Mongolia From the Vaste Steppe
to the Altai Mountains
A rare exploration of nomadic life, sacred sites and
Kazakh culture across one of the world’s last true wildernesses.
12
DAYS
6
DESTINATIONS
5
BIOMES
The Land of Eagles, Empires and Nomads
An immersive journey from ancient steppe kingdoms to the remote Altai, shaped by living traditions and vast, untamed landscapes.
Journey into the vast heart of Mongolia, where horizons stretch endlessly and ancient traditions continue to shape everyday life. This immersive experience begins in Ulaanbaatar, before unfolding westward into the open wilderness of the Mongolian steppe.
At your private Mandala Heartland camp, set beside golden dunes and the rugged Ikh Khaan mountain, days are guided by the rhythms of nomadic life. Walk with local families, help herd livestock, prepare traditional dishes and ride horses or camels across wide plains to hidden temples and long-forgotten ruins.
Time slows here, allowing space for quiet connection, shared stories and the deep serenity of life lived close to the land. From the spiritual centre of Kharkhorum and the sacred walls of Erdene Zuu, the journey continues to the far western province of Bayan Ulgii, where Kazakh culture and alpine wilderness converge.
At your private Mandala Altai camp, meet eagle hunters and their magnificent birds, learn the skills of traditional falconry and ride into high mountain valleys in search of ancient petroglyphs and the elusive snow leopard. Days are shaped by archery with Uriankhai bow makers, mounted games, shared meals and evenings of music beneath star-filled skies.
This is a journey defined by living heritage, extraordinary landscapes and rare access to cultures that remain deeply connected to their ancestral ways of life.
Image credits: Day 8, Day 10, Intro and Mandala Altai 5 are credited to Cat Vinton
Trip Highlights
Nomadic Life on the Mongolian Steppe
Live alongside nomadic families in the heart of Mongolia, where daily rhythms are shaped by land, livestock and season. From herding animals and preparing traditional meals to sharing stories inside felt gers, these encounters offer rare insight into a way of life that has remained largely unchanged for centuries.
Sacred Landscapes and Ancient Empires
Journey through places layered with spiritual and historical meaning, from the sand dunes and temples of Ikh Khaan to Kharkhorum, once the centre of the world’s largest empire. Visits to Erdene Zuu monastery and 16th century ruins reveal Mongolia’s deep connection between belief, power and landscape.
Eagle Hunters and the Altai Mountains
Travel to Mongolia’s far western frontier to meet Kazakh eagle hunters and their magnificent golden eagles. Witness falconry at sunset, learn traditional skills passed down through generations and explore a mountain world shaped by endurance, isolation and cultural pride.
Wild Horizons and Remote Comfort
Stay in private Mandala camps set within some of the world’s most unspoilt landscapes. From star-filled skies and open silence to warm hospitality and thoughtful design, these remote retreats offer comfort without separation from the land, allowing true immersion in Mongolia’s vastness and spirit.
Activities tailored for all experiences
Nomadic Life and Shared Rituals
Spend time living alongside Mongolian and Kazakh nomadic families, learning directly through daily rhythms rather than staged encounters. Help herd horses, yaks, sheep and goats, take part in milking and food preparation, and join families during seasonal movements across the steppe and mountain valleys. These shared rituals create rare insight into a way of life shaped by land, weather and ancestral knowledge.
Ancient Skills and Living Traditions
Learn traditional practices that are still part of everyday life, from Kazakh eagle hunting and mounted games to archery with Uriankhai bow makers. Witness falconry at sunset, test your aim with handmade bows, and attend local Naadam celebrations where wrestling, racing and music remain expressions of living identity.
Wildlife Tracking and Remote Exploration
Explore some of the world’s most remote wilderness with local trackers, hiking to ancient petroglyphs, checking camera traps, and learning how communities monitor elusive wildlife such as the snow leopard. These moments combine conservation, storytelling and a deep awareness of how humans coexist with fragile ecosystems.
Intimate Camps and Elemental Evenings
Return each evening to private Mandala camps set deep within untouched landscapes. Days close around shared meals, vodka tastings, music, fireside conversation and star-filled skies. Comfort is quiet and meaningful, defined by warmth, space, stillness and genuine hospitality rather than excess.
Your Journey Overview
Following Mongolia’s Living Steppe
Travel across Mongolia’s vast heartlands, where distance is measured in horizons and daily life remains shaped by ancient rhythms.
This immersive journey moves from the cultural energy of Ulaanbaatar into the open wilderness of the steppe and onward to the remote Altai Mountains, revealing a country where tradition, landscape and identity are inseparable.
Days unfold between nomadic camps, desert dunes and sacred mountains. The pace is shaped by nature rather than schedules: herding livestock at dawn, riding horses and camels across open land, trekking to forgotten temples and gathering beneath star-filled skies.
Encounters with history and culture emerge through shared meals, local festivals and time spent with families whose lives remain deeply connected to the land. This is a journey of perspective and presence, offering rare access to ways of life that have endured for centuries.
Designed for travellers drawn to authenticity, remoteness and cultural depth, it is an experience of Mongolia that feels expansive, grounding and profoundly human.
Ulaanbaatar Arrival and Cultural Immersion
Your journey into Mongolia begins in Ulaanbaatar, a capital poised between ancient tradition and modern life. On arrival, you’ll be met by your private guide and driver for a transfer into the heart of the city, where time is set aside to rest, refresh and gently adjust after your international flight.
When you’re ready, the afternoon unfolds with a relaxed lunch at Veranda, overlooking the peaceful grounds of the Choijin Lama Temple Museum. After your meal, wander through the temple complex, a quiet enclave that offers a first glimpse into Mongolia’s Buddhist heritage and spiritual history.
If time allows, continue across Chinggis Khan Square to the National History Museum, where carefully curated exhibits trace Mongolia’s story from the Bronze Age and the rise of the Mongol Empire through Soviet influence and the democratic revolution of the 1990s.
Here, the foundations of nomadic culture, pastoral life and ethnic identity provide valuable context for the landscapes and communities you will soon encounter. As evening approaches, immerse yourself in Mongolia’s living culture with a performance of traditional music and dance.
Experience the haunting resonance of Khoomii overtone singing and the distinctive sound of the moriin khuur, the horse-headed fiddle, instruments and voices that echo the rhythms of the steppe. Dinner is at a nearby traditional Mongolian restaurant, where local flavours and hospitality offer a warm introduction to the country’s cuisine.
Your night is spent at the Tuushin Hotel, a centrally located five-star retreat overlooking the city’s main square, offering comfort, calm and a perfect base for your first steps into Mongolia’s remarkable journey ahead.
Exceptional Stay at Tuushin Hotel
Into the Heart of the Steppe at Elsen Tasarkhai
This morning, you leave the city behind and begin your journey westward into Mongolia’s wide open interior. A scenic drive of around four and a half hours carries you through changing landscapes of gravel plains and rolling steppe, until the first golden dunes of Elsen Tasarkhai rise unexpectedly from the grasslands.
Known as the northern edge of the Gobi, this isolated ribbon of sand stretches for almost 80 kilometres, a desert island suspended within a sea of green. On arrival, settle into your private ger and take time to absorb the stillness.
A short walk away lives a nomadic family who act as your hosts and neighbours, offering a gentle introduction to traditional herding life. You are free to engage as much or as little as you wish, from sharing tea in their ger to helping round up livestock, milking horses, sheep and goats, or even trying your hand at the urga, the long pole lasso essential to nomadic life.
Elsen Tasarkhai translates as “an isolated torn-off piece of sand”, and the name feels fitting. Beneath the dunes, underground water nourishes rare vegetation, while maral deer, foxes and wolves move quietly through the surrounding plains. It is a landscape made for slow exploration, where walking, riding or simply sitting still reveals its subtle beauty.
As evening falls, gather for dinner in the communal restaurant ger before stepping outside into one of the darkest night skies on earth. Stars spill across the horizon in dazzling clarity, a quiet reminder of just how far you have travelled from the modern world.
Monastic Trails and Desert Horizons
After breakfast, you set out on horseback toward Ikh Khaan Mountain, riding through wide steppe landscapes that gradually rise into rocky foothills.
Here, tucked into the slopes, lies a small restored monastery, lovingly rebuilt by a mother and daughter descended from one of the monks killed during the Communist purges of the late 1930s.
Often, Altai, the local caretaker, is on hand to guide you through the beautifully decorated temples and share the powerful story of their revival. From behind the monastery, a quiet trail leads deeper into the hills toward the atmospheric ruins of Uvgun Monastery.
The walk takes around two hours and passes through a sheltered valley scattered with the remains of at least ten ancient structures. Fragrant grasses and medicinal herbs grow underfoot, and the stillness of the place makes it easy to understand why 17th-century monks chose this secluded setting for spiritual retreat.
As the light softens, the day continues with a camel ride across the dunes, pausing for drinks as the desert glows in the evening sun. You return to camp for a relaxed dinner and a peaceful night, carrying the calm of mountain paths and forgotten temples into the quiet of the steppe.
Echoes of Empires in the Orkhon Valley
This morning, you travel to Kharkhorin, once the heart of the Mongol Empire and the site of the legendary capital, Karakorum. Set within the sweeping landscapes of the Orkhon Valley, this region has served as a centre of power for successive civilisations, from the Hunuu and Turks to the Mongols themselves.
Along the ancient Silk Road, Karakorum became a crossroads of cultures, its grandeur recorded by early travellers who carried stories of its wealth and influence across continents.
Begin with a visit to Erdene Zuu, Mongolia’s first Buddhist monastery, where you join the quiet rhythm of morning prayers. Wander through the remains of the 13th-century capital and explore the Kharkhorin Museum, which brings the layers of imperial history into vivid focus through artefacts and storytelling.
A visit to the local market offers a glimpse into everyday life, where nomadic traditions continue to shape the modern town. Later, walk up to the Three Empires Monument and follow the ridge to a sacred viewpoint overlooking the Orkhon Valley. Here, the skulls of honoured stallions are placed to be closer to Tengri, the Sky God, a powerful expression of Mongolia’s spiritual connection to land and ancestry.
As the light softens across the valley, return to Mandala for dinner, carrying with you the quiet weight of centuries passed.
A Day of Tradition at the Naadam Festival
Travel by cart to a local Naadam gathering, where you are welcomed into one of Mongolia’s most important cultural celebrations. Begin by sharing khuushuur, the traditional festival dish of crisp, savoury dumplings, enjoyed alongside families and competitors as the atmosphere builds.
Naadam honours the three historic sports of Mongolia: wrestling, archery and horse racing, once used to train Chinggis Khan’s warriors and still central to community life today.
Athletes from the surrounding area come together to compete, and you are invited to take part in archery or wrestling if you wish, a playful and memorable way to step into living tradition.
As honoured guests, you are seated with the elders to watch the wrestling finals, with your guide offering insight into the rituals and symbols behind each bout.
The day closes with a joyful moment of connection, as you present prizes to the winners before the community disperses back across the steppe, leaving you with a rare sense of belonging to a celebration few outsiders ever experience.
Exceptional Stay at Mandala Heartland Private Camp
Back to the Capital
Exceptional Stay at Ibis Hotel
Into the Altai and Kazakh Lands
An early morning flight carries you west from Ulaanbaatar to Ulgii, crossing into the remote province of Bayan Ulgii where time feels slower and traditions run deep.
On arrival, meet your Kazakh guide and continue by road toward the Altai Mountains, travelling through wide valleys and open plains to your private camp near Tsambagarav.
You are welcomed by your host, the eagle hunter Erdikhan and his family, and settle into your en-suite Kazakh yurts. Unlike Mongolian gers, these are domed and free standing, beautifully adorned with embroidered textiles that reflect the rich decorative traditions of Kazakh culture.
As the light softens, join Erdikhan for a falconry demonstration, watching his golden eagle take flight against a backdrop of snow-dusted peaks and endless sky. The evening unfolds with a traditional family feast, including beshbarmak, the classic Kazakh dish shared by hand, accompanied by stories, laughter and the quiet rhythms of nomadic life.
Your stay at Mandala Altai offers rare access to a living culture. The camp’s intimate scale creates space for connection, whether helping with evening herding, learning about eagle training, or simply sitting beneath the vast Altai stars and absorbing the stillness of this extraordinary landscape.
Altai Peaks and Ancient Skills
The day begins gently with the rhythms of nomadic life, waking to the sounds of livestock and sharing in the morning routines of milking and preparing breakfast. Watching the family at work offers a quiet window into daily life in the Altai, where traditions are lived rather than performed.
After breakfast, set out toward Tsambagarav Mountain, travelling deep into highland terrain before beginning a scenic trek to a hidden waterfall. The route winds through open valleys and alpine landscapes, with the option to shorten the walk if needed. A picnic lunch beside the falls brings a moment of stillness, surrounded by snow-fed streams and wide mountain skies.
In the afternoon, visit a Uriankhai family, renowned for their archery since the time of Ghengis Khan. Here, you are introduced to the craftsmanship and skill behind the traditional composite bow, and invited to try your hand under the guidance of a local master. The experience is rounded off with a glimpse into homemade vodka distilling, followed by a tasting before returning to camp as the light fades across the steppe.
Tracking the Spirit of the Mountains
Set out on horseback or on foot into the remote valleys of the Altai, exploring the wild landscapes of the Aylibai Valley or Khashat Mountain. This is snow leopard territory, one of the world’s last strongholds for this elusive predator, known locally by poetic names such as “Spotted Brother” or “Spirit of the Mountain”.
The terrain feels vast and untamed, a place where silence carries meaning. Along the way, you join local conservation efforts by checking camera traps and learning how researchers monitor wildlife. Any tracks, markings or signs discovered contribute to ongoing studies, offering a rare opportunity to be part of real field conservation.
Even without sightings, the presence of argali sheep, ibex, gazelles, wolves, foxes and soaring birds of prey makes the landscape feel alive with hidden stories.
As evening draws in, return to camp for a more hands-on cultural experience. Learn how felt is made using traditional techniques, then gather to prepare a home-cooked meal with your hosts, sharing stories, skills and the simple warmth of nomadic hospitality beneath the wide Altai sky.
Wildlife, Horsemanship and Kazakh Music
Rise early and head into the hills above camp for a wildlife hike through the rugged terrain of the Mongol Altai. This remote region is one of the world’s most important habitats for the snow leopard, along with argali sheep, Siberian ibex, saiga antelope, wolves, foxes and an extraordinary array of birds of prey.
Moving quietly through the landscape, you learn to read the signs of animal presence and gain a deeper appreciation for the fragile ecosystems that thrive in these high mountains.
In the afternoon, the focus shifts from wildlife to living culture as local families gather for a celebration of traditional Kazakh mounted games. Watch skilled horsemen compete in Kokpar, a powerful test of strength and teamwork, alongside playful contests such as Kyz kuu and Kumis alu, each revealing the deep bond between people and their horses.
As the day draws to a close, gather in the warmth of camp for an intimate Kazakh music concert. The haunting melodies of the dombrah fill the evening air, offering a soulful end to a day shaped by wild nature, ancient traditions and the enduring rhythm of nomadic life.
Exceptional Stay at Mandala Altai Private Camp
From the Altai to the Capital
After an early breakfast, bid farewell to the mountains and begin your return journey to Ulgii airport for your flight back to Ulaanbaatar. The shift from remote wilderness to urban energy feels striking, as the wide horizons of the Altai give way to the rhythm of Mongolia’s capital.
On arrival, meet your guide and transfer to your hotel in the city centre, perfectly positioned for gentle exploration. The afternoon is yours to wander through shops, museums and cultural landmarks, from the State Department Store for locally made crafts and cashmere, to the Ghengis Khan Museum, Gandan Monastery or the vibrant Naran Tuul market.
This evening, enjoy dinner at a carefully chosen restaurant close to your hotel, a final opportunity to savour Mongolian flavours and reflect on the remarkable journey you have made across steppe, desert and mountain. Your stay at the Shangri-La offers a refined close to the adventure, with spacious rooms, excellent dining and the comfort of a modern retreat at the heart of the city.
Exceptional Stay at Shangri La Hotel Deluxe Double
Our purpose
Journeys With Purpose engage guests with the world’s most ambitious and exciting conservation projects across our seven continents. We believe travel can be a powerful force for learning, for expanding horizons and shifting perspectives on the magic and wonder of our natural world. Our journeys invite you to step outside of your daily ecosystem and engage with new cultures, environments and people in the world’s wildest corners.
At this moment in history, we are placing unprecedented pressure on the planet and wildlife, communities and nature is under threat. True wilderness is increasingly rare, yet there are remarkable examples of nature rebounding, and flourishing. These conservation successes showcase the resilience of our natural world, and our journeys serve to spotlight, and support, these projects.
Whether on a safari, diving trip or mountain expedition, by travelling with JWP you contribute to our mission: to conserve and restore 30 million acres of land and 30 million acres of seas by 2030. We are proud members of 1% for the Planet, through which we donate 1% of our annual revenue to grass-root initiatives.
Journeys With Purpose is also a member of The Long Run, a Conde Nast Traveller specialist travel agency, and a Certified B Corp, awarded “Best for the World: Environment 2022”.
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