Mongolia family holidays

Whilst Mongolia is best known for its rolling grasslands dotted with gers (yurts) belonging to friendly nomadic families, the landscape is more varied than you’d expect. Crystal clear lakes, so pure you can drink from them, are there to swim in, whilst to the south, the grasslands give way to striking desert landscapes with steep sided dunes and rocky gorges, a place where dinosaur fossils are still being found today.

Escape on a family holiday in Mongolia and you’ll truly get away from it all, spending your days learning about the nomadic way of life, taking a yak cart across the grasslands, sitting around the campfire and sleeping under a blanket of stars at night.

Why take the kids?

In a world where screen time can compete for your child’s attention, there’s no better escape than a Mongolian family holiday to show them a completely different way of life, one where nature, not technology or timetables, dictates the agenda.

Instead, be amazed as your children discover their thirst for adventure and truly relish heading out into the middle of nowhere without so much as a second thought for a charger! It’s a real family bonding experience, given that there’s so little influence from the outside world.

They’ll return to school with wonderful tales of sipping mare’s milk in a nomadic tent, walking across vast plains, climbing into the mountains and hearing the wolves howl across the barren landscape.

Our top activities on a family holiday to Mongolia include:

1. Meeting a nomadic family and joining in with their daily lives
2. Riding on a yak cart
3. Visiting the ruins of Genghis Khan’s capital
4. Discovering frozen glaciers in the Gobi desert
5. Leaping down the gigantic sand dunes of Khongoryn Els
6. Hunting for dinosaur fossils in the Flaming Cliffs
7. Taking a camel safari deep into the desert

What you need to know about travelling in Mongolia

Mongolia is a dramatic, remote and beautiful country, but travelling here is not for families that like their creature comforts. On most tours we will include a mixture of accommodation, with some wild camping, some small family owned ger camps and a few local hotels. These can be quite basic with very limited facilities. There are upgrades available in some areas but not all. Please be prepared!

Mongolia is vast and even if you concentrate on a relatively limited part of the country, there will be long drives on some days. This may be challenging for families with younger children. If you need to reduce the driving times, please let us know and we can suggest suitable alternative routes.

In all cases you will be accompanied on your tour by a (male) Mongolian driver whose responsibility is to get you where you need to go, and to maintain your vehicle en route. You will also be accompanied by an (English speaking, female) trip assistant, who will be responsible for preparing all of your meals, translating where required, helping with your accommodation arrangements and so on. This team will form an integral component of your Mongolia experience and we select them very carefully.

Example itineraries for Mongolia family holidays

All of our itineraries are bespoke which means that they are tailor-made for your own specific family, taking into account the ages of your children, your interests, your budget and so on.

However, to give you an idea of what you could do on a family holiday in Mongolia, have a look at our two sample itineraries. These concentrate on the spectacular landscapes of the centre and south of the country, with both a two-week option (Highlights of Mongolia – 2 weeks) and a longer itinerary for those with more time (Highlights of Mongolia – 3 weeks).

These are just sample itineraries, so if you would like to include other areas of the country, please let us know and we can advise how best to do this.

Also check out some of the other places that you might like to visit on your trip and if you need further inspiration, have a look at our gallery.

Lastly, you can check here what the weather will be like at the time that you want to travel. Or simply give us a ring and we’ll be delighted to advise you on the best holiday for your family.