China
Mongolia
Dates:
26 June - 13 July 2024
Duration:
18
days
Group:
10
ppl
Day 1: Arrival at Shanghai
Arrival at Shanghai. Meet & greet at the airport and transfer to the hotel in the downtown. In the evening, meet your fellow travellers for a welcome dinner (Chinese and European cuisine options available on your choice). Overnight at the hotel.
Day 2: Shanghai
Breakfast at the hotel. Take off for a full-day guided sightseeing tour: Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Yuyuan Garden. After lunch, continue the tour visiting Temple Jade Budda, Shikumen, Oriental Pearl Tower. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 3: Shanghai — Zhangjiajie
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time in Shanghai. Transfer to the airport for a flight to Zhangjiajie (2h30m). Transfer to the hotel. The evening is free at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 4: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
After delicious breakfast at the hotel, get ready for the exclusive adventure in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park for a full day. Take a ride on the world highest and fastest elevator in the Bailong Elevator to the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area. Here we shall visit the famous Avatar filming location, Natural Bridge under Heaven. Then take a Public shuttle bus to marvel the natural treasures of the Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve, Helong Park, Xihai Stone Forest, Imperial Brush Peak, Tianzi Mountain Cable Car, Ten-mile Gallery in the Suoxigu Valley. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 5: Zhangjiajie — Xian
After breakfast at the hotel, start the guided half-day sightseeing tour to Tianmen Mountain. You will take a ride on the World’s longest cable car to the mountaintop and try Sky Walk 1430 meters above the ground. Take an escalator through the mountain to Tianmen Cave and enjoy splendid views. Free time in Zhangjiajie. Transfer to the airport for the flight to Xian (1h40m). Transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 6: Xian
After breakfast at the hotel, meet the guide for a sightseeing walking tour. Get to know the secrets of world-famous Terracotta Army, see City Wall, Great Mosque. Take a stroll along 1110-meter long Muslim street where architectures in the style of Ming and Qing are well preserved. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 7: Xian — Beijing
After breakfast at the hotel, continue the tour around Xian. Today we will visit the Shaanxi History Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Bell Tower and Drum Tower Square. At 16.00 take a bullet train to Beijing. Arrival at Beijing at 21:31. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 8: Beijing
After breakfast at the hotel, start with a half-day guided sightseeing tour: Square Tiananmen, Museum Gugong, Temple of Heaven. Lunch. The evening is free at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 9: Beijing — Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast at the hotel, meet the guide to take the Great Wall tour for a full day. After the tour, transfer to the airport to take a direct flight to Ulaanbaatar at 21.10 (21.10- 23.40). Transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Ulaanbaatar.
Day 10: Karakorum
After breakfast at the hotel, meet the guide and drive towards to Kharkhorin, formerly known as Karakorum. Embrace the wilderness of Mongolia when visiting Khogno Khan Nature Reserve with mountains, steppes, Gobi-type desert and mineral water sources all in one location, Uvgun monastery or Erdene Khamba khiid. After lunch, continue to travel to Kharkhorin, the legendary city founded by Genghis Khan in 1220 in Orkhon Valley, on the Silk Road. Those days it was a political, economic, administrative and religious centre. But after Khublai Khaan moved the Mongolian capital to Beijing, Karakorum was abandoned and then completely destroyed by Chinese soldiers in 1388. There we shall visit Kharkhorin museum, and the Mongolian oldest and largest monastery Erdene Zuu. Overnight at the Ger camp.
Day 11: Ongi Monastery ruins
After traditional breakfast at the camp, we will continue our journey to discover Ongi Monastery ruins through the great Ongi steppe. Ongi monastery was one of the 7 biggest Mongolian monasteries. There are 2 temple ruins which were built up in the 1780s. During repression in 1930s’, these two temples were destroyed and over 200 monks were killed, and many surviving monks were imprisoned. In the 1990s, it was decided to rebuild the monastery. The first temple was inaugurated in 2004. There is a small museum in a ger in front of it. One of the stupas has just been reconstructed as well. We travel like real nomads from one Ger to another just like Mongolians do for a thousand years. Overnight at the Ger camp.
Day 12: Bayanzag
After breakfast at the camp, you will go further to Bayanzag, known as Flaming Cliffs. We shall hike through the cliffs (east trail, suitable for any fitness level) to see the Gobi tree grove named “Bayanzag”.The American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews arrived here in 1922, on an expedition for the American Museum of Natural History. His team found hundreds of fossilised remains, and Bayanzag became known as a dinosaur graveyard. After lunch, we will watch the short documentary about these excavations. After dinner, return to the Bayanzag to see the sunset, find out why the area is called Flaming Cliffs. Overnight at the Ger camp.
Day 13: Gobi Desert
After breakfast at the camp, we travel through the stunning Gobi Desert to see amazing Khongor sand dune at sunset. There is no landscape equal to it in Mongolia, Khongor sand Dunes last for impressive 180 km. The Gobi desert is one of the world's greatest, it is a no-sand desert of gravel plains and rocky outcrops. Great Gobi National Park is one of the largest World Biospheres, with an area larger than Switzerland. It contains the last remaining wild Bactrian (two-humped) camels and a small population of Gobi bears, the only desert-inhabiting bear. The Khongor Sand Dunes are some of the largest and most impressive white sand dunes in Mongolia with the largest dunes up to 800 metres high. The dunes make a sound like a plane engine on a windy day so it has been named as "Singing Dunes". Visit the local camel herding nomad family and experience the nomadic life in the Gobi, have a camel ride through the sand dunes of Khongori. Overnight at the Ger camp.
Day 14: Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park
After breakfast at the camp, continue the journey to Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. Yol Valley is a deep and narrow gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains. Gobi Gurvan Saikhan Mountains (Three Beauties of Gobi) are three Rocky Mountains, the highest of which is 2815 meters above the sea level. After lunch, take a ride to Yolyn Am, a picturesque place with ice fields even in summer, and surrounded by sheer rocky walls, forming incredible canyons. You will visit a Gobi museum and if you wish to get some hiking to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Late afternoon, we return to the camp for dinner and time at leisure. Overnight at the Ger camp.
Day 15: Terelj National Park
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and flight to Ulaanbaatar (1h 30 m). Transfer to Terelj National Park. We shall see Turtle Rock, have lunch with a nomadic family, visit Temple of Aryavalokiteshvara and Aryabal Monastery. Dinner & overnight at the Ger camp at Terelj National Park.
Day 16: Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, we will take the transfer to Ulaanbaatar, en route stop at Genghis Khan’s Statue Complex in Tsonjin boldog, visit some souvenir shops, a small museum, after we will drive to the city and start the guided tour visiting Zaisan Memorial and Buddha Garden. In the evening, enjoy 6 pm-Tumen Ekh-traditional folklore concert. Dinner at the hotel restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 17: Naadam Festival
Full-day guided touring the festival, watching competitions, performances, the national culture of wonderful Mongolia: archery, horse riding, nomad culture at its best. We book special seats to allow maximum comfort today, however, please mind we will need to walk to and from the stadium. Please note that while we’re doing everything possible, the schedule of the day might change at late notice due to logistics complications and restrictions implied by the local authorities.
Day 18: Departure
After breakfast, an optional half-day Naadam festival visit. Transfer to the airport/railway station.
National Naadam
The biggest festival (National Naadam) is held in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, during the National Holiday, in the National Sports Stadium. It begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the ceremony, the competitions begin. The competitions are mainly horseback riding. Naadam is also celebrated in different regions of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia in July and August. In the Tuva Republic, Naadam is on 15 August.
Three games
Naadam is a traditional festival in Mongolia. The games are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing, and archery, and are held throughout the country during midsummer. Women have started participating in the archery and girls in the horse-racing games, but not in Mongolian wrestling.
Wrestling
Mongolian traditional wrestling is an untimed competition in which wrestlers lose if they touch the ground with any part of their body other than their feet or hands. When picking pairs, the wrestler with the greatest fame has the privilege to choose his opponent. Wrestlers wear two-piece costumes consisting of a tight shoulder vest (zodog) and shorts (shuudag). Only men are allowed to participate.
Horse racing
Unlike Western horse racing, which consists of short sprints generally not much longer than 2 km, Mongolian horse racing as featured in Naadam is a cross-country event, with races 15–30 km long. The length of each race is determined by age class. For example, two-year-old horses race for ten miles and seven-year-olds for seventeen miles. Up to 1000 horses from any part of Mongolia can be chosen to participate. Racehorses are fed a special diet. Children from 5 to 13 are chosen as jockeys and train in the months preceding the races. While jockeys are an important component, the main purpose of the races is to test the skill of the horses.
Archery
In archery competition, both men and women may participate. It is played by teams of ten. Each archer is given four arrows; the team must hit 33 "surs".Men shoot their arrows from 75 meters away while women shoot theirs from 65 meters away. Traditionally the archers wear their national clothing (Deel) during the competition. All the archers wear leather bracers up to the elbow on their outstretched arm, so that the deel’s cuff does not interfere with shooting.
Cultural Heritage
In 2010, Naadam was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.
Mongolia
To apply for a visa, citizens of the UK should apply personally through an authorized company (40 GBP for a standard visa, issued in 5 days). Сitizens of New Zealand can apply for a visa only by mail (160 $ NZ for a standard visa, issued in 2-5 days). Citizens of Australia can apply for a visa by mail (230 AUD, issued in 4-5 days). Citizens of the USA and Canada can travel to Mongolia without a visa in case a travel period is less than 90 days.
China
To apply for a visa, citizens of the UK should apply personally (85 GBP for a visa, issued in 4 days). Сitizens of New Zealand can apply for a visa by mail (140 $ for a visa, issued in 5 days). Citizens of Australia should apply for a visa through Chinese Visa Application Service Centers (109,5 $ AUD, issued in 4-5 days). Citizens of the USA and Canada should apply for visa personally (140 USD for the USA citizens and 100 USD for the citizens of Canada).
Mongolia
To apply for a visa, citizens of the UK should apply personally through an authorized company (40 GBP for a standard visa, issued in 5 days). Сitizens of New Zealand can apply for a visa only by mail (160 $ NZ for a standard visa, issued in 2-5 days). Citizens of Australia can apply for a visa by mail (230 AUD, issued in 4-5 days). Citizens of the USA and Canada can travel to Mongolia without a visa in case a travel period is less than 90 days.
The world-famous Terracotta Army
Boundless Gobi Desert
The Great Wall of China
Real Gear Camp Experience
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Naadam festival - nomad culture at its best
Linh Taylor
Australia
We had such a wonderful time traveling with World of Discoveries. We were there for the World Cup in addition to touring. The company did an amazing job at communicating before, during and after. We felt very safe and taken care of our entire stay. We would highly recommend the company.
Dragan Rakic
Australia
Great experience and organisation by the team at World of Discoveries - communication was great all the way through the trip
Diana Kammunkun
USA
Best Staff, Great Communication The communication and assistance from the Michael from the beginning, Alex during the pre-tour and post tour and Anna during the tour was better than exceptional; we were well taken care of. The staff truly cared about us having a memorable experience and their efforts greatly contributed to that happening. I’ll definitely be looking into their other tours.
Terry O'Connell
France
Great trip all round I booked not knowing what I was going to getting, a little sceptical and apprehensive due to never using these guys before. I could not have been more wrong, the service has been great and the tour has also been great. Mike the tour guide and the girls in the office are 5 star. Even had a disaster and left my passports in the hotel safe of one city and Mike and the team could not do enough to help me get these back. Really appreciate your professionalism and kindness. Will see you at the World Cup ?
Daniela
Great Britain
From start to finish the team couldn't have made this any easier to plan the trip. From the initial discussion to the finer details, don't hesitate to book. It's always daunting using a new company for things like this but they were so professional and I'll be using them again in the future. Lina was great with communication regarding the trip and Gulner was amazing ensuring we knew all about the transfers at the other end. They couldn't be more helpful or reassuring and I can't thank them enough!
Bruce McDougall
Australia
I recently toured Qatar during the World Cup with Varya and Mike’s team at World of Discoveries. The experience over three weeks was first class. Varya and her team nailed the detail for every aspect of the trip from planning and booking through to the actual travel, tours, sightseeing, transport, accommodation and ticketing to games. They were always accessible to deal with any issues that arose and went the extra mile to ensure the travelling group was happy, organised and safe. And they throw a mean party. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend World of Discoveries for trips of a lifetime.