An 8-day, 7-night Mongolia tour for the Naadam Festival, with archery, wrestling and horse racing, Genghis Khan sites, Hustai wild horses and a stay in ger camps.
Trip highlights
- Back again for the year: the Mongolia Naadam Festival tour
- Experience the Naadam Festival, the "festival of ten thousand horses" and a trace of the largest land empire in history, held only once a year
- Watch the mighty sports passed down since the time of Genghis Khan
- See ankle-bone shooting, a rare traditional sport listed by UNESCO
- Ride a horse across the endless grassland
- Sleep in a ger in the national park under a sky full of stars
Highlight places
Led by historiansEvery trip travels with an expert history lecturer who brings each site to life in plain language.
Off the beaten pathCentral Asia, the Middle East, the Himalayas — places most tour companies never go.
Private groups, no rushingRight-sized groups and unhurried time at the places that matter most.
Beyond ordinary travelEvery tour is designed by writers and professional travellers to create experiences that reflect who you are — for travellers who want more than an ordinary holiday.
About this tour
Mongolia: Naadam Festival is an 8-day, 7-night tour by The Wild Chronicles to Ulaanbaatar and the steppe for Mongolia's biggest annual festival. Naadam features three traditional sports, wrestling, archery and horse racing, which trace back to the skills of Genghis Khan's army, along with the UNESCO-listed ankle-bone shooting game.
The itinerary covers the Naadam opening ceremony at the national stadium and the horse race at Hui Doloon Khudag, where there is no track and riders and spectators share the grassland. It also visits Gandantegchinlen Monastery, the museums of Ulaanbaatar, Hustai National Park with its Przewalski's horses, and Terelj National Park, where you stay in ger camps and visit a nomadic family. Genghis Khan's statue complex and the Genghis Khan Museum are on the route.
The tour is accompanied by a Thai history lecturer and tour leader and local guides. The price of 64,900 baht does not include flights, and all hotels are 4-star.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Bangkok – Hong Kong – Ulaanbaatar
Meet at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 09:00 (if using the recommended airline). MIAT Mongolian Airlines OM 5646 leaves at 12:30 and reaches Hong Kong at 16:30, followed by a layover of about 2 hours, then OM 2972 at 18:30 to Chinggis Khaan International Airport, landing at 23:10. Local time is 1 hour ahead of Thailand. Transfer to the hotel.
Day 2Ulaanbaatar and the Naadam Opening
Explore Ulaanbaatar, a city of Soviet-era art, Vajrayana Buddhism and fast growth from gold discoveries.
- Gandantegchinlen Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, with its bronze Avalokitesvara statue and a monastic university
- Museum of Mongolian National History
- Sukhbaatar Square, the political and cultural centre
- Zanabazar Fine Art Museum, with the Sita Tara statue and the five Dhyani Buddhas
- Zaisan Memorial, with more than 600 Soviet-style steps and views over the city
- The Naadam Festival opening at the national stadium: archery, wrestling (512 wrestlers over 9 rounds, with no weight classes) and ankle-bone shooting, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage game
Day 3Naadam Horse Racing – Natural History Museum
Drive to Hui Doloon Khudag, the Naadam horse-racing ground. There is no track; riders and spectators gather together on the grassland, hence the name "festival of ten thousand horses". Some racers are 5-year-old horses called Soyolon, and Mongolians believe that touching the dust they kick up brings luck until the next Naadam.
- Museum of Natural History, with dinosaur skeletons from the Gobi Desert, where fossils of more than 80 dinosaur genera have been found
Day 4Hustai National Park – Przewalski's Horses
Drive to Hustai National Park, home to more than 800 Przewalski's horses, or takhi. Relax in a ger camp and visit the park museum to learn how the wild horses were returned to nature.
- The best time to see the horses is 2-3 hours before sunset, when they come down to drink at the stream
- You may also spot other wildlife such as wolves, deer, marmots and eagles
Day 5Terelj National Park and a Nomadic Family
Drive to Terelj National Park, with granite mountains, forest, grassland and wildflowers. Relax, walk around the camp, take photos or go horse riding (riding costs 10 USD per person).
- Visit a family that still lives as nomadic herders and learn about their traditional way of life
Day 6Turtle Rock – Genghis Khan Statue
Explore Terelj at Turtle Rock, a rock formation shaped like a giant turtle. Then visit the Genghis Khan Statue Complex, built in 2008 for the 800th anniversary of the Mongol Empire. The stainless-steel equestrian statue is the largest in the world, with a rest area, dining and souvenir shops. Return to Ulaanbaatar.
Day 7Ariyabal Temple – Genghis Khan Museum – Bogd Khan Palace
Visit the Ariyabal Meditation Temple, a Vajrayana practice site reached by 108 steps, matching the beads of a prayer mala, with views over the park from the top.
- Genghis Khan Museum, opened in late 2022, nine floors with more than 10,000 objects from the Bronze Age to the early 20th century
- Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan, built 1893-1903 for the 8th Bogd Khan, both a lama and king, with Russian and European influence
- Choijin Lama Temple Museum, built 1904-1908, which survived the suppression that destroyed more than 1,000 monasteries and became a museum in 1942
Day 8Ulaanbaatar – Hong Kong – Bangkok
Transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport. OM 297 departs at 06:20 and lands in Hong Kong at 10:55, with a layover of about 3 hours 35 minutes, then OM 5637 at 14:30 arrives at Suvarnabhumi at 16:30 (if using the recommended airline).
Included
- Transport and sightseeing with an experienced driver
- Accommodation as per the program, two guests per room
- Entrance fees as per the program
- Meals as per the program
- Experienced local guide
- Experienced Thai lecturer and tour leader
- Naadam Festival admission tickets
- Travel accident insurance with coverage of 1,000,000 baht per person (subject to policy terms)
Not included
- Return international air tickets, economy or business class
- Single room supplement
- Private bathroom in the ger
- Personal expenses such as passport fees, phone, internet, laundry, minibar, meals or drinks outside the program, excess baggage, seat reservations, and medical costs for pre-existing conditions
- Horse riding, 10 USD per person
- Tips for the tour leader, local guide and driver (recommended 70 USD per person)
- 7% VAT, 3% withholding tax and other taxes
- Fuel surcharges and airport taxes if the airline raises them
About this tour
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Mongolia: Naadam Festival
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