A Journey Through Central Mongolia During the Naadam Festival 2026

This morning, you will join the celebration of Mongolia’s most important festival — Naadam. At 8:00 AM, your guide will pick you up from the hotel and bring you to the central stadium, where the city comes alive with music, color, and traditional dress.

You will begin with the anklebone shooting competition and then continue to the archery area, where men and women compete in decorated deels. Outside the stadium, there will also be time to enjoy the festive mood, street food, souvenir stands, and local families dressed for the occasion.

After that, you will enter the main stadium for the official Opening Ceremony, with performances, music, military parades, and the presentation of Mongolia’s top wrestlers. You will also watch the opening rounds of traditional wrestling, the oldest and best-known Naadam sport.

In the afternoon, you will discover some of Ulaanbaatar’s main sights, including Zaisan Memorial Hill for wide views over the city and mountains, followed by a guided visit to the Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum.

In the evening, enjoy a special Naadam Celebration Dinner with traditional music, dance, and Mongolian food — a festive close to your first day of the festival.

Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today begins early with a drive to Hui Doloon Khudag, the well-known horse racing field of Naadam. Here you will see the long-distance races, where young jockeys ride at high speed across the open steppe. The crowds, dust, excitement, and cheering make this one of the most memorable parts of the festival. There will also be time to take photos and meet local trainers and families.

Later, continue west to the Bayan Gobi sand dunes, a striking semi-desert landscape surrounded by rugged hills and small streams. After arriving at your ger camp, take some time to rest before visiting a camel-herding family. You will enjoy a traditional homemade lunch and have the chance to try Hormog, a lightly fermented camel milk drink popular in the area.

Later in the day, take a calm camel ride along the dunes and enjoy the soft afternoon light over the desert scenery.

Accommodation: Tourist Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, continue across central Mongolia. The road passes through wide grasslands, along rivers, by nomadic camps, and through areas with volcanic basalt rock. In time, you will arrive in the UNESCO-listed Orkhon Valley, one of the country’s most important historical regions.

After reaching camp, have lunch and then go out to visit the beautiful Orkhon Waterfall, a 27-meter fall created long ago by volcanic activity. The area is ideal for photos and short walks beside the river gorge.

In the evening, visit a nomadic family to learn more about their everyday life and customs. Afterwards, enjoy an easy one-hour horseback ride through the valley.

Accommodation: Tourist Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, continue farther into the mountains as you travel toward Tsenkher Valley. The route goes through forest, gentle hills, and open meadows — among the greenest and most pleasant landscapes in central Mongolia.

Arrive at the famous Tsenkher Hot Springs, where natural mineral water stays warm all year. After lunch and check-in, enjoy some free time to relax in the outdoor pools or take a light walk nearby to enjoy the mountain air and wildflowers.

Accommodation: Tourist Ger Camp
Meals: B, L, D

After breakfast, drive to Karakorum, the old capital established by Genghis Khan in the 13th century. Visit the Karakorum Museum to learn more about the Mongol Empire and its place on the Silk Road.

Then continue to Erdene Zuu Monastery, the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, enclosed by a wall of 108 white stupas.

Later in the afternoon, travel onward to Ugii Lake, a calm freshwater lake known for its birdlife. Check in at your camp and spend a quiet evening by the shore.

Accommodation: Ugii Lake Ger Camp
Meals: B, L, D

Travel to Hustai National Park, home to the last truly wild horses in the world — the Takhi, also called Przewalski’s horse. After lunch and check-in near the park, visit the information center to learn about the work being done to protect them.

Later in the afternoon, drive into the park to look for the wild horses in their natural habitat. If you are lucky, you may also see marmots, deer, eagles, or foxes.

Accommodation: Tourist Camp
Meals: B, L, D

This morning, travel to Terelj National Park, one of Mongolia’s most visited natural areas, known for its granite rock formations and wooded valleys. After arrival, visit the famous Turtle Rock and then walk up to Ariyabal Meditation Temple, set on a hillside with wide views over the park.

Spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the calm landscape and fresh mountain air.

Accommodation: Tourist Ger Camp
Meals: B, L, D

After breakfast, start your journey back to Ulaanbaatar. On the way, stop at the Genghis Khan Statue Complex, the tallest equestrian statue in the world. Take the elevator up to the horse’s head for broad views across the steppe.

Back in the capital, visit Gandan Monastery, where the giant golden statue of Migjid Janraisig is located. Then continue to the National History Museum to explore Mongolia’s story from ancient times to the present. Finish your city visit at Sukhbaatar Square, the center of Ulaanbaatar.

In the evening, enjoy a traditional cultural show with throat singing, dance, and contortion, followed by dinner.

Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: B, L, D

Enjoy a quiet morning at the hotel before your driver takes you to the airport for your departure. We hope your time in Mongolia has been unforgettable.

Meals: Breakfast