Mongolia Road Trip: 2000 Km From Ulaanbaatar to Olgii
A Mongolia road trip is perfect for anyone looking for a scenic adventure. With vast sand dunes, beautiful grass plains and mountains, there is so much to see! We chose to embark on a road trip to Olgii because that was where we would be meeting the Eagle Hunter family. Through this journey, we saw many of the country’s best and less frequently visited scenic spots. Photo heavy post ahead!
Planning A Mongolia Road Trip
Mongolia is not easy to travel independently because of the language barrier, the lack of information, and the difficulty in navigating off road. Hence, most people book tours with travel companies either online or through their hostel.
We were exploring various itineraries online when we chanced upon a local guide with really good English. He gave us itinerary recommendations, and we were sold by the variety of sights we could see along the way. Our guide provided us with extra sleeping bags and animal skin when we were worried about sleeping in the cold. He also brought his camping equipment, cooking supplies and extra foldable chairs. Most importantly, he became a friend and gave us a glimpse of Mongolian life.
Read more: Top 10 Road Trip Essentials
Overview
Day 1: Elsen Tasarkhai
Day 2: Kharkorum and Orkhon Valley
Day 3: Tseterleg City
Day 4: Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake
Day 5: Khyargas Lake
Disclaimer: I don’t think 5 days is enough to get to Olgii because of the long driving time. Due to our flight delay, it caused us to lose 1 day of driving time. Our driver-cum-guide was kind enough to accommodate our time constraint. However, the journey should be spread out over at least a week to reduce time spent in the car. If you have 2 weeks for a Mongolia road trip, this is a great itinerary to consider.
Day 1: Elsen Tasarkhai
We started our journey in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. As we left the city, it was not long before we saw herds of animals and nomadic gers dotting the steppe. Our first destination was Elsen Tasarkhai – also known as mini Gobi, where we played among the sand dunes.
Just 10km off the main road, we met the nomadic family that we would be staying with. After a warm greeting we went on to ride their camels, led by a family member. When we came to a lookout point, he pointed out enthusiastically that there were wild deers in the distance. There was even a beautiful sunset, and we spent the evening playing with the children and their animals.
Driving time and distance: 5 hours, 300km
Day 2: Kharkorum and Orkhon Valley
We continued on to Kharkorum, which was the old capital. There, we visited Erdene Zuu Monastery, the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia built by Altai Khaan in 1956. It was more beautiful than expected and felt very peaceful. No wonder it’s on every tour company’s itinerary.
Further west, we entered Orkhon Valley where it started to snow. As we travelled in, the snow got heavier and it looked vastly different from the grassy plans we expected. We visited in May, which was springtime for Mongolia but also a season with highly unpredictable weather.
It was beautiful nonetheless, especially when we overlooked a bend of the Orkhon River from a cliff at Uurtiin Tohoi. The journey to our ger was really arduous because of the snow and the bumpy off roads. Thankfully, we had firewood in our ger and our guide’s extra sleeping bags came in handy that night.
Driving time and distance: 8 hours, 200km
Day 3: Tseterleg City
We woke up to even more snow on the ground but Mongolian milk tea never fails to warm me up. It was such a gorgeous morning and we took some pictures after realizing we were just beside the river. We stopped on the way, and walked 20 minutes to Orkhon Waterfall. 2 dogs started to run along with us playfully and we welcomed their company. There was no one out there, even though this was a top tourist destination in Mongolia. We loved having the view all to ourselves.
A detour was necessary to avoid the rather dangerous and slipper snowy roads, so we headed out the valley from the way we came. It took a whole day before we finally got to Tseterleg city, where we stayed on the outskirts in a modern tourist ger camp. We were so thrilled that there were heated floors and extension plugs for us to use. There were public showers a short drive away – thank God for hot water. We made Korean cup noodles for dinner using our guide’s portable gas stove, and added Mongolian sausages inside.
Driving time and distance: 8 hours, 320km
Day 4: Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake
The journey out from Tseterleg led me to think that I was entering a whole other place. Snow-capped mountains started coming into view, and with it came more rivers and lakes of varying sizes. We passed by Chuluut Valley and took pictures at another gorgeous river bend.
Shortly after, we arrived at the famous Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake, also known as White Lake. Once again, we were the only tourists there and were greeted by friendly dogs when we stopped for pictures. We stayed over in a guest house in Songino village and had dinner nearby. There were several curious glances cast our way, but overall a very welcoming and home-y vibe. Check out the beautiful sunset!
Driving time and distance: 9 hours, 550km
Day 5: Khyargas Lake
The next morning, we set off extra early in order to make it to the Eagle Hunter’s house at night. We made a stop at Khyargas Lake, a huge salt lake with small waves created by the slight breeze. It would have been a lovely and relaxing place to camp at, if not for our time constraint. We then went off road, driving in canyons to pass through the mountain range. We tried to spot ibexes (wild mountain goats) which helped to pass the time.
I was surprised that some of the best views have not been detailed on Google maps, because the scenery was incredible! We even took a pee break near a lake surrounded by mountains. After a certain point, I stopped trying to keep track of which lake I was looking at, since they were all so stunning.
After stopping in Olgii city for dinner, we continued 25km further west into Sagsai village where we met Haizem, our Eagle Hunter (read more about our 2-day homestay here). It was a rough and bumpy day in the car, but one of the most fulfilling for me. All the credit goes to our guide, for having pushed through the whole day and driving with a smile.
Driving time and distance: 12 hours, 700km
Final Thoughts
Overall, I loved seeing how the scenery changed throughout the drive. I believe this overland Mongolia road trip is one of the best ways to see the best scenery within a short time frame. However, Mongolia is so big and there are many key places I would love to visit. Gobi Desert, Khuvsgul Lake, Altai-Tavan National Park, etc. are all amazing and it would take more than 1 visit to see them all. I will be back, see you soon Mongolia!
You can contact our guide Deggie via WhatsApp at +976 8833 9220, or via Instagram @deggiefixer.
If you love road trips check out these guides:
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Very interesting read on the overland trip to Olgii and the visit to the Eagle Hunter. Was this organised by a freelance guide or via a Mongolian tour company?
Hi Andrew, thanks for your comment. This was organised by our local guide, Deggie. We discussed the desired itinerary with him before going on the trip.
hi Janice,
How much you pay for the tour ? and how many people in the tour ? because I am travelling alone.
Thank you for your reply.
Best rgds
Winsome
Hi Winsome, our tour guides prices would have changed quite a lot so I recommend checking with him for updated rates 🙂 We went in a group of 3, so that makes 4 of us including our guide. Hope that helps and have fun!