Duration: 9 days and 8 nights

Number of people per tour: 5 – 9

Price per person:  2700 US$

Distance covered during travel: approximately 880 km

Proposed travel dates: 10th to 19th June / 5th to 14th July /17th to 26th August

Destinations: Ulaanbaatar – Khustai range – Elsen Tasarkhai – Harhorin – Ugii Lake – Ulaanbaatar

Program of the Photography Exploration Tour

Day 1:  Arrival to Ulaanbaatar

The staff of the “Mongolian Photography Exploration” will greet you at the Chinggis Khaan international airport, and take you to your hotel where you will have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the photo exploration tour in detail. A tour will be offered to walk at the Sukhbaatar square, near the Historical Museum of Mongolia and downtown.

Day 2,3: Khustain rang, Elsen Tasarkhai sands

Breakfast is served at the hotel. We will travel approximately 100 km West of Ulaanbaatar to the Khustain Range, a protected area and home to wild horses. The Khustain National Park is home to more than 450 kinds of plants, as well as deers, takhi (wild horses), Asian red deers, boars, gazelles, wolves and lynxes. We will have lunch at the National Park and will travel onwards to Elsen Tasarkhai, which is a unique place that combines both desert and step features. We will spend the 2 nights at a local tourist camp, called Khoyor zagal.

Day 4: Harhorin (historical ruins of the ancient capital), Erdenezuu monastery

After the breakfast at camp we will head to Harhorin, which is  the ancient capital of Mongolia. There is a small local township there now. On the way we will enjoy beautifully changing landscapes from the semi-desert into foresty steppe. Upon arrival the first and most obvious landmark are the high walls of the Erdenezuu Monastery. We will visit Erdenezuu, the oldest monastery, with 102 stupas. It was built in 1586 and is surrounded by a 400m long wall. You can capture good pictures both inside and outside the walls. There is, however, a small fee for shooting indoors.

Day 5, 6: Lake Ugii

After the breakfast in Harhorin we will head to the Ugii lake. It is 7.9 kilometers long and 5.3 kilometers wide, and covers 25.7 square kilometers. It is considered one of the  most abundant fresh lakes with its plurality of fish and birds. We’ll capture images of the  herders’ way of living and livestock along the shores of the lake, as well as birds at sunrise and sunset. We will stay overnight at a ger camp. On the second day, in the afternoon we will head back to Ulaanbaatar.

Day 7: Back to Ulaanbaatar

We will enjoy dinner at a Mongolian Restaurant followed by the any of activities for your last day in Ulaanbaatar:

Visiting the museum of Bogd Khaan;

Shopping at the cashmere factory outlet for knit, clothing, scarves, gloves;

Zaisan hill – Ulaanbaatar panorama;

Shopping at the Nomin Department Store;

Concert of Mongolian national folk music and dance

Day 8: Chinggis Khan Memorial, camp XIII century

Situated 50 kilometers east of Ulaanbaatar, the recently built Chinggis Khan’s Memorial is the largest equestrian statue in the world today. After taking its picture, the travelers will visit the XIII century camp where they can get acquainted with how life was at that time. Lunch will be served at the camp. Return to Ulaanbaatar later in the day.

Day 9: Departure

After breakfast at the hotel we will drop you off at the Chinggis Khan International airport.

• Included in the price: hotel, ger camping lodging, 3 meals a day, a guide, an interpreter, the driver, the service and entrance fees in Ulaanbaatar and to the countryside national parks, museums, and monasteries.

• Not included: international airfare, travel insurance, international phone calls, bottled water, alcohol, laundry fees, items bought for personal use.

• Tour participants are expected to have intermediate to advanced photographic skills, and to bring their own cameras and equipment. It is advised that the visitors take photographic gear suitable for nature shooting.