Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland vs Grand Mongolia Circuit
The shapes a Mongolia trip comes in, compared on days, driving, season and price band. For specific products, use Find a tour.
Typical length
8–12 days
12–17 days
Difficulty
easy
moderate
Driving per day
4-7 hours on most transfer days, with the Ulaanbaatar-Tsagaan Suvarga leg at the top of that range
4-7 hours on transfer days, with rest days built into each regional block
Total distance
Roughly 1,800-2,200 km of driving over the loop; the operator publishes driving hours rather than distances, so treat this as an estimate
Well over 3,000 km of driving on a 14-day circuit, plus the domestic flight sectors
Best months
Jun–Sep
- Jan: not a best month
- Feb: not a best month
- Mar: not a best month
- Apr: not a best month
- May: not a best month
- Jun: a best month
- Jul: a best month
- Aug: a best month
- Sep: a best month
- Oct: not a best month
- Nov: not a best month
- Dec: not a best month
Jun–Sep
- Jan: not a best month
- Feb: not a best month
- Mar: not a best month
- Apr: not a best month
- May: not a best month
- Jun: a best month
- Jul: a best month
- Aug: a best month
- Sep: a best month
- Oct: not a best month
- Nov: not a best month
- Dec: not a best month
Per person, per day
199 USDPrices as published for 2027
185-200 USDPrices as published for 2026
Stops
7
13
Good for
- travellers with 10-14 days
- people who want both desert and imperial history in one trip
- photographers
- anyone comfortable with consecutive ger nights
- travellers with two to three weeks
- repeat visitors who want the whole country in one go
- photographers and film crews
- people who would rather book once than stitch trips together
Not for
- short trips
- travellers who need daily en-suite bathrooms or wifi
- anyone prone to motion sickness on rough track
- anyone under twelve days
- travellers who need en-suite bathrooms nightly
- people who get restless with long consecutive driving days
Vehicle
Private minivans or jeeps with experienced drivers for the whole overland traverse; no domestic flights. Because it is a one-way south-to-north traverse there is no flight shortcut available, which is the structural reason this route cannot be compressed below about eight days. Luggage is capped at 20 kg per person, with excess charged at roughly US$2-5 per kg.
Private air-conditioned vans or 4WD vehicles, with domestic flights included on most versions and a 15 kg luggage allowance on those sectors. On a circuit this long the vehicle choice is a real comfort decision: a 4WD handles the northern passes and wet dirt far better than a van.
Accommodation
Six consecutive ger camp nights — Tsagaan Suvarga, Yolyn Am, Khongor, Bayanzag, Ongi and Kharkhorin — with quality bedding but shared Western-style bathrooms. Ulaanbaatar nights are at hotels from 3-star up to 5-star and are quoted on top. An en-suite ger upgrade is sold at US$55 per night, about US$330 across the six nights.
A 4-star hotel in Ulaanbaatar at both ends, tourist ger camps throughout the countryside at 2-4 people per ger with electricity and shower blocks. Longer western variants add tent-camping nights: Selena's 17-day western circuit uses 3 hotel nights, 10 ger camp or local hotel nights and 3 nights under canvas.
Typical length
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- 8–12 days
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- 12–17 days
Difficulty
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- easy
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- moderate
Driving per day
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- 4-7 hours on most transfer days, with the Ulaanbaatar-Tsagaan Suvarga leg at the top of that range
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- 4-7 hours on transfer days, with rest days built into each regional block
Total distance
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- Roughly 1,800-2,200 km of driving over the loop; the operator publishes driving hours rather than distances, so treat this as an estimate
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- Well over 3,000 km of driving on a 14-day circuit, plus the domestic flight sectors
Best months
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- Jun–Sep
- Jan: not a best month
- Feb: not a best month
- Mar: not a best month
- Apr: not a best month
- May: not a best month
- Jun: a best month
- Jul: a best month
- Aug: a best month
- Sep: a best month
- Oct: not a best month
- Nov: not a best month
- Dec: not a best month
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- Jun–Sep
- Jan: not a best month
- Feb: not a best month
- Mar: not a best month
- Apr: not a best month
- May: not a best month
- Jun: a best month
- Jul: a best month
- Aug: a best month
- Sep: a best month
- Oct: not a best month
- Nov: not a best month
- Dec: not a best month
Per person, per day
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- 199 USDPrices as published for 2027
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- 185-200 USDPrices as published for 2026
Stops
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- 7
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- 13
Good for
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- travellers with 10-14 days
- people who want both desert and imperial history in one trip
- photographers
- anyone comfortable with consecutive ger nights
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- travellers with two to three weeks
- repeat visitors who want the whole country in one go
- photographers and film crews
- people who would rather book once than stitch trips together
Not for
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- short trips
- travellers who need daily en-suite bathrooms or wifi
- anyone prone to motion sickness on rough track
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- anyone under twelve days
- travellers who need en-suite bathrooms nightly
- people who get restless with long consecutive driving days
Vehicle
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- Private minivans or jeeps with experienced drivers for the whole overland traverse; no domestic flights. Because it is a one-way south-to-north traverse there is no flight shortcut available, which is the structural reason this route cannot be compressed below about eight days. Luggage is capped at 20 kg per person, with excess charged at roughly US$2-5 per kg.
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- Private air-conditioned vans or 4WD vehicles, with domestic flights included on most versions and a 15 kg luggage allowance on those sectors. On a circuit this long the vehicle choice is a real comfort decision: a 4WD handles the northern passes and wet dirt far better than a van.
Accommodation
- Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
- Six consecutive ger camp nights — Tsagaan Suvarga, Yolyn Am, Khongor, Bayanzag, Ongi and Kharkhorin — with quality bedding but shared Western-style bathrooms. Ulaanbaatar nights are at hotels from 3-star up to 5-star and are quoted on top. An en-suite ger upgrade is sold at US$55 per night, about US$330 across the six nights.
- Grand Mongolia Circuit
- A 4-star hotel in Ulaanbaatar at both ends, tourist ger camps throughout the countryside at 2-4 people per ger with electricity and shower blocks. Longer western variants add tent-camping nights: Selena's 17-day western circuit uses 3 hotel nights, 10 ger camp or local hotel nights and 3 nights under canvas.
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