Upon arrival at Chinggis Khaan International Airport, we are met by our guide and transferred to our hotel in the city centre. Hotel check-in begins at 3:00 PM, and the balance of the afternoon is free to rest after the journey. In the evening, we gather for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant, an introduction to Mongolian cuisine and a first chance to meet our fellow travellers before the journey ahead.

Overnight: Novotel/Blue Sky/Best Western Premier Tuushin, Ulaanbaatar (1 night) (D)

After breakfast, we transfer to the airport for the flight north to Murun, headquarters of Khuvsgul province. Our local guide meets us on arrival for the drive by 4WD vehicle through open Mongolian steppe and into forested mountains to Lake Khuvsgul. Mongolia's largest freshwater lake, Khuvsgul is known as the country's “Dark Blue Pearl” and sits amid pristine forests, meadows and mountains rich in birdlife.

Overnight: Art 88 Resort, Khuvsgul Lake (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Enjoy a full day free to explore the shores of Khuvsgul Lake, home to abundant wildlife and birdlife along its forested edges. There is time for walking and hiking along the shoreline, a horseback ride near the lake, and a visit to a local yak-breeding family, an opportunity to see their nomadic way of life firsthand. (B, L, D)

We fly back to Ulaanbaatar, then drive to Hustai National Park, a rolling landscape of steppe and mountains dotted with birch and aspen forest. The park is known for the reintroduction of the takhi, or Przewalski's horse, which had become extinct in the wild by 1969 and has been successfully reintroduced here since 1992 through an international conservation effort. After watching the wild horses, we continue to HS Khaan Luxury Resort for the night, where executive suites look out across the open prairie to the mountains beyond.

Overnight: HS Khaan Luxury Resort, Hustai National Park (1 night) (B, L, D)

We depart early for Karakorum, with a picnic en route, arriving in the late afternoon. Founded in 1220 as the capital of Chinggis Khaan's Mongol Empire, Karakorum was once a centre of Silk Road trade, home to merchants and craftsmen from across Asia. Nearby, we visit Erdene Zuu Monastery, Mongolia's first major Buddhist monastery, built in 1586 using stones from the ruins of Karakorum. The monastery forms part of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape*, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its walls are ringed by 108 stupas, a sacred number in Buddhist tradition.

Overnight: Asa Land Resort, Karakorum (1 night) (B, L, D)

We drive back to Ulaanbaatar, with time in the afternoon for shopping at the State Department Store and the city's cashmere shops, before returning to our hotel to rest.

Overnight: Novotel/Blue Sky/Best Western Premier Tuushin, Ulaanbaatar (1 night) (B, L, D)

A morning flight takes us west to Ulgii, capital of Bayan-Ulgii province and centre of Mongolia's Kazakh minority, who make up about ninety percent of the local population. Sitting at an altitude of around 1,700 metres and home to roughly 29,000 people, Ulgii is the largest town in the region and its administrative centre. The isolation of the Altai Mountains has preserved Kazakh language and tradition here, amid some of the country's most dramatic scenery. We spend time with local families to learn about their culture and hospitality, including a demonstration of traditional Kazakh rug-weaving, before visiting the town's provincial museum, which offers a good overview of the Muslim Kazakh culture that sets this region apart from the rest of Mongolia.

Overnight: Local hotel in Ulgii (2 nights) (B, L, D)

We drive around 25 kilometres to visit an eagle-hunting family near Sagsai, through mountain scenery along the way. Eagle hunting is a Kazakh tradition passed down through generations, and our hosts introduce us to their techniques, equipment and nomadic way of life, including how eagles are captured and trained for hunting. The family lives in a traditional Kazakh ger, larger than a typical Mongolian ger, moving with the seasons in search of pasture for their livestock. (B, L, D)

We fly back to Ulaanbaatar, where the afternoon brings a tour of the capital. We begin at Sukhbaatar Square, named for revolutionary hero Damdiny Sukhbaatar, before visiting Gandan Monastery, Mongolia's largest and most important functioning monastery, home to the golden Migjid Janraisig statue. Time permitting, we may also visit the Natural History Museum, known for its dinosaur skeletons, and Zaisan Memorial for views across the city.

Overnight: Novotel/Blue Sky/Best Western Premier Tuushin, Ulaanbaatar (1 night) (B, L, D)

We fly south over the steppe to the Gobi Desert, Mongolia's southernmost region of semi-arid terrain. On arrival, we transfer by 4WD to Yol Valley in Gurvansaikhan National Park, in the foothills of the Altai Mountains, stopping en route at a local natural history museum. The valley narrows into a dramatic gorge that shelters ice formations lasting well into summer, and we may see ibex, wild sheep and vultures on foot, horseback or camel.

Overnight: Gobi Nomad Lodge, Gobi Desert (4 nights) (B, L, D)

We drive around 55 kilometres to Moltsog Sand Dune, one of the more scenic dune formations in the region, where we meet a local camel-breeding family and ride traditional two-humped Bactrian camels across the sand. We return to Gobi Nomad Lodge before lunch for time to relax. (B, L, D)

We drive to Khavtsgait, where Bronze Age petroglyphs dating to roughly 4000–3000 BC are carved into rocks on a sacred mountainside, depicting deer, wolves, hunters and herders. The path to the top is rocky and can be slippery, so sturdy footwear is recommended. Afterward, we visit a nearby herder family, spending time learning about daily life, including milking mares and goats, with the option to sample fermented mare's milk and other dairy products. (B, L, D)

This morning, we visit a small museum at Gobi Nomad Lodge featuring artifacts of nomadic life, with the option to try on traditional Mongolian costume for photographs. After lunch, we drive to Bayanzag, known as the Flaming Cliffs for its glowing red-orange rock. It was here in 1923 that palaeontologist Roy Chapman Andrews and his American Museum of Natural History expedition discovered the world's first recognized dinosaur eggs, and the area remains rich in fossils today. (B, L, D)

An early transfer takes us to Dalanzadgad Airport for the flight back to Ulaanbaatar, then on by road to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. The park's granite outcrops, river valleys and pine forest are still home to nomadic families and their livestock. We visit the park's well-known rock formations, including Turtle Rock and Monk Reading a Book, and the Aryabal Meditation Centre, an introduction to Mongolian Buddhism. En route, we stop at the 40-metre equestrian statue of Chinggis Khaan, recognized as the world's largest, erected in 2008 near the site where, according to legend, he found a golden whip.

Overnight: Terelj Hotel & Spa, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park (1 night) (B, L, D)

We drive back to Ulaanbaatar, with the afternoon free. Perhaps you’ll want to visit the Bogd Khaan Winter Palace Museum, once home to the 8th Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, Mongolia's last theocratic ruler, or explore the city centre at leisure. The evening is free, with the option to attend a local folklore dance performance.

Overnight: Novotel/Blue Sky/Best Western Premier Tuushin, Ulaanbaatar (3 nights) (B, L, D)

Mongolia's biggest celebration begins today. Naadam marks the anniversary of the 1921 People's Revolution and brings together the country's “three manly games” of wrestling, archery and horse racing. We attend the festival's opening ceremony at the Central Stadium, a colourful procession of soldiers, athletes and performers that sets the tone for the days of competition ahead. (B, L, D)

We spend a second day taking in the festival's events: wrestlers competing through rounds of the traditional Mongolian style, archers from national teams shooting the traditional compound bow, and jockeys as young as children racing horses over the open steppe, a discipline in which the horse's stamina, not the rider's skill, is being judged. (B, L, D)

After breakfast, we check out of the hotel and transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport for our departure flight. (B)