Mongolia Hiking Adventure in the Tavan Bogd National Park
MONGOLIA WALKING ADVENTURE
TAVAN BOGD NATIONAL PARK
2025
JUN 26 - JUL 11
Wild and breathtaking landscapes, unspoilt wilderness, and the majestic Altai mountains make the Tavan Bogd National Park in Mongolia’s northwest a delight for the senses and a remarkable backdrop to an exciting, multi-day walking adventure.
Our 14-day walking adventure offers walkers a 9-day immersive experience to reconnect with nature & be inspired by the rugged & natural beauty of this pristine mountain environment.
As well as walking along lakes, through larch woodlands, rugged gorges, past roaring fast-flowing rivers, across gently flowing streams, and over hand-built bridges, the nine-day walk takes us through the heart of the pastoral summer activities of the Tuvan and Kazakh nomadic families.
Here’s what we think:
🌟 the minute you see our Mongolian driver waiting for you in the arrivals lounge at the Ghenggis Khan International airport you’ll smile and feel that special VIP feeling
🌟 after you check into the Bayangol Hotel, and explore Ulaanbaatar, you’ll be quite surprised at how ‘modern’ and familiar many aspects of the city are.
🌟 during our welcoming dinner, after we give you a detailed run of the next few days, playfully introduce you to our local guide and to your fellow adventurers, any concerns you might have had are dispelled and you’ll know you’re with a group of like-minded people and we’re going to take good care of you.
🌟 as soon as you land in Ulgii, 1600 km northwest from the capital Ulaanbaatar, you’ll realise excitedly that you’re somewhere like you’ve never experienced before, about to have a cultural experience of a lifetime and that as promised, this is going to be no ordinary hiking adventure!
🌟 BUT it will be on the bumpy ride in Russian 4WD van, after the flurry and excitement of loading our bags, equipment, food, water onto the vans; after along with the cook, second cook, and the two guides, we all take our places in the vehicles; after we make our way slowly in an entourage of 3 or 4 vans through the morning streets of Ulgii; and after the bitumen road suddenly ends and the ride becomes bumpier and the drivers start to speed up, and you stare wide-eyed out of the window at the rugged and open expanse of the Mongolian countryside, your heart will sing and rejoice… I’M ON AN ADVENTURE!!
Tavan Bogd National Park - Mongolia Hiking Adventure
Your walking route:
🌟 When we get to the Tavan Bogd National Park you’ll be taken aback by the sight of the snow-capped Altai Mountains (perhaps gasp, take some pics and say ‘wow’ several times), feel a little intoxicated by the cool, light mountain air as it enters your lungs and notice the ear to ear smiles on the faces around you
🌟 Every day you see, feel, smell, hear, touch something for the first time.
🌟 You’ll surprise yourself and even during the hardest ascents & descents and gain a new understanding of yourself and what you’re capable of.
🌟 At the end of the 9 days, when we sit in the Russian 4WD van once again, this time heading back to Ulgii, you’ll replay in your mind the river crossings on the back of the horses, the fields of wildflowers we walked past, the electric current that thrilled your whole being when you got over the first pass, or first saw the night sky from the opening of your tent, or walked through the remnants of snow on the ground, or got to the top of Malchin Peak!
Testimonial for the Mongolia Hiking Adventure in 2023.
OUTLINE ITINERARY
Day 1: arrive - you’ll be picked up at the airport unless otherwise arranged. We’ll meet for an introductory dinner.
Day 2: fly to Ulgii in Mongolia's northwest and the gateway to the Tavan Bogd National Park. Here, at 2000 metres we acclimatise for two nights and enjoy the Kazakh Mongolian culture.
We join in some traditional felting activities and create a scarf, or cushion cover to take home after the adventure.
Day 3: We spend another night in Ulgii and explore the small, frontier town, close to the Russian and Kazhak borders.
Day 4 - 10 our aim is to traverse the Tavan Bogd National Park from its southwest lakes to its five sacred peaks (Tavan Bogd) in the north and arrive at basecamp overlooking the Potanin Glacier.
We’ll be supported by a team of about 12 people. Mongolian-Kazakh camel & horse wranglers, two cooks & two English speaking local guides, and 3 - 4 drivers.
The cook and camel wranglers will walk ahead of us to start setting up camp at some of the most breathtaking camping spots you’ve ever seen in your entire life!
Day 11: If you choose to and if weather permits, we will attempt to climb to the top of Malchin Peak (4,045 mt). This will take all day and will be the most arduous effort you’ll make during the whole adventure.
As soon as you get to the top and see the 360 degree view, you’ll forget all about the difficulty and exertion of walking up the steep scree.
Day 12: We make our way to the northeast exit off the national park where our drivers will be waiting to drive us back to Ulgii.
Day 13: Fly back to Ulaanbaatar. We can arrange a Thai massage before our last celebration dinner.
Day 14: our drivers will take you to the airport to catch your flight home or to your next destination.
“Before setting off on this trek, I had hit a wall and was frustrated with life in general. Work was overwhelming; people were overwhelming. I had suppressed my creativity while striving so very diligently to stabilise my life through my job. This simply was no longer enough.
I made a quick decision to get away and hike away my cares. Mongolia seemed far enough and remote enough to accomplish this. So I set off halfway around the world to explore. What I never counted on was meeting such an engaging spirit as Erika.
Erika is beyond just enthusiastic. She is committed and fearless in her efforts to bring out creativity and honesty in others. In the wild of Mongolia, I felt safe to share, to discuss, to challenge, and to grow. I was able to get in touch with the profound beauty of the landscape and to rediscover my self-expression while doing so. Erika helped me to tap into my strength and creativity through guided exercises and simple conversation.
As mentioned, the location was remote, which could have been daunting. However, Erika is a skilled backpacker whose guidance and knowledge made the adventure safe and comfortable. The experience was life-changing, and I returned to the States with renewed energy and purpose.
I am forever grateful for the experience and would recommend an outing with Erika to anyone: it is guaranteed to change you in ways you never anticipated.”
Lisa Franko looking towards valley in the Tavan Bogd National Park
MORE TESTIMONIALS
"Would you like to trek through pristine wilderness? Well, that is exactly what I did with Erika from Edgewalkers when I went to Mongolia on her Creativity walk. Erika keeps the group size small, which makes for a very intimate experience. Beautiful scenery, fresh air, blue skies, charming Mongolian people and so much more. If you are like me and love adventure, then this trip is for you."
Margaret Freeland - Victoria
"Went to Mongolia and did a creativity retreat with Edgewalkers, would recommend. Great organisation and facilitation. Stupendous."
Robyn Harris - Bunbury, Western Australia
"From the beautiful sights & culture of Ulaanbaatar to the magnificent scenery of remote Mongolia this was a captivating experience. We were immersed in the culture with our guides, devoured magnificent food prepared by our trekking cooks and had our creativity ignited in our daily creative activities. The small group was fantastic and the scenery absolutely took our breath away during our trek. It was a great trekking experience that I would definitely recommend!"
Leonie Francis - Victoria
"Traveling to this remote corner of the world truly reconnects us with our basic human needs. Love and respect for nature for survival and pure unadulterated pleasure are constantly in your thoughts and touch your Being with every step you take across the Mongolian steps, beside the glacial rivers, and onto the Altai mountains. The simple pleasures of good food, a soft dry bed, and honest connections with new people reminded me of who I am. Breathing in the pureness of this experience cleansed me and I have returned home fresh and content with the world."
Debra Armstrong - Melbourne, Victoria
It will be an experience of a lifetime that may bring life-changing results!
YOUR HOST
Dr Erika Jacobson - adventurer, yogi, plant-based veteran
FAQs
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No, Mongolia is a sovereign state and a country in its own right - its capital is Ulaan Baatar. There is a region in China called the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region that used to be part of the Mongolian territory until 1947.
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Australians no longer need visas if they are staying in Mongolia 30 days or less.
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No, you have to get your own return ticket to Ulaan Bataar, but once you are there we take care of everything else including in-country flights, meals, accommodation, transport, all activities and material for activities and us 24/7 at you service.
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The region of Mongolia we are walking in is very safe.
Only kilometres from Russian and Chinese borders, there are some military posts where we stop and check in, show our passports and where the rangers keep tabs on any irregular activity.
As there are hardly any people through the Tavan Bogd National Park, mainly nomads and their families with their animals, crime is also not an issue.
We are walking through remote wilderness and mountains - and we respect that.
We take precautions during any river crossings and make sure that everyone gets enough time to acclimatise to the altitude.
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The terrain starts off quite even and firm as we skirt the lake and the conifer forest. There are several occasional crossings of streams (ankle height), and some pebbly ground.
There is also some undulation in the first 3 days and some marshy and boggy terrain to negotiate in areas as well as some short and rocky climbs to negotiate.We often wear our sandals during the boggier terrain to keep our boots dry.
On the fifth day we go up our first high pass and the ground is quite loose and boggy with some shale rock.
The descent on the other side of the pass is very steep and if wet can be a little slippery - generally it is dry and the rocks that line the path can be used as stoppers.The hike up to Malchin Peak (4,045m) is mostly scree and very uneven and loose in places, changing into bigger rocks and the boulders as we get to the top. It is the most challenging terrain of the whole walk but worth every step!
There are also a couple of river crossings that we do on horseback as they are fast-moving and cold.
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We cannot accommodate a late arrival - our domestic travel will be organised to get us in flights to Ulgii 1600 kms northwest of the capital and by 4WD another 150 kms to the Tavan Bogd National Park. We have to travel together.
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You need to be self-sufficient and carry your own portable power source - we will be walking through the wilderness for 9 days with no access to any power. We will have a solar charger that you can use but bring your own also.
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No - there is no phone signal outside of Ulgii, but we will have a satellite phone for emergencies and you can share this with your family and friends and they can follow your progress from home.
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Probably not.
You will, however, most likely experience shortness of breath above 2,500 metres.
You might get a slight headache and have trouble sleeping the first night or two.
Keeping hydrated helps a lot.We acclimatise in Ulgii (2,000 metres) where we spend 2 days.
Day 1 - 3 of walk stay at around 2000 - 2100 m (making a total of 5 days acclimatising at around 2,000 m)
This seems to be working really well with everyone and we have never had anyone experience altitude sickness.
Day 4 - we start our first ascent and spend the night at 2,500 m.
Day 5 - we make our way up to a pass that is just under 3,200 m (absolutely spectacular) and then we go down to a valley and sleep at 2,500 m.
Day 6 - we also have a small ascent but generally remain at around 2,700m and then sleep at around 2,500 m again.
Day 7 - steady ascent most of the day to the TBNP base camp where we sleep at around 3,100 m - the 5 main peaks around us and the Potanin Glacier beside us.
Day 8 - If you choose to climb Malchin Peak (4,045 m) you will feel the breathlessness no matter how fit you are, we do not stay up there long.
We place it and its a very slow and steep ascent we make sure everyone is drinking plenty of water and we have many stops along the way.
Most people - including a few in their 60s and 70s - have had no issues at all.
About half the group attempts it most years.
Day 9 - we gradually descend to about 2,800 m to one of the entires into the TBNP where we are picked up by our drivers and we return to Ulgii.
If you are concerned about altitude sickness and want professional advice, please consult your doctor.
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Build up your walking stamina and strength by walking regularly. Build up slowly from what you are used to until you can walk for 6 or more hours in one go. Make sure you incorporate hills, beach walking and definitely carry some weight. A more detailed training plan will come your way soon.
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You will receive a list of suggested items to bring when you book into the tour. You DO NOT need a tent.
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While walking we will be carrying only a day pack, so a small pack that will carry our food for the day and snacks, water and whatever items you want to carry on you while walking, like your camera or your sunscreen.
You can make them as light as you like.
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You don’t have to, but it is always quicker when many hands are involved.
Our support crew, including our expedition cook, who is coming along on the walk with us, usually do this for us, but in my experience everyone gets involved and helps put tents up and take them down. The local team will be walking ahead of us with the camels and horses and setting up camp before we arrive every afternoon - however they start with the kitchen, toilet and mess tents and our sleeping tents are usually not yet up when were get there.
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In nature for number 1s and if you need to number 2s (we will be carrying a small shovel) but there will also be a campsite drop-toilet set up every evening in a separate spot from the campsite for a bit of privacy.
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We require everyone to have fully comprehensive travel insurance for this reason. It is an extremely remote region of the country and we have sat phones and all the first aid equipment necessary to treat minor injuries or temporary ailments. If any serious injuries occur, we will get the injured person out of the National Park on horse and then by car.
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We typically pair up solo female travelers in a shared room or tent. Alternatively, you have the option to pay for a single supplement if you prefer not to share.