Mongolia: Discover Naadam, nature and culture

Naadam represents Mongolia’s nationwide festival traditions; the cultural landscapes of the Orkhon Valley and the Mongolian Altai reveal other historical contexts. When planning your trip, you can focus on festival dates, cultural sites, wildlife or a specific hike. If you are looking for a hotel, base your choice on the places and experiences you actually plan to include.

Festivals and nomadic culture

Naadam is a national festival celebrated throughout Mongolia each year from July 11 to 13. It centers on three traditional games: horse racing, wrestling and archery. The two-stringed fiddle Morin Khuur also plays a prominent role in the country’s nomadic culture.

The Golden Eagle Festival showcases the skills of Kazakh nomads in eagle hunting: tradition and skill take center stage at the tournament. The event date may vary. This gives the festival a different emphasis from Naadam, which takes place during a set period each year.

Landscapes and wildlife

The Mongolian part of the Uvs Nuur Basin comprises seven components grouped around the shallow, highly saline lake Uvs Nuur. The basin’s ecosystems provide an important habitat for the globally endangered snow leopard. The area is also a stopping point for birds migrating between Siberia and their wintering grounds in China and South Asia.

In western Mongolia, Altai Tavan Bogd National Park includes Khüiten Peak, which rises to 4,374 meters. The park offers a hike to Potanin Glacier, described as Mongolia’s largest glacier. The hike’s availability may vary by season.

Cultural landscapes and rock art

The Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape encompasses extensive pastures on both banks of the Orkhon River, as well as numerous archaeological remains dating from the 6th century onward. It also includes Kharkhorum, which was the capital of Chingis Khan’s empire in the 13th and 14th centuries. Erdene Zuu, the earliest surviving Mongolian Buddhist monastery, is also located within the cultural landscape.

The rock art complexes of the Mongolian Altai comprise three rock art sites in Bayan-Ulgii Province. Their components lie in high mountain valleys shaped by Pleistocene glaciers. Large concentrations of petroglyphs, as well as burial and ritual monuments, reflect 12,000 years of human cultural development.

Mongolian deer stones are stelae, up to four meters high, engraved with stylized deer images. More than 80 percent of the approximately 1,500 deer stones recorded across the Eurasian steppe region are located in Mongolia. Four complexes at Khoid Tamir, Jargalantyn Am, Urtyn Bulag and Uushigiin Övör stand out for their ornamentation and intact spatial connections with khirgisüürs and other features.

Pilgrimage routes and trip planning

Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain is directly associated with Chingis Khan and his formal recognition of mountain worship. The pilgrimage route begins about 20 kilometers from the mountain, at a bridge over the Kherlen River near Threshold Pass. From there, pilgrims ride past the large Beliin ovoo to the main ovoo at the summit. This distinguishes the approximate distance to the starting point from the route described.

For trips outside Ulaanbaatar, particularly to northern Mongolia or Gobi Gurwansaikhan National Park, an SUV or four-wheel-drive vehicle is necessary because roads are largely unpaved. Since road conditions and vehicle requirements can change seasonally, plan your drive according to conditions during your travel period. When choosing a hotel, it helps to start with your planned destinations and activities.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Ulaanbaatar, Töv, Gachuurt, Zavkhan Province, Ulaanbaatar, Darkhan-Uul Province, Övörkhangai, Ömnögovi, Khövsgöl.

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