Nomadic Naadam Festival (1 day)
What to expect
Horse racing
In the Naadam, the three sporting passions of Mongolians, horse racing, wrestling and archery, are played out over a day
Mongolia archery
The festival has its roots in the nomad wedding assemblies and hunting extravaganzas of the Mongol Army.
Flavors of Mongolia
You will be able to experience everything from the local food to the local sports, getting a taste of what Mongolian life.
Naadam festival
Experience Mongolia and the local culture with this festival.
- This is the most colorful festival in Mongolia and is included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
- This is a festival that celebrates the Mongolian Revolution and Independence, although it is thought to predate Genghis Khan.
- Be amazed by the military parades, and sporting events such as Horse racing, Archery, and Wrestling.
- Wear some of the traditional costumes of the Mongolian people, also known as Deeli Tei. You can get one of your own to take home.
- Come and enjoy some of the free Mongolian traditional dairy products, national beverages, and ride some horses, camels, and yaks.
- Lunch
- Private transfers
- English speaking guide
- All meals as listed
- All entrance fee
- Personal expenses
- Optional activities
- Travel Insurance www.WorldNomads.com
12:30 Meet our guide at Sukhbaatar square.
13:00 Drive to the Mongol Nomadic camp.
14:00 Opening Ceremony of Naadam Festival.
14:20 The First round of Mongolian Wrestling.
14:30 Short performance of folk music and dance.
15:00 The Second round of Mongolian Wrestling.
15:20 Archery competition.
15:30 The third round of Mongolian Wrestling.
15:30 Horse racing starts with the melodious voice of little children.
15:50 While waiting for the horses coming from the starting line, performance continues with competition to select the best equestrian couple.
16:30 Awarding prizes for all winners of wrestling, horse racing, and archery.
16:40 Closing ceremony of the Mini Naadam. Free time for taking photos.
17:00 Drive back to Ulaanbaatar city.
18:00 Arrive in UB and drop off at Sukhbaatar square.
Overview
Naadam Festival is truly one of the world’s most exciting and colorful traditional festivals. It is so unique as listed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
The three days event officially celebrates the Mongolian Revolution and Independents, although the festival is said to predate Genghis Khan. Naadam has its origin in the activities, such as military parades and sporting competitions such as archery, horse riding, and wrestling.
Tour is more unique with many other surprises such us free for tasting dairy products and national beverages, riding horses, yaks & camels as well as wearing traditional costumes during the Festival.
The price per person will depend on the size of the group as shown below.
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Wonderful tour with a stunning opening ceremony of the Nadaam festival. Visually stunning country and the people were so friendly. Well organized tour and the Gobi desert was amazing. Staying in gers was just fantastic.
Thank you for introducing us to Mongolia and getting us in at the very end of the season! Our tour itinerary was nicely customized for us and Togosoo and Nandai were very capable. I loved the different Ger camps (even though it was freezing cold overnight! The wood stoves are wonderful), and it was rather nice for everything to be so empty of other tourists.
Good to know
- Guide:
An English speaking Mongolian guide will accompany the group at all times. The guide will be a native Mongolian person with great local knowledge who can deal with any requests and ensure that your holiday to become one of the most unforgettable experiences of your life.
- 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.
