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How many days in Mongolia? 9 days for the steppe, Karakorum and the Gobi
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Mongolia is four times the size of Germany with fewer than 3.5 million people, half of them in the capital, and most roads beyond the main highways are tracks. So the realistic trip is nine days with a driver and guide: two around Ulaanbaatar, a loop west to the old imperial capital at Kharkhorin and the Orkhon Valley, then a domestic flight south to the Gobi to save two days of driving. Nights are in ger camps or with herding families.
Short answer
Six days covers Ulaanbaatar, Terelj and the central loop to Kharkhorin and Orkhon. The Gobi needs at least three more, even with a flight.
The 9-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Ulaanbaatar: Gandan and the National Museum
Morning. Start at Gandan Monastery, the country's main Buddhist monastery, where monks chant from about 9:00 under a 26-metre gilded statue (entry about ₮5,000-8,000). Then go 10 minutes to Sükhbaatar Square, with the seated Chinggis Khaan in front of the Government Palace.
Afternoon. Visit the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, opened in 2022 (roughly ₮25,000-30,000). It walks through the steppe empires from the Xiongnu to the Mongol conquests.
Evening. Watch throat singing (khöömii), long song and contortion by the Tumen Ekh ensemble (about ₮30,000-40,000). Shows run nightly in summer.
Rush-hour traffic is notorious; walk in the compact centre.
Day 2: Terelj and the Chinggis Khaan statue
Morning. Drive about 1 hour east to the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue at Tsonjin Boldog, 40 metres of steel (about ₮20,000-25,000). You climb through the horse's neck to a platform on its head.
Afternoon. Continue 40 minutes to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park (about ₮3,000). See Turtle Rock and walk 30 minutes uphill to the Aryabal Meditation Temple across a suspension bridge.
Evening. Sleep in a ger camp in Terelj: a felt tent with stove and beds, about ₮120,000-250,000 per person with meals. Horse riding is offered at about ₮40,000-60,000 an hour.
The ger stove often goes out by 3:00; bring a warm hat even in July.
Day 3: Khustai's wild horses and the Elsen Tasarkhai dunes
Morning. Drive about 2 hours west to Khustai National Park (entry about ₮20,000-25,000), where the takhi, the Przewalski's horse, was reintroduced in 1992 after dying out in the wild. Herds come to the water at dawn and dusk.
Afternoon. Continue about 3.5-4 hours on the paved road west to Elsen Tasarkhai, an 80 km strip of dunes called the 'mini Gobi'. Ride a Bactrian camel for 30-60 minutes (about ₮30,000-40,000).
Evening. Stay at a ger camp or a nomad family by the dunes. Dinner is often khorkhog, mutton cooked with hot stones in a sealed churn, and suutei tsai (salty milk tea).
Bring small gifts for host families and accept tea with your right hand.
Day 4: Kharkhorin: Erdene Zuu and the Mongol capital
Morning. Drive about 1.5 hours to Kharkhorin, site of Karakorum, the 13th-century Mongol capital. Visit Erdene Zuu, Mongolia's first Buddhist monastery (1586), inside a wall of 108 white stupas (temples about ₮8,000-10,000).
Afternoon. See the Kharkhorin Museum (about ₮8,000-10,000) and its model of the old city. Then find the stone turtle that once marked the city's boundary.
Evening. Overnight in Kharkhorin, which has the best camps on this route, with hot showers. Dinner costs ₮15,000-25,000.
Visitors may sit quietly at the back of the late-morning ceremony.
Day 5: Orkhon Valley waterfall and Tsenkher hot springs
Morning. Drive about 3 hours on rougher tracks up the Orkhon Valley, a UNESCO landscape of herders and yaks. Ulaan Tsutgalan, the 20-metre waterfall, drops into a basalt gorge.
Afternoon. Drive 3-4 hours to Tsenkher hot springs in Arkhangai, where camps pipe 80°C water into outdoor pools. A soak costs about ₮10,000-15,000 if not included.
Evening. Sleep at a Tsenkher ger camp. Soak again under the stars.
The roughest driving day: ask whether you get a Land Cruiser or a UAZ van.
Day 6: Return to Ulaanbaatar
Morning. Leave early for the long drive back to Ulaanbaatar, about 470 km and 7-8 hours on mostly paved roads; roadside guanz canteens serve tsuivan for ₮10,000-15,000.
Afternoon. Arrive mid-afternoon. Visit the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts (about ₮10,000-15,000) for the gilded Buddhas of the 17th-century sculptor Zanabazar.
Evening. Shop for cashmere at the State Department Store on Peace Avenue. Dinner costs ₮30,000-50,000.
Flights leave from Chinggis Khaan International Airport, about 1 hour from the centre.
Day 7: Fly to the Gobi: Yolyn Am
Morning. Fly about 1.5 hours to Dalanzadgad in the South Gobi (one-way fares roughly ₮300,000-450,000 with Hunnu Air or MIAT). Your Gobi driver meets you at the airport.
Afternoon. Drive 1 hour into Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park (park fee about ₮3,000-10,000) to Yolyn Am, the Vulture's Valley, a narrow gorge where ice can linger into early summer. Walk about 2 km into the canyon and look for ibex on the cliffs.
Evening. Stay at a ger camp near the park entrance. Nights can drop to 10°C after 30°C days.
Domestic baggage limits are often 15-20 kg in total.
Day 8: Khongoryn Els, the singing dunes
Morning. Drive about 4-5 hours west across the gravel plains to Khongoryn Els, the largest dune field in Mongolia, about 100 km long and up to 300 metres high. Lunch at a camp at the foot of the dunes.
Afternoon. Ride a camel along the base of the dunes (about ₮30,000-40,000 an hour) with a local herding family, and visit their ger for camel-milk tea.
Evening. Climb the main dune for sunset, about 45 minutes of hard walking in soft sand. When the sand slides, it makes a low droning sound, which is why the dunes are called 'singing'.
Climb barefoot once the sand cools, and bag your camera.
Day 9: Bayanzag, the Flaming Cliffs, and fly back
Morning. Drive about 3-4 hours to Bayanzag, the Flaming Cliffs, red sandstone where Roy Chapman Andrews found the first known dinosaur eggs in 1923. Walk along the rim for 1 hour; the colour is deepest in early morning or late afternoon.
Afternoon. Drive about 2 hours to Dalanzadgad and fly back to Ulaanbaatar in the late afternoon. Flights do not run daily, so check when booking.
Evening. Have a last dinner in Ulaanbaatar. Hot pot and Mongolian barbecue are local favourites.
Gobi schedules change at short notice: keep a buffer day.
Only have 6 days?
With 6 days, do Days 1-6: Ulaanbaatar, Terelj and the central loop to Kharkhorin and Orkhon. For the Gobi only, do Day 1 and fly south for Days 7-9.
Got extra days?
Extra days go best to Lake Khövsgöl in the north, a 136 km-long clear lake near the Russian border (fly to Mörön, then about 3 hours by car), or to the Eagle Festival in Bayan-Ölgii in the far west in early October.
Where to stay in Mongolia
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Ulaanbaatar: Peace Avenue guesthouses | Many guesthouses also organise budget shared tours. | ₮70,000-120,000 |
| Mid-range | Ulaanbaatar: around Sükhbaatar Square | Walk to Gandan, the museums and the restaurants. | ₮180,000-320,000 |
| Mid-range | Ger camps on the route | Felt ger with beds and stove, shared showers, all meals included. | ₮150,000-300,000 |
| Comfort | Ulaanbaatar five-star / luxury ger lodges | International hotels in the city, and lodges with private bathrooms in Terelj and the Gobi. | ₮450,000-900,000 |
Getting around
Outside Ulaanbaatar, almost everyone travels in a private 4x4 with driver, booked through a local agency: about ₮350,000-600,000 per day for the vehicle and driver plus fuel, and an English-speaking guide adds about ₮150,000-250,000 per day. Shared tours from guesthouses cut the cost by splitting it among 4-6 people. Domestic flights (Hunnu Air, MIAT, Aero Mongolia) save days on Gobi and Khövsgöl trips. In the city, use the UBCab app; buses cost about ₮500-1,000.
What to eat in Mongolia
Mongolian food is mutton, flour and dairy, built for long winters. Buuz (steamed dumplings), khuushuur (fried meat pastries, the Naadam festival snack), tsuivan (fried noodles with mutton) and khorkhog (stone-cooked meat) are the classics. Herding families serve suutei tsai (salty milk tea), aaruul (dried curd) and, in summer, airag, fermented mare's milk, mildly alcoholic. Vegetarians should warn their agency. A canteen meal costs ₮10,000-15,000, a nice Ulaanbaatar dinner ₮40,000-70,000.
Best time to visit
June to early September, when the steppe is green and daytime temperatures reach 20-30°C. Naadam (wrestling, horse racing, archery) on 11-13 July is peak price. From November to March, Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital in the world, with -25 to -40°C nights, and most ger camps close.
Month-by-month weather for Mongolia →
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | ₮60,000 | ₮150,000 | ₮350,000 |
| Food & drink | ₮40,000 | ₮70,000 | ₮140,000 |
| Sights & tickets | ₮15,000 | ₮30,000 | ₮60,000 |
| Local transport | ₮100,000 | ₮300,000 | ₮600,000 |
| Total per person, per day | about ₮215,000 | about ₮550,000 | about ₮1,150,000 |
Approximate 2026 prices in Mongolian tugrik (very roughly ₮3,400-3,500 to US$1); transport is your share of a driver, guide and the Gobi flights, and many agencies quote all-inclusive prices in US dollars instead.
Before you go
Common questions
Can I travel in Mongolia without a tour?
In Ulaanbaatar, easily. Beyond it, public buses link the provincial towns, but the sights are far from them, signage is scarce and tracks split without warning. Independent travellers usually join a shared guesthouse tour or hire a driver. Self-drive is possible with a 4x4 rental but is only for experienced off-road drivers with GPS.
Is 9 days enough for the Gobi and central Mongolia?
Yes, with the domestic flight to Dalanzadgad. Driving from Ulaanbaatar to the Gobi takes about 9-10 hours each way, so an all-overland trip covering both regions needs 12-14 days. Nine days with one flight gives you both, at the cost of a fixed schedule.
What is it like to sleep in a ger camp?
A tourist ger has two to four beds, a wood or dung stove, carpets and a central skylight. Camps have shared toilet and shower blocks, sometimes with hot water only in the evening. With herding families, the toilet is a pit and washing is from a basin. Electricity is often solar, so bring a power bank.
When is Naadam and is it worth planning around?
The national Naadam is held on 11-13 July in Ulaanbaatar's National Sports Stadium, with the opening ceremony on the 11th; tickets for that rise sharply. Smaller local naadams in the countryside in July are cheaper, closer and more relaxed. Book camps and drivers months ahead for mid-July.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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