Ulaanbaatar Residency
Hotel
Day 1
Gobi Overland - 7 Days (Ulaanbaatar, Baga Gazariin, Yolyn Am, Khongoryn Els & Bayanzag)
Seven days of steppe, dunes and ger camps. Seven days with a private vehicle, a driver and a cook, ger camps booked ahead and a two-vehicle convoy on the remote sections.
Meridian Overland
Runs this trip
Jeep / 4x4 tour
Seven days of steppe, dunes and ger camps
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
Sukhbaatar SquareRoughly half of Mongolia's three and a half million people live in Ulaanbaatar. Middle Gobi steppeThere are almost no roads in the Gobi — drivers navigate by track and landmark, and two vehicles will take different lines to the same… Yolyn AmYolyn Am is a narrow gorge in a desert that keeps a sheet of ice on its floor into July because the sun never reaches the bottom.
Itinerary
Roughly half of Mongolia's three and a half million people live in Ulaanbaatar. Everything south of it is close to empty.
UlaanbaatarHow the day runs
- 1 hrsTransfer into the city
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationUlaanbaatar Residency
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Hotel night
- National Museum entry
LANDMARKS Sukhbaatar Square Gandan Monastery National Museum Start point Ulaanbaatar, Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) 00:00 - 23:59There are almost no roads in the Gobi — drivers navigate by track and landmark, and two vehicles will take different lines to the same place.
Ulaanbaatar, Baga GazariinHow the day runs
- 7 hrs8:00 AM — south onto the steppe, tarmac ending early
- MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- AccommodationBaga Gazariin Lodge
Included Activities
- Russian 4x4 or van with driver
- Ger camp night
- All meals
LANDMARKS Middle Gobi steppe Baga Gazariin Chuluu granite Yolyn Am is a narrow gorge in a desert that keeps a sheet of ice on its floor into July because the sun never reaches the bottom.
Baga Gazariin, Yolyn AmHow the day runs
- 7 hrs8:00 AM — south-west into the Gurvan Saikhan
- 2 hrs4:00 PM — the walk up the gorge
- MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- AccommodationYolyn Am Lodge
Included Activities
- Park fees
- Ger camp night
- All meals
LANDMARKS Yolyn Am Gurvan Saikhan mountains Lammergeier The dunes hum when sand slides down them, which is where the name comes from. The climb to the ridge is about forty minutes of very hard walking in sand.
Yolyn Am, Khongoryn ElsHow the day runs
- 5 hrs8:00 AM — west to the great dunes
- 5:00 PM — a Bactrian camel ride and the climb up the dune ridge
- MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- AccommodationKhongoryn Els Courtyard
Included Activities
- Camel ride with a herder family
- Ger camp night
- All meals
LANDMARKS Khongoryn Els Singing dunes Bactrian camels Roy Chapman Andrews found the first recognised dinosaur eggs here in 1923, and fossils still come out of the cliffs.
Khongoryn Els, BayanzagHow the day runs
- 5 hrs8:30 AM — north-east to the red cliffs
- MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- AccommodationBayanzag House
Included Activities
- Ger camp night
- All meals
LANDMARKS Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs Saxaul forest Kharkhorin was Genghis Khan's capital; almost nothing of it is left above ground, and Erdene Zuu monastery was built out of its stones.
Bayanzag, Ongi, KharkhorinHow the day runs
- 5 hrs8:00 AM — north to the Ongi river ruins
- 5 hrs2:00 PM — on to the old capital
- MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- AccommodationKharkhorin Inn
Included Activities
- Erdene Zuu entry
- Ger camp night
- All meals
LANDMARKS Ongi Monastery ruins Kharkhorin Erdene Zuu The last day is the only one entirely on tarmac, and it feels very fast after six days of steppe.
Kharkhorin, UlaanbaatarHow the day runs
- 6 hrs8:00 AM — the paved road back east
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Transport to Ulaanbaatar
- Airport drop
- Day 1Airport transfer
- Day 1Hotel night
- Day 1National Museum entry
- Day 2Russian 4x4 or van with driver
- Day 2Ger camp night
- Day 2All meals
- Day 3Park fees
- Day 4Camel ride with a herder family
- Day 6Erdene Zuu entry
- Day 7Transport to Ulaanbaatar
- Day 7Airport drop
- Day 1 · 1 nightUlaanbaatar Residency
- Day 2 · 1 nightBaga Gazariin Lodge
- Day 3 · 1 nightYolyn Am Lodge
- Day 4 · 1 nightKhongoryn Els Courtyard
- Day 5 · 1 nightBayanzag House
- Day 6 · 1 nightKharkhorin Inn
- Day 1Ulaanbaatar to UlaanbaatarTransfer into the city
- Day 2Ulaanbaatar to Baga Gazariin8:00 AM — south onto the steppe, tarmac ending early
- Day 3Baga Gazariin to Yolyn Am8:00 AM — south-west into the Gurvan Saikhan
- Day 4Yolyn Am to Khongoryn Els8:00 AM — west to the great dunes
- Day 5Khongoryn Els to Bayanzag8:30 AM — north-east to the red cliffs
- Day 6Bayanzag to Ongi8:00 AM — north to the Ongi river ruins
- Day 6Ongi to Kharkhorin2:00 PM — on to the old capital
- Day 7Kharkhorin to Ulaanbaatar8:00 AM — the paved road back east
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
Baga Gazariin Lodge
Lodge
Day 2
Yolyn Am Lodge
Lodge
Day 3
Khongoryn Els Courtyard
Hotel
Day 4
Bayanzag House
Hotel
Day 5
Kharkhorin Inn
Hotel
Day 6
What you'll eat
6 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 6 dinners across 7 days, at the lodges you sleep in. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 7.
- DinnerServed on days 1–6
- BreakfastServed on days 2–7
- LunchServed on days 2–6
17 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
4.2/5
Based on 10 reviews
Review summary
Food3.9/5
Guide4.2/5
Itinerary4.1/5
Transport4.5/5
Accommodation4.0/5
Tour operator3.8/5
Sort by:Recommended
4
N
Nikhil Joshi – Jaipur2025-12-04 · Verified booking
Route planning was the strong point — long days, but the stops were in the right places.
Reply from Meridian Overland
Appreciate the honest feedback; we're looking at the pacing on that section.
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5
D
Dev Chatterjee – Ahmedabad2025-12-04 · Verified booking
Gobi & Orkhon on two wheels is the way to see it. No complaints about the organisation. Hotels were clean and central, which saved a lot of time. The team read the group well and adjusted without making a thing of it. No hesitation recommending them.
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5
F
Farah Qureshi – Pune2025-12-04 · Verified booking
Gobi & Orkhon on two wheels is the way to see it. No complaints about the organisation. Hotels were clean and central, which saved a lot of time. Recommended.
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5
F
Farah Qureshi – Chandigarh2025-12-04 · Verified booking
Route planning was the strong point — long days, but the stops were in the right places. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Guides answered every question, including the daft ones. Solid operator.
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5
V
Vikram Bose – Hyderabad2025-12-04 · Verified booking
Gobi & Orkhon on two wheels is the way to see it. No complaints about the organisation. Worth every rupee.
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2
M
Meera Iyer – Kochi2025-01-25 · Verified booking
One of the bikes had problems from day two and the spare took a while to arrive.
Reply from Meridian Overland
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
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4
D
Daniel Okafor – Lisbon2025-01-25 · Verified booking
7 days of proper riding. The support vehicle was never far when someone needed it. Would send friends their way.
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3
P
Priya Nair – Chandigarh2025-01-25 · Verified booking
Days were longer than advertised and we arrived after dark more than once. Crew were professional without being stiff about it.
Reply from Meridian Overland
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
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Questions people ask
One other operator runs this route. See all 2 side by side →