Khuvsgul Ice Festival 2027 Tour & Reindeer Adventure

Welcome to Mongolia! Upon arrival at Chinggis Khaan International Airport, meet your local guide and transfer to your hotel in central Ulaanbaatar. After time to rest, meet your guide for a detailed briefing about the winter journey ahead. Learn about the conditions at Lake Khuvsgul, appropriate winter clothing and what to expect during Mongolia’s famous Ice Festival. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner and your first introduction to Mongolian hospitality.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the morning flight from Ulaanbaatar to Murun, the capital of Khuvsgul Province. Upon arrival, meet our local expedition team and begin the overland journey north toward Ulaan-Uul, the gateway to Mongolia’s remote Darkhad region. The drive takes us through increasingly wild winter landscapes, with frozen rivers, snow-covered valleys and mountains stretching toward the Siberian border. Arrive in Ulaan-Uul in the evening and settle into simple local accommodation. Tonight offers the first real taste of life in Mongolia’s remote north.

Today is one of the most extraordinary days of the journey as we travel into the East Taiga to meet Mongolia’s reindeer-herding families. Journey deeper into the remote northern wilderness, where forests, frozen rivers and snow-covered mountains create one of Mongolia’s most spectacular winter landscapes. Spend time with a reindeer-herding family and learn about their traditional way of life, their relationship with their reindeer and the challenges of living in the taiga during the Mongolian winter. There will be opportunities to photograph the reindeer, experience the atmosphere of the winter taiga and learn directly from the families who call this remarkable region home. Later in the day, continue toward Renchinlkhumbe for the night.

We make an early start today and travel south from Renchinlkhumbe toward the shores of Lake Khuvsgul. After several days in Mongolia’s remote northern wilderness, arrive at the frozen lake and join the spectacular Khuvsgul Ice Festival. The enormous frozen surface of Lake Khuvsgul becomes a natural stage for one of Mongolia’s most colorful winter celebrations. Depending on the official festival program, events may include horse-drawn sleigh racing, ice skating, traditional games, ice wrestling, cultural performances and impressive ice sculptures. Spend the afternoon experiencing the festival atmosphere surrounded by local families, herders and visitors from across Mongolia.

After the excitement of the Ice Festival, enjoy a more peaceful day exploring the extraordinary winter landscapes of Lake Khuvsgul. Walk along the frozen shoreline and experience the immense scale and silence of one of Mongolia’s greatest natural wonders. Depending on weather and ice conditions, optional activities may include horse-drawn sleigh riding, winter photography and visits with local families around the lake. With the festival crowds beginning to disappear, today provides time to appreciate a completely different side of Lake Khuvsgul — vast frozen landscapes, surrounding mountains, forests and the remarkable silence of northern Mongolia.

After breakfast, leave the frozen shores of Lake Khuvsgul and travel south toward Murun. On the way, visit Uushigiin Uvur, one of Mongolia’s remarkable Bronze Age archaeological sites. The site is known for its ancient deer stones and burial monuments, offering a fascinating glimpse into the cultures that inhabited Mongolia thousands of years ago. Walk among the beautifully carved standing stones and learn about their distinctive images of flying deer, weapons, belts and other ancient symbols. Surrounded by the open winter landscape of northern Mongolia, Uushigiin Uvur provides a striking cultural contrast to the previous days of reindeer-herding traditions and the colorful Khuvsgul Ice Festival. After exploring the site, continue to Murun and check into a comfortable hotel. The remainder of the day is free to rest before the return journey to Ulaanbaatar.

After breakfast, transfer to Murun Airport for the return flight to Ulaanbaatar, subject to the seasonal domestic flight schedule. Whenever a suitable flight is available, we will fly from Murun to Ulaanbaatar, providing a comfortable and efficient return to the capital. If no suitable flight is operating on this date, we will depart Murun early in the morning and travel overland to Ulaanbaatar by private vehicle. Although the drive is longer, it offers a final opportunity to experience Mongolia’s vast winter landscapes along the way. Upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar, transfer to your hotel and enjoy a well-deserved rest. In the evening, gather for a farewell dinner and celebrate an extraordinary winter journey through the East Taiga, reindeer-herding communities and the Khuvsgul Ice Festival.

After breakfast, enjoy your final morning in Ulaanbaatar before your private transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport according to your international flight schedule. Your Khuvsgul Ice Festival & East Taiga Reindeer Expedition comes to an end after an unforgettable journey through Mongolia’s remote winter north — from the reindeer herders of the East Taiga and ancient deer stones of Uushigiin Uvur to the spectacular celebrations on frozen Lake Khuvsgul. We hope the landscapes, people and traditions of Mongolia remain with you long after your journey home.