Bird Watching in South and Central Mongolia Tour
Tour description
If you are looking for a wonderful Mongolian bird watching holiday and an authentic Mongolian discovery tour, this combination trip is dedicated exactly for you. Mongolia is a home to over 430 species of birds. While you are traveling in the beautiful Mongolian countryside, you can watch and enjoy many different types of birds such as raptors, wet land birds, shore birds, and other rare and interesting birds. Not only is this a Mongolia bird watching tour but also other diverse and challenging activities are waiting for you in this South and Central Mongolian adventure tour. You should bring your own guide book of birds and binoculars for the best bird watching. Birds can be observed in the trip: Upland Buzzard, Bearded Vulture, Black Vulture, Amur Falcon, Henderson’s ground Jay, Mongolian Lark, Mongolian Trumpeter Finch, Kozlow’s Accentor, Great Bustard, Common Quail, Oriental Turtle Dove, Gray Heron, Grey Leg Goose, Golden Eagle, Bar-headed Goose, Black-tailed Godwit, Black-capped Avocet, Black-headed Gull, Common Sinpe, Eurasian Wigeon, Hobby, Kentish Plover, Lesser Kestrel, Little Stint, Little-ringed Plover, Merlin, Northern Shoveler, Oriental Plover, Pallid Harier, Spotted Redshank, Whooper Swan etc.
Tour itinerary day by day
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar. We will meet you at the airport with your name sign. Visit the National Museum of Mongolian History, the Gandan Monastery and Genghis Square (Sukhbaatar Square), the city’s central square in front of the Mongolian Parliament building. Here we will provide you with some basic information about Mongolia and our capital, Ulaanbaatar.
Stay: Hotel
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Meet at the hotel after breakfast and drive south to the beautiful Baga Gazariin Chuluu local protected area via Sum Khukh Burd. Birding on the way and in the Sum Khukh Burd area. Visit the some spots in Baga Gazariin Chuluu: a temple ruin used by Buddhist monks, a hole with Holy Water for the eyes and a small cave. Walk over pretty rocky granite hills to admire the natural beauty. Here we might have a chance to see wild Argali sheep and ibex. Overnight in a traditional Mongolian ger.
Stay: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we continue driving to one of Mongolia’s great natural beauties, Tsagaan Suvarga – “White Stupas”. These colorful cliffs were part of an ancient sea bottom millions of years ago. Nowadays it is a natural wonder with fantastic color combinations. Walk through Tsagaan Suvarga and enjoy the fantastic views.
Stay: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast drive to Yoliin Am – “Bearded Eagle Canyon”. Yoliin Am is a strictly protected area since 1965 and it is located in the Gobi Three Beauties National Park. Yoliin Am is famous for its high & narrow canyons, frozen summer stream and wild life such as bearded eagles, wild Argali sheep, ibex, and Mongolian mice. The stream remains frozen even in July, the hottest month of the year. Visit a small museum of the Gobi Three Beauties National Park and enjoy the picturesque Bearded Eagle Canyon, its wildlife and frozen summer stream.
Stay: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive west to beautiful Khongor Sand Dunes. Khongor is one of the largest sand dunes in Mongolia. Its height reaches to 300 meters and extends from the northwest to the southeast over 180 km. The place is famous for its magnificent sand dunes, “Singing Dune”, the highest, Green Oasis and beautiful sunsets. Visit and enjoy the hospitality of a camel breeder’s family, learn about Mongolia’s traditional nomadic way of the life and enjoy a ride on a camel. Climb the Singing Dune and enjoy the ultimate amazing view of the Gobi sand dunes and the Green Oasis from the top of the dune. Visit and walk around the Green Oasis or “Cool Spring”. Enjoy the beautiful Gobi orange sun set in the evening.
Stay: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive to Bayanzag – “Flaming Cliffs” via Western Beauty mountain range. This place is famous for its dinosaur fossils, eggs and the special Gobi tree, the “saxaul”. In 1922 American explorer Roy Chapmen Andrews and his expedition members found the first dinosaur eggs as well as numerous fossil skeletons of dinosaurs that lived 70-80 million years ago. Visit the Flaming Cliffs. Walk in the Gobi “saxaul” forest and enjoy its natural beauty.
Stay: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Enjoy an early morning Gobi sunrise. After breakfast we will drive north to the Ongi Monastery ruins over the vast 80 km long “Ongi Steppe”. Transfer to a ger camp and lunch. Visit the Ongi Monastery ruins. The monastery was established in the 1760s by Bari Yonzon Khamba. During its peak use, the monastery had over 1000 monks and a complex of around 30 temples. The Ongi Monastery is still active but now only a few monks perform its functions.
Stay: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive to Karakorum, the ancient capital of Mongolia. Karakorum (Kharkhorin) was the capital of Great Mongolian Empire of Chinggis Khan in the 13-14th Centuries. Transfer to a ger camp and have lunch. Visit one of Mongolia’s two largest monasteries, “Erdenezuu”, Museum of Karakorum and surrounding sites of Karakorum: the Great Khan’s monument, the legendary Turtle of Karakorum and the Phallic Rock statue. Erdenezuu Monastery has a complex of 108 stupas and over 10 temples that contain rich displays of Mongolian Buddhism. The Erdenezuu Monastery and ruins of Karakorum were registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996.
Stay: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning we drive to Ugii Lake. The lake covers 25 square km and is rich in perch and pike. Crane, duck and other species migrate to this area beginning in May. Swan, geese, white spoonbill, Dalmatian pelican and others have also been sighted. Enjoy a boat journey on the lake, bird watching and walking by the lake shore. Visit a research center at the lake and learn about its activities.
Stay: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive to Khustai National Park. This park protects the “Takhi” wild horse, also known as Przewalski’s wild horse. The park also contains a great diversity of other rare wild animals and plants. Visit a small museum of the Takhi wild horse and watch a short documentary film about Khustai NP. Enjoy seeing the Takhi wild horse and other wild life in the late afternoon.
Stay: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Return to Ulaanbaatar and have a city tour. Visit the Bogd Khaan Palace Museum, the last Mongolian king’s winter palace, Buddha Park, featuring a 23 meter tall statue of Buddha and the Zaisan Hill War Memorial. The huge monument on the top of the hill was created as a memorial to soldiers who died in World War II. Zaisan Hill overlooks the city and offers the best panoramic view of Ulaanbaatar and its surrounding sacred mountains. Later we will go shopping at a cashmere factory outlet store, a souvenir shop or whatever else you want to do. In the evening, enjoy a traditional Mongolian folklore performance of song, dance, music and contortionists followed by a farewell dinner at a fine Mongolian restaurant.
Stay: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Meet at the hotel and transfer to the airport for departure.
Meals: Breakfast