The Naadam Festival tour
2 days
Overview
The official Naadam celebration annually takes place on July 11th and 12th. All provinces and regions celebrate their festivals respectively on their own dates in July. Nomads who are sparsely distributed throughout the steppes of Mongolia would gather together for a celebration once every July. The word Naadam means “Games,” it consists of the three manly sports: wrestling, archery, and horse-racing. Nowadays women participate in the two other sports besides wrestling. The games have been celebrated for hundreds of years, even dating back to the era of Chinggis Khan to keep his warriors in top shape.
Date & Price:
Departing: 11-07-2025
Finishing: 12-07-2025
Status: Open
Price Per Person:
Includes:
- All indicated meals
- Drinking water
- All visits, Naadam festival opening entrance fee, and other visit and sightseeing fees in the programme
- Transportation
- English speaking guide
Exludes:
- Travel insurance
- Optional activities
- Meals not indicated
- Drinks
- Gratuities
- International flights and airport transfers
- Mongolian tourist visa fee
- All accommodation in Ulaanbaatar
Travel information:
- Visit and attend to the Naadam Festival in Central stadium.
- Visit Horse race place
Day 1 See the Naadam Festival in the Central Stadium
Meet your guide and head to the Central Stadium. The Naadam Festival is not only famous among locals – many visitors, tourists, and journalists come to Mongolia to experience the celebrations. The festival starts with a transferring ceremony of the nine white banners by soldiers on horse-back from the Parliament Building to the Central Stadium. Nine white banners were used during festive and peaceful times. A vibrant opening ceremony begins followed by the first-round of wrestling matches. Just outside the stadium lies a field where the archery competition takes place. And also, a sheep anklebone flicking side-game takes place nearby. Horse-racing happens outside the city in a wide-open grassland valley. On the walkway around the Central Stadium, merchants sell souvenirs, snacks and drinks, the staple food of the festival – huushuur – which are deep fried flour meat-pockets, and the national drink – airag – which is fermented mare’s milk.
- L
Day 2 Go to the horse-race field
Our guide and driver will pick you up early in the morning and drive outside west of Ulaanbaatar to the horse-race field. There are 6 races categorized by the horses’ age and race distances are between 15 and 30 kilometers depending on the age group. The jockeys are children usually between the ages of 9 and 12. While waiting for the race, the area is bustling with interesting activities such as folk and horse shows, festive foods, souvenir sales, and mini-games for spectators to partake. Return to Ulaanbaatar.
- L
Gallery
