Naadam-Gobi Grand Tour
tour overview
This week-long escape with Naadam Festival covers all the desert highlights of the spectacular sunny South Gobi of Mongolia.
Naadam is the biggest festival of the year for Mongolians and is held in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar during the National Holiday from July 11-13. It begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the opening ceremony, the competitions begin. As usual, it runs for three days in all parts of the country and consists of horse racing, archery, and wrestling. These competitions are called the manly games.
Stunning natural landscapes and friendly nomadic people - this really is the essence of Mongolia.
tour itinerary
DAY 1. ULAANBAATAR
You will be met by your guide at the international airport of UB and transferred to UB Hotel. In the afternoon, after a lunch, you will enjoy a leisurely time of sightseeing around UB and visit to the Gandan Monastery and the National History Museum where presents our history and culture from prehistoric to the present day. Early evening after sightseeing program, we invite you a welcome dinner at a restaurant.
Accommadtion: hotel
Meals:
D
DAY 2. OPENING CEREMONY OF NAADAM FESTIVAL
Today is the real highlight for us - the day you witness for our national holiday. After a breakfast, we will be attending the opening ceremony of the Naadam Festival in Ulaanbaatar. Undoubtedly, Naadam is the most colourful and most important annual cultural event. It begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the opening ceremony, the competitions begin. As usual, it runs for three days in all parts of the country and consists of horse racing, archery, and wrestling. Before leaving the stadium, we will attend archery competition. After lunch, we will drive to horse racing field of Naadam festival with Mongolian racers from all over Mongolia.
Accommadtion: hotel
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 3.DALANZADGAD-EAGLE'S VALLEY, SOUTH GOBI
The day begins at sunrise with a breakfast at hotel and you will be transferred to the airport, fly to Dalanzadgad which is a center of the South Gobi Province. Upon the arrival, we will drive to Eagle's Valley which is deep and narrow gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan National Park. Although this area is considered as hot and dry desert, the Eagle's Valley is notable for a deep ice field remaining frozen for most all around year. By hiking through the valley, you can encounter wild sheep and goat grazing on the cliff walls. We will have a lunch and before driving to the Khongor sand dunes. The sand dunes are vast desert landscape where rise to a staggering 200 metres above the valley floor with razor sharp edges and extend over an area between 2-20 km in width and 180 km in length. Before sun sets, we'll climb up to the highest dunes and see surrounding desert landscape. Back at a ger camp, we'll have a dinner and enjoy listening sound of singing dunes which is generated by Gobi wind before you're sleeping.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 4. KHONGOR SAND DUNES
We spend another day around Khongor sand dunes, enjoying a full day exploring and relaxing in surrounding nature near the dunes. Today we will visit to herder family and experience the way of nomadic lifestyle. You'll have an opportunity to ride camel. Mongolian camel is considered as Bactrian camel has two humps and very comfortable to ride. In the evening, enjoy your dinner to end another rewarding day.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 5. BAYANZAG, FLAMING CLIFFS
Today after a breakfast our drive will take you to the Bayanzag province which is named as a birthplace of dinosaurs. It takes over 4 hours driving. Bayanzag is known as a Flaming Cliffs where the first nest of dinosaur eggs found in 1922 by an American expedition of Roy Chapman Andrews. The place is named as Flaming Cliffs red coloured cliffs themselves are very imposing from a distance, and are particularly fiery in the light of the setting sun. Today you have great chance to explore through one of the world’s most famous paleontological sites. We return to the site just in time for dinner, and our third overnight in the South Gobi.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 6. FLY TO UB- TERELJ NATIONAL PARK
Morning check out from the Ger camp and airplane transfer to UB. Upon arrival in UB we transfer you to Terelj National Park where you'll spend another night. The park is located right in the middle of the Khentii Mountain Range. Settle into your room at a traditional Ger (yurt) tourist camp in Terelj. After a lunch, we'll visit to a local nomadic family and experience traditional dairy products and horse ride (optional) to interesting natural rock formulation named as a Turtle Rock. Family style dinner served in the evening.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 7.ULAANBAATAR
This morning you'll head to UB and on the way you'll visit the statue of Genghis Khan which is currently the biggest equestrian statue in the world. Here we may spend approx 2 hours after that toward to the capital city. After a lunch, you should also have time to visit the “Gobi” cashmere factory store and antique shop (optional). Before a farewell dinner, in the early evening, you'll attend traditional folk art performance.
Accommadtion: hotel
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 11. DEPARTURE
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight and our service ends.
holiday information
What's included
Full services of guide and driver
- Full services of both guide and driver
- 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 7 dinners
- Drinking water throughout tour
- All transport ( domestic flight, minibus or 4WD)
- National park/reserves entrance fees
- All nights' accommodation including hotel in UB
- All others indicated in program
What's not included
- Visa
- Hotel refreshments
- Travel insurance
- Airplane ticket and taxes
- Excess baggage charges
- Daily personal expenses
- Book now
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tour details
- Duration: 8 days
- Price from: $1790
- Accommodation: 3 night 4 Star hotel, 4 nights Ger Camp
- Meal plan: All our tours include full board, but other meals are often not included especially in UB. This allows you to try the cuisine in local restaurants and also to choose what and where to eat and how much to spend. Please ask us before booking if you have any specific requirements.