Gobi Desert & Shambhala -Buddhist study tours
Description:
The Gobi Desert holds secrets that most travelers never discover. This short but profoundly powerful tour goes directly to Shambhala — the legendary spiritual energy portal at Khamar Monastery, believed by Mongolian Buddhists to be one of the most powerful sacred sites in Central Asia. Founded in 1820 by the extraordinary monk Danzanravjaa, surrounded by 108 sacred stupas, and set amid ancient meditation caves deep in the Gobi, Shambhala is an experience that stays with visitors for a lifetime.
Danzanravjaa (1803–1856) was a remarkable Mongolian polymath whose talents spanned spirituality, art, and cultural innovation, making him one of the most influential figures in Mongolia’s history; he was a revered Buddhist lama of the Nyingma tradition as well as a philosopher and progressive thinker who challenged rigid norms and promoted education and intellectual openness, including opportunities for women, while at the same time he distinguished himself as a gifted poet and writer, composing hundreds of works that explored themes of love, nature, and human experience, many of which remain popular today; beyond literature, he was also a musician and composer who blended spiritual and artistic expression, and a pioneering playwright and theatre founder who established one of Mongolia’s earliest theatrical traditions at Khamar Monastery, where he created a vibrant cultural center that included performance, visual arts, and education; through his travels, teachings, and creative output, Danzanravjaa successfully bridged religion and everyday life, leaving behind a legacy as a spiritual leader, artist, educator, and cultural reformer whose influence continues to shape Mongolian identity and heritage.
You travel to and from the Gobi by night train — falling asleep in Ulaanbaatar and waking in the desert — so every precious daylight hour is spent in the extraordinary Gobi landscape. The tour is best in late summer and autumn. The Gobi in peak summer (late June to mid-August) can exceed 40°C and is not recommended.
Tour Details
Best: Late summer to 1 October — avoid late June to mid-August due to extreme heat
Group Size: Minimum 5 participants, but for a solos we are able to organize only in March, April, Sep, Oct months.
Guide: Spiritually trained, English-speaking guide throughout to following traditional rituals to connect to powers of Shambhala from a Sirius stars.
Transport: Night trains to and from the Gobi — comfortable sleeping cabins in both directions
Tour Highlights
- Shambhala Energy Site — 108 sacred stupas, ancient Gobi meditation caves, and a fully guided spiritual pilgrimage is once in life time blessing for your soul awaking
- Khamar Monastery — founded 1820 by Danzanravjaa, destroyed 1937, rebuilt 1990; the spiritual heart of the Gobi Desert
- Early morning visit to a Bactrian camel-breeding nomadic family — the desert light at this hour is breathtaking
- Bayanzurkh (Big Heart Mountain) — sacred peak of the Gobi and the site of Danzanravjaa’s legendary reincarnations
- Chinggis Khan National Museum and Choijin Lama Temple Museum in Ulaanbaatar on Day 1
Map:
- Tour duration
- Tour Grade
- Person in group max
- Date start
- Date end
- Easy
- 30
- Planning
- Planning
Book With Extra Flexibility
Change dates
Choose new departure dates if your plans change.
24/7 Support
Reach out to us anytime via online chat, phone or email.
Choose a different tour
Change to a different tour run by the same tour operator.
Day by day itinerary:
Ulaanbaatar City Tour & Night Train to the Gobi
Ulaanbaatar City Tour & Night Train to the Gobi
Make the most of your first day in Mongolia with a focused city tour before the night train carries you south into the Gobi Desert.
09:00 – 11:00 Chinggis Khan National Museum — the world's greatest collection on the Mongol Empire, opened 2022 and named one of National Geographic's Top 20 Cultural Hotspots of 2024.
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch near the museum district.
13:30 – 15:00 Choijin Lama Temple Museum — five perfectly preserved 1904 temple complexes with extraordinary Buddhist and shamanic art that survived the Communist purges intact.
18.00-19.00 Tsagaan Labai is one of Mongolia’s most popular and high-quality cultural performances, showcasing the rich traditions of Mongolian music, dance, and performing arts in a powerful stage production; the show features world-class artists performing throat singing (khöömei), the horsehead fiddle (morin khuur), long song (urtiin duu), traditional dance, and contortion, all combining to express the beauty of Mongolia’s nomadic culture and vast landscapes; held in a professional theater in Ulaanbaatar, it offers visitors an authentic and unforgettable introduction to Mongolia’s living heritage in a dynamic and emotionally engaging performance.
19.30-20.00 Dinner in near a train station area
20:30 Board the overnight train from Ulaanbaatar to Sainshand in the Gobi Desert. Sleep in a comfortable cabin as the steppes give way to desert.
Shambhala Sacred Tour — Heart of the Gobi and planet earth
The center piece of the journey: a fully guided spiritual pilgrimage to the Shambhala Energy Site at Khamar Monastery — one of the most extraordinary sacred experiences available anywhere in Central Asia.
Dawn Arrive in Sainshand, capital of Dornogovi Province. Transfer to your traditional ger camp in the desert.
After breakfast, 09:00 – 12:00 Guided Shambhala pilgrimage — It is are sacred spiritual landmarks linked to the legendary realm of Shambhala in Buddhist tradition. The portal symbolizes a gateway to higher consciousness and inner awakening, while the stupas serve as places of prayer, meditation, and blessings. Together, they create a peaceful and powerful site for reflection, attracting pilgrims and travelers seeking spiritual connection and harmony.
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch at the ger camp.
Afternoon Drive to the 108 Caves site and Soyombo Monastery — additional sacred sites in the Khamar complex. Walk the circumambulation path around the 108 sacred stupas, enter the ancient meditation caves north of the monastery where Danzanravjaa's students practised 108-day continuous retreats, and sit at the sacred navel point of the energy centre for personal meditation or quiet reflection.in Mongolia are a sacred spiritual site believed to be connected to ancient Buddhist and mystical traditions of enlightenment. Located in a remote, peaceful landscape, these caves were used by monks and meditators for deep spiritual practice and are associated with the legendary hidden realm of Shambhala. Today, they are considered a powerful place of silence, reflection, and spiritual energy, attracting pilgrims and travelers seeking inner peace and connection with Mongolia’s sacred heritage.
Evening Dinner and overnight in the ger camp. The Gobi night sky, completely free of light pollution, reveals itself in full.
Camels, Khamar Monastery & Night Train Home
An extraordinary final day in the Gobi — combining a nomadic family dawn visit, monastery ceremony, a sacred mountain, and the night train home.
Early morning Visit a Bactrian camel-breeding family as their day begins. The early morning Gobi light is unlike anything else on Earth — and the ancient relationship between these nomads and their double-humped camels is deeply moving to witness.
Morning Khamar Monastery — visit the rebuilt temple complex and observe the morning chanting ceremony led by resident monks. Learn the Tibetan mantra tradition and the extraordinary story of the 64 boxes of sacred objects buried to hide them from Communist destruction in 1937 and recovered 52 years later in 1990.
Midday Return to the ger camp for lunch.
Afternoon Bayanzurkh — the Big Heart Mountain, revered since ancient times as a site of wish-fulfillment and deeply connected to the legend of Danzanravjaa's reincarnations. Make your traditional offering to the mountain oboo and speak your intention to the desert wind.
Evening Drive back to Sainshand. Dinner in town.
Night Board the overnight train back to Ulaanbaatar at 19.30. The Gobi holds its secrets as you sleep.
Arrival in Ulaanbaatar
Morning Arrive in Ulaanbaatar in the morning at 07.30. Transfer to your hotel or directly to the international airport.
Or join on our northern train route journey.