Mongolia: Terelj Park and Nomadic Service

Meet your group at your home airport. Fly together as a group to Mongolia. Total travel time will depend on your departure location and flight schedule. Be sure to get some rest so you arrive ready for adventure!

Flight Details: Rustic Pathways will be happy to book your flight as an add-on service.

If your travel to Mongolia crosses the international dateline, you’ll likely lose this day to travel. Not to worry – you’ll get it back on your return!

Arrive into Chinggis Khaan International Airport (ULN) and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Head to the guesthouse and settle in, relaxing after your long flight. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture.

Overnight: Guesthouse, Ulaanbaatar

Start your day with a 300-step climb to Zaisan Memorial for sweeping views of Ulaanbaatar. Unwrap the history of nomads and the Mongol Empire at the National Museum of Mongolia. Discover the intellectual games and puzzles of Mongols at the International Intellectual Museum.

Overnight: Guesthouse, Ulaanbaatar

Work in the district outside Ulaanbaatar City to support a public school. Help build a more attractive and comfortable learning facility for children who face the hardship of low-income life in the ger district, the area not connected to water or sewage lines.

Overnight: Ger Camp, Terelj

Enjoy a cultural show from the students at the school where your group volunteered to conclude your service. Be prepared to potentially perform a cultural show of your own! Stop on the way back to camp at the 130-foot-tall Chinggis Khan sculpture, the largest equestrian sculpture in the world. Join your group for a post-service debrief in the evening, discussing what you experienced and learned through hands-on work in the community.

Overnight: Ger Camp, Terelj

Hike to Ariyapala Temple and spend time reflecting about your experience so far in Mongolia at this center of peace. Take a lesson in archery, one of Mongolia’s traditional “manly” sports. Enjoy the peaceful surroundings before visiting a herding family to try different types of dairy products.

Overnight: Ger Camp, Terelj

Marvel at the views over the expansive city as your trek further out into Mongolia’s wilds. Look out for snowy and icy patches, camels crossing the road, and a hospitable family’s ger to stop for tea. Arrive back in the city in time for a hot dinner of dumplings or noodles and settle in.

Overnight: Guesthouse, Ulaanbaatar

Spend the day souvenir shopping at fair trade stores. Enjoy a rousing cultural show that features traditional dance, music of various ethnic groups, and the one-of-a-kind khoomi throat singing.

At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences and the issues they engaged with, and talk about how to apply this new understanding to their own worlds. During or after their closing discussion, groups participate in Rustic Ties, a unique and powerful activity that allows students to capture the memories and learning moments of their program to process and share with their communities back home.

Overnight: Guesthouse, Ulaanbaatar

Say goodbye to Mongolia and your new friends before heading home. Your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your departure as you and reflect on your adventure.

Flight Details: Rustic Pathways can book your flights upon request as an additional service