Mongolia Naadam Festival & Gobi Desert: 11 Days — Wrestling, Horse Racing & Singing Dunes

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Ulaanbaatar — The World’s Coldest Capital

Arrive at Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN). Ulaanbaatar (UB) is home to approximately 1.7 million people — nearly half of Mongolia’s entire population of 3.4 million — and sits at 1,350m in the Tuul River valley, making it one of the highest capital cities in the world. The city is a fascinating collision of ancient and modern: Buddhist monks in maroon robes walk past glass skyscrapers; nomadic herders in traditional del (the long, belted Mongolian coat) navigate smartphone apps; and the smell of mutton cooking on open fires mixes with the exhaust of 4×4 vehicles. Your guide meets you at the airport with a traditional Mongolian welcome — a bowl of airag (fermented mare’s milk, slightly sour and mildly alcoholic, the national drink) or suutei tsai (salty milk tea). Transfer to your 4-star hotel in central UB. Afternoon city orientation: Sukhbaatar Square (the central square dominated by a massive statue of Damdin Sukhbaatar, the revolutionary hero who declared Mongolia’s independence from China in 1921, with the Parliament House behind it featuring a giant seated Chinggis Khaan statue flanked by Khubilai and Ogedei). Visit the National Museum of Mongolia — an excellent introduction to the country’s epic history from the Hunnu Empire (3rd century BCE) through Chinggis Khaan’s Mongol Empire (the largest contiguous land empire in history, covering 24 million sq km at its peak) to the socialist era (1921-1990) and democratic transition. Evening: welcome dinner with a traditional Mongolian throat singing (khöömii) and contortion performance. Overnight in Ulaanbaatar.

Day 2: Naadam Festival Opening Ceremony — The Three Manly Games

Naadam (meaning “festival” or “games”) is Mongolia’s national holiday, celebrated for over 800 years. The “Three Manly Games” — wrestling, horse racing, and archery — originated from the military training of Chinggis Khaan’s warriors and evolved into the national festival they are today. The opening ceremony at the National Sports Stadium is a spectacle of Mongolian pride: thousands of performers in traditional costume, mounted warriors on horseback charging across the field in full 13th-century Mongol battle armor, the nine white banners (the state banners of Mongolia — white horse tails symbolizing the nine Mongol tribes united by Chinggis Khaan) paraded into the stadium, and a massive display of traditional music, dance, and athletic prowess.

Wrestling (Bökh): 512 or 1,024 wrestlers compete in the national wrestling tournament — no weight classes, no time limits, and the rules are essentially 800 years old. Wrestlers wear the traditional zodog (open-fronted vest — the story goes that a woman once disguised as a man won the tournament, and since then wrestlers must show their chests to prove their gender) and shuudag (brief shorts). A wrestler loses when any part of his body above the knee touches the ground. The winner performs the eagle dance (devekh), spreading his arms and circling the stadium — a celebration and a tribute to the sacred bird of the steppe. The tournament continues over three days with the final on Day 3.

Afternoon: archery competition — Mongolian archers use traditional composite bows made from horn, wood, and sinew, the same design used by Mongol warriors who could shoot accurately from a galloping horse. The archery competition includes both men (shooting at targets 75m away) and women (65m). The teams of archers wear traditional del and sing praise songs (uukhai) when a target is hit. Evening: Naadam evening festivities in UB — traditional music concerts, street food (try khuushuur — deep-fried meat pies, the ultimate Naadam food, approximately $2 each), and the electric atmosphere of the entire country celebrating its heritage. Overnight in Ulaanbaatar.

Day 3: Naadam Horse Racing — Child Jockeys of the Steppe

Today: the horse racing at Khui Doloon Khudag (the traditional race ground 30km from UB). This is unlike any horse race you’ve seen. The races are cross-country across the open steppe, distances of 15-30km depending on the age of the horses (categories: stallions, full-grown horses, 5-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and 2-year-old colts). The jockeys are children, ages 5-13 — lighter weight, and raised on horseback from the age of 3. These children ride barefoot or in simple boots, standing in the stirrups, their small bodies moving in perfect harmony with their horses across the vast steppe. The winning horse is honored with the title “Tumnii Ekh” — “Leader of Ten Thousand.” The crowd sings traditional praise songs (magtaal) for the winning horse, and spectators rush to touch the sweat of the winning horse — it’s believed to bring good luck. The losing horse’s trainer sings a song of consolation to his horse.

Afternoon: transfer to Terelj National Park (approximately 1.5 hours from UB), one of Mongolia’s most accessible and scenic protected areas. Terelj is a landscape of massive granite rock formations weathered into fantastical shapes — the most famous is “Turtle Rock” (Melkhii Khad), a 24m-high granite outcrop that truly resembles a turtle. The park is home to wild deer, ibex, and marmots. Visit Aryabal Meditation Temple, a Buddhist temple built into a cliff face — climb the 108 steps (the number of beads on a Buddhist rosary) past signs bearing Buddhist wisdom in Mongolian. Arrive at your tourist ger camp — a cluster of traditional Mongolian felt tents (gers, also called yurts in the West), each with beds, a stove, and traditional painted furniture. Overnight in a ger — the same dwelling that Mongolians have lived in for over 3,000 years.

Day 4: Into the Gobi — Tsagaan Suvarga (White Stupa Cliffs)

Long driving day (6-7 hours, but the landscape is the destination). Heading south from UB, the green steppe gradually transforms into the semi-arid Gobi. The Gobi Desert (from Mongolian “Govi” — “waterless place”) is not a sandy desert like the Sahara but a cold desert of gravel plains, rocky outcrops, and spectacular geological formations. Covering 1.3 million sq km across southern Mongolia and northern China, it’s Asia’s largest desert and one of the least populated regions on Earth — fewer than 0.3 people per square kilometer.

Arrive at Tsagaan Suvarga, the “White Stupa” — a 60m-high escarpment of sedimentary rock that extends for 400m, its layers of white, orange, and pink limestone revealing 30 million years of geological history. The formations look like the ruins of an ancient city — towers, pagodas, and fortress walls carved by wind and rain, not by human hands. At sunset, the cliffs glow orange and red — some of the most dramatic photographs of your Mongolia trip will come from this spot. Tsagaan Suvarga was once the floor of an ancient inland sea — you can find fossilized seashells and, if you’re lucky, fossilized dinosaur eggs in the surrounding area. Overnight in a ger camp near the cliffs.

Day 5: Yoliin Am (Vulture’s Mouth) — Ice in the Desert

Drive to the Gurvan Saikhan National Park (“Three Beauties” — three mountain ranges in the park), specifically Yoliin Am (Vulture’s Mouth Canyon) in the Zuun Saikhan Mountains. This deep, narrow gorge is one of the Gobi’s most remarkable phenomena — a thick ice field persists in the canyon floor well into summer, sometimes year-round, because the canyon is so deep and narrow that sunlight reaches the bottom for only a few hours per day. Walk along the ice — the contrast between the desert heat outside the canyon and the frozen stream inside, with bearded vultures (the “lammergeier” or “yol”) soaring overhead, is surreal. The vulture, with its 2.8m wingspan and distinctive beard-like feathers below its beak, is one of Mongolia’s most revered birds — the Mongols call it the “King of Birds.” The canyon also hosts Siberian ibex and argali (Marco Polo sheep — the world’s largest wild sheep, with horns up to 1.9m long) on the cliffs above.

Continue to the Gobi’s iconic sand dunes — the Khongoryn Els (“Khongor Sand Dunes”), also known as the “Singing Dunes.” These dunes stretch for approximately 100km, rise to heights of 300m (some of the largest sand dunes in the world outside the Sahara), and produce a distinctive low-frequency humming or “singing” sound when the sand slides — caused by the friction of sand grains, a phenomenon known scientifically as “acoustic emission of granular materials.” Overnight in a ger camp at the foot of the dunes. The sunset on the dunes — golden sand stretching to the horizon, the shadows lengthening with every passing minute — is pure magic. Overnight in ger camp.

Day 6: Khongor Sand Dunes — Camel Trek & Dune Climbing

Morning: Bactrian camel trek through the dunes. The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus — two humps, unlike the single-humped dromedary of the Middle East) is perfectly adapted to the Gobi: thick wool for -40°C winters, nostrils that can close against sandstorms, and the ability to drink up to 57 liters of water in one session. These camels were domesticated in Central Asia approximately 4,000 years ago and were the vehicles of the Silk Road — a caravan of Bactrian camels could carry 500kg each and travel 40km a day across the desert. Ride your camel (each led by a local herder) through the dunes, the silence broken only by the camels’ deep grumbling and the whisper of wind across the sand. The view from camel-back, with the dunes stretching endlessly toward the horizon and the Altai Mountains visible in the far distance, is the Mongolia of imagination made real.

Afternoon: climb the highest dune (approximately 300m — a serious challenge in the sand). The climb takes about an hour — two steps forward, one slide back, until you reach the crest where the entire sea of sand stretches before you. The descent: running (or sliding) down the face of the dune is pure childlike joy — each step produces a miniature avalanche and the dune “sings” beneath your feet. Visit a local camel-herding family in their ger — taste camel milk products (khormog — fermented camel milk, creamier than airag), learn about the herders’ nomadic life (they move 4-6 times a year following pasture), and understand the deep bond between Mongolians and their animals (the traditional greeting is “Are your animals fattening up nicely for winter?”). Overnight in ger camp.

Day 7: Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs) — The Dinosaur Graveyard

Drive to Bayanzag, the “Flaming Cliffs.” This site earned its English name from American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, who led the Central Asiatic Expeditions (1922-1930) for the American Museum of Natural History — the first people to scientifically excavate dinosaur fossils in the Gobi. Andrews wrote that the sandstone cliffs, glowing brilliant red and orange in the setting sun, looked as if they were on fire — hence “Flaming Cliffs.” At Bayanzag in 1923, Andrews’ team made one of paleontology’s greatest discoveries: the first known dinosaur eggs, proving definitively that dinosaurs laid eggs. They also discovered the first fossils of Velociraptor, Protoceratops, and Oviraptor (the “egg thief” — later proven wrong when a fossil showed it was actually protecting its own eggs, not stealing others’). The area continues to yield fossils — you can see the red sandstone in the cliffs peppered with bone fragments exposed by erosion. There is a strict ban on removing fossils (and customs will confiscate any found in luggage), but walking through this ancient nesting ground, imagining dinosaurs roaming where you stand 70 million years ago, is humbling.

Local children and souvenir sellers may approach with small fossil fragments and dinosaur eggshell pieces — buying them is ethically questionable and may encourage fossil looting. The best contribution is to appreciate the site and support the local museum. The sunset at Bayanzag, with the cliffs ablaze in orange and red as the sun descends, is one of Mongolia’s essential experiences. Overnight in ger camp.

Day 8: Ongi Monastery Ruins — Buddhism in the Steppe

Long drive through the Middle Gobi toward the Ongi River. Arrive at the ruins of Ongi Monastery (Ongiin Khiid) — once one of Mongolia’s largest Buddhist monasteries, with two temple complexes on either side of the Ongi River, housing over 1,000 monks at its peak. The monastery was founded in the 17th century and became a major center of Buddhist learning. In 1937-1939, during the Stalinist purges under the socialist Mongolian People’s Republic, virtually all of Mongolia’s 700+ monasteries were destroyed, and an estimated 17,000-30,000 monks were executed or imprisoned. Ongi was reduced to rubble — what remains today are crumbling stupas, sections of walls, and the foundations of what was once a thriving spiritual center.

In the 1990s, after Mongolia’s democratic revolution, a small temple was rebuilt on the site, and a handful of monks returned. Visit the rebuilt temple, climb the hill behind the ruins for a view of the river valley, and walk among the remnants of the old monastery — the contrast between the scattered stones and the vast, empty steppe is profoundly meditative. A small museum on site tells the story of the monastery’s destruction and slow rebirth. Sunset over the ruins — with the sound of the wind in the steppe grass as the only soundtrack — is a moment of deep Mongolian stillness. Overnight in ger camp.

Day 9: Kharkhorin (Karakorum) — The Capital of the Mongol Empire

Drive to Kharkhorin (Karakorum), the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire. Karakorum was established as the imperial capital by Ogedei Khaan, Chinggis Khaan’s son and successor, in 1235. At its peak, the city was a cosmopolitan hub — its population included Chinese craftsmen building the imperial palace, Muslim merchants trading from the Middle East, Nestorian Christian priests, Buddhist monks, and European envoys like William of Rubruck, a Flemish Franciscan monk who visited in 1254 and left the most detailed Western account of the Mongol court. His description of the “Silver Tree” at the palace entrance — a mechanical fountain designed by a French silversmith named Guillaume Bouchier, which dispensed mare’s milk, mead, rice wine, and grape wine from silver animals’ mouths — reveals the extraordinary cultural fusion of the Mongol capital.

The city was largely abandoned after Khubilai Khaan moved the capital to Beijing (Dadu) in the 1260s. In 1585, the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia — Erdene Zuu — was founded on the site, using stones from the ruined city of Karakorum. Erdene Zuu is surrounded by a wall of 108 white stupas — the number 108, sacred in Buddhism, represents the 108 volumes of the Kangyur (the Tibetan Buddhist canon) and the 108 defilements of the mind. The monastery once housed 62 temples and over 1,000 monks. Most was destroyed in the 1937 purges, but three temples survived — they were preserved because Stalin needed a temple to show foreign visitors that Mongolia had “religious freedom.” Today, Erdene Zuu is an active monastery and museum. The surviving temples contain exquisite Buddhist art: 16th-century thangkas (painted or embroidered Buddhist banners), gilded Buddha statues, and the Laviran Temple with its tantric Buddhist iconography.

Visit the Kharkhorin Museum — excellent exhibits on the history of Karakorum and the Mongol Empire, including a scale model of the 13th-century city based on archaeological excavations and the stone turtle sculptures that once marked the boundaries of the imperial city (four remain today, the largest local landmarks after the monasteries were destroyed). Overnight in ger camp near Kharkhorin.

Day 10: Khustai National Park — The Return of the Wild Horse

Drive to Khustai National Park (3-4 hours). Visit the small information center to understand the miracle of Khustai: the reintroduction of the takhi (Przewalski’s horse, Equus ferus przewalskii), the world’s last truly wild horse species. The takhi went extinct in the wild in 1969 — the last wild herd was seen in the Dzungarian Gobi in southwest Mongolia. But a captive breeding program, using horses from European zoos (descendants of foals captured in Mongolia in the early 1900s), began reintroducing takhi to Khustai in 1992. From an initial reintroduced population of 84 horses, the park now hosts over 380 takhi roaming freely — one of conservation’s greatest success stories. Unlike domestic horses (which have 64 chromosomes), takhi have 66 chromosomes and have never been domesticated — they are the direct descendants of the wild horses painted on cave walls 30,000 years ago.

Late afternoon: drive into the park with your guide to locate the takhi herds. They’re best seen at dawn or dusk when they come down from the hills to graze. Watching a takhi stallion, stockier and more muscular than domestic horses, standing on a ridge silhouetted against the setting sun — a species that was literally extinct in the wild, now thriving again in its ancestral homeland — is genuinely moving. The park is also home to red deer, marmots, Mongolian gazelle, and over 200 bird species including cinereous vultures, steppe eagles, and demoiselle cranes.

Return to Ulaanbaatar (2 hours). Farewell dinner at a traditional Mongolian restaurant — khorkhog (Mongolian barbecue, mutton and vegetables cooked with hot stones in a sealed container, the stones passed among diners and rolled in their hands — it’s believed to cure fatigue) and a final airag toast. Farewell performance of traditional music: morin khuur (horsehead fiddle — UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, its distinctive sound like the wind across the steppe, the instrument’s head carved into a horse’s head, legend says it was created by a boy mourning his dead horse), khoomii (throat singing that produces multiple notes simultaneously), and the biyelgee (traditional folk dance). Overnight in Ulaanbaatar.

Day 11: Ulaanbaatar Morning — Departure

Morning: visit Gandan Monastery (Gandantegchinlen Khiid), Mongolia’s largest functioning Buddhist monastery — its full name means “Great Place of Complete Joy.” The monastery’s centerpiece is the Migjid Janraisig statue — an 26.5m-tall gilded statue of Avalokiteshvara (the Bodhisattva of Compassion), weighing 20 tons, constructed with donations from the Mongolian people after the original 17th-century statue was dismantled by Soviet authorities in the 1930s and shipped to Russia (where it was allegedly melted down for scrap metal). The new statue was consecrated in 1996 by the Dalai Lama and stands as a powerful symbol of Mongolia’s Buddhist revival. Watch monks in crimson robes chanting morning prayers — the monastery is home to over 600 monks and is one of Mongolia’s most important Buddhist institutions.

Last chance for souvenir shopping: cashmere (Mongolia produces 40% of the world’s raw cashmere — the famous Gobi Cashmere factory shop in UB offers excellent quality at reasonable prices), traditional Mongolian boots (gutal) with upturned toes, felt crafts (the ger lining and carpets are made from felted sheep’s wool), and Chinggis Khaan-themed everything (vodka, banknotes, T-shirts — Mongolia’s reverence for the Great Khaan knows no bounds). Afternoon transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport for departure — 11 days across the land of blue sky, eternal steppe, and the spirit of the nomad.

Included

• 10 nights: Ulaanbaatar 4-star hotel(3) + ger camps(7)
• Full board meals throughout (except UB dinners Day 1, 2, 10)
• English-speaking guide (entire trip)
• 4×4 vehicle with driver (Toyota Land Cruiser or similar)
• Naadam Festival opening ceremony & wrestling tickets
• All park and museum entrance fees
• Camel trek at Khongor Dunes (1 hour)
• Khustai National Park expedition to see Przewalski’s horses
• Farewell cultural performance (throat singing, horsehead fiddle, dance)
• Airport transfers