Naadam Festival: The Wrestlers of Mongolia GC07
4 Days From £326 (513 USD)
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This small tour is takes in the world famous Nadaan Festival in July, which can also be incorporated with other Mongolia tours. For full no obligation pricing options and operator contact details please enquire: 
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Description
A full day by day itinerary will be provided by the tour operator when you make an enquiry about this holiday.
Includes
- Pick up and transfers in Ulaanbaatar
- Family rooms in a hotel***
- Guiding and interpreting service
- All meals in countryside
- All meals in Ulaanbaatar during the tour period
- A vehicle 4x4 and driver, petrol
- All entrance and museum fees
- Traditional folk concert ticket
- Visits to authentic nomad families
Excludes
- International airfare
- Optional activity cost
- Alcoholic drinks
- International airport departure tax (US$13)
- Travel Insurance
- Gratitude to nomad people, driver, guide
Note - This operator can assist you with booking cheap international air tickets - please enquire for further information.
Prices per person, based on 2 people traveling - please submit an enquiry to receive a personalized itinerary and costs.
Itinerary
| After arriving in Ulaanbaatar, you'll be greeted at the airport and escorted to your hotel. After lunch, we visit the Gandan Monastery Gandan is the largest and most significant monastery in Mongolia and one of Ulaanbaatar 's most interesting sights. Built in the mid 19th century, it is the only monastery where Buddhist services continued to function even during the communist past. Temples are flocked by visitors during religious services that start at 10 a.m. and last until mid day. There we also visit The Migjid Janraisig Temple - is an important part of Gandan Monastery. The temple houses the majestic new gilded statue of Migjid Janraisig, decorated with jewels. This 26 meter high 20 ton statue is a copy of another statue that was destroyed in the 1920's by communists. The statue was built with donations of Mongolian people as symbol of Buddhist revival in the mid 1990's. After this we go to Natural History Museum - one of the oldest museums which was founded in 1924 as the National Central Museum. Displays of stuffed and embalmed animals including the rare Gobi bear and wild camel, birds and fish will give you a good idea about the rich fauna of Mongolia . Most impressive is the Paleontology section. There are petrified eggs and bones of many dinosaurs that lived in the Gobi desert 60-70 million years ago and two complete skeletons of the flesh-eating giant Tarbosaurus and ihe duck-billed Saurolophus. Petrified bones of 5 kinds of dinosaurs out of 7 that are known today have been discovered in Mongolia. The museum also has samples of various minerals that are found in the country. | |
| Today we will enjoy Naadam Festival in Ulaanbaatar. The Mongolian national holiday Naadam is celebrated in Mongolia each year on 11 July. “Eriin gurvan naadam” the three manly games of wrestling, horse racing, and archery- make up the core activities of the National day festivals. We view opening ceremony in Staduim as well Mongolian National Wrestling Game – At the start of competition all the wrestlers with the higher title – holder in front , enter the hall in a line wearing gutuls (decorated Mongolian boots. ) and hats and their wrestling costumes called “zodog”(an open fronted , long sleeves vest of silk) and “shuudag”(tight short trunks ). There are many different titles for the wrestlers such as Titan (avarge), Lion (arslan). Zaan and Falcon. All the names signify strength. Titles are mostly confirmed during the national festival Naadam. A wrestler who wins five fights in succession during one competition has the right to have the title of Falcon, and if he wins seven fights in succession Elephant. When a wrestler wins all the fights in a competition during one of these festivals he will be a Lion. If he wins a subsequent year he merits the title of titan, the highest rank. There is a variety of throws used to defeat opponents. Some say there are hundreds of them. When the wrestling arena or step onto the carpet in the case of an indoor competition and the second take off the wrestler's hats. After wrestling game we visit stadium of Archery Game. Participants’ Arrows are usually made from pine wood and had feather fins which help the arrow to reach distance of 900 meters. Naadam archery also attracts individual archers as well as Teams of 8-12 people. Every male archer has forty arrows to shot at each target. The judges dressed in national attire, stand by the targets with hands held up after the arrows have been shot. They praise the best shot in a drawing recitative voice. The contests are accompanied by colorful national rites. Before the competition starts you hear the recitative song “uukhai', calling on the archers to be good marksmen and hit the target. | |
| This day we drive to horse racing field. In the races held during Naadam, participants are six age groups and the distances range from 15-30kms. No special tracks are prepared, the horses covering the distance in the steppe and jumping over natural barriers. Before they start the riders sing an ancient war-like song –Giingoo. The competitors start at the finishing line and at the signal to start and back to the finish line. Thus the distance is actually doubled. The horse racing can be held on saddled or unsaddled horses. Horses of two years older take part. The winner is honored with a cup of airag which he drinks and sprinkles on the head and croup of his horse. After the races, praise-singer extols the best riders and their horses. There is plenty to see nomads’ culture and lots of horse riders wearing national clothes. | |
| Departure. You will be transferred to airport/trainstation or join other tours. |
