Event date: 19-20 February, 2010

Venue: Bulgan soum, Umnugobi province

The event organizer is the "Tumen Temee-Ten Thousand Camels" a local association for protecting and preserving the two humped Bactrian camel population (that has been steadily declining over the past twelve years). Overall activity of this NGO focuses on contribution for camel herders in order to increase productivity of their breeding camel herds, and giving them opportunity to gain more income by involving tourism, and main result will be increasing number of the camels and camel herders.

The festival program includes camels racing, local children's concert, camel wool product exhibition, camel polo, parade on camels and nice couple competition. Also you will enjoy a relay competition with camel and an entertaining competition which shows camel training methods and customs of "Heroes of great Gobi". Teams each having 5 members participate in it and show many methods and techniques of catching camel with lasso, tying and bringing down, putting wooden peg into camel's nose and loading camel. Other highlight is visit to significant paleontological and cultural sites in the Gobi.

Truly, in these days we will "breathe" by camels. Joining this magnificent festival will take you into a rare and unique opportunity to enjoy & interact with these amazing animals, and to take part in the camel herders' nomadic lifestyle.

Please see our scheduled program here!

Event date: 19 September, 2010

Venue: Bayanzag, Bulgan soum, Umnugobi province

The 10th INTERNATIONAL GOBI MARATHON MONGOLIA" will take place at Gobi, the most impressive part of the landscape where the sun rises from wide open desert steppe that holds many trilling surprises... where two humped Bactrian camels roaming over the Golden sand dunes...
During the whole way along the marathon Gobi nomads and their Gers, breeding animal herds could be seen and encountered. Even the herders would try the race with you. Have a great run of 26.2 miles / 42.195 km through dramatic cliffs and valleys, rolling sand dunes, world wide known famous Saxaul forest and dinosaur excavation area.

Feel the emptiness & endlessness of Mongolian Gobi while challenging this off-the- beaten adventure!

To see results of the 8th marathon in 2009.

Please see the complete program here!

Join us for the annual Golden Eagle Festival, the fantastic celebration settled by the Kazakhs with their Golden Eagles in Western Mongolia. This spectacular event includes competitions based on speed, agility, and accuracy of these magnificent Golden Eagles.

Kazakh traditional games such as Kokbar, archery and traditional horse racing are also part of this celebration. The highlights of our fantastic trip include interacting with the Kazakhs & other ethnic groups, and living with them for a couple of days to take part in the eagle training and get to know about the unique Kazakh and nomad culture.

Event date: 22-23 February, 2010

Venue: Khuvsgul Lake, Khatgal village, Alag-Erdene soum, Khuvsgul province.

Have you ever dreamt of experiencing one of the coldest, but still mild winter of the earth?

Or would you want to explore a mystery of how nomads survive with their 5 snouts of pastoral animals within temperature as drops as minus 30 degrees?

Or want you have an extraordinary experience as riding Mongolian horse or enjoying horse sleigh in the snow covered vast white steppe?

Perhaps you are missing a natural black ice which is about 1.5m thick. And want you skate on it?

You can find all your winter dreams come true in Mongolia during its Ice Festival!
Participation to the Ice Festival at the Lake Khuvsgul surely offers unbelievable memories to you. The famous "Ice Festival" will be held at the same time than the International Skating Event as included some interesting activities of shamanic live performance, sumo wrestling on the ice, competition of horse sleighs and driving on the ice, as well as offering great opportunities to take part in optional trips of dog sledding, horse sleighing, horse riding, visiting reindeers and nomad families and many more...

Welcome to nomad winter to feel its warmest atmosphere!
In 2007, our company operated the first edition of the International Skating Marathon. After a real success and wonderful feedbacks from 200 skaters, we organized 2nd edition in 2009.

Now 3rd International Skating Event and Ice Festival are welcoming you in 2010.
A unique experience will take you into a magical winter journey in the land of nomads.

You can enjoy and experience a race up to 200kms on the natural black ice of most magnificent Lake Khuvsgul, sacrificed as Mother Lake by Mongols. This uncommon winter adventure ensures both skaters and accompanying spectators to enjoy a wonderful holiday, something out of the ordinary.

Please see the complete program here!

The Nomads' Winter Festival 2010 welcomes you in the most spiritual journey in Mongolia!

You have a great opportunity to enjoy the Mongolian most famous winter events along in one package.
 

Event date:

 
-   Ceremony of First Sun rise of the Lunar New Year – 14 Feb

-   Mongolian Lunar New Year Celebration - 14 Feb

-   Winter Horse racing 16 Feb

-   Eagle Festival- 17 Feb

-   Camel Festival - 19 Feb

-   Ice Festival - 22.23 Feb

-   International Skating Event - 22.23 Feb

All above listed events are included in our extraordinary trip program. This is another way of discovering Mongolia which should not be missed!!

Please see the complete program here!

The Nomads' Winter Festival 2010 welcomes you in the most spiritual journey in Mongolia!

You have a great opportunity to enjoy the Mongolian most famous winter events along in one package.
Event date: 12-26 Feb 2010
-   Ceremony of First Sun rise of the Lunar New Year – 14 Feb
-   Mongolian Lunar New Year Celebration - 14 Feb
-   Winter Horse racing 16 Feb
-   Eagle Festival- 17 Feb
-   Camel Festival - 19 Feb
-   Ice Festival - 22.23 Feb
- International Skating Event - 22.23 Feb
All above listed events are included in our extraordinary trip program. This is another way of discovering Mongolia which should not be missed!!

National event date: 11-13 July, 2010

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".

Please click this link for more information about Naadam.

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.

Venue: Throughout Mongolia

Tsagaan Sar (white moon) is the Mongolian Lunar New Year's Festival.

The White Moon is the nation wide holiday, celebrated as a greeting of the end of severe winter and beginning of spring time, when nature and people awaken and are inspired for new life and deeds. On "Shiniin Negen", the first day of Lunar New Year everybody wear their best Deel, traditional clothes and go to visit the oldest person in the family in order to give the respect and wish the best.

The first greeting of the year is expressed through very specific ritual gestures and mutual salutations. Under this ritual as called "Zolgokh", the oldest person places, his or her arms out straight, with the palms turned down, on the outstretched arms of the youngest person, and both pronounce traditional formulae of good wishes as "Amar mend uu? Sar shinedee saikhan shinelej baina uu? – Mend ee, ta saikhan shinelej baina uu?" while gently touching cheeks. This gesture indicates that the elder can count on the support and respect of the younger.

Traditional food for the festival includes "Uuts" a grilled side with big fat tail of sheep, "Ul boov" traditional pastry and dish "Buuz", steamed dumpling. Tsagaan Sar is a lavish feast, requiring preparation days in advance, as the family members make large quantities of Buuz and freeze them to save for the holiday.

Based on our community based tourism network we offer our clients a wide range of opportunity to involve in the preparation of Tsagaan Sar and learn all customs, experience the fantastic celebrations in real nomad way.

Join our scheduled winter trip or contact us for your custom-made private trip for experiencing this authentic tradition!

Please see the complete program here!