Experience Mongolia like never before with expertly curated tours from a family-owned company dedicated to culture, nature, and local communities.
This 15-day Mongolia self-drive tour is a guided self-drive convoy through the two sides of Mongolia: the wild Gobi Desert in the south and the green valleys of Central Mongolia. You drive your own Toyota Land Cruiser behind our lead vehicle, with an English-speaking guide and a support vehicle, so you have the freedom of the open road without ever being alone.
Over about 2,350 km, this Gobi and Central Mongolia tour mixes paved highways with real off-road tracks. In the south you see the striped cliffs of Tsagaan Suvarga, ride horses in Yol Valley, ride camels at the Khongor Sand Dunes and walk the Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag. In the north you cross rivers in the Orkhon Valley, spend a night with a nomad family, soak in the Tsenkher hot springs, visit Erdene Zuu Monastery in Kharkhorin, and end among the wild horses of Khustai National Park.
Most nights are spent in ger camps, and driving days range from a short 10 km to a full day on the road, with a rest day in the Tsenkher valley. If you’re looking for a 2 week Mongolia self-drive that covers far more than one region, this Mongolia self-drive expedition is our most complete route.
New to off-road driving? Read our guide to driving in Mongolia.
🚙 15-day Mongolia self-drive tour 4×4 expedition across Gobi & Central Mongolia
🏜️ Explore Tsagaan Suvarga, Yol Valley, Flaming Cliffs, and Orkhon Valley
🐪 Free Bactrian camel riding experience with local herders
🏕️ 10 nights in ger camps, 2 nights with nomad families, tent camping on request
🧭 Professional convoy with English-speaking guide
🍽️ All meals included – no logistics, no stress
🐎 Horseback riding & hot-spring relaxation in Central Mongolia
🐴 Visit Khustai National Park, home of the rare Przewalski’s horse
Arrive at Chinggis Khaan International Airport, where your guide will warmly welcome you. Transfer to your hotel in Ulaanbaatar and enjoy a relaxing evening. Depending on your arrival time, you may explore the city on your own or rest after your flight.
After a full briefing and a short practice drive, take the wheel of your Land Cruiser and follow our lead vehicle south out of Ulaanbaatar toward the Middle Gobi. Most of the way is on paved road, and the last 40 km turns to sandy steppe track, a gentle first taste of off-road driving with the convoy right beside you.
Arrive at Baga Gazriin Chuluu, a granite massif rising out of the open steppe. Explore its quiet rocky valleys and strange rock shapes on foot before dinner at camp.
Drive: about 4 hours (about 260 km: 220 km paved, 40 km off-road)
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Ger camp at Baga Gazriin Chuluu
Follow the convoy south-west into the Gobi. The first 180 km is on paved road, then you leave the tarmac for 60 km of desert track as the land turns drier and wider.
Arrive at Tsagaan Suvarga, the “White Stupa”, a long escarpment of wind-carved cliffs striped in white, pink and orange, the remains of an ancient seabed. Walk along the edge for sweeping views over the desert, and stay out for sunset, when the colours are at their best.
Drive: about 3-4 hours (about 240 km: 180 km paved, 60 km off-road)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Ger camp near Tsagaan Suvarga (tent camping possible, ask us after booking; same price)
Head south behind the lead vehicle, deeper into the Gobi. About half the route is off-road desert track, with stops for photos and wildlife as the Gurvan Saikhan (“Three Beauties”) mountains slowly rise on the horizon.
In the afternoon reach Yol Valley (Yoliin Am), a narrow canyon cut between steep rock walls in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park. Swap the car for a horse and ride into the gorge, looking out for ibex on the cliffs and the bearded vultures (yol) the valley is named after. The canyon’s cool air is a welcome change after the desert heat.
Drive: about 4 hours (about 250 km, 120 km of it off-road)
Activity: Horseback ride in Yol Valley
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Nomad family near Yol Valley
Start on 140 km of paved road, then turn off for 40 km of rocky track that climbs through the Three Beauties mountains, one of the most scenic drives of the trip. On the far side, sandy tracks lead down to the Khongor Sand Dunes, a wall of golden sand running along the foot of the mountains.
If you arrive in time, ride a Bactrian camel near the dunes, climb to the top of a dune for the view, and take photos as the light changes. If not, we do these the next morning before leaving.
Drive: about 2–3 hours (about 180 km: 140 km paved, 40 km off-road)
Activity: Bactrian camel ride and dune hike at Khongor
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Ger camp near Khongor Sand Dunes (tent camping possible, ask us after booking; same price)
Leave the dunes behind for a full off-road day, about 150 km of remote desert track with hardly another vehicle in sight. In the afternoon arrive at Bayanzag, the Flaming Cliffs, where red sandstone glows bright orange in the late sun.
This is where the American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews found the first dinosaur eggs known to science in the 1920s. Walk the cliff edge, hear the story of his expeditions from your guide, and stay for sunset.
Drive: about 3 hours (about 150 km, all off-road)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Ger camp near Bayanzag
Drive north-west on remote desert tracks as the Gobi gives way to dry, open steppe. In the afternoon arrive in the Ongi River valley, where the ruins of Ongi Monastery spread across both banks. Once one of the largest monasteries in Mongolia, it was destroyed in the 1930s. Explore the ruins and the small temple that still stands, then climb the hill above for views over the river.
Drive: about 3–4 hours (about 190 km, all off-road)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Ger camp near Ongi Monastery
A long and varied driving day. The convoy leaves the dry south behind on off-road desert and steppe tracks, joins paved road for part of the way, and climbs slowly into the green hills of central Mongolia. You can watch the landscape change from arid plains to grassy valleys dotted with herds and gers.
Arrive at the Orkhon Waterfall (Ulaan Tsutgalan) in the UNESCO-listed Orkhon Valley, where the river drops into a gorge of dark basalt rock surrounded by open grassland. Stretch your legs on the walk down to the falls before dinner.
Drive: about 3-4 hours (about 294 km: 210 km off-road, 84 km paved)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Ger camp near Orkhon Waterfall (tent camping possible, ask us after booking; same price)
A short but adventurous drive along steppe tracks through the Orkhon Valley. Depending on the water level, there may be a river crossing, which your guide leads the convoy through.
Hike up through the forest to Tuvkhun Monastery, a small hilltop temple founded in the 17th century by Zanabazar, Mongolia’s great Buddhist leader and artist, with wide views over the valley.
In the evening, stay with a local nomadic family. See their daily life up close, and join in with the herding, milking and other chores if you’d like, then share a meal in their ger.
Drive: about 1 hour (about 70 km, all off-road, with possible river crossings)
Activity: Hike to Tuvkhun Monastery
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Nomadic family stay
Say goodbye to your nomad hosts and drive west through the green hills of Arkhangai. About half the route is off-road steppe track and the rest is paved road, passing herds of yaks and horses and small river valleys along the way.
Arrive at Tsenkher Hot Spring, tucked into a forested valley. Soak in the natural mineral-rich hot water, surrounded by mountain meadows, a perfect place to rest and recharge after ten days on the road.
Drive: about 2–3 hours (about 190 km: 90 km off-road, 100 km paved)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Premium ger camp at Tsenkher Hot Spring
A slow day out of the driver’s seat. After a short 10 km move to a ger camp in the Tsenkher valley, head out on a relaxed horseback ride of up to two hours through quiet valleys and open grassland, at an easy pace with no riding experience needed. Spend the rest of the day as you like: walk the meadows, read in the sun, or simply rest before the drive back east.
Drive: about 10 km, under 30 minutes
Activity: Horseback ride (up to 2 hours)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Ger camp in the Tsenkher valley
Drive east, mostly on paved road with about 30 km of track, to Kharkhorin, the site of Karakorum, capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery, one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia, surrounded by its long white wall of 108 stupas. Then see the remains of the old imperial city.
In the afternoon, continue to Elsen Tasarkhai, a long strip of sand dunes running through green steppe, often called the “Mini Gobi”. Walk on the dunes and watch the sunset over the steppe before a night at camp.
Drive: about 2-3 hours (about 191 km: 30 km off-road, the rest paved)
Activity: Erdene Zuu Monastery and Karakorum
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Ger camp at Elsen Tasarkhai
Drive east across the central steppe, mostly on paved road with about 30 km of track at the end, to Khustai National Park. This protected reserve is where the takhi, or Przewalski’s horse, the world’s last truly wild horse, was brought back to Mongolia in the 1990s after dying out in the wild.
In the late afternoon, drive your own 4×4 slowly through the park with your guide, looking for herds of wild horses as well as red deer, marmots and birds of prey. Evening is the best time to see the horses, as they come down from the hills, and the sunset over the steppe makes a fine last night in the countryside.
Drive: about 3–4 hours (about 231 km: 30 km off-road, the rest paved)
Activity: Wildlife drive in Khustai National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Ger camp at Khustai National Park
Your 15-day Mongolia self-drive tour ends this morning in Khustai. Spend a last early morning in Khustai, looking for wild horses and enjoying the quiet of the open steppe. Your self-drive adventure ends here: hand over the keys, sit back, and let our team drive you the last 100 km to Ulaanbaatar, arriving in the afternoon.
Drive: about 100 km, driven by our team
Meals: Breakfast, Picnic lunch
Overnight: Ulaanbaatar hotel (not included in the price)
Enjoy a relaxed morning before your private transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport. Your guide and chauffeur will assist with check-in and luggage as you prepare for your journey home.
Thank you for choosing Nomad Trail Mongolia—we hope your adventure has been unforgettable, and we warmly look forward to welcoming you back.
