Custom Mongolia tours · 24 starter routes
Most of Mongolia is still crossed on horseback.
Two Mongolians who design and run every trip ourselves. Tell us what you want to see, we shape the route around your dates.
Baska designs every itinerary. Buya leads every trip. Direct line, no call center.
Why book with us
Direct to Baska
You're booking with the person who designs every route. No call center, no sales funnel. Baska replies personally, in writing, within 24 hours.
Mongolian-led, Mongolian-rooted
Both founders are Mongolian. Baska designs from Ulaanbaatar. Buya grew up herding yaks in Arkhangai and runs every trip on the road himself.
Built around you
Tell us your dates and what you want to see. We shape the route around that. The 24 itineraries here are starting points, every one of them is yours to change.
How we travel.
Mongolia is bigger than the country it shows on maps. The drive from Ulaanbaatar to the Altai is over 1,500 kilometers, most of it on tracks, not roads. The country is mostly what happens between the named places: the road that turns to track, the wind across grass, the family that asks you to stay for tea.
Most travelers come to us with their own constraints, specific dates, a group of friends, a festival they want to catch, a region they have read about. We design the route around that. The 24 itineraries on this site are starting points that have worked before; every one of them is yours to change. Small groups, no more than six. Drivers who grew up in the regions we cross. Guides who can name the lichen on a rock and the herder a hundred kilometers ahead.
Pricing is consultative. We talk first, plan second, quote third. Reach out on WhatsApp when you are ready.
Naadam Festival
July 11-13, 2026
Mongolia's national festival. Wrestling, archery, and horse racing in Ulaanbaatar. Ulaanbaatar accommodation books out months ahead.
Read about the Naadam tour
Featured region
Western
Bayan-Ölgii in the far west holds Mongolia's quietest weeks each year. The Altai Mountains rise above 4,000 meters; Kazakh families still hunt with golden eagles; the Five Sacred Peaks of Altai Tavan Bogd are still walked, not climbed by ropeways. Three itineraries, from an eight-day flight to the Golden Eagle Festival in October to a twenty-two-day grand tour spliced with Khuvsgul.
Where we travel.
-
5 itineraries 5-9 days
Central
Monasteries, waterfalls, the ancient capital.
-
6 itineraries 6-10 days
Gobi
Singing dunes, flaming cliffs, dinosaur fossils.
-
4 itineraries 7-20 days
Northern
Khuvsgul Lake, taiga, Tsaatan reindeer herders.
- 3 itineraries
8-22 days
Western
Altai mountains, Kazakh eagle hunters.
-
6 itineraries Day trips & 7-9 days
Eastern
Khentii history, Naadam, day trips.
Itineraries flex to your dates. Talk to us about adjusting routing, pacing, or season.
Flagship itineraries
If you only read four.
-
Central Mongolia · 5 days
Karakorum, the Orkhon Valley, Tovkhon Monastery, Tsenkher Hot Springs.
-
Gobi Desert · 6 days
The four landmark Gobi sites in a single loop.
-
Northern Mongolia with Tsaatan · 12 days
Khuvsgul Lake plus three days of horse trek to live with reindeer-herding families.
-
Golden Eagle Festival · 8 days
Flight to Bayan-Ölgii for the festival in early October, plus the Altai and a Kazakh eagle hunter family.
What guests say
Notes from past travelers, in their own words.
“Awesome trip and awesome crew! We hired Imperial Nomad Tours to take us across Mongolia for 1 month and we had so many experiences that transcended my expectations. It was really amazing to see the landscape, meet nomadic reindeer herders, stayed in a ger under the enormous night sky, and experienced a level of tranquility and connection to nature that few places can offer. Pricing was considerably less than some of the other providers we looked into which was nice, although we didn't expect a month-long tour to be cheap. Considering that it was just us, a small group of friends, and the tour guides, I would say this was absolutely an amazing value for one of the best trips of my life. If you're a solo traveler, or a small group like a couple or some friends, who want one of the most authentic and exciting experiences anywhere, I highly recommend you reach out!”
“Baska is a wonderful tour guide! I had the best time traveling around Mongolia learning from her and I would recommend her to everyone I know traveling to Mongolia.”
“I was travelling by myself and did a quick 4 day tour. I couldn't have asked for a better guide than Baska! She was incredibly welcoming, funny, kind and knowledgeable. If I come back to Mongolia I know I would reach back out to her in an instant. I saw so much in the four days, I only wish I could have stayed longer.”
“Had the most unique experiences in Mongolia with Imperial Nomad Tours! Loved the flexibility and how we could build our own custom tour! Can't forget our cook ups with Buya too! Would go back in a heart beat”
“We took a 2-week tour in Mongolia and Baska was our guide. She was so much fun. We had the best time. Whenever our tour group got together with other tour groups, everyone was jealous of the close-knit camaraderie of tour. Highly recommended. Her English was fantastic too.”
“We spent 1 month with Imperial Nomad Tours looking for an authentic Mongolian experience and that is exactly what we got! Sleeping in traditional Ger camps, travelling across the country on hours back and experiencing the most authentic Mongolian traditions and food with local families! If you are looking at travelling to Mongolia we highly recommend Imperial Nomad Tours!”
“It was a great tour! The guide was nice and caring making sure that everything was ok for us. Food was delicious and cooked with love :) I recommend this tour!”
“Awesome tours from an amazing team! We were in Mongolia for a month and got to explore so much of the country with them. From our time sleeping in a ger to seeing reindeer and spending time with nomads, I will never forget this trip. If you're looking for the best tour company is Mongolia then you should absolutely reach out to them!”
Who designs and leads the trips.
Imperial Nomad Tours is run by two people. Baska designs every itinerary; Buya leads every trip in person. Both are Mongolian and based in Ulaanbaatar.
-
Baska · Co-founder & route designer
Baasandoljin
Baska designs every itinerary the company runs. She guided full-time in Mongolia from 2007 to 2009 and has led one or two trips a year since 2018, alongside her route-design work. She is the person who answers your first inquiry, personally, in writing, within 24 hours, and stays with you through the planning. Routes get built around your dates, your pace, and the things you most want to see. She shapes the trip; Buya takes over on the road.
-
Buya · Tour leader
Buyanbat
Buya leads every trip on the road in person. Born in Arkhangai province in central Mongolia, where he grew up herding yaks and riding horses. He has worked as a tour driver in Mongolia since 2016, and now leads every Imperial Nomad trip himself. From Ulaanbaatar through the Gobi, Central Mongolia, the Altai, and Khuvsgul, he cooks at camp, runs the long driving days, and stays with the families that host travelers along each route. Every itinerary Imperial Nomad runs, Buya has run dozens of times before.
From the journal
Notes from the road.
May 2, 2026
A week in Central Mongolia: Karakorum, the Orkhon Valley, and Tovkhon
What a typical week in Central Mongolia looks like, the road from Ulaanbaatar to the imperial capital, what each day actually contains, and why this is the best first trip to Mongolia.
May 2, 2026
Choosing your first Mongolia trip
A short guide to picking a Mongolia tour by length, season, and region, with the trade-offs we tell every traveler before they book.
May 2, 2026
Eastern Mongolia: Khentii history, Naadam, and short trips from Ulaanbaatar
What Eastern Mongolia trips actually contain, day trips to Terelj, the Khentii history routes that follow Chinggis Khan, and the Naadam Festival window in July.
Common questions.
How are your Mongolia tours different from a group tour?
Every itinerary runs as a private trip for your group only, typically two to six guests. We do not run scheduled departures with strangers. The trip you book is your trip, with your driver and Buya, our tour leader, who joins each trip in person.
When is the best time to visit Mongolia?
June through August is peak season for most regions: long days, green steppe, all ger camps open, mountain passes accessible. May and September are quieter shoulder months. October is for the Golden Eagle Festival in Bayan-Ölgii. We do not run countryside tours from November through April: ger camps close and unpaved sections become unreliable.
How much does a Mongolia tour cost?
Pricing is consultative, we shape the route around your dates and group size first, then quote. Final inclusions and pricing are confirmed in writing before any payment. Get in touch with your dates and we send a tailored quote within a week.
Can you customize an itinerary?
Yes. About a quarter of our trips are custom: a specific group, specific dates, a specific subject like photographing eagle hunters in Bayan-Ölgii or riding through Khangai for two weeks. Baska designs the route, Buya leads it. Custom routes are not more expensive than fixed ones.
Which region should I choose for a first trip to Mongolia?
Most first-time travelers do a Central Mongolia tour. Karakorum, the Orkhon Valley UNESCO site, Tovkhon Monastery, Tsenkher Hot Springs, five to nine days from Ulaanbaatar. The Gobi Desert is the obvious second visit. Travelers with two weeks often combine Central with the Gobi on a single 10-day loop.
What languages do you operate in?
Baska replies to inquiries in English, Mongolian, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, and Korean. Buya leads in English on the road. Our drivers speak working English; for trips with a Russian, Mandarin, or Korean lead, we arrange a translator on request.
Where are you based?
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. We are a registered Mongolian tour operator (state registration number 000371141). All itineraries start and end in Ulaanbaatar.
