Mongolia's Naadam Festival

15 Days | Travel to Mongolia and discover the iconic Naadam Festival.

4.4 out of 5 based on 14 reviews submitted.
Festival
From
AUD $6,070
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The ancient Greeks may have the Olympics but the Mongols have Naadam. Mongolia’s annual circus-like Naadam Festival is a centuries-old tradition that dates back to the era of the great Khans and their dynasties. Wrestling, archery and horse racing — the three skills that Genghis Khan considered essential for any Mongol warrior — are showcased at the country’s largest celebration of the “three manly sports”. Come behind the scenes as we meet the competitors in the lead up to the festival and discover some of Mongolia’s wild outback, visiting ruined monasteries, flaming cliffs and historic cities.

Trip overview

Map of Mongolia's Naadam Festival including Mongolia
Start
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Finish
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Theme
Festival
Destinations
Mongolia
Physical rating
Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
Style
Original
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1 - Max 16
Trip code
CBSOS
We’re in the process of figuring out how much CO2-e this trip generates. In the meantime, find out more about our climate commitments and carbon reduction target.

Why you'll love this trip
  • Go behind the scenes of Mongolia's Naadam Festival and visit the athlete's training camps as they prepare to compete in the Naadam Festival.
  • Live the nomad life with a family stay at a horse breeder's camp.
  • Experience the phenomenal landscapes of central Mongolia.
  • Attend the Naadam Opening Ceremony and watch athletes compete for glory in wrestling, horse racing and archery.
  • Encounter Mongolia's stunning natural landscape with visits to places such as the Flaming Cliffs and sand dunes of Khongor.

Is this trip right for you?
  • Staying in various tourist ger camps, you'll be relatively comfortable as most of them will be 2-3 people sharing one ger, with comfortable beds and plenty of blankets, but the facilities are shared and separated from the gers which may take some getting used to.
  • You will have an overnight family stay at a horse breeder's camp and will need a sleeping bag for this night. This is an authentic local experience, so be prepared for basic, but very real conditions.
  • This trip involves long drives across some rough terrain and to remote areas, away from modern facilities and conveniences. As you'll spend a lot of time on the road, it is important to realise that the emphasis on this trip is on the journey. You'll travel through amazing landscapes and stay in some stunning locations.
  • Depending on group size, you may be split into multiple vehicles throughout this trip. The leader will make an effort to rotate travellers through the vehicles so that everyone spends some time together on the drives.
  • Vegetarians can be catered for, though choices may be limited. Please let us know if you have any specific dietary requirements when you book your trip. Some food will be traditional Mongolian style, but as the traditional diet consists solely of meat and dairy products, most meals are less challenging and based more on Russian or Western cuisine, which is now also common in the Mongolian diet.

Itinerary

Map of Mongolia's Naadam Festival including Mongolia

Inclusions

Meals

14 breakfasts, 11 lunches, 10 dinners

Transport

Private Vehicle

Accommodation

Hotel (4 nights), Tourist Ger Camp (9 nights), Family Ger Camp (1 night)

Activities
  • Archery Training Camp
  • Wrestling Training Camp
  • Horse Racing Training Camp
  • Baga Gazriin Chuluu - Hike
  • Tsagaan Suvarga - Hike
  • Vulture Canyon - Hike
  • Khongor Sand Dunes - Dune Hike & Camel Ride
  • Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs - Hike
  • Ongiin Khiid - Ruins
  • Karakorum - Erdenezuu Monastery
  • Naadam Festival - Opening Ceremony
  • Naadam Festival - Archery events
  • Naadam Festival - Wrestling events
  • Naadam Festival - Horse Racing events

Dates and availability

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Important notes

1. A single supplement is available on this trip for hotel nights (4 nights) in Ulaanbaatar and 4 nights out of the stays at tourist ger camps. Your tour leader will advise you on where in the tourist ger camps you'll be able to have a single ger to you.
2. A sleeping bag is required for the family ger camp stays. You can bring your own, or hire one in Ulaanbaatar at 20 USD. Please let your booking agent know if you would like to hire one.
3. Please provide your passport copy no later than 45 days prior to the departure. This is needed for purchasing Nadaam Festival tickets.
4. The visit to training camps heavily depend on the schedule set up by different teams which tend to change last minute. So the order of the visit to different training camps may change between Day 2 and Day 3. Your tour leader will be able to give you the exact details at the group meeting but we will visit the training camps of the three sports to give you the chance of observing and interacting with the athletes in preparation for their games.
5. Please note that if you are booked on the 2nd & 4th departure starting on 29 Jun 2024 (departure code: CBSOS2506292&CBSOS2509294), the order of destinations on the itinerary will be adjusted as below ( the included activities in each destination will remain the unchanged):
1. Ulaanbaatar: Group meeting
2. Ulaanbaatar: Horse Racing Camp
3. Ulaanbaartar: Archery & Wrestling Camp
4. Karakorum
5. Ongiin Khiid
6. Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs
7. Khongor Sand Dunes
8. Khongor Sand Dunes
9. Yol Valley
10. Tsagaan Suvarga
11. Baga Gazriin Chuluu
12. Ulaanbaatar
13. Ulaanbaatar - Nadaam Openning Ceremony & Archery events
14. Ulaanbaatar - Wrestling & Horse Racing events
15. Trip finish
For departures CBSOS250629 and CBSOS2506293, the itinerary will be as per the normal itinerary displayed.

Essential Trip Information

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Reviews

4.4 out of 5 based on 14 reviews submitted.
Reviews are from travellers who have completed their trip and want to share their experience. We show all reviews, but may remove any that include profanity or inappropriate content, are unrelated to the trip or reveal personal details.

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Wasim · Traveled June 2024
Considering the circumstances, overall good experience.
Review submitted 19 Jul 2024

Anne · Traveled June 2024
Very disappointing. The Naadam training camps and the festival were outstanding. The 8 day road trip on a broken down bus while everyone else we came across was in a 4WD van or SUV was not worth the effort. Our guide was indifferent at best. I would recommend doing Naadam but with another company.
Review submitted 21 Jul 2024

Nina · Traveled June 2024
This tour was so great!!!! If you ever have to chance to visit Mongolia during Nadaam, you must go. Big thanks to Ulzi for being a GREAT guide!
Review submitted 16 Jul 2024

Luke · Traveled June 2024
I was on a once-in-a-lifetime edition of this trip (sorry, there is 0 chance it will ever be repeated), which I think all of my fellow travelers will agree made any other issue we encountered worth it (well, almost). The people and culture are amazing, and the festival is out of this world. GO. Be aware that the Gobi visit is very trying. Ask for the VAN or SUV transports... go with something other than a mini-bus (our driver was terrific, but the mini-bus is just too slow to transit over roadless areas, which is 99% of the trip)
Review submitted 16 Jul 2024

Anne · Traveled June 2024
We loved the Naadam training camps and festival but the rest of the road trip was not good. We travelled through the desert in a broken down school bus instead of the 4WD vans and SUVs that everyone else had. This caused us problems with getting stuck, breakdowns and extremely rough rides. It also added 2-3 hours of drive time every day. I’d recommend Naadam but not with Intrepid.
Review submitted 21 Jul 2024
Mongolia's Naadam Festival
From
AUD $6,070