Witness the spectacular scenery of the Gobi of Mongolia. Visit the ancient capital of Mongols Kharkhorin, with the chance to discover Mongolian nomadic culture first-hand by visiting our Naadam Festival Tour Mongolia 2021.

The Naadam Festival is indeed the highlight of our trip. Ancient kings created it for military purposes in the old days when they needed their warriors trained all the time. Said kings came across the idea of having a regional and state competition for Horse racing, Archery, and Wrestling. Since then the Naadam Festival is celebrated with these three traditional tournaments.

Join us for our 13-days 12-night Naadam Festival tour in 2021 with a fantastic festival in a small local town. A small town that allows you to experience the authentic culture of Mongolia.

Our journey takes us through the Chinggis Khan Statue complex with the dramatic stainless steel statue. Continuing on is the Gun Galuut national reserve. After 2 days full of tournaments at the Naadam Festival site, we will start our journey to the Golden Gobi. Moreover, Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs, Yol Canyon, and the Golden Sand dunes. Further, we will visit the ancient capital of Mongols- Kharkhorin, Orkhon River Valley -one of UNESCO heritage protected places, and more.

Create your Trails with Nomadic Trails!

Overview

Itinerary

Inclusions, Exclusions

FAQs

Tour Map

Tour details

Trip Highlights

Visit the dramatic stainless steel statue of Chinggis Khaan
Enjoy a more local Naadam festival with few to no tourists
Witness the three traditional Naadam games, wrestling, horse racing and archery
Epic scenery of the Gobi
Ancient Fossils of dinosaurs dating back to 90 million years
Camel riding with the stunning view of Khongor Sand Dunes
Explore the ancient Gobi rock carving site
Visit local old temples to get an idea of nomadic types of architecture in Mongolia
Visit places protected by UNESCO such as Orkhon Valley
Visit the ancient capital of the 13th century Mongols, Kharkhorin
Visit the Erdene Zuu Monastery built on the remains of the ancient capital
Visit Hustai National Park, with the only species of wild horses the ‘Takhi’ or Przewalski horses.

Itinerary

Day 1

Ulaanbaatar City - Chinggis Khaan Statue complex

We meet you upon arrival and drive straight to the Chinggis Khan Statue complex with a dramatic 40-meter tall stainless steel statue. After lunch, we drive to our ger camp at Gun Galuut National Reserve, where globally threatened species of animals reside.
Welcome dinner.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 2

Baganuur Naadam Festival Day - 1

This day will begin with an early breakfast and a visit to the start of the horse racing, one of the three main games of the Naadam Festival. The opening ceremony starts with a parade in the stadium. We enjoy the Archery and ankle bone shooting as well as visit the horse racing field to enjoy it with crowds of locals.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 3

Baganuur Naadam Festival Day - 2

This day is the second day we will participate in the Naadam Festival. We can enjoy different archery tournaments, horse racing of different horse age categories as well as wrestling.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 4

White Stupa, Tsagaan Suvarga cliffs

After breakfast, we drive down to Tsagaan Suvarga cliffs, the ancient bottom of the Asiatic sea created this picturesque cliff more than 90 million years ago. The area is perfect for you to do some
walking around, taking some photographs once you are down at the bottom of the cliffs.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 5

Yol Canyon

This beautiful day we continue our drive to the Gobi. We transfer to a local ger camp. After lunch, we drive to the mountain and visit Yol Canyon. This beautiful valley is named after the Lammergeyer vulture.
We take a good walk inside the canyon for an hour and return to our vehicle. Then we head back to our ger camp. Overnight ger camp.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 6

Khongor Sand Dunes

After breakfast, we drive through the mountains
and arrive at 200 m tall Khongor Sand Dunes, the most important sand mass of Gobi Gurvan Saïkhan National Park.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 7

Khongor Sand Dunes

Full relaxed day at sand dunes. We visit the Sand Dunes and ride a camel, walk and explore around the area.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 8

Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs

Today we leave sand dunes behind and drive to the Flaming cliffs, where dinosaur skeletons and eggs found. Watching the sunset here and observing the cliffs when they are changing color looks as if they are on fire. Stunning view.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 9

Ongi ruined monastery

On this beautiful day we drive north to head to Ongi Ruined monastery, was home to more than 5 000 people once. We drive through big open space with no obstacles. We transfer to the ger camp.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 10

Kharkhorin

This beautiful day we drive to the ancient capital of Mongols in the 13th century, Kharkhorin. Now there is a simple small town that exists in its place today. We will visit a good museum with remains found from the old capital and also visit the Erdene Zuu monastery, built with remains of the ancient capital.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 11

Hustai National Park

After breakfast, we will drive to Hustai National Park, where the only species of wild horses the ‘Takhi’ or Przewalski horses reside. It is a perfect location to do some wildlife spotting in the evening as the Park is full of various species of animals.

📍 Overnight ger camp.

Day 12

Ulaanbaatar city

This day we return to the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar city. An overall relaxed day with some souvenir shopping. In the evening will enjoy a Mongolian traditional folk concert with talented throat singers enchanting dancers and a beautiful contortionist.

📍 Overnight hotel.

Day 13

Departure

We will transfer you to your international departure.

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Where will we sleep during the trip?

For this specific trip, you will be staying in a hotel for one day in Ulaanbaatar city, for days in the rural areas you will stay in ger camps. Most ger camps consist of several traditional Mongolian dwelling – gers.

Would there be electrical points to charge handphones, cameras, etc?

At the ger camps with generators, electricity will be available for a certain amount of time and turn them off during the night. Some ger camps can be connected to the local town’s electricity, so they can also have electricity all night.

Do the ger camps with shower facilities provide soap, shampoo and towels?

No, they do not provide toiletries. Please make sure to bring your travel toiletries. For your own comfort and usage, it is good to also bring towels. A travel towel that is compact, very absorbent, and fast-drying is the best.

What electrical adapter plug is used in Mongolia?

In Mongolia, electrical plug types vary. Most are Type C and Type E with 2 round holes.

Is there internet throughout this 13-day tour?

Internet router can be quite slow, so a data sim card is the best option to have internet during the trip, It can be purchased after your arrival at the Mongolian International Airport.

What currency does Mongolia have? Can we get some local currencies exchanged after we arrive in Mongolia?

The local Mongolian currency is Tugrik = “₮”
There are several locations we can get the local currency, for example, at the Airport, in a bank on the way to the hotel, etc.

Will we be proved mineral water during the trip? Will hot water be also provided?

Water will always be provided, but personal water bottles that keep their temperature are highly recommended and requested.
Hot water can be requested from the Ger camps. Your tour guide can request them for you should you require hot water.

Do we need to bring our own sleeping bags?

For your own comfort and usage, you can bring sleeping bags, but every accommodation of our trip offers fresh sterilized linen and cover.