Watch the Camel Races
If you like, you can even bet on the camels that are in the race.
Camel Festival Tour
Take part in the Bactrian Camel Races which are held in the amazing Gobi Dessert
One of our most popular festivals is the Bactrian Camel Festival. This takes place in the Gobi Desert and gives you a rare opportunity to interact with the Bactrian camels. You will learn firsthand about these beautiful animals at the festival, which is organized by the camel herders in March. This exciting and fun event includes traditional music, costume competitions, dancing, and camel racing.
After the festivities end, travelers are able to ride the camels and visit some of the Gobi Desert’s unique sights. This includes dinosaur bones. This is a great opportunity to help you learn about nomad camel herders and their loved ones.
What we expect
Realistic travel conditions, comfort level, and daily experience explained clearly
Take Many Pictures
This festival has many things you will want to photograph so remember your camera.
Watch Camel Competitions
There are many different camel competitions during this festival which are fun to watch.
Learn About Bactrian Camels
You can learn about the Bactrian camels and their herders while on the tour.
Watch Camel Competitions
There are many different camel competitions during this festival which are fun to watch.
Itinerary
Day-by-day travel plan with highlights, distances, and activities
In the morning, meet in Ulaanbaatar (08:00 AM) Drive to Dalanzadgad, Umnugobi province. Visit the local market.
Relax in a local hotel. (L+D)
The Camel festival begins in Bulgan soum with a “parade” of camel riders. Competitions of the day include “Best-looking couple on camel-back”, most adorable male and female camels as well as a camel polo which takes place in the central square. There’s also an exhibition of paintings by local children who participate in the drawing contest called “Camel - My Friend”.
Overnight in a local ger. (B+L+D)
The competition begins with the race of mature camels followed by the two-year-old camel race. For your own enjoyment, you may make a bid for the camel you like. The first three camels in the each group are awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals. In the afternoon, one of the most awaited competitions begins. This is called “Camel Relay”; a competition consisted of catching, taming, training and finally loading a camel with an actual Ger. After lunch drive to Yolyn Am Canyon (also called Lammergeier Valley) - This area is located in the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park that encompasses the "Three Beauties" peaks and the most easterly points of the Altai Mountains.
There are several groups with 5 members, each of whom execute different roles. The closing ceremony takes place late in the afternoon when the winners will be presented with their trophies.
Overnight in local Ger camp. (B+L+D)
Drive back to Ulaanbaatar. Lunch in Middle Gobi. Continue on the road to Ulaanbaatar.
Arrive and end of the tour. (B+L)
Price & Date
Tour cost, departure dates, and price differences
Pax based price
Pax 1
1,530 USD
per person
Pax 2
939 USD
per person
Pax 3
740 USD
per person
Pax 4 or more
640 USD
per person
Tour schedule
What's included
Accommodation, transport, meals, guide, and entrance fees covered
Services included
Shared accommodation at Ger camp
Private transfers
English speaking guide
All meals as listed
All entrance fee
Camel ride
Services not included
Personal expenses
Optional activities
Camera fee for museum & monastery
Travel Insurance www.WorldNomads.com
Good to know
Important tips, weather, packing advice, and local travel notes
The best time to make this trip
May to September is the best season, with the peak season in July for the Naadam Festival. July and August are also the wettest months of the year but be assured, our climate is such that you will still have many sunny days at this time. The best time to visit the Gobi is June or September.
Accommodation
We believe that comfortable, welcoming accommodation is vital to the enjoyment of your trip. You will be staying in a standard 3-4 star hotel in Ulaanbaatar and a tourist ger camp (traditional dwelling) with currency (220V), shower and other useful services (2 to 4 people per ger) in the countryside. All accommodation offered by Discover Mongolia is personally checked by our staff to ensure high standards.
Meals
In Ulaanbaatar, you will be dining at fine European and Asian cuisine restaurants. Mutton, beef, rice, and noodles form the basis of the Mongolian diet, so your meals will be based around this. However, the trail rations may include vegetables, eggs, peanut butter, cheese and sometimes yak! On some days there will be lunchboxes from tourist camps. It is good food and our experience has been that guests are happy with this arrangement. Please let us know in advance if you are a vegetarian. Alcohol is not provided on the trip but tourists are free to bring their own.
Transport
Discover Mongolia use the highest level, latest model, air-conditioned private vans or 4WD vehicles for the maximum comfort on your touring days. A day's drive in the countryside will be approx 200-250km.
Personal things to bring with you
Warm thin layers of clothing are the best such as bring a waterproof jacket, and a hat and headscarf to protect you from the sun and winds. Don't forget insect repellent, sun cream, lip-gloss, water purifying tablets and first aid kit (medicine for headache, cold, diarrhea, runny nose; bandages; any medicine prescribed for you ). All your camera equipment.
Reviews
Genuine traveler feedback from real experiences in Mongolia
Incredible Experience Riding through Orkhon Valley
I went on a customised 9-day tour with a group of friends, horseback riding through Orkhon Valley. We had an absolutely incredible experience riding through jaw-dropping landscapes, bonding with our guide and our horsemen, and eating delicious and fresh meals every day. Horse trekking in Mongolia has been on my bucket list for a long time and this trip exceeded all my expectations. It was a truly unforgettable experience.
The tour was comfortable, fun, well-paced, and perfectly safe from start to finish with a wide range of sights and activities every day. The company was very easy to work with, responsive and flexible as we coordinated the dates and the number of participants.Massive thanks to Ebo for putting up with such a loud group of girls for so long.
Great tour in the city and then to the semigobi.
Jack is an amazing guy that will tell everything about Mongolia and its history. The city has many gems to discover and the long trip by car to the desert is worth it.
The best first tour of Mongolia!
Discover Mongolia's "Discover Mongolia" tour was absolutely amazing! Very well-organised tour, with each day organised very well (driving in the first part of the day, and activities in the second part of the day). They tailored the itinerary a little to accommodate my husband and I with our two boys (12 and 5). There is a lot of driving around the country (unpaved roads) but this was the best way to see the beauty of the country and the children handled the long driving hours very well.
The tour guide (Uka) was amazing - well-informed and able to give us the background about everything we saw and did. She was so lovely and friendly, and our boys loved her. She was always very upbeat and happy and this was infectious...
We highly recommend traveling to Mongolia and choosing Discover Mongolia as your travel agency.
We took a family trip with our 20-year-old daughter for 13 days in August 2025.
It was a customized trip based on the standard "Discover Mongolia Tour - 14 days", as we only had availability for 13 days.
Northern, Central, and Southern Mongolia: from Khuvsgul Lake to the Gobi Desert. Ulaanbaatar and Terelj National Park.
The value for money on our Discover Mongolia trip was very good. We believe the price was very reasonable for the quality of the services provided...
Great first experience in Mongolia
We had a great 7 day experience with Discover Mongolia. The itinerary was well thought out and included a variety of activities, from riding camels/ horses, visiting a nomadic family to seeing the amazing scenery at the Flaming Cliffs and Eagle Valley.
Shoutout to our guide Tugu who took the time to connect with us and made sure everything was taken care of. His in-depth explanations allowed us to better appreciate the country’s culture and history. Our driver Tsend was equally helpful in ensuring a safe and comfortable journey. Also huge thanks to the tour manager, Shinee, who was very responsive to our queries and made us feel assured...
An unforgettable trip with beautiful Mongolian nature
A three-night and four-day trip to Mongolia with Discover Mongolia was a really special memory. Discover Mongolia was chosen by many travel agents for its fast, honest response, reasonable rates, and convenient online payment system.
During the journey, the rich experience and expertise of the driver Bodia became a great force. He drove safely when passing the non-powered road or mountain range, especially the crossroads he indicated on the way from the Orcano Falls to Hanher were a memorable highlight. The heavenly...
from 640 USD