, and biodiversity benefits.

In the meantime, we have partnered with C-Level to fund a secure carbon calculator (linked below) for our guests. Through this, you can:

Balance the footprint of your flights
Offset a chosen amount of CO₂ (including your annual footprint)
Or make a direct donation to support the project’s work

Each contribution is invested in Plan Vivo Certificates that support the Mongolian Nomad Project

We know this isn’t perfect, but it is a start. As the saying goes: “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.” For us — a small business with limited resources — this approach is both realistic and achievable.