• Category: Event Tours Mongolia

• Places to visit: Ulaanbaatar – Ceremony Naadam Festival -Gurvanbulag community – Kharakhorum – Khognokhaan mountain – Ulaanbaatar

• Activities: Sightseeing, cultural visits

• Duration: 7nights / 8days

• Covering distance: 820kms

• Number of participants: Min-3, max-12

• Season: July

The fantastic trip gives you the opportunity to enjoy the classic event famed as the “Nomad Olympics” and takes you to behind the cultural background of ancient traditions inherited from generations to generations for centuries along. When taking part in the Naadam festival you will experience the thrill of watching hundreds of racing horses with their remarkable young riders, strong wrestlers performing the “Eagle dance” and traditionally dressed archers and impressive competition of ankle bones shooting. But our tour doesn’t stop there; you will also have the chance to discover the training of the fast horses and to explore more in-depth about preparation of wrestlers and making of archery bows and arrows.

10 July Day 1 Welcoming Day
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. Transfer to hotel.  Refreshment in the hotel. Enjoy traditional art performance and Welcome dinner. Stay overnight in the hotel. D

11 July Day 2 Naadam Festival
Naadam! Naadam! Mongolian national day is celebrated throughout the country. Naadam festival is opened officially by the President of Mongolia. Soldiers on horseback, sometimes dressed in Chinggis Khan warriors regalia, will get the nine white horsetail banners at the Parliament house where they are normally displayed and will then ride in procession through the city, later to be placed in the center of the National Stadium, from where we will be viewing the Opening Ceremony. At the stadium, a huge procession is held including hundreds of adults and children dressed in costumes representing Mongolia’s numerous ethnic groups. The opening ceremony features a colorful show with folk music and dance, parachute show and more. The first round of wrestling will start immediately thereafter. Usually 512 wrestlers from all across Mongolia will compete in the first round! But sometimes more than 1000! After that you will see the archery competitions where contestants can only rely on his keen eye, firm hand and experience, take aim at a target of fist-sized baskets; and ankle bone shooting competition. Late afternoon we will visit the Bogd Khaan Palace museum. Stay overnight in the hotel. BLD

12 July Day 3 Visit horse racing field
Morning we will travel to Khuu Doloon Khudag, the horse racing field. The horse races continue over the two main Naadam days. Mongol horseracing is part of a living cultural heritage, similar to the equestrian tradition that brought the Mongol armies to faraway places during medieval times. There are seven categories of races depending on the age of a horse. Two or three hundred riders ages 5-12 compete in every age category in a distance of 15 to 35km. We will see the “four year old” horse racing around 11 am. The horse race is actually a bit far from the barriers set up for visitors, so bring binoculars! However, the fun of attending is really seeing the locals. We can visit nomadic tented camps that have sprung up behind the race track and experience a concentration of nomadic Mongolia at one site! Herdsmen have come with their horses and all provisions for the festivities, which include airag (koumiss; fermented mares milk) for the merrymaking. Continue drive to Khustai National Park for 65kms. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

13 July Day 4 Travel to nomad community
Morning visit park and to see wild horses. Then travel for 200km to Gurvanbulag community of nomad herders. Upon arrival in the area you will be greeted according to Mongolian tradition and warmly welcomed to nomadic meals and tea. Cultural immersion for nomadic life. Stay  overnight in community based Ger camp. BLD

14 July Day 5 Travel to Kharakhorum
Travel to KharaKhorum for 100kms. Visit famous Erdene Zuu (Hundred Treasures) monastery, built on the remains of Kharakhorum city in 1586 by the order of Abtai Sain Khan, descendant of Chinggis Khan. It was the first Buddhist center in Mongolia. Surrounding the monastery there is a wall with 108 stupas, of which 25 are on each side and 2 at every corner of the wall. Each stupa was erected in commemoration of a particular event, related in the inscription on each one. The three temples inside the wall represent the three stages of the Buddha’s life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

15 July Day 6 Travel to Khognokhaan & camel riding
Travel to Khognokhaan Natural Reserve, the area is protected since 1997, covers 46900ha of beautiful granite mountain of Paleozoic age and its surroundings. Camelriding trek for 2hours. Optional visit to Erdenekhamba, local Buddhist temple is available. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

16 July Day 7 Ulaanbaatar
Travel back to Ulaanbaatar for 280kms. Arrive in Ulaanbaatar and transfer to your hotel. Shopping for souvenirs and cashmere. Farewell dinner. Stay overnight in the hotel. BLD

17 July Day 8 Departure
Departure. B

• Tour starting (start in Ulaanbaatar):
2015:
MNF1 10Jul

Price from:
USD 1650per person

Included: All activities described in the itinerary, twin/double basis hotel accommodation*** (3 nights) in Ulaanbaatar and Ger camp stay (4 nights) in countryside, English speaking guide service, entrance fees to Protected Areas and sightseeing cost, all transfers by 4WD Russian minivan van (in the city and countryside). Meals of breakfast, lunch /picnic in countryside/ and dinner as mentioned per day itinerary.

Excluded: International transportation to and from Mongolia, travel insurance, mineral (bottled) water and alcoholic drinks, tips and gratuities, laundry and items of a personal nature.

National event date: 11-13 July, 2015

Venue: Throughout Mongolia
The Naadam Festival is the most important and biggest event and holiday of Mongolians. This Nomads’ Olympic event includes sport competitions of Wrestling, Horse racing and Archery as called “Eriin Gurvan Naadam-three manly games”.The main festival is held in the capital Ulaanbaatar, although other provinces and soums across Mongolia have their own, smaller scale Naadam celebrations. It begins with an elaborately produced Opening Ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horseriders and musicians. After the ceremony, the competitions begin. Despite the name, women participate in the archery and horse-racing games, but not in Mongolian wrestling. Another competition of traditional ankle bone shooting became now one of the most interesting parts of the festival.

Wrestling
512 or 1024 wrestlers meet in a single-elimination tournament that lasts nine or ten rounds. Mongolian traditional wrestling is an untimed competition in which wrestlers lose if they touch the ground. Wrestlers wear two-piece costumes consisting of a tight shoulder vest (zodog) and shorts (shuudag). Each wrestler has a second called a zasuul. The zasuul sings a song of praise for the winning wrestler. The champion who won first time is called arslan, “lion”.

Horse racing
Mongolian horse racing as featured in Naadam is a cross-country event, with races 15-30 km long. The riders are children, with the oldest being 10 years old and the youngest only 4. After the races, the top five horses in each class earn the title of “airgiin tav” and the top three are given gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Archery
360 targets are put up for the archery competition. In this competition both men and women participate; men fire 40 arrows from 75 meters away while women fire 20 arrows from 60 meters away. The winners of the contest are granted the titles of “National marksman” and “National markswoman”. Our local community based network gives us much potential to offer our clients many special trips to explore Naadam preparation activities. Specially, this kind of trip includes a great opportunity to experience how nomads train and prepare their fast horses for the race. While traveling or staying with a horse trainer you can enjoy and realize the harmony of nature loved unique lifestyle and horse based authentic culture.

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