Meet your guide at 9am and visit the Gandan Monastery & the 26m gilded Buddha statue and take part in the morning chants. Then visit the National Museum of Mongolia and admire the priceless artifacts such as traditional costume displays of all Mongolian ethnic groups. Walk the Central Square. At 2:00pm have welcome lunch. Afterwards, visit the newly built Genghis Khan Museum and transfer to the hotel.

Accommodation: Best Western Premier Hotel (square view deluxe room) Meals: B, L

Take the morning flight to Ulgii (2-3hr flight). Upon arrival, meet the local driver & the cook and drive to a Kazakh nomadic family near the Tsengel Khairkhan Mountain – a snowcapped mountain with beautiful landscape. We will stop at an ancient burial mound. Arrive and meet with the hosts and share their experience of nomadic lifestyle. Welcome meal with the hosts. Spend the remainder of the day observing how the Kazakh nomads live such as seeing the ladies do their famous embroidery and men train their Golden eagles for hunting. Mongolia is a home to a diverse range of ethnic groups, and each of them retains a unique cultural experience and traditions. One of the most interesting ethnic groups is the Kazakhs – who practice the tradition of hunting with trained Golden Eagles. This age-old tradition has been passed until today in the beautiful Altai Mountains of western Mongolia. During the colder months of the year, skilled Kazakh hunters and their mighty Golden eagles hunt rabbit, fox and wolf. For the rest of the year, Eagle hunters train their Eagles. And the way the Kazakh hunters train their eagles is fantastic – many admire the bond between the master and the eagle.

The majestic Altai Mountains tower the Western Mongolian plains, and there’s many lakes, rivers and even desert in the region. This land is also a home to 12 different Mongolian ethnic groups such as the Kazakhs, Torguud, Durvud, and Bayad that have lived together in harmony since ancient times. Diverse in wildlife and people, the Western Mongolia has a rich heritage of traditional dances (biyelgee), throat singing (khoomei), and tsuur (flute-like instrument) inherited from ancestors. The highest point of Mongolia, Mt.Khuiten (4374m) is in the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, which is an excellent place for trekking, climbing and cycling. The Kazakhs are a Muslim people with a distinctive culture in a mainly Buddhist Mongolia.

Accommodation: Nomadic family for 2 nights (1 Ger with basic bathroom facilities with no running water – clean eco outhouse for toilet & basin for washing) Meals: B, L, D

We will spend the full day experiencing the renowned hospitality of the nomads: see their lifestyle, learn cooking a Mongolian/Kazakh dish, see Eagle training for the upcoming hunting season. We may visit a Tuva family today and see their lifestyle.

Accommodation: Nomadic family for 2 nights (1 Ger with basic bathroom facilities with no running water – clean eco outhouse for toilet & basin for washing) Meals: B, L, D

Say Goodbye to your Kazakh friends and travel back to Ulgii town. Upon arrival visit the town bazaar and the women’s embroidery centre. See a Kazakh musical performance.

Accommodation: A Local hotel Meals: B, L, D

Take the morning/afternoon flight back to Ulaanbaatar (flight times TBC) and transfer to the hotel*****. Enjoy a Mongolian folk concert at 6pm. Dinner.

Accommodation: Best Western Premier Hotel (square view deluxe room) Meals: B, L,D