Top 10 Riding Spots in Mongolia
Mongolia is where the horse is not a leisure activity but a cultural fact. The Mongolian horse — short, stocky, with a heavy head and a deep barrel chest, untouched by selective breeding for elegance — has been the engine of the steppe economy and the instrument of the largest land empire in history. Today it remains central to nomadic herder life; a family with a good string of horses is a wealthy family by steppe standards. Riding in Mongolia means engaging with a horse culture that is alive rather than archived, and the landscape it operates in — an immensity of grassland, mountain, and sky that is genuinely difficult to comprehend until you are standing in the middle of it — has no parallel.
Riders should be competent at trot and canter — roughly British Horse Society Stage 2 ability — before undertaking multi-day expeditions here. Find operators on the map.
1. Stepperiders, Bogd Khan Area
Stepperiders operates from the Bogd Khan Strictly Protected Area adjacent to Ulaanbaatar, making it one of the most accessible high-quality operations in the country. Day rides and multi-day expeditions depart from the mountain fringes of the capital into forest-steppe and ridgeline terrain. The operation is well-regarded for horse welfare and guide knowledge. Mongolian horses throughout. Intermediate to experienced. Season: June to September.
2. Wind of Mongolia, Khangai Mountains
The Khangai Mountains in central Mongolia form a broad volcanic massif of rolling green hills — a relatively lush upland compared to the eastern steppe. Wind of Mongolia operates multi-day riding expeditions through the Khangai that visit nomadic herder families (spending nights in gers), cross mountain passes, and follow river valleys between the peaks. Mongolian horses. Intermediate to experienced. Typical trips 7-14 days. Season: June to September.
3. Eight Lakes Trek, Khangai
The Naiman Nuur (Eight Lakes) route in the Khangai is one of the most scenic in central Mongolia — a circuit of volcanic crater lakes at altitude, set in a landscape of larch forest and alpine meadow. Multi-day horse treks here are organised by several operators and are achievable for riders with moderate experience. The lakes themselves are the draw; the elevation (approximately 2,000-2,400 m) makes for cool, clear riding conditions. Mongolian horses. Season: July to August.
4. Khövsgöl Lake Area, Khövsgöl Province
Lake Khövsgöl in Mongolia's far north holds roughly two percent of the world's fresh surface water in a mountain-ringed basin near the Siberian border. The lake's shoreline is forested with larch and Siberian pine; the surrounding uplands are reindeer-herder territory. Riding here accesses lakeshore trails, forested ridges, and open steppe approaches. Several operators work from the town of Mörön. The Dukha (Tsaatan) reindeer herders of the northernmost reaches add an extraordinary cultural dimension to extended trips. Intermediate to experienced. Season: June to September.
5. Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
The Terelj park east of Ulaanbaatar is the most visited natural area near the capital and hosts a cluster of riding operators. The granite outcrops and river valley of the Terelj make it a good introduction to Mongolian landscape for first-time visitors. Day rides and short overnight trips. All levels; this is the most accessible option for riders with limited time. Mongolian horses. Season: May to September.
6. Mongolian Derby Route
The Mongol Derby is not a tourist activity but a 1,000-km race from the Övörkhangai region to the Khentii Mountains, ridden over approximately nine days by a field of international riders changing horses every 40 km at herder stations (the urtuu relay system recreated from the Chinggis Khan-era postal network). It is the longest horse race in the world. The route itself traverses the full range of steppe landscape — open grassland, river crossings, mountain passes, and desert fringe. For experienced riders who are not entering the race, the route corridor is the backbone of several guided multi-week expedition routes. Experienced riders only. Season: August.
7. Orkhon Valley, Övörkhangai
The Orkhon Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage landscape and the historic heartland of the Mongol Empire. The Orkhon waterfall (Ulaan Tsutgalan) and the ruins of Kharakhorum — the thirteenth-century Mongol capital — are accessible on multi-day rides through the valley. The terrain is open steppe crossed by the braided Orkhon river. Intermediate. Typically 3-5 days. Season: June to September.
8. Govi-Altai Province
The Gobi-Altai region in southwestern Mongolia bridges the Altai mountain range and the northern edge of the Gobi desert. The landscape is extraordinary — snow-capped peaks above desert basin, with ibex and snow leopard in the upper elevations. Riding here is more remote and less organised than the central routes; operators in Ulaanbaatar can arrange custom expeditions. Experienced riders. Season: June to August.
9. Lake Hovsgol Trekking Circuit
A multi-day horse-trekking circuit around the southern two-thirds of Lake Khövsgöl (the full circumnavigation is too long for most itineraries) combines lakeside riding with forest crossings, mountain passes, and nomadic family stays. The scale of the lake — 136 km long, ringed by peaks — makes the riding feel genuinely remote even on the more accessible southern stretch. Intermediate to experienced. 7-10 days. Season: June to September.
10. Nomadic Family Stays
Beyond specific routes and operators, the most distinctive riding experience in Mongolia is the informal one: staying with a nomadic herder family, helping with the morning round-up, learning to drink airag (fermented mare's milk), and riding the family's own horses with a herder guide over the surrounding steppe. Several operators arrange these home-stays specifically. The horses are unschooled by western standards but effective; be prepared for a different feel from trained riding horses. All levels with appropriate guidance. Season: June to September.
What to expect from a Mongolian riding expedition
The Mongolian horse is not a trained riding horse in the western sense. It is caught from a semi-feral herd, haltered, and ridden with a combination of leg and voice aids that experienced Mongolian herders use instinctively but that western riders must learn specifically. The horses are short and sturdy; adult riders feel significantly higher off the ground than the horse's height would suggest because the barrel is so broad. They are not always forward-going in the conventional sense; they can be lazy or they can be quick and reactive depending on the individual.
Mongolian saddles — traditional models are hard wooden frames with metal stirrups — are not designed for long hours in the saddle by western standards. Most organised expedition operators provide modified saddles with padding for foreign riders; confirming this before departure is important.
The Naadam Festival
The Naadam national festival in July is the peak moment of Mongolian horse culture. The festival's horse-racing component uses child jockeys (boys and girls aged five to twelve) riding horses over distances of up to 30 km on open steppe — nearer to FEI endurance racing than to western flat racing, and a tradition that is genuinely different from any western horse racing format. Attending Naadam adds a cultural dimension to a Mongolia trip that is otherwise difficult to access; a riding expedition timed to coincide with the festival in Ulaanbaatar or at a provincial Naadam is one of the most complete Mongolian equestrian experiences available.
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