Day 1|Welcome to Ulaanbaatar — Arrival
Airport transfer, 1 hr
Meet your crew, settle into a central hotel, and gather for the reception dinner.
3-star hotel
Dinner
Horse Riding Adventure Across Orkhon River Valley
Price
From US$4,200
per person
Duration
12 days
Season
Enquire for dates
Single supplement
US$600
Overview
Ride the valley that raised empires. From Karakorum and Erdene Zuu the route climbs to Zanabazar's mountaintop retreat, reaches the Orkhon Waterfall by horseback, then spends three days in the saddle crossing taiga and volcanic uplands to Khuisiin Naiman Nuur — the Eight Lakes. Khugnu-Tarna's dunes close the loop home.
- Three-day horseback trek to the Eight Lakes of Naiman Nuur
- Ride to the Orkhon Waterfall through deer-stone country
- Karakorum, Erdene Zuu and the Kharkhorin museum
- Tuvkhun Monastery — Zanabazar's mountain retreat
- Sturdy Mongolian horses and experienced horsemen
- UNESCO-listed Orkhon Valley throughout
Day by day
Itinerary
By Mongolian horse through the imperial heartland — Karakorum, the waterfall, and three days' ride to the Eight Lakes.
Ulaanbaatar
Day 2|Ulaanbaatar — The Capital Day
Gandan Monastery's great bodhisattva, the Bogd Khan Winter Palace and the view from Zaisan Hill before the ride west begins.
4-star hotel
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Kharkhorin
Day 3|Kharkhorin — Karakorum
Drive 5–6 hrs
West to the Mongol Empire's old capital: a guided walk through Erdene Zuu's temples and the Kharkhorin museum's treasures.
Ger camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tuvkhun Monastery
Day 4|Tuvkhun Monastery — The Retreat
Drive 2–3 hrs
Up Mount Shiveet-Ulaan to Zanabazar's 1648 meditation refuge — narrow path, panoramic summit, and a meeting with the head lama.
Ger camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Orkhon Waterfall
Day 5|Orkhon Waterfall — First Day in the Saddle
Horseback day
Mount up: today the waterfall is reached on horseback, past deer stones, petroglyphs and burial mounds to the basalt gorge and its cascade.
Ger camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Naiman Nuur
Day 6|Khuisiin Naiman Nuur — Into the Lake Country
Horseback day
The trek proper begins: a full day's ride climbing from the Orkhon into the volcanic uplands, larch taiga closing around the trail.
Ger camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7|Khuisiin Naiman Nuur — The Eight Lakes
Ride between the crater lakes of Naiman Nuur — blue bowls scattered through forest and lava field, loud with birdsong and very far from anywhere.
Ger camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8|Khuisiin Naiman Nuur — Last Day on the Trail
A final day's riding through the lake country, letting the sure-footed Mongolian horses pick the line home to the trailhead.
Ger camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Arvaikheer
Day 9|Arvaikheer — Town Comforts
Drive 3–4 hrs
Down to Arvaikheer, capital of Uvurkhangai, for a hotel night — with an optional visit to the province's famous Horse Complex, fitting after three days in the saddle.
Hotel
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Khugnu-Tarna
Day 10|Khugnu-Tarna National Park — Dunes and Granite
Drive 4–5 hrs
North to Khugnu-Tarna: the Uvgun temple in the boulder mountains, with riding, trekking or birdwatching among dunes and steppe.
Ger camp
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ulaanbaatar
Day 11|Ulaanbaatar — City Finale
Drive 4–5 hrs
Return for the Dinosaur Museum, cashmere shopping and Tumen Ekh's folklore evening.
3-star hotel
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12|Fly Home — Departure
Airport transfer, 1 hr
Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
Breakfast
Season / Departure Dates
2027: Jun 21 - Jul 1; Jul 21 - Aug 1; Aug 21 - Sep 1 2028: Jun 14-18; Jul 4-8; Jul 14-18; Aug 4-8; Aug 14-18
From the field
Gallery
Make this journey yours
Every Soaring expedition is private and tailored — dates, pace and comfort shaped around you.
We confirm availability within one business day — secure online payment coming soon.
