6-Day Naadam with Karakorum & Terelj
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Ulaanbaatar β Khustai National Park β Elsen Tasarkhai Sands
We pick you up from your accommodation at 08:00 and drive about 100 km (2 hours on a paved road) to Khustai National Park, where takhi wild horses have been reintroduced since 1992. Known in the West as Przewalski's horse, the takhi is the last wild horse subspecies to survive into the 21st century; Russian explorer N. M. Przhevalsky first described it in western Mongolia in the late 1870s. Spend some time hiking in the hills to look for the wild horses, and with luck you may also see maral deer and other animals. Then drive about 225 km (4 hours on a paved road) to the Elsen Tasarkhai Sands, whose name means 'piece of sand.' Considered the northern edge of the Gobi, this strip of small dunes runs through the lowland between the legendary Khugnu Khaan and Bat Khaan mountains. On arrival, have dinner in a nomad family's ger, learn about their way of life, and join in their daily activities. Then ride Bactrian camels for an hour, sitting comfortably between their two humps as they walk slowly and gently across the sand.
Elsen Tasarkhai β Karakorum (Kharkhorin)
After breakfast, drive about 75 km (1 hour on a paved road) to Karakorum, the capital of the Great Mongol Empire, where a small township stands today. Founded under Chinggis Khaan and built up by his son Γgedei, it was once a cosmopolitan city of merchants and envoys from across Eurasia. Some 200 years after it was sacked by Chinese armies, builders reused materials from its ruins to found Erdene Zuu in 1586, the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, ringed by a wall topped with 108 white stupas. Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery with its temples full of Buddhist art, the Karakorum Museum, and other historical sights around the town, such as the ancient Turtle Rock. With Naadam just days away, you may also catch local horse races and festival preparations in the area.
Naadam: Horse Racing at Khui Doloon Khudag β Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, drive about 325 km (5 hours on a paved road) to Khui Doloon Khudag, the wide-open valley on the steppe west of Ulaanbaatar where Naadam's horse races are held. Horse racing is the Mongols' favorite Naadam event. The jockeys are children, often riding bareback, who race half-wild steppe horses over courses of many kilometers, grouped by the horses' age. Families camp on the steppe, cheer the riders home, and honor the winning horses with songs and blessings of airag (fermented mare's milk), making this a wonderful place to feel the true spirit of the festival. Before dinner, drive about 35 km (on a paved road) back to Ulaanbaatar, and we transfer you to your accommodation.
Naadam: Opening Ceremony, Wrestling & Archery
We pick you up from your accommodation (pickup time to be confirmed) and take you to the Central Stadium, where the grand opening ceremony is held each year, a colorful spectacle of music, dance, and parading horsemen in historical costume, followed by the first rounds of wrestling. Mongolian wrestlers compete in an elimination tournament with no weight classes, wearing the traditional open-chested jacket and pointed hat, and each bout ends when one man touches the ground with anything but his feet and hands. Lunch is a Naadam classic, 'Naadam khuushuur,' the fried meat pastry that every Mongolian considers a must-eat at the festival. After lunch, visit the archery ground next to the main stadium, where men and women in traditional dress shoot at small leather targets while judges sing out the results. Then enjoy some free time to stroll around the festival grounds before we transfer you back to your accommodation before dinner.
Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue & Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
We pick you up from your accommodation at 08:00 and drive about 55 km (1 hour on a paved road) to the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue. At 40 m high, it is believed to be the tallest equestrian statue in the world, and an elevator takes you up to an observation deck on the horse's head for photos over the steppe. Then drive about 40 km (1 hour on a paved road) to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, about 70 km northeast of Ulaanbaatar, famous for its unique granite rock formations and pristine alpine scenery. First see the giant Turtle Rock, then ride horses for an hour back through the Turtle Rock area and up the mountain for the view; no experience is required. Next, take a short hike to the picturesque Aryabal Meditation Temple, set among rocky mountains. It is not an old temple, but to reach it you cross a suspension bridge and climb 108 steps, the number of beads on a Buddhist rosary. In the afternoon, relax and enjoy the natural surroundings.
Gorkhi-Terelj β Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, enjoy a last look at Terelj's granite peaks and larch-covered valleys, then drive back to Ulaanbaatar, about 60 km and 1 hour on a paved road. We transfer you to your accommodation, arriving at around 18:00.