Mongolia Steppe & Lake: 7 Days — Khovsgol Lake, Reindeer Herders & Volcanic Landscapes

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Ulaanbaatar — City of Contrasts

Arrive UB. Afternoon: Gandan Monastery, National Museum of Mongolia, Sukhbaatar Square. Evening: traditional music and throat singing performance. Overnight in Ulaanbaatar.

Day 2: Amarbayasgalant Monastery — Architectural Jewel of the Steppe

Drive north from UB (approximately 5 hours) to Amarbayasgalant Monastery, one of Mongolia’s three largest Buddhist monasteries and arguably the most beautiful. The monastery was built between 1727-1736 by the Manchu Emperor Yongzheng to house the remains of Zanabazar (1635-1723), Mongolia’s first Bogd Gegen (living Buddha), who was also a renowned sculptor, painter, linguist, and the inventor of the Soyombo script (the first Mongolian national symbol, now on the flag). The monastery’s architecture is a masterpiece of symmetry and harmony — the temples are arranged along a north-south axis facing the distant mountains, with the main temple at the center and subsidiary temples flanking it in perfect balance. Unlike many Mongolian monasteries rebuilt in modern materials, Amarbayasgalant retains its original 18th-century murals, carvings, and statuary — miraculously, it was one of the few monasteries spared total destruction in the 1937 purges (it was used as a grain storage by the socialist government, which inadvertently preserved it). Explore the temple complexes, watch monks in prayer, and hike the surrounding hills for a panoramic view of the monastery set in the vast steppe — the scene is timeless. Overnight in ger camp near the monastery.

Day 3: Uran Togoo Volcano — Mongolia’s Dormant Fire Mountain

Drive toward Khovsgol province (4-5 hours). Stop at Uran Togoo, an extinct volcano (last eruption approximately 20,000 years ago) that rises 1,686m from the steppe. The perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone rises approximately 200m above the surrounding plain — the crater at the top, now covered in grass and wildflowers, is approximately 500m wide. Climb to the rim for a view over the crater and the surrounding steppe — the landscape of volcanic cones, lakes, and endless grass is unlike anywhere else in Mongolia. The area around Uran Togoo was declared a protected area in 1995. Continue toward Khovsgol Lake, arriving at the southern shore by evening. Overnight in ger camp on the lakeshore.

Day 4-5: Khovsgol Lake — The Blue Pearl of Mongolia

Two full days at Khovsgol Lake, Mongolia’s largest freshwater lake by volume (380.5 cubic km — containing approximately 70% of Mongolia’s fresh water and 1% of the world’s fresh surface water). Khovsgol is often called the “Blue Pearl of Mongolia” and the “Younger Sister of Lake Baikal” — it’s connected to Baikal (200km to the northeast) by the Egiin and Selenge Rivers, and the two lakes were once a single body of water approximately 2 million years ago. The lake is 136km long, 36km wide, and up to 262m deep, sitting at 1,645m elevation. The water is so pure that locals drink directly from it — visibility extends up to 24m deep in places.

Lake activities: kayaking on the crystal-clear water, horse riding along the shoreline through larch forests, hiking to viewpoints overlooking the lake, and visiting Tsaatan (Dukha) reindeer herder families who migrate to the Khovsgol region in summer. The Tsaatan are one of the world’s smallest and most unique ethnic groups — only approximately 200-400 remain, living in the taiga forests of northern Mongolia, and they are the last reindeer herders in Mongolia. Their entire culture revolves around the reindeer: they ride them, milk them, and use their fur for clothing, but they do not eat them (they hunt wild animals for meat). Visit a Tsaatan family in their summer camp — learn about their shamanistic beliefs, their reindeer herding life, and their ongoing struggle to preserve their language and culture in the face of climate change and economic pressure. The Tsaatan’s hospitality, sharing reindeer milk tea and stories of the taiga, is an unforgettable encounter with one of humanity’s last nomadic reindeer cultures.

Days 4-5 also allow time for: fishing (lenok, grayling, and the endemic Khovsgol grayling), visiting the Khatgal village market, simply sitting on the shore watching the lake change color from cobalt blue to turquoise to silver as the clouds move across the sky. Overnight in ger camp on the lakeshore.

Day 6: Khovsgol to Bulgan Province — The Breadbasket Steppe

Drive south from Khovsgol (5-6 hours) into the fertile steppe of Bulgan province. The landscape transitions from alpine forest and lake to the classic Mongolian steppe — endless grass waving in the wind, herds of sheep and horses grazing on the hillsides, and gers scattered across the plain with smoke rising from their stovepipes. Stop at a nomadic family’s ger along the way — experience the famous Mongolian hospitality: you will be invited in, offered suutei tsai (salty milk tea), and asked about your journey (the classic nomadic greeting: “Are your animals fattening nicely?” — even asked of travelers clearly not herders, it’s the traditional expression of goodwill). Learn how the family makes aaruul (dried curd, a nomadic food staple that can last for months without refrigeration), and if you’re lucky, watch a demonstration of the traditional method of catching a horse with a uurga (lasso pole). Arrive at your ger camp in Bulgan by evening. Overnight in ger camp.

Day 7: Return to Ulaanbaatar — Farewell Mongolia

Drive back to UB (4-5 hours). The road passes through the Mongolian heartland — rolling steppe, distant mountains, and the occasional small town where the contrast between traditional nomadic culture and 21st-century life is on display (gers with solar panels and satellite dishes, nomads on motorcycles herding sheep). Arrive UB by afternoon. Last souvenir shopping — the State Department Store cashmere floor, the Narantuul Black Market for traditional crafts, or the boutique art galleries near the Zanabazar Fine Arts Museum. Farewell dinner. Transfer to airport — with reindeer herders, volcanic craters, and the blue pearl of Khovsgol in your collection of unforgettable Mongolian experiences.

Included

• 6 nights: UB hotel(2) + ger camps(4)
• Full board throughout (except UB dinners)
• English-speaking guide
• 4×4 vehicle with driver
• Khovsgol Lake: kayaking, Tsaatan reindeer herder visit
• Horse riding (Khovsgol, 1 half-day)
• All park & monastery entry fees
• Airport transfers