Routes
Gobi and Central Mongolia Overland
The classic ten-day overland: south from Ulaanbaatar through the White Stupa escarpment into the South Gobi for the gorge, the dunes and the Flaming Cliffs, then north across the steppe via the Ongi monastery ruins to Kharkhorin and Erdene Zuu before returning to the capital. It is a one-way traverse rather than an out-and-back, which is why it takes ten days and why nobody flies it. This is the itinerary most international operators treat as their flagship Mongolia trip, and the one travellers pick when they have two weeks but not three. Expect six consecutive nights in ger camps.
- Typical length
- 8–12 days (Read more: 10)
- Difficulty
- easy
- Driving per day
- 4-7 hours on most transfer days, with the Ulaanbaatar-Tsagaan Suvarga leg at the top of that range
- 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
- 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
Stops: Ulaanbaatar → Tsagaan Suvarga (White Stupa) → Yolyn Am (Vulture's Gorge, often 'Eagle Valley') → Khongoryn Els (the Singing Dunes) → Bayanzag (the Flaming Cliffs) → Ongi Monastery (Ongiin Khiid) → Kharkhorin and Erdene Zuu Monastery
Day by day
- Day 1
Arrive Ulaanbaatar
Private airport transfer and hotel. Note that on this operator's pricing the Ulaanbaatar hotel is not in the base price.
- Day 2
Ulaanbaatar city day
Gandan monastery, Sukhbaatar Square and the Chinggis Khaan Museum.
- Day 3
South to Tsagaan Suvarga
6-7 hours driving. Hiking along the White Stupa cliffs, a layered sedimentary escarpment. Ger camp.
- Day 4
Yolyn Am
4-5 hours into Gurvan Saikhan National Park. Small natural history museum, then the walk up the narrow gorge. Ger camp.
- Day 5
Khongoryn Els
4-5 hours to the dune belt. Bactrian camel ride, about an hour, and time on the dunes. Ger camp.
- Day 6
Bayanzag
Bronze Age petroglyph walk and the Flaming Cliffs, the red sandstone where dinosaur eggs were first identified. Ger camp.
- Day 7
Ongi Monastery
4-5 hours across the Ongi steppe to the ruins of an 18th-century monastery complex destroyed in the 1930s. Ger camp.
- Day 8
North to Kharkhorin
5-6 hours, plus 1-2 hours visiting a herder family. Karakorum Museum in the afternoon. Ger camp.
- Day 9
Erdene Zuu and back to the capital
The walled monastery at Erdene Zuu, then the drive to Ulaanbaatar for a cultural concert and farewell dinner.
- Day 10
Departure
Transfer to the airport or railway station.
Price bands
budget join-in
199 USD
Prices as published for 2027
Group size assumed: 8-12 on a guaranteed departure, twin or double occupancy
Includes: US$1,990 pp for 10 days: English-speaking guide throughout, all sightseeing and entrance fees, private transfers and airport pickup, 6 ger camp nights twin share, all listed meals, a 1-hour camel ride, 1.5 litres of bottled water per day and a visa support letter. Excludes international air, insurance, visa fees, Ulaanbaatar hotel and tips. Single supplement US$260.
standard private
210-240 USD
Prices as published for 2026
Group size assumed: 2-4 travellers on a private 7-day Kharkhorin and South Gobi combination
Includes: Discover Mongolia's 7-day Kharkhorin and South Gobi tour is priced from US$1,468 pp, with guide, ger camps, meals and entrance fees on the same inclusion pattern.
premium
230-260 USD
Prices as published for 2027
Group size assumed: 8-12, but with the en-suite ger upgrade and a 4-5 star Ulaanbaatar hotel added
Includes: Base US$1,990 plus US$330 for six en-suite ger nights plus Ulaanbaatar hotel nights bought separately.
Sold from Korea
Korean agencies sell the combined desert-and-steppe shape as an all-in from Incheon: Small Star Travel's 8-day Gobi full package is 2,890,000 KRW per adult with international flights, meals, vehicles, Korean-speaking guide and insurance included. Source: https://www.smallstar.co.kr/master/2943 (2026).
Sold from Japan
Tabideza's 9-day South Gobi and steppe package is 429,000 JPY (9 July 2026) or 459,000 JPY (6 August 2026), including international flights on Aero Mongolia, airport taxes, fuel surcharge and most meals; single supplement 74,000 JPY. Source: https://www.tabideza.co.jp/kaigai_asia/mongol-south-gobi-desert-9days.html
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.
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.
Not for
Ask before you book
- Is the Ulaanbaatar hotel included or quoted separately, and at what rating?
- What is the exact luggage limit and the excess charge per kilo?
- Is the departure guaranteed, or conditional on reaching 8 passengers?
- What does the en-suite ger upgrade cost, and is it available at every camp on the route?
- Is the camel ride, concert and farewell dinner included or optional?
- How many hours of driving are scheduled on days 3, 7 and 8?
Sources (5)
- Gobi Desert and Karakorum Beyond Tour 2027, 10 days - Selena Travel — Full day-by-day with driving hours, Easy grade, 8-12 group size, US$1,990 price and single supplement, inclusions and exclusions, en-suite upgrade cost, 20 kg luggage rule, guaranteed 2027 departure dates
- Mongolia tours - Discover Mongolia Travel — Comparable 7-day Kharkhorin and South Gobi price point
- Gobi Desert full package from Incheon - Small Star Travel — Korean all-in package price and inclusions
- South Gobi 9-day tour - Tabideza — Japanese all-in package price and inclusions
- Mongolia tours catalogue - Selena Travel — Price of the Naadam-plus-Gobi 10-day variant (US$2,690)