Mongolia
Desert, eternal ice, and endless vastness – welcome to the ultimate nothingness imaginable! Hop on a jeep, put on your trekking boots, and experience the magic of the Gobi Desert as you travel from yurt to yurt. This once-in-a-lifetime tour will transform you into a true adventurer and immerse you in the fascinating life of desert nomads.
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Mongolia up close and personal
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Land of Genghis Khan
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Far out into the Gobi Desert
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Overnight stays in yurt camps
Visual inspiration
Details
Day 1, Sat, 20.07.2024: Welcome to Mongolia!
Your gay holiday begins! After your arrival in Ulaanbaatar, enjoy breakfast at the hotel! But then it’s high time to get exploring: the city in the steppe is calling for you! Here modern technology is just as much a part of everyday life as are the yurts between the tower blocks. At Sukhbaatar Square you’ll have your first glimpse of the legendary Genghis Khan towering over the monumental quadrangle. After taking in the sights, it’s time to delve into Mongolian culture at the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan. Over dinner, you’ll go through the itinerary of your gay adventure tour with your guide and make a toast (or two!) to your unforgettable holiday.
Day 2, Sun, 21.07.2024: Ready to yurt?
Time to get ready – our smiling drivers are waiting outside the hotel for us with off-road minibuses. Fasten your seatbelt as we set off for our first yurt camp 130 kilometres in the open country. Most of the ride is on paved roads, but don’t get used to it – things will change very soon! Upon your arrival, you’ll receive a lesson on yurt etiquette from your guide: never step on the threshold, and always put your right foot first! You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how cosy yurts are – they’re equipped with real furniture and beds. Nevertheless, comfort is secondary here: the bathroom is shared, the toilet is in an outhouse, the water is heated over a fire and – get ready for the shock – there’s no internet! A traditional Mongolian dinner starts with “white foods” made using milk, followed by “red foods” consisting of meat and other specialities. The food alone will make this an unforgettable gay adventure!
Day 3, Mon, 22.07.2024: Wildlife paparazzi
How was your first night in a yurt? Have a cup of steaming tea and some breakfast with your trekking boots on. Today, your Marco Polo guide will take you on a hike through the Ikh Nart Nature Reserve. Keep your cameras ready at all times: we’re on a photo quest for argali wild sheep that can weigh up to 200 kg as well as Siberian ibex and steppe foxes. After a busy day of animal stalking, you’ll spend another night at the yurt camp.
Day 4, Tue, 23.7.2024: Ovoos, rock formations, and animals galore
Let’s hit the road early today – 150 kilometres lie ahead of us. Oh, wow... Is that an ovoo in the distance? Yes! You’ll stop at one of these traditional ceremonial stacks of rocks decorated with blue cloths. Circle the mound and add your very own rock as a kind of deposit to your travel karma account. But on we go! Today’s destination is the massive granite rock formations of Ikh Gazriin Chuluu with jagged peaks reaching up to 1,706 metres. This mini mountain range is just as spectacular as its wildlife. Be on the lookout for vultures, marmots, and other fascinating creatures on the hike. After another full day of adventures, you’ll spend the night in our second yurt camp of the tour.
Day 5, Wed, 24.7.2024: Rock art
After breakfast, the caravan continues its course to the Middle Gobi. The Tsagaan Suvarga canyon awaits you: get ready to discover 10 million years of history at a glance as well as stunning rock formations in as many colours as the different eras of natural history. On a short hike to Del Mountain, your guide will show you “Gobi graffiti” fascinating petroglyphs depicting mammoths, lions, and other creatures, people riding and hunting – just normal everyday life over 2,000 years ago! Hard to believe that all this took place here on this very spot…
Why Mongolia?
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Get ready to become a true adventurer on this tour: because Mongolia is one of the most far-off tourist destinations in the world, travellers in this remote place are considered exotic and are welcomed enthusiastically by the locals (video).
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The Gobi Desert is synonymous with adventure. At nearly 2,000 kilometres wide, the infinite vastness of this desert, its magical silence, and breathtaking starry skies have captivated adventurers for centuries and have made them one with the universe.
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Spending the night among the nomads, trekking through the steppe in search of wild sheep, Siberian ibex, steppe foxes, marmots, vultures, and snow leopards and exploring the remains of dinosaurs are just some of the adventures you’ll take home with you on this unforgettable journey.
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An anti-discrimination law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was passed in Mongolia 2015. This makes Mongolia quite progressive in the legal sense; however, sexuality is kept private and not discussed in public.
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With a population of only 3 million and an area five times the size of Germany, there is no gay community to speak of in Mongolia and the topic of homosexuality is therefore largely taboo. Nevertheless, the accommodation provided on this tour is almost completely private and gay guests can feel at ease, but keep in mind that you should generally be cautious when it comes to public displays of affection.
Yurt camps
During your holiday, you’ll mostly be spending the night at authentic yurt camps where you’ll be able to experience life in the steppe like the locals. However, you’ll be staying at the Bayangol Hotel the first and last nights of the tour in Ulaanbaatar.
Bayangol Hotel | Ulaanbaatar
Ikhnart Yurt Camp
Hustai Yurt Camp
and many more (see itinerary)
Day 6, Thu, 25.07.2024: Deep valleys and eternal ice
Before we set off into the wild, you’ll catch a brief glimpse of civilisation in the Southern Gobi: Dalanzagdad – a small town in the middle of nowhere. Here you can stock up on supplies before heading into the Gobi Gurvan Saykhan National Park where you’ll visit the magnificent Yolyn Am Vulture Gorge. You’ll be in awe of the staggering cliffs plunging up to 200 metres into the depths. At the bottom, a small idyllic river flows into the eternal ice. Simply breathtaking.
Day 7, Fri, 26.07.2024: Singing dunes
Off we go to the Singing Dunes of Khongoryn Els – 180 km of breathtaking natural beauty! As part of this amazing experience, you’ll be staying with a nomadic family and learn that camels and horses are essentially part of the family here! But most importantly, you’ll learn the true meaning of hospitality. As the sun slowly sets and bathes the dunes in the most magnificent colours, take a seat and get ready to listen to a symphony performed by nature’s most talented musician: the wind. Afterwards, you’ll slide down the dune and make your way to an oasis-like destination a few kilometres away. Your magical gay holiday just keeps getting better!
Day 8, Sat, 27.07.2024: Flaming cliffs and fossils
A new day, a new gay adventure. Today, the minibuses continue the bumpy ride towards Bayanzag. Here you’ll feast your eyes on the Flaming Cliffs, which have devoted fans worldwide! This includes countless palaeontologists who come here to examine the dinosaur nests, skeletons, and eggs that were discovered here a hundred years ago! This is the ultimate prehistoric experience.
Day 9, Sun, 28.07.2024: Monastic life in the modern world
Farewell, Gobi! Today, you’ll head north on a dirt road along the Ongi River to a monastery bearing the same name. Once home to as many as 1,000 monks, the monastery was destroyed under communist rule and unfortunately, many lamas lost their lives. Today, part of the complex is under reconstruction and one temple has been completely rebuilt. Get ready to learn the fascinating history of this remarkable place and see Buddhism in action.
Tour operator
This Guys.travel gay tour is organised and carried out by Marco Polo Reisen, a renowned specialist for worldwide discovery trips for over 60 years.
Prices and services
Have a room all to yourself
€ 3199,-
Share a room with a partner/friend
€ 2649,-
Price per person includes:
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Individual airport transfers upon arrival and departure
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Transfers in local coaches
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Round trip in an off-road vehicle (minibus)
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2 nights in a single room in the hotel specified; 11 nights in yurts for single use
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Breakfast, full board from day 2 to day 14
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English-speaking Marco Polo tour guide
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Welcome dinner and farewell dinner
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CO2 compensation – climate neutral gay tour
Day 10, Mon, 29.07.2024: The Mongol Empire revisited
No visit to Mongolia is complete without learning about the mighty Genghis Khan! Today, you’ll travel to Karakorum in the Orkhon Valley, which was the capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260. It was from here that Genghis Khan controlled his vast empire. A short distance away lies Erdene Zuu, a monastery where you can enjoy the peace and quiet of Buddhist life.
Day 11, Tue, 30.07.2024: Think global, eat local!
Steppe = boring? Never! Today, you’ll visit the Qaidam Museum where you’ll take a short journey back in time to the Mongolia of the 6th to 8th centuries. Outside the museum, you’ll experience everyday nomadic life in 2024, which is a fascinating combination of both modern and traditional elements. You still find airag, milk tea and spirits, as well as a variety of local dairy and meat products. If you’re an experienced rider, chances are you’ll have the opportunity to climb into the saddle. But get ready for a treat: after dinner, your hosts will show you what they can do on horseback! To round off the eventful day, you’ll marvel at mysterious overtone singing accompanied by the Mongolian horsehead fiddle.
Day 12, Wed, 31.07.2024: One last adventure in the steppe
For the equestrians among you (but also just the animal lovers!), Hustai National Park will amaze you! This park is famous for being home to Przewalski’s horses. In fact, there are so many of them here in the wild, that the chances of you spotting them on our hike though the steppe are extremely high! Make sure to take photos!
Day 13, Thu, 01.08.2024: Back to reality
Your gay adventure is slowly drawing to a close. Early in the morning, you’ll leave the world of the nomads behind you with a heavy heart and head back to Ulaanbatar, which after your unforgettable experiences in the vast steppe looks like something from another planet. In the evening, you’ll have farewell dinner with the guys and make a toast to an awesome gay holiday.
Day 14, Fri, 02.08.2024: Time to head home
The time has come for you to bid farewell to your guide, the master of yurt etiquette. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure – roam the city streets, go shopping for cashmere or camel hair or enjoy some refreshment at one of the city’s many beer gardens. If you’re flying with MIAT Mongolian Airlines, the return journey is in the early afternoon (flights not included).
Book your trip now
Travel cancellation insurance:
You can purchase travel cancellation insurance from us immediately after booking by clicking on the link provided in the confirmation e-mail.
Next steps
STEP 1:
After submitting the booking form, you will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt from Guys.travel with a comprehensive overview of the next steps.
STEP 2:
You will receive a booking confirmation by e-mail from the tour operator Marco Polo with an invoice and secured payment certificate. You will be asked to make a 10% deposit up front (full payment also possible).
STEP 3:
Once the minimum number of participants for the tour has been reached, you will be notified by Marco Polo and it is safe to book your flights.
STEP 4:
Marco Polo will send you your travel documents by e-mail 10 to 14 days before the start of the tour.
