NAADAM FESTIVAL – SOUTH
and NORTHERN MONGOLIA
Tour Highlights:
- This small group tour covers the major destination and must-see attractions in Mongolia
- This private tour cover the northern, central and southern part of Mongolia with round flights and visit the most popular travel destinations including the interesting national parks, Khuvsgul Lake; the second largest freshwater lake in Central Asia, making up over 1% of the world’s freshwater storage, UNESCO World Heritage Sites; Karakorum and Gobi desert; distinctive landscapes of towering sand dunes, wide open steppes, iced Georges, rocky mountains, red cliffs, stunning sunsets, sunrises and much more!
- Plus, Attend to amazing Naadam Festival, colorful opening ceremony and witness traditional games including national wrestling, horse racing and archery.
Tour Information
- Tour Code: NF-SNM 01
- Duration: 14 days / 13 nights
- Availability: 06 July – 19 July
- Trip from: Ulaanbaatar
- Price: from US$ 3.150 p/p
- Age Requirement 0-95 yrs
- Max Group Size 12
BRIEF ITINERARY
06 Jul – Day 01: Arrive in Ulaanbaatar
07 Jul – Day 02: Flight to Northern Mongolia – Khuvsgul Lake National Park
08 Jul – Day 03: Full day at Khuvsgul Lake
09 Jul – Day 04: Flight back to Ulaanbaatar – Terelj National Park 10 Jul – Day 05: Terelj National Park – Chinggis Khaan’s Statue Complex – UB
11 Jul – Day 06: Naadam festival opening ceremony – half-day city tour
12 Jul – Day 07: Naadam, horse racing at Khui doloon khudag – Hugnu Khan Mt. National Park
13 Jul – Day 08: Kharkhorin & Erdenezuu Buddhist Monastery
14 Jul – Day 09: Ongi River valley, Middle the Gobi
15 Jul – Day 10: Ongi steppe – Bayanzag (Flaming cliffs)
16 Jul – Day 11: Khongor sand dunes, the biggest sand dunes in the Gobi
17 Jul – Day 12: The Yol Valley, “Three beauties of Gobi” Mt. National Park
18 Jul – Day 13: Flight to Ulaanbaatar – Half-day city tour
19 Jul – Day 14: Departure
DETAILED ITINERARY
July 06 – Day 01
Arrival in Ulaanbaatar
Welcome to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by Tsogoo Travel Mongolia’s driver in the arrivals hall at the international airport and transferred to your hotel. After check-in, be free at leisure and have a good rest to recover from the jet lag. If you feel like going for a walk and checking out places nearby, feel free to ask the hotel receptionist for recommendations.
Accommodation: Hotel 4*. Meals: D
July 07 – Day 02
Flight to Northern Mongolia – Khuvsgul Lake National Park
Today, you will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the city airport for the flight to Murun, which is the center of the Northern Province.
Upon arrival, meet your local guide and transferred to the Khuvsgul Lake, which is known as the Switzerland of Mongolia and second the clearest lake in Central Asia.
Take a 2 hours drive to the Khatgal village on the shore of the lake and explore the village’s life, the market, and the main port of the lake. On the way, we will see hundreds of grazing livestock and wildlife in the northern region of Mongolia.
Check-in and dinner at Tourist camp, which is located near the lake.
Accommodation: Hotel 4*. Meals: B, L, D.
July 08 – Day 03
Full day at Khuvsgul lake
This morning, we will explore the national park on horseback. Mongolia is the best destination for horse riding trips and especially Khovsgol Lake is the best-recommended place for this experience.
After being given preliminary instructions, and orientation about horse riding, we will discover nature on horseback until lunchtime.
The afternoon is free time for you to be on your own. You can explore the surrounding hills and walk along the shore of the lake. The Lake water is well known for crystal clear blue and is surrounded by beautiful lash green deep forest and magnificent mountains.
Also, there is a great opportunity to do hiking, kayaking, riding a motor boat, or just enjoy wild nature to take photos.
Accommodation: Tourist camp. Meals: B, L, D.
July 9 – Day 04
Flight back to Ulaanbaatar – Terelj National Park
Early this morning, we will drive to the local airport in Murun town and take a return flight to Ulaanbaatar.
On the way, we will visit Uushig’s ancient Deer Stone Monument as another wonder of the Khuvsgul region. This is most clearly depicted by deer stones left behind by bronze-age men. A deer, an arch, a shield, a horse, a knife, the moon, the sun, and a mirror-figured belt were engraved on the stones.
Upon arrival at the city airport, transferred to Terelj National Park, which is one of the most visited national parks in Mongolia which is by its natural beauty, forested alpine mountains, and interesting rock formations very well known.
In the evening, we will enjoy visiting the local nomad family to experience firsthand how people live in the countryside and a lifestyle that has not changed for centuries. Here you can see the herders with their daily tasks and get an idea of how nomadic people are alongside their livestock.
Accommodation: Tourist camp. Meals: B, L, D
July 10 – Day 05
Chinggis Khaan’s Statue Complex
In the morning at 9 am, head to Chinggis Kaan’s Statue Complex which is currently the biggest (40m high) equestrian statue in the world. Explore the statue complex and ascend to the head of the horse using an elevator. There you have a good panoramic view over the complex area and the scenery beyond. You are now definitely in Chinggis Kaan’s/Genghis Khan’s/ homeland!
In the afternoon, we will back Ulaanbaatar city.
Accommodation: Tourist camp. Meals: B, L, D.
July 11 – Day 06
Naadam festival opening ceremony – half day city tour
Today, we will be attending the opening ceremony of the Festival of Naadam in Ulaanbaatar national stadium. It’s Mongolia’s biggest, most colorful and most important annual cultural event, focusing on three sports: horse racing, Mongolian-style wrestling, and archery. It’s no coincidence that all three skills derive from the capabilities of Chinggis Khaan’s legendary military – a force that conquered and controlled the largest empire the world has ever known.
- At 8am picked up from the hotel lobby, join in Naadam group and visit the central Naadam stadium.
- The first visit is a stadium of anklebone shooting competition.
- Next, visit the archery field. The field will be filled with men and women archers in colorful ethnic national costumes who shooting arrows from their bows.
- We will wander around outside of the Naadam stadium to watch locals who dressed their national costumes, food and trade corners etc.
- Afterwards, we will enter into the main stadium for the opening ceremony of Naadam Festival.
Once finish the opening ceremony, we will watch the beginning of 1st part of Mongolian national wrestling. In the usual 512 wrestler tournament, there will be nine elimination rounds of wrestling over two days.
In the afternoon, we will explore the city and visit Zaisan Memorial Hill is located in the south side of Ulaanbaatar City, right beside the Bogd Khan Mountain has a good view of the city and surrounding hills.
Continue to visit Bogd Khan’s Palace Museum – the complex was a residence of 8th Bogd Javzandamba in the 19th century, the head of Mongolian religion. The palace consists of seven Summer Prayer temples and the winter palace. Afterwards, transferred to the hotel.
Accommodation: Hotel 4*. Meals: B, L, D.
July 12 – Day 07
Naadam, horse racing at Khui doloon khudag –Hugnu Khan Mt. National Park
- Early this morning at 06.00 am, we will drive out of the city for one hour to Khui Doloon Hudag (horse racing field of Naadam festival) to witness the Naadam horse races, featuring children riding bareback across the steppe. All of these racers from each corner of Mongolia.
- You will experience the brilliant madness of the horse race field and the unsurpassed cultural opportunity to watch the horse racing competition including around 150-200 horses. Also, there you will have a great opportunity to take photographs of local horse trainers, people with traditional garments and so more contrast.
After exploring Khui doloon khudag, drive to Hugnu Khan National Park – It is a picturesque area of the Rocky Mountains, semi-desert, Gobi sand dunes, and steppes all in one location representing three different natural zones. There is ideal for hiking, wildlife observation, and photography. There we will visit the Uvgun Monastery in the national park through the semi-desert and the interesting Rocky Mountains in beautiful Mountain View.
Accommodation: Tourist camp. Meals: B, L, D.
July 13 – Day 08
Kharkhorin & Erdenezuu Buddhist Monastery
After relaxing breakfast, head to Kharkhorin, a small village, and one of the country’s major tourist destinations. Historically known as Karakorum, which was an ancient capital of Mongolia Empire founded by Chinggis Khaan/Genghis Khan/ in 1220. Also, Karakorum was one of the most important cities in the history of the Silk Road.
In the afternoon, we will visit the museum of Karakorum and learn more about the beautiful ancient Karakorum city and Chinggis Khaan.
Continue to visit the magnificent and the oldest Buddhist Monastery complex of Erdenezuu, built in the 16th century, with 108 Buddhist stupas. Here you can see interesting listen to monk chanting Buddhist sutras.
Accommodation: Tourist Ger camp. Meals: B, L, D.
July 14 – Day 09
Ongi River valley, Middle the Gobi
Following breakfast, we will travel through the rolling hills and pastureland and heading to the Gobi.
In the late afternoon, we reach at Tourist camp, which is near to the ruined monastery of Ongi Temple along the Ongi River makes a good resting place to break a trip between the two major destinations.
Ongi temple was established in 1660 and once composed of 30 temples, 4 big Buddhism universities. It was destroyed by the communist purges of the 1930s and is being restored by a number of monks.
Nowadays that one temple serves as a small museum. We will explore around and ruins of the monastery.
If you want, you can have pleasant massage and sauna at the camp.
Accommodation: Tourist camp. Meals: B, L, D.
July 15 – Day 10
Ongi steppe – Bayanzag (Flaming cliffs)
On this day, we will pass the huge open landscape called Ongi steppe, which is over 80km wide steppe in the Gobi zone and arrive in the midday at the Bayanzag (Flaming cliffs). This area is a famous for containing exceptional dinosaur fossils in the heart of the Gobi Desert. Also, this area is well known for red tall hillocks formed as a result of wind and water erosion, which look like fire in the middle of the desert from a distance.
Roy Chapman Andrews and American expedition discovered the first nests of dinosaur eggs from Bayanzag in the 1923. Their findings proved to the world that dinosaurs laid eggs
We will explore around significant area, including the saxual trees and wander on the red hillocks. Occasionally the pieces of fossilized bones and eggs are still found by visitors. If you found something, don’t touch it, because of removing fossils without a permit is illegal.
Accommodation: Tourist camp. Meals: B, L, D.
July 16 – Day 11
Khongor sand dunes, the biggest sand dunes in the Gobi
Today, we will drive through the wilderness of the Gobi to the extraordinary Khongor, which is one of the most scenic areas of the Gobi Desert. These impressive white sand dunes stretch more than 180km and the highest point is around 300m known as Duut Mankhan.
Upon arrival at the tourist camp near the sand dunes, we will have lunch and time for relaxing at cozy Ger camp until Gobi’s hot temperature decreases.
In the late afternoon, we will visit the local camel herder family in their gear, and explore their unique nomadic lifestyle.
Then, we will ride a camel and explore the area from the camel back. Around the area is the perfect place for camel riding. Mongolia is home to 2/3 of the two-humped Bactrian camels in the world. It is a gentle, calm, and extraordinary patient animal.
Afterward, we will make a little excursion to a beautiful green oasis of Seruun Bulag near the Khongor River and sand dunes. Then, take a little drive to the highest point of sand dunes known as Singing Dune and climb up to the Duut Mankhan.
When it is windy some of the dunes give a strange sound like the engines of an aero plane. From the top of the sand dunes, the view of the desert is an awesome and breathtaking view. If you want, we can see the amazing sunshine panorama of sand dunes from the top.
Dinner and overnight at the tourist camp.
Accommodation: Tourist camp. Meals: B, L, D.
17 Jul – DAY 12
The Yol Valley, “Three beauties of Gobi” Mt. National Park
After breakfast, we will go ahead to the Yol valley (also called Yolyn Am & Eagle valley) situated in the “Three beauties of Gobi” Mt. National Park. This green valley is one of the main highlights in the Gobi Desert and is sheltered by high cliff walls and covered with wildflowers and Gobi plants.
In the winter season, a narrow stream in the valley creates ice on the bottom of the valley that even lasts during the summer months.
The walk through the valley is a lot of fun, about an hour walking there and an hour of walking back by walking the same route, where you climb over rocks and must jump over the small river. If this walking seems challenging, you can just walk to the middle of the way or on horseback through the valley.
The high cliffs that flank the valley are very impressive. You may be lucky enough to spot wild sheep and goats, grazing high on the cliff walls.
Accommodation: Tourist camp. Meals: B, L, D.
18 Jul – DAY 13
Flight to Ulaanbaatar – Half-day city tour
Early this morning, transfer to the local airport for a morning flight to Ulaanbaatar. Upon arrival at the city airport, transferred to the hotel and leave our luggage.
In the afternoon, continue to explore the city and visit “Gandan” Monastery, Mongolia’s largest functioning Buddhist monastery including the Mongolian Buddhist University. The highlight of visiting to Gandan is a 26-meter-high majestic gilded indoor statue of Megjid Janraisig.
Continue to visit the Museum of Mongolian National History – the museum presents Mongolian history and culture from prehistoric times to the present day. Then, we will check Sukhbaatar square which lies at the heart of the city surrounded by important buildings such as the government palace, banks and theaters, and post office. There is an equestrian statue of Sukhbaatar and a massive Bronze statue of Genghis Khan with his four warriors in front of Parliament House.
Our next highlight is a famous cultural show in the city, which is featuring traditional performances by singers, dancers, and contortionists. It’s a great chance to hear Khuumii (throat singing) and see some fabulous costumes.
After dinner, transferred to the hotel.
Accommodation: Hotel 4*. Meals: B, L, D.
July 19 – Day 14
Departure
You will be free at leisure in your hotel or wander around on your own until being escorted to the Chinggis Khaan International Airport for your departure flight home. End of service.
Accommodation: Hotel 4*. Meals: B
PRICES & INCLUSIONS
1 – 2 pax – US$ 3.650 per person
3 – 5 pax – US$ 3.450 per person
6 – 12 pax – US$ 3.150 per person
* A tour price is based on a group of 2 adults sharing one room.
* If there are more people in your group of family or friends there will be more discounts.
* This tour package can be fully customizable to fit your travel plan between 15 Jun to 15 Sep 2024/2025!
What’s included in the Price?
- English-speaking guide at all times,
- 13 nights’ accommodation based on twin/double (Hotel 4*) and twin share (Tourist camp)
- All meals as listed: Breakfast – 13, Lunch – 12, Dinner – 13,
- All Transfers/Transport with comfortable vehicles. Overland trip to the Gobi Desert with 4WD Delica D5.
- Domestic flights/airfare to/from Khuvsgul & from the Gobi Desert,
- Naadam Festival Opening Ceremony Ticket(s). Car entry permission to Naadam stadium and horse racing field,
- All entrance fees are as mentioned in the program
- A Cultural Show – featuring traditional performances,
- Camel riding in the Gobi Desert ~1 hour
- Horse riding at Khuvsgul Lake ~ Half day (2-3hrs),
- Visit reindeer herder family (Tsaatan),
- Complementary drink water during the tour
- All service charges, local and Gov’t tax
- Visa invitation letter, if required
What’s NOT included in the Price?
- Visa to Mongolia (Get in advance),
- International flights &Travels insurance
- Hotel early check-in and late check-out
- Tipping and other personal expenses
- Other services not mentioned in the itinerary
- Excess luggage charges – 1.5$ per kg for internal flights
FAQ & HELP
Travel FAQ's MONGOLIA
Here are the most common questions asked by our travelers. Please follow the links to get the answers. If you cannot find your answers, please send us your questions via email or on our Tsogoo Travel Mongolia Facebook page. We will email you back with your answer, and update it on our website for other travelers.
Accommodation: Hotel
What type of accommodation will we be staying in?
According to the Mongolian rating system, 2-5-star hotels are approved to receive foreign guests.
Our accommodations are carefully chosen, based on our research, our experience, and feedback from clients, to provide the best combination of high-quality accommodations, affordability, and convenient location.
We give clients the opportunity to stay in a wide range of accommodations, depending on tour from 3* to 5* hotels in cities and the best tourist Ger camps in countryside trips.
Does the hotel staff speak English?
Most staff working face-to-face with customers in 5-star hotels can speak English well. As for those working in 4-star and 3-star ones that contracted with Tsogoo Travel Mongolia, English is not a barrier to simple conversation. It’s suggested to ask the clerk at the front desk for help if anything is needed. They will be happy to help you.
What time can I check in and check out of the hotel?
Generally, the earliest check-in time of the hotel is 14:00 p.m., and the latest check-out time is 12:00 a.m. at noon. When you need to check in early, please let us know in advance because the earliest check-in time is dependent on whether the room is vacant or not on the day when you arrive, and the late check-out time may cost extra money.
We are a family of 4 with two young kids. What type of room we will get for our Mongolia tour?
Hotels in Mongolia can accommodate a maximum of 3 in one room due to local fire codes. We will get two separate rooms for your family based on two double occupancy rooms. We will request adjoining rooms, which have limited availability in Mongolian hotels, or rooms next to each other.
What facilities and services do our hotels normally provide?
All hotels on your Mongolia trip have a Foreign Currency Exchange Service, a business center with access to the Internet and fax, a postal service, a gym, a sauna, and massage service, and an International Direct Dialing telephone in your room. You may also find a hair dryer, iron, converter, and adaptor (subject to limited supplies) with housekeeping. Some 4 and 5-star hotels have swimming pools.
Can I store excess luggage at the starting point hotel if we are returning there later?
Most starting point hotels can store your excess luggage for you free of charge.
Do I need to bring a power plug adapter when I come to Mongolia?
Keep in mind that Mongolia uses 220V of electricity, which is higher than that Western countries use. A power plug adapter will do you a great favor if you want your electronic products to run properly during your Mongolia stay. What to do if forgot to pack it in your bag? Don’t worry. An adapter or converter is easy to get everywhere in Mongolia just by turning to your tour guide or the hotel staff.
Weather and Best Time to Visit Mongolia?
What is the best time to go?
The best time to visit Mongolia is during the Mongolian summer, from the mid of June till the last week of August. This is the safest time of the year to travel to Mongolia in terms of weather, sunny days throughout Mongolia, and sufficient rainfall to make the steppes lush and green.
June and September are both very pleasant times to visit Mongolia. September, autumn is enjoyable, colorful, not hot, and not cold. Nomads have plenty of dairy products and are busy processing milk and preparing for winter. The beautiful countryside of Mongolia is even more beautiful and picturesque with the autumn colors.
Months to Best:
- July is the best time to see the Mongolia Naadam Festival.
- The best season for Gobi Desert tour: is from June to September and October is shoulder season.
- July to August is the best season to travel to Northern Mongolia and Khuvsgul Lake tour and September is shoulder season.
- The first of October is a chance to see Golden Eagle Festival in Altai, Western Mongolia.
- February is the best time to experience Mongolia’s winter season.
What months in Mongolia are considered green Peak Season (High Season), Shoulder Season, and Low Season?
Generally and traditionally, the Peak Season refers to July and August; the Shoulder Season refers to May, June, September, and October; the Low Season refers to January, February, March, April, November, and December.
How to Pack for Mongolia trip
What gift would you recommend we bring to Mongolia?
Our tours are designed to enhance your learning, discovery, and people-to-people experience. For instance, all of our tours include a home visit to nomadic families and exploring their daily lifestyles. If you would like to bring some gifts to them, suggested items include Swiss pocket knives, a flashlight for men, some candies, small toys, crayons/colored pencils for housewives and kids are just as fine. Whatever gift you choose to present, the recipient will be most grateful.
Can I bring my laptop, iPad, or iPhone when traveling to Mongolia?
Internet access is available at almost all hotels on your Tsogoo Travel Mongolia itinerary. In most hotels, you can access free Wi-Fi internet. Outside of the city, some tourist Ger camps offer little charged or free internet access. So you may want to bring your own laptop.
We recommend you bring a converter to Mongolia. As throughout Mongolia, the AC power standard is 220V/50Hz. So you may use the converter for a 110-volt electrical appliance. Usually, the four and five-star hotels provide adapters, but we still suggest you bring a converter.
What are the appropriate clothes for travel in Mongolia?
Mongolia is a vast country with various climates and four distinct seasons. Thus travelers may need to pack different clothes at different seasons. But weather patterns at any time can change rapidly. One minute you’re walking around in a T-shirt and sandals, you need an overcoat and boots, then it’s back to T-shirts. This is especially the case during autumn and spring.
Suggest you check the climate of your travel season, and month and then choose the appropriate clothes. In most cases, you will not need to bring towels as you will be provided in the hotels and tourist Ger camps. In general, you should take easily dry clothes and prepare an umbrella for a rainy day. In addition, we suggest you also bring along a first aid kit with the commonly used medicines.
What is Mongolian Currency?
The official currency is the Tugrug (MNT=₮). Denominations come in 20.000₮, 10.000₮, 5.000₮, 1.000₮, 500₮, 100₮, 50₮, 20₮ and 10₮. The official exchange rate at this time (July 2022) is 3.150₮ to 1 U.S dollar. Visitors are advised to carry credit cards – Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Union Pay– and traveler’s checks that can be accepted by most hotels and major stores and can be exchanged for cash of MNT.
Accommodation; What's Tourist Ger camp
Tourist Ger camp is a traditional style accommodation with full-service facilities, most commonly used outside of the city. The Ger is a round structure of walls, poles, and a peaked roof covered with canvas and felt, and tightened with ropes.
Tourist Ger camp – consists of 20-30 Gers (Mongolian traditional dwelling), a restaurant, some entertainment facilities, western style toilet, and hot water showers. Each Ger has 2 to 4 beds and is furnished with a table, chairs, and wood stove. Most visitors prefer to stay in Ger, which provides an authentic taste of Mongolian culture and adventure, their most enjoyable experience in Mongolia.
What meal is included? What is the restaurant like?
We select restaurants based on our experiences, client satisfaction, location, and cuisine. Normally we include three meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) each day during the whole trip.
In Ulaanbaatar, you can expect a good variety of quality restaurants with international foods. Breakfasts usually are served in western style at the hotel where you stay in Ulaanbaatar.
We mostly use the following restaurants for lunch & dinner on the city trip: “Modern Nomads”, “bd’s Mongolia Barbeque”, “City Nomads”, “Khaan Ger” and hotel restaurants for dinner where you stay. Lunch & dinners are m& served in Western food, and sometimes Mongolian food, or a combination.
Outside of the we generally eat breakfast and dinner in tourist Ger camp and some days of longer trips take a packed lunch. Your packed lunch will be carried in appropriate containers to prevent spillage or spoiling. Ger camps serve both Mongolian and international foods, and there will usually be a choice of the main dish.
Any problem for a Western tourist in Mongolia?
About it. Mongolian and Western cuisines are both available throughout Mongolia. If you require special meals due to religious or medical limitations, please inform us so that arrangements can be made in advance.
Will you provide vegetarian (including no chicken/seafood) meals for me?
Make the arrangement according to your requirements. So if you have any special requirements for your food, please let us know so that we can inform the restaurants beforehand to meet your needs.
What's Camping Tent?
We use camping tent for some of our remotest trips, places with no tourist Ger camps or local hotels.
Mongolia offers fantastic camping possibilities in beautiful landscapes.
On all of our camping trips, we provide our guests with high-quality 2-3 people tents, mattresses, and other necessary camping equipment. No formal toilet or shower facilities will be available. You will use a sheltered hole for the toilet and a sheltered shower. Also, we will provide you with water for washing up.
camping days, we usually send vehicle support with an expedition cook for a group tour.
e group is less than 7 travelers may not be accompanied by a cook. In this case, the guides and drivers will be cooking for you. All our guides have had basic cooks training, but not all of them are great chefs, so if you feel like it, they will be happy to let you assist them. On expeditions where there is no vehicle support, there will be dried and canned foods available, but fresh fruits and vegetables often cannot be transported beyond the first couple of days. For groups of more than 6 travelers, we usually send a cook, which in this case you shouldn’t worry – the food will be just great! Please let us know if you have any food preferences or restrictions, or if you are following a special diet.
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