Experience the remote north of Mongolia on a journey that combines the Tsaatan reindeer herders with the Naadam Festival.
Travel deep into the northern Taiga, ride through forested valleys, meet Tsaatan families, and experience life in one of Mongolia’s most remote regions. After returning from the Taiga, head to Mörön or Khatgal for Naadam, where you can watch traditional wrestling, archery, and horse racing alongside local celebrations.
This June 29 to July 10, 2027 small group trip brings together horseback travel, nomadic culture, wilderness, and one of Mongolia’s most important annual festivals.
Day-by-day itinerary
Meet the trip group and start your Mongolian adventure with a city tour. Visit key landmarks including Sukhbaatar Square, Gandan Monastery, the National Museum and traditional art concert before enjoying a welcome dinner.
- Meal(s): Lunch + Dinner
- Accommodation: Centrally located hotel – Holiday Inn Ulaanbaatar or similar.
Today we take a domestic flight to Murun, the provincial capital of Khovsgol aimag in northern Mongolia. Upon arrival, we’ll complete the necessary border zone permit formalities required for traveling to the Tsaatan region, as this area lies near Mongolia’s northern frontier. While there isn’t much to explore in Murun itself, the town offers a glimpse of rural life in the north.
· Travel time: from Ulaanbaatar to Murun, domestic flight takes about 2hours.
· Meal(s): Lunch and dinner included along with drinking water.
· Accommodation: You will stay in a provincial small hotel. Accommodation is twin-based.
Today we leave Murun earlier and head deeper into the remote northern frontier, driving across the beautiful Darkhad Depression.
We visit Ulaan-Uul, a small settlement along the way before Tsagaan Nuur where the reindeer herders live. The journey offers stunning scenery from forested mountain passes to wild rivers and open taiga landscapes. By evening, we’ll arrive in a local family’s home.
- Meal(s): Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner
- Accommodation: A local family owned small ger camp.
Today we continue our trip to Tsagaan Nuur settlement, close to the Russian border. By evening, we’ll arrive in our local horseman’s family. They will be your hosts and guides for the upcoming journey into the taiga. This is your first taste of authentic nomadic hospitality in the far north.
- Meal(s): Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner
- Accommodation: Nomadic family’s ger
After breakfast with the host family, we pack our belongings onto packhorses and set off on a journey into the Taiga. Horseback riding is not only the most practical way to navigate this remote terrain but also the most immersive, allowing us to experience the rugged beauty of the Mongolian wilderness firsthand.
Over the course of six hours, we traverse rivers, muddy valleys, and steep, forest-covered mountains, gradually leaving the open steppe behind and entering the heart of the Taiga. By afternoon, we arrive at the reindeer herders’ settlement, where we are welcomed by a Tsaatan family eager to share their way of life.
Spend the evening learning about their deep connection to reindeer, their seasonal migrations, and the traditions that have sustained them for generations. As night falls, settle into a traditional teepee (urtz), surrounded by the untouched beauty of the Northern Mongolian Taiga.
· Travel time: from the nomadic family to the taiga forest, approximately 6-8 hours by horseback ride.
· Meal(s): Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner + Drinking water
· Accommodation: Tsaatan people’s teepee – we call it “urts”. We will spend 2 nights being hosted by the reindeer herder family. Our accommodation will be basic as the life of the Tsaatan is basic. We do not try to change the Tsaatan or their way of life for our benefit or comfort.
A full day immersed in the lifestyle of the Tsaatan, one of Mongolia’s last reindeer-herding communities. Around 350 Tsaatan people from 40 families continue to live in harmony with nature in Khuvsgul province, herding roughly 2,300 reindeer and preserving ancient traditions.
Participate in their daily life from milking reindeer and riding through the taiga on reindeer back to trying traditional crafts and tools. Listen to folk tales, taste reindeer milk products, and observe spiritual rituals rooted in shamanic beliefs. These days offer rare insight into a way of life that has remained unchanged for generations.
At night, return to your teepee and soak in the silence and starlight of the wild Taiga.
· Meal(s): Breakfast +Lunch + Dinner + Drinking water
· Accommodation: You sleep in a same urts you slept last night.
After breakfast we pack our horses and continue riding deeper into the northern taiga. Today’s trail leads us across quiet forest paths, open meadows, and gentle river crossings as we make our way toward the Tengis Shishged Valley, one of the most remote and untouched areas in northern Mongolia. The ride usually takes around 6 hours with breaks, offering long stretches of solitude and wide open views. By late afternoon we reach the river valley where we set up our camping tents. Spend the evening surrounded by complete wilderness, listening to the sound of the river and the stillness of the northern mountains.
These nights are one of the most peaceful of the entire journey, far from any settlements or roads.
· Travel time: Approximately 6-7 hours by a horseback ride through beautiful taiga and mountain steppe. But travel distance and location hugely varies from the day’s climate condition.
· Meal(s): Breakfast +Lunch + Dinner + Drinking water
· Accommodation: Camping tent in the wilderness.
Today we say goodbye to the Taiga and begin our return ride. The 6-7 hour journey retraces our path through the mountains and valleys, back to Tsagaan Nuur or Khogrogo.
Upon arrival, return to the home of your horseman family for a warm welcome and a final evening of hospitality. Reflect on your time with the Tsaatan, share stories with your hosts, and enjoy a well-earned rest in a traditional Mongolian ger.
· Travel time: from the Shishget valley to the nomadic family near Tsagaan Nuur, approximately 6-8 hours by a horseback ride through beautiful boreal forests and mountain steppe.
· Meal(s): Breakfast +Lunch + Dinner + Drinking water
· Accommodation: You will stay in a traditional Mongolian ger. Long-drop loo, and no shower.
Travel back through the Darhad Depression and forested valleys to Mörön. Arrive in town and settle into your hotel ahead of tomorrow’s Naadam celebrations, which may take place in Mörön or Khatgal depending on the official schedule.
- Meal(s): Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner
- Accommodation: 50/100 hotel in Mörön, twin sharing
Spend two days enjoying an authentic Naadam celebration in Mörön, the cultural heart of northern Mongolia. The town comes alive with families in their best deels, horse trainers preparing young racers, and crowds gathering around the local stadium. Watch the three main competitions of Naadam: traditional wrestling, long-distance horse racing, and archery. Between events, explore the festival grounds, try local snacks, listen to folk music, and take photos with wrestlers or archers. You can also join simple traditional games that locals often introduce to visitors. It is a relaxed and friendly way to experience Mongolia’s biggest annual celebration.
- Meal(s): Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner
- Accommodation: Provincial hotel or ger camp, depending on Naadam festival’s location.
- Meal(s): Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner
- Accommodation: You will stay in a centrally located hotel – Holiday Inn Ulaanbaatar or similar, twin sharing.
- Pricing
- Inclusions
- Exclusions
- Book Now
Group price:
- 4 Guests: $3190 US per person.
- 6 Guests: $2870 US per person.
- Accommodation: 2 nights in centrally located good-facility hotel in Ulaanbaatar, 3/4 nights in a provincial hotel in Murun, 2 nights in a nomadic family’s ger, 2 nights in a teepee, 2 nights in camping tent, 1 night in a guesthouse in ulaan Uul village.
- Guiding and interpreting service
- Meals mentioned in the itinerary
- Transportation: vehicle 4×4 or minivan with fuel
- Horseback riding fee and pack horses
- Camping tent and matt
- Kitchen utensil
- Entrance fees to protected areas and national parks
- Museums and cultural performance tickets
- Nomadic family and Tsaatan community visit
- Naadam Festival experience in Khuvsgul aimag
- 2-way domestic flight ticket between Ulaanbaatar and Murun
- International airfare(s) to/from Ulaanbaatar
- Personal equipment
- Optional activity cost
- Excess baggage charges
- Alcoholic drinks
- Travel insurance
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