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Mongolia - most of us know it as the birthplace of Genghis Khan, the 13th century leader who founded an empire that grew to become the largest contiguous empire the world has ever seen. Much of that empire included China and it was Genghis Khan's grandson, Kublai Khan, who established his capital at what is now Beijing.
Your tour begins and ends in Ulaanbaatar the capital city of Mongolia. After touring the city's palaces and museums you'll travel to beautiful Lake Hovsgol where you'll encamp under the stars in a Ger (tent) for three nights! Side excursions include visits with an ethnic group that relies almost exclusively on indigenous reindeer for transportation, food, and clothing. You'll also have the chance to try your skills at Mongolian horseback-riding and camel-riding - as well as the slightly more "traditional" fishing and boating!
This 2009, 12-night ALL-INCLUSIVE adventure even includes a Ger encampment in the Gobi Desert and from there you'll travel to important petroglyph sites and to a real dinosaur excavation site!
But the undisputed highlight of this tour arrives on the final three days back in Ulaanbaatar - site of the Naadam Festival! It's the nation's most important annual festival and focuses on Mongolia's three revered athletic events: horseback riding, archery and wrestling. And, as with any great festival, there's lots of food, dancing, singing, and shopping in colorful marketplaces. The Naadam Festival: the perfect ending to your journey to Mongolia.
To see dates and rates for this tour -Click Here-
To see day-by-day trip details for this tour -Click Here-
When comparing prices, please keep in mind...
Let’s Travel China Tours are All-Inclusive! |
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Trip Length:
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12 Nights/13 Days |
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in:
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Ulaanbaatar |
| Ends in:
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Ulaanbaatar |
| Departures:
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No further 2008 departures scheduled |
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Highlights:
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Ulaanbaatar
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| Trip prices:
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| Ulaanbaatar | 6 Nights | Naadam Festival Ceremonies and Events, Museum of Natural History, Mongolian Dancing & Music Performance, Winter Palace of Bogd Khaan | Moron/Lake Hovsgol | 3 Nights | Lake Hovsgol, Tsaatan "reindeer" culture, Mongolian-style horseback riding lessons, Ger Camp overnights | Dalanzadgad/Gobi Desert | 3 Nights | Gobi Desert, Sand Dunes, Dinosaur excavation sites, Yol Valley National Park, Ger Camp overnights |
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Travel: |
Arrive Ulaanbaatar
Motorcoach to hotel |
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Cities:
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Ulaanbaatar |
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Highlights:
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Arrival in Mongolia |
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Overnight:
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Chinggis Khaan Hotel |
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Meals:
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Dinner |
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- Welcome to Mongolia! Following your flight arrival in Ulaanbaatar you'll transfer to your hotel.
- The remainder of the day is at your leisure. Your flight arrival time may afford time for lunch (not included in tour cost) or dinner, or both. Your Tour Manager will provide details regarding these meals, if applicable to your arrival time.
- You may choose to relax at the hotel but if your arrival schedule permits you may also opt for some local sightseeing or shopping. Be sure to check first with your Tour Manager.
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Mongolia:
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"It's impossible to describe Mongolian history in anything but superlatives...During the 13th century there was no army superior--the Mongols were masters of archery, horsemanship, and military regiment. The Mongols once ruled the world, controlling an empire, the likes of which has never been equaled. Under the Mongols regions as far-flung as Baghdad, Moscow, Lhasa, and Guangzhou all answered to the Khans."
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-David Wong- December 2006 Source: Davidwong.com.
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Cities:
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Ulaanbaatar |
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Highlights:
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Mongolia Museum of National History
Winter Palace of Bogd Khaan
Mongolia Music & Dancing Performance |
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Overnight:
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Chinggis Khaan Hotel |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Ulaanbaatar is Mongolia's capital and by far its largest city - home to about one of every three Mongolians. Among the world's nations, Mongolia ranks 19th in area, yet it's the largest landlocked country on earth!
- This morning you'll visit the Museum of National History which houses the nation's treasures of dinosaur skeletons, as well as other displays of Mongolia's ancient past.
- The Winter Palace of Bogd Khaan, included in the day's touring, dates from 1905. Of the four residences of Bogd Khaan - the last Mongolian ruler prior to the creation of the People's Republic of Mongolia in 1924 - this is the only one which remains. The palace exhibits important sculptures, paintings, and gifts from foreign dignitaries.
- Dinner this second night includes a brief Orientation outlining the highlights of your adventure. It also includes a performance of the Tumen Ekh National Folk Song & Dance Ensemble, celebrating 800 years of history commencing with Genghis Khan's enthronement.
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Weather Forecast:
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Only one word can describe Mongolia's winter weather: “harsh”. Yet during the summertime, when the Naadam Festival takes place, Ulaanbaatar's temperatures are relatively mild. July highs average 72 degrees (22 C) with lows dropping to about 52 degrees (11 C) at night.
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Travel: |
Fly to Moron |
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Cities:
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Ulaanbaatar
Moron
Lake Hovsgol |
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Highlights:
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Lake Hovsgol |
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Overnight:
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Ger Camp |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- A 1-hour flight this morning will take you northwest to Moron, a town within 150 miles of Russia's Siberia region. From Moron you'll board your motorcoach for a scenic 3-hour ride north to one of Mongolia's most scenic attractions: Lake Hovsgol.
- Called "Mother Ocean" by the locals, Lake Hovsgol is fed by some 90 rivers and streams yet only one river flows out of the lake - eventually feeding into Russia's giant Lake Baikal. The entire lake is a National Park (a park far bigger than Yellowstone) and its surrounding marshes, steppes and mountains are home to Siberian moose, elk and and musk deer.
- Tonight, and for several nights to follow, you'll sleep in a traditional Mongolian "ger" - a portable (Mongols were nomadic), round-shaped dwelling whose roof is covered in felt and canvas and supported by a central wooden column. The lattice walls are constructed of wood, animal hides and rope; the carpeted floors are made of wood.
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On Travel...
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"A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles."
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- Tim Cahill
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Cities:
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Lake Hovsgal |
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Highlights:
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Lake Hovsgol
Tsaatan "Reindeer People" ethnic family visit
Mongolian-style horseback riding (optional) |
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Overnight:
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Ger Camp |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- With the shutdown of a wood processing plant and a gas processing plant there are no industries lining Lake Hovsgol, "clearly" a reason for its crystal-clear water. Fish, even those swimming 30 feet or more below the surface, are visible.
- Only about 44 Tsaatan families remain in Mongolia. As a culture, they rely almost entirely on reindeer, using the animal for transportation, food (milk and meat) and shelter (hides for covering the floors of their birch bark tents, or wigwams.) The reindeer, and therefore the Tsaatan culture, are endangered; there's considerable controversy surrounding the current conditions and future survival of this unique culture. Your tour includes a "family visit" with this ethnic group.
- Later, after lunch, you'll have the chance to test your riding skills. Mongolian-style horseback riding lessons (optional) are offered to all takers!
- Tonight, as with all nights at the ger camp, you'll enjoy a traditional-style dinner at your campsite.
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Mongolian Wisdom:
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"While your father is alive make as many friends as you can. While your horse is alive see as many lands as you can."
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- Ancient Mongolian Proverb -
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Cities:
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Lake Hovsgol |
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Highlights:
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Fishing, Boating
Ger Camp |
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Overnight:
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Ger Camp |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- It's here among the Tsaatan ethnic group where you'll spend most of the day. The existence of this, Mongolia's smallest nomadic group, is in question as their herds dwindle and the lures of 21st Century living grow ever stronger.
- Activities today include swimming, kayaking, hiking or just relaxing and taking in the views of the surrounding mountains. Be sure to take part in the visits to the homes of local nomads.
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Travel: |
Motorcoach to Moron
Fly to Ulaanbaatar |
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Cities:
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Moron
Ulaanbaatar |
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Highlights:
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Ulaanbaatar
Marketplace Shopping |
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Overnight:
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Chinggis Khaan Hotel |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- This morning you'll return to Moron's airport via motorcoach. From here you'll fly back to Ulaanbaatar.
- On arrival in Ulaanbaatar you'll stop for lunch on route to your hotel.
- This afternoon offers ample time for on-your-own sightseeing and shopping in the capital city.
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Travel: |
Fly to Dalanzadgad |
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Cities:
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Ulaanbaatar
Dalanzadgad |
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Highlights:
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Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert Ger Camp |
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Overnight:
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Ger Camp |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Shortly after breakfast, you'll fly south to Dalanzadgad, the "Gateway to the Gobi", and your home for the next two days. Positioned between the remote Siberian wilderness to the north and the equally remote expanse of the Tibetan Plateau to the south, the Gobi is even more isolated than either of them! Yet this semi-arid climate supports a wealth of wildlife including the elusive, highly socialized dholes (wild dogs), wild Bactrian camels and Argali sheep - the largest sheep in the world. Populations of snow leopard, desert gazelles and Gobi bear may also be spotted. Bring your binoculars!
- Your accommodations tonight - and for the next several nights - are at an authentic Gobi Desert Ger Camp
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Gobi Desert:
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"In the 1920s a caravan of scientists from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City journeyed into the unknown heart of Mongolia’s Gobi desert. Enduring dust storms, breakdowns, and skirmishes with bandits, the scientists, led by Roy Chapman Andrews, a real-life Indiana Jones, discovered one of the world’s great dinosaur fossil grounds."
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-Donovan Webster, National Geographic Magazine. July, 1996
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Cities:
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N/A |
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Highlights:
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Gobi Desert
Dinosaur excavation site
Ger Camp |
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Overnight:
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Ger Camp |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Yikes! Dinosaurs! It was here in 1922, within the Gobi's red, sandstone rocks (the "flaming cliffs" as they're often called) that the world's first discovery of dinosaur eggs was made together with the discovery of the skeleton of a Velociraptor - the beast of Jurassic Park notoriety. The region, in fact, is so plentiful with the remains of these creatures that the site has been nicknamed the "Cemetery of Dinosaurs". Nearby are the remains of a petrified forest, as well.
- Later in the day you'll return to your overnight accommodations: your now-familiar ger camp. As you settle in for the night your thoughts may drift back to the pre-historic excavations you explored today. Despite their intrigue, perhaps it's best that dinosaurs are extinct?!
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Cities:
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N/A |
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Highlights:
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Gobi Desert
Hongorin Els Sand Dunes
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Overnight:
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Ger Camp |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- When most hear the word "Gobi," they think "desert." While it's true that the Gobi region is dry, most of the region is a land of steppes rich in wildlife and vegetation. Despite the harsh climate with its wide, seasonal swings of heat and cold, the region supports a surprisingly full list of wildlife, including wild Bactrian camels and argali sheep (the largest sheep in the world).
- But there's not much wildlife where you're headed today! You're off to one of the very few areas in the Gobi actually arid enough to support shifting sand dunes: Hongorin Els Sand Dunes. This "sea of sand dunes" is spectacular, with some reaching 100 feet in height. Within the dunes you'll stop at its famous oasis.
- Later in the day you'll return to your overnight accommodations: your now-familiar ger camp.
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On Destinations...
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"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."
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- Henry Miller
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Travel: |
Fly to Ulaanbaatar |
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Cities:
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Dalanzadgad
Ulaanbaatar |
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Highlights:
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Ulaanbaatar
Free time |
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Overnight:
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Chinggis Khaan Hotel |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Time to bid farewell to your Ger! Tonight - and the following two nights - you're back in the relative lap of luxury courtesy of your downtown Ulaanbaatar hotel.
- Your travel today includes a motorcoach ride back to Dalanzadgad and then a short, late-morning flight to Ulaanbaatar.
- Following your arrival to the now-familiar capital city, you'll check into your hotel and have the remainder of the day to settle back, scratch the sand from your ears and soak in the pool! Welcome back from the desert!
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Cities:
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Ulaanbaatar |
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Highlights:
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Naadam Festival
Opening Day Cermonies & Festivities |
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Overnight:
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Chinggis Khaan Hotel |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- It's the Opening Day of the Naadam Festival! Your entire day is devoted to your tour's namesake, the Naadam Festival. It's Mongolia's biggest, most colorful and most important annual cultural event, focusing on three sports: horse racing, Mongolian-style wrestling, and archery. It's no coincidence that all three skills derive from the capabilities of Genghis Khan's legendary military - a force that conquered and controlled the largest empire the world has ever known.
- You'll witness the Naadam Festival Opening Ceremonies - a colorful parade of athletes, horsemen and musicians. And, as with any excellent athletic festival, this once-a-year event also includes plenty of song, dance, food and crafts markets to take in, too!
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Naadam Festival:
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"Every July, Mongolians gather in Ulan Bator, the capital of the Republic of Mongolia, for Naadam, a festival featuring wrestling, horse racing, dancing and more. Shops close and people turn out in droves to drink fermented mare's milk and eat mutton during three days of games and tests of manhood that are part of a festival that is nearly as old as the Olympics."
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-Source: Nationalgeographic.com
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Cities:
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Ulaanbaatar |
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Highlights:
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Naadam Festival
Farewell Dinner |
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Overnight:
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Chinggis Khaan Hotel |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and "Farewell Dinner" |
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- Your second day at the Naadam Festival features horse racing, Mongolia's most revered sport. Competitors ("jockeys"), some as young as six years of age, demonstrate their skills and their horses' speed and agility.
- The festival draws competitors and visitors from throughout Mongolia. The three main events (horse racing, wrestling and archery) were originally called "the three manly sports" but today only wrestling is restricted to male competitors.
- A special Farewell Dinner is planned for this evening. Enjoy!
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Travel: |
Departure from Ulaanbaatar |
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Cities:
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Ulaanbaatar |
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Highlights:
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Farewells
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Overnight:
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N/A |
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Meals:
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Breakfast |
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- It's likely that your departure flight from Ulaanbaatar will be early in the morning. Your Tour Manager will advise you on the details regarding your wake-up call time. Depending on your flight schedule, breakfast may be provided on route to the airport.
- Bon voyage!
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| Single Supplement:
Add $960 to above prices
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3rd Guest (age 9 to 12) Land + Air:
70% of Land Only price, plus applicable Air cost
3rd Guest (age 9 to 12) Land Only: 70% of Land Only price
3rd Guest (age 12+) Land + Air:
85% of Land Only price, plus applicable Air cost
3rd Guest (age 12+) Land Only: 85% of Land Only price
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*Land + Air: Land + Air prices include all tour features as noted below in “All-Inclusive Pricing” as well as Roundtrip International Air Travel from Los Angeles (or selected departure city, where applicable and available) to/from Mongolia. In all cases prices are subject to change without notice due to airline seat availability.
*Land Only: Land Only prices include all tour features as noted below in “All-Inclusive Pricing.” Please note that Land Only prices include all travel within Mongolia as noted in the tour’s Trip Itinerary.
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All prices listed above are quoted in
USD, per person, and based on double occupancy. Single Supplement prices are shown above.
Prices are subject to change without notice and are capacity controlled.
"ALL-INCLUSIVE Pricing" includes: Tour Gratuities for guide services (Tour Manager, City Guides, Drivers, and Baggage Handling); Accommodations; Meals as noted in Trip Details; Admission fees to attractions as noted in Trip Details; Air, Train & Motorcoach travel within Mongolia as noted in Trip Details; Airport Transfers in Ulaanbaatar on arrival and departure (provided transfers dates coincide with tour “Departs On” or “Returns On” dates or if transfer dates coincide with pre-tour or post-tour hotel extension purchased through Let’s Travel China); Tour Guide services; Air Taxes and Fees.
Not Included: Above prices do not include Excess Baggage Fees; Travel Passports or Visas; Expenses of a personal nature; Airport Transfers in Ulaanbaatar which do not coincide with tour “Departs On” or “Returns On” dates or pre-tour or post-tour hotel extensions purchased through Let’s Travel China. Airport Transfers not otherwise included are available for purchase at $40.00 per person per transfer.
Terms & Conditions: Click here to view
standard Terms & Conditions.
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