Naadam Tour
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Routes

Terelj Short Break

The two- to three-day trip almost every visitor with a stopover takes: the giant Chinggis Khaan equestrian statue on the road east, then Gorkhi-Terelj National Park for Turtle Rock, the Aryabal meditation temple and an hour in the saddle, with one night in a ger. Some versions swap in Khustai National Park for the Przewalski's horses or add a half-day hike on Bogd Khan mountain past the Manzushir monastery ruins. Distances are short and much of the road is paved, so it works as a weekend add-on rather than an expedition. It is also the cheapest way to sleep in a ger and see steppe.

Typical length
1–3 days (Read more: 2)
Difficulty
easy
Driving per day
1-3 hours
Total distance
Roughly 150-300 km in total depending on whether Khustai is included
Best months
May–Sep
  • Jan: not a best month
  • Feb: not a best month
  • Mar: not a best month
  • Apr: not a best month
  • May: a best month
  • Jun: a best month
  • Jul: a best month
  • Aug: a best month
  • Sep: a best month
  • Oct: not a best month
  • Nov: not a best month
  • Dec: not a best month
Terelj Short Break — StopsUlaanbaatar → Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue, Tsonjin Boldog → Gorkhi-Terelj National Park → Hustai National Park (Khustain Nuruu)UlaanbaatarGenghis Khan Equestrian Statue, Tsonjin BoldogGorkhi-Terelj National ParkHustai National Park (Khustain Nuruu)

Stops: Ulaanbaatar → Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue, Tsonjin Boldog → Gorkhi-Terelj National Park → Hustai National Park (Khustain Nuruu)

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Khustai or the statue

    Either 2-3 hours west to Khustai National Park to look for Takhi horses and visit a herder family, or about an hour east to the 40-metre steel Chinggis Khaan statue at Tsonjin Boldog. Night in a tourist ger camp or with a nomad family.

  2. Day 2

    Bogd Khan or straight to Terelj

    The medium-grade version walks 3-4 hours over Bogd Khan mountain past the Manzushir monastery ruins before continuing into Terelj. Easier versions drive directly. Ger camp in the park.

  3. Day 3

    Terelj highlights and back

    Aryabal meditation temple, Turtle Rock, and about an hour of horse riding, then the drive back to Ulaanbaatar, with the statue complex on the way if not already seen.

Price bands

budget join-in

170-200 USD

Prices as published for 2026

Group size assumed: 4-8 travellers

Includes: Selena Travel's 3-day short tour is US$600 pp at 4-5 people, US$550 at 6 and US$510 at 7-8, covering guide, private vehicle, 2 ger nights, meals as listed, sightseeing fees, horse riding and water. Ulaanbaatar hotel, international flights, insurance and visa fees are excluded.

standard private

260 USD

Prices as published for 2026

Group size assumed: 2-3 travellers, private guide and vehicle

Includes: Same 3-day itinerary at US$780 pp for 2-3 people; single supplement US$100.

premium

450 USD

Prices as published for 2026

Group size assumed: solo traveller, private vehicle and guide

Includes: Same itinerary at solo occupancy: US$1,350 total. Day-trip-only products exist far cheaper — a one-day Ulaanbaatar city tour is US$80 pp.

Sold from Japan

Japanese mainstream agencies price 5-day Mongolia packages built around ger stays and steppe at 174,900-199,900 JPY including international flights, depending on departure city, which is the band a Terelj-centred short break falls into. Source: https://www.hankyu-travel.com/kaigai/keyword/%E3%83%A2%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B4%E3%83%AB%E3%80%80%E3%83%8A%E3%83%BC%E3%83%80%E3%83%A0/

Accommodation

Tourist ger camps in Terelj with shared Western-style bathroom blocks, or a night in a working herder family's ger, which means no shower and a pit latrine. Terelj also has a few conventional hotels and resorts, which is unusual for a Mongolian national park.

Vehicle

An ordinary van or car is enough: the road to the statue and into Terelj is paved most of the way. That is exactly why this route is cheap — no 4WD premium, no domestic flight, no long fuel-heavy stages.

Not for

travellers looking for remoteness — Terelj is the most visited park in the country
people who specifically came for desert or high mountains

Ask before you book

  • Is the ger a tourist camp with a shower block, or a family ger with no running water?
  • Is the Chinggis Khaan statue entrance fee included, or only the drive-past?
  • Is horse riding included, and for how long?
  • In winter, is the camp heated and is the ger stove tended overnight?
  • Is the guide English-, Korean- or Japanese-speaking, and is that guaranteed in writing?
Sources (4)