Terelj National Park Day Tour: Chinggis Khan Statue Visit

The Chinggis Khan Statue rises high above the steppe, and you stand inside it.

An 8-hour day tour from Ulaanbaatar to Terelj National Park with a local guide, visiting the Chinggis Khan Statue Complex, Turtle Rock, Aryapala Temple and a nomadic family camp. The tour includes hotel pickup, lunch at a yurt, national park entry, and a chance to try on Mongolian costumes and taste dairy products like airag and tarag. A guide speaks your language (English, French, German, Russian or another option), and children from age 3 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Terelj National Park and Culture

• Pick up from hotel in morning
• Drive to Chinggis Khan Statue Complex
• Watch movie about monument construction
• Visit Turtle Rock formation
• Lunch at local yurt camp
• Try on Mongolian costumes
• Visit Aryapala Meditation Temple
• Visit Mongolian nomadic family
• Taste traditional dairy products
• Optional horseback riding
• Drive back to Ulaanbaatar

The experience

Your guide and driver pick you up from your hotel in the morning and drive about an hour to Tsonjin Boldog, where the Chinggis Khan Statue Complex stands. You watch a short film about how the monument was built, then explore the site itself. The complex sits on the steppe 50 kilometers from the city center, far enough to feel remote but close enough for a single day.

After the statue, you head to Turtle Rock, a 24-meter granite formation shaped like a turtle, then stop for lunch around 1 pm at a local yurt camp. Here you try on traditional Mongolian costumes and eat with the family. In the afternoon, you visit Aryapala Temple, one of Mongolia's few meditation temples, set in a quiet location in the park. Then comes the nomadic family visit. You learn how they live, taste fermented mare's milk (airag), yogurt (tarag), cheese and curds, and can arrange horseback riding if you want it. The tour ends with a drive back to Ulaanbaatar in the evening.

The guide speaks English, French, German, Russian or another language depending on availability. Bottled water comes with you all day, and the air-conditioned vehicle handles the long stretches between stops. Infants sit on an adult's lap. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

What’s included

• Local guide in your choice of language.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.
• air-conditioned vehicle for the full day.
• national park entry fees.
• lunch at a yurt camp.
• bottled water throughout the tour.
• opportunity to try on Mongolian costumes and taste traditional dairy products.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (22 to 80 years) · Youth (13 to 21 years) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 32 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Juulchin World Tours LLC

Is this one for you?The tour runs 8 hours with an early morning start and long drives between stops, so it suits travelers who are comfortable with a full day in a vehicle and don't mind an early pickup from their hotel.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French, German, Russian, Chinese and Japanese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 21 years); Child (3 to 12 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

What is the Chinggis Khan Statue Complex like when you get there?

The Chinggis Khan Statue Complex is a monument to the founder of the Mongol Empire, located at Tsonjin Boldog about an hour's drive from Ulaanbaatar. You see the statue itself and watch a film about its construction before exploring the site.

How much walking is involved in this tour?

The tour mixes short walks at each stop with long stretches in the vehicle between sites. You walk around the statue complex, to Turtle Rock, through the temple grounds and around the nomadic family camp, but none of these walks are strenuous or very long.

What does lunch include at the yurt camp?

Lunch is served at a local yurt camp and includes traditional Mongolian food. You also taste dairy products like airag (fermented mare's milk), tarag (yogurt), cheese and curds while you eat.

Is horseback riding included in the tour?

Horseback riding is available on request during the nomadic family visit, but it is arranged separately and not included in the base tour price.