ElizabethIf you missed it, I’ve already written about Days 1 & 2 of our Mongolia adventure — where we landed in Ulaanbaatar, explored its museums, and spent our first night in a family ger. Now we’re onto Days 3 & 4, which took us deeper into Mongolia’s history and landscapes.
Traveling in Mongolia isn’t simple: roads are long, often rough, and English isn’t widely spoken outside the capital. That’s why I can’t imagine doing this trip without a guide company. They arranged the driving, the ger stays, the meals, and the timing so we could just focus on experiencing it all.
Day 3 — Kharakhorum: Erdene Zuu Monastery & Echoes of the Empire
We set out on a two-hour drive west to Kharakhorum (sometimes written Karakorum), the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire. This is where Chinggis Khaan established his base in the 13th century, and today the ruins sit quietly against the steppe.
The highlight is the Erdene Zuu Monastery, Mongolia’s first Buddhist monastery, built in 1586. Its massive white walls still enclose dozens of temples, and if you time it right, you can hear the monks chanting their morning prayers. We spent most of our time walking around and soaking in all the details.
We had lunch at our ger camp and took some time to get settled. We stayed in a standard ger camp. We had bathrooms inside the ger, it felt luxurious after our night in camp.
After lunch, we visited a local felt shop and had a hands-on workshop to learn how felt is made in Mongolia. We were taken through the whole process from sheep to final product. We also all got a chance to try it on our own.
After the workshop, we took a short stroll that took us to the Monument of the Three Kings, overlooking the Orkhon River. It’s a panoramic spot that helps you imagine why this valley became the heart of an empire.
That night we had dinner back at the ger camp and settled in for a good sleep.
Day 3 – Khogno Khan & the Uvgun Temples
Morning on the Road
After breakfast, we loaded into the van for the 1.5-hour drive to Khogno Khan Nature Reserve. The scenery kept shifting. The grasslands widen into rocky hills, then the first whispers of desert. There is still a lot of off-roading craziness here. We were so thankful to have a great driver.
A Short Hike With a Big Payoff
The trail up to the Uvgun temples isn’t long, but it’s the sort of path that invites wandering. The kids zig-zagged between boulders while our guide shared the story of the site — 17th-century temples built by Zanabazar, Mongolia’s first Bogd, later destroyed during the 1930s purges.
At the top, the ruins sit cradled in the rocks. Prayer flags flutter.
The kids turned the ruins into their own imaginary world — forts, lookout posts, secret passageways — while we just tried to take in the view.
Riverbed Treasures
Coming back down, we wandered into a dry riverbed, and this is where the kids came alive again. Our guide grew up playing here and casually taught them the games she used to make up — how to look for “good rocks,” how to tell if something was bone or seed, how to blow plant seeds so they shoot like darts.
It turned into this wonderfully unstructured stretch of time. Just pockets filling with stones and tiny desert mysteries. I had time to sit and do a bit of sketching.
And of course, they had tea and treats for us before we got back into the car.
Driving Toward the Dunes
After the hike, we continued about 25km toward the Elsen Tasarkhai dunes. Even from the road, you can see them rising in soft gold waves. This is where the landscape really shifts — the moment that makes kids sit up straighter and say, “Wait… is that the desert?” We pulled off at a place that gave us access to climb the dunes. There was no one else in sight, just a few stray cows.
After our dune romp, we drove a bit further and arrived at the gers, met the camel-herding family we’d be staying near, and settled in. I’ll save everything from the camel farm onward for the next post — it deserves its own space as our favorite experience on this trip.
How We Booked This Trip
We planned this portion of our Mongolia adventure through Tour Mongolia. They handled the driving, the ger stays, the permits, and the pacing, which matters more than you’d think when you’ve got kids adjusting to a whole new landscape every few hours. They were so flexible and great to work with.
What to Pack for Khogno Khan & the Dunes
The weather turns on you here in the most interesting way—sunny, windy, warm, chilly… and that’s just before lunch. A few things made a big difference for us:
Face Coverings for Blowing Sand
Lightweight buffs or scarves saved the kids more than once. The dunes can whip up quick bursts of sand that aren’t dangerous, just annoying if your mouth is open mid-sentence. Our scraves from our time in Morocco were perfect, the kids preferred using their Bandi’s.
Layers, Layers, Layers
Mornings can be cold, afternoons warm, and the wind does whatever it wants. We were constantly adding and peeling off. I love these Amazon basics packable jackets and packable windbreakers.
A Travel Drawing or Painting Set
I don’t like to go anywhere without our art kits. These travel art kits have everything you need and pack up small.
This post contains a few affiliate links. They don’t change your price, but they help support the blog and keep these detailed family-travel guides coming.
