Are you ready for an adventure like no other? 🌏 The Way To Nomads team is here to share the top 5 reasons why Mongolia should be your next destination. Known for its untouched landscapes, rich nomadic culture, and rare wildlife, Mongolia offers an authentic travel experience that’s becoming harder to find in today’s world.

1. Experience Mongolia’s Serenity – The Land of the Blue Sky 🌿

Mongolia’s vast, open landscapes will leave you speechless. Imagine:
✔️ Endless green steppes patterned by moving clouds.
✔️ Crystal-clear lakes reflecting the endless blue sky.
✔️ The occasional white felt ger (traditional yurt) dotting the countryside.

The silence is epic, the air is pristine, and the sky is an unbroken expanse of blue. It’s no wonder Mongolia is called “The Land of the Eternal Blue Sky.” For those seeking true peace and natural beauty, Mongolia’s countryside is the ultimate escape.

2. Discover the World’s Last Surviving Nomadic Culture 🐎

Mongolia is home to one of the world’s oldest and most authentic nomadic lifestyles. Here, life is defined by nature’s rhythm.

✔️ Live alongside a nomadic family for a truly immersive experience.
✔️ Learn to milk cows, herd livestock, and prepare traditional meals.
✔️ Sleep in a cozy ger and wake up to breathtaking landscapes.

This isn’t just a trip—it’s a journey back in time to understand a way of life that has remained unchanged for centuries. It’s humbling, enlightening, and unforgettable.

3. Escape Modern Life – Discover Mongolia’s Unspoiled Wilderness 🌄

Outside Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia remains largely untouched by modern life and free from mass tourism. But this is changing as the country grows in popularity.

Now is the perfect time to explore its raw, authentic beauty:

• Roam through endless deserts, steppes, and mountains.
• Visit regions rarely touched by tourists.
• Experience Mongolia’s authenticity before it’s discovered by the world.

If you’re seeking an off-the-beaten-path adventure, Mongolia is calling.

4. Adventure for Every Traveler – From Culture to Thrill-Seeking

Mongolia offers a diverse range of experiences for every type of traveler:

🌿 Cultural Discovery Tours – Visit ancient monasteries, participate in local festivals, and immerse yourself in Mongolia’s deep-rooted traditions.

🗺️ Natural Discovery Tours – Witness stunning landscapes like the Gobi Desert, Khuvsgul Lake, and the Altai Mountains.

🏕️ Adventure Tours – Trek across rugged mountains, ride camels in the desert, or horseback ride through lush steppes.

🎯 Special Interest Tours – Whether it’s photography, wildlife watching, or culinary exploration, Mongolia offers something unique for everyone.

5. Discover Mongolia’s Unique Wildlife and Landscapes 🐪

Mongolia is home to rare wildlife and landscapes found nowhere else on Earth.

✔️ Spot the elusive Gobi bear—the world’s rarest bear species.
✔️ Encounter the two-humped wild camel, an ancient survivor of the desert.
✔️ Explore the vast Gobi Desert, a semi-desert that’s full of surprises.
✔️ Discover rare plant species that thrive in Mongolia’s unique ecosystem.

There’s no place like Mongolia when it comes to exploring untouched wilderness and unique wildlife. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime destination that will challenge and inspire your sense of adventure.

Why Travel to Mongolia with Way To Nomads? 🌍

• Local Expertise: Our guides are locals who know Mongolia’s best-kept secrets.
• Authentic Experiences: Stay with nomadic families, explore hidden landscapes, and engage with authentic traditions.
• Customized Adventures: Whether you’re seeking cultural immersion or extreme adventure, we tailor trips to fit your dreams.

🎒 Ready to Embark on an Unforgettable Adventure?

Book your Mongolia tour with Way To Nomads today and experience a journey that will stay with you forever.

👉 Contact Us to start planning your Mongolian adventure!

Introduction to Naadam Festival The Naadam Festival is Mongolia’s most significant and captivating celebration, held annually on July 11-13. The term “Naadam” means “game,” and the festival is rooted in three traditional “manly sports” or “eriin gurwan naadam”: wrestling, horse racing, and archery. These sports date back to the Mongol Empire, though the modern festival also commemorates Mongolia’s national revolution and independence.

While all administrative regions in Mongolia celebrate their local Naadam festivals at different times, the largest and most famous event is hosted in Ulaanbaatar, drawing thousands of tourists and international journalists every year.

Colorful Traditions and Cultural Pride During the Naadam Festival, participants and spectators showcase their cultural pride by wearing vibrant traditional attire. The celebration is a grand display of Mongolian heritage, blending ancient customs with modern enthusiasm. Recognized for its cultural significance, Naadam was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2010.

 

Traditional Mongolian Wrestling (Bökh)

Mongolian wrestling, or Bökh, is a unique folk wrestling style that distinguishes itself with no weight divisions or time limits. Wrestlers, known as “bokh” (meaning durability), aim to force their opponent to touch the ground with any part of the body other than the feet or palms.

• Attire: Wrestlers wear a tight-fitting jacket called zodog and briefs called shuudag, complemented by traditional Mongolian boots. Before matches, they don a ceremonial hat and perform an “eagle dance” ritual symbolizing strength and honor.
• Rules: Kicking and punching are prohibited, but wrestlers may use their legs to trip opponents. Matches continue until one wrestler falls or is otherwise defeated.
• Rituals: Ceremonial dances, libations of milk to spirits, and ritual songs enhance the spiritual significance of the sport.

Naadam’s wrestling tournaments can involve up to 1,024 participants, making it a spectacular and enduring competition.

Traditional Mongolian Archery

Archery is an ancient and revered sport in Mongolia, open to both men and women. Though traditional bow-making techniques have evolved, Mongolian archers still use composite bows crafted from horn and wood.

• Techniques: Arrows are made from local materials like pine, birch, or willow, with feather fletching from birds like eagles or falcons. The arrow is placed on the right side of the bow and released using a thumb ring for precision.
• Cultural Significance: Archery reflects Mongolia’s warrior heritage, with traditional techniques preserved across generations.

Traditional Mongolian Horse Racing

Mongolia hosts some of the world’s longest and toughest horse races, ranging from 5 to 30 kilometers across rugged steppe terrain. Horses are divided into age categories, and surprisingly, child jockeys (both boys and girls) ride them.

• Rituals: Before races, horses and jockeys participate in ceremonial songs and processions.
• Race Dynamics: Jockeys ride without saddles for the horse’s comfort, focusing on endurance rather than speed.
• Awards: Winners receive the prestigious title “Forehead of the Ten Thousand Race Horse,” while the last finisher is honored humorously as “Rich Belly.”

Why Visit the Naadam Festival?

Experiencing the Naadam Festival offers travelers an authentic glimpse into Mongolian culture, sports, and history. The festival is not only a celebration of athletic prowess but also a deep-rooted tradition that fosters unity and national pride.

Plan Your Trip to Mongolia

• Visit Ulaanbaatar in July to witness the main festival.
• Experience local Naadam celebrations in rural regions for a more intimate cultural encounter.
• Engage with locals, savor traditional foods, and immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere.

Ready to embark on a unique journey? Contact us to explore off-the-beaten-path travel experiences in Mongolia during the Naadam Festival!

Nomadism, the way of life of Mongolians for centuries, and we are known as the world’s last surviving nomadic culture throughout the world.

Mongolia has 3 million people and around 40% of Mongols are real traditional nomads who live in remoted yet beautiful landscapes, moving from pasture to pasture at least 4 times a year, in great partnership with their livestock and with nature.

Most of the travellers who explored Mongolia tells that “travelling through Mongolia is an eye-opening experience”. Yes, it’s true for many of us. Regarding geography, Mongolia has a diverse vast open landscape of 4 distinctive natural zones including the Gobi desert, the great plain steppes, snow-capped sumptuous mountain areas, and a mysterious yet beautiful dense forest zone.

Each of the nomadic families owns 5 species of animals including cattle, goats, sheep, horses, and camels [2 humped Bactrian’s camel] as their livestock, and has approximately 400 – 1000 livestock. Their everyday life is relevant for their livestock animals, rounding their animals to fertile pasture land, breeding baby animals, producing dairy products, producing raw products of cashmere, wool, and more…

Mongolian nomadic families live in a “ger”, a traditional portable dwelling suitable for their vagrancy lifestyle in many ways including its simplicity for dismantling, ease to build, environment friendliness, stability and safety and more…

Nomadic lifestyle varies in Mongolia depending on which part of Mongolia they live in. We would like to offer you to witness the life of Eagle trainers for hunting who residue in the western part of Mongolia, and Tsaatan tribe of reindeer herders who live in the northern part of Mongolia, and camel breeders who residue in the Gobi desert of Mongolia. Each of these families or ethnicities would show you different stories and different vibes.

You may have heard about sheepherders or cattle herders. But there is another fascinating culture of animal herding… A reindeer herding culture….

Reindeer herders or the Tsaatan, also known as Dukha people, is a small minority tribe residing in the Taiga region in northernmost Mongolia. They, the Tsaatan people live in the far northern region of Mongolia which is closer to the border with Russia, and they have strong Shamanist beliefs. There are approximately 450 reindeer herders [known as Dukha people or Tsaatan people] who live in Mongolia.

Reindeer herding has been part of the Tsaatan way of life for thousands of years and continues to be a principal custom within their community. The word “Tsaatan” is a Mongolian word that means ‘’people who have reindeer’’ so you can see how intertwined the practice of reindeer herding and the Tsaatan people are.
The Tsaatan migrate with the seasons, moving between the same Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring camps every year. Their reindeer provide milk and a source of transport and a special relationship seems to exist between them. Indeed, they are practically members of the family and as such are rarely used for meat. Unlike traditional Mongolian nomads, the Tsaatan live in orts, or teepees, not gers. These are much easier to transport, the wooden poles and beds being left behind at each camp and just the canvas and basic furnishings being packed onto their reindeer.

The Tsaatan continue to live a very traditional life, with hints of modernity creeping in. Much of their food is sourced from the land – wild rhubarb, berries, fish. Fresh bread is baked every morning in a pot on the central stove, reindeer milk tea is boiled daily. Tsaatan children go to school every September, in (relatively) nearby Tsagaannuur village from the age of 6, and return home for the long summer break in late May. Tsaatan marries out with their community, and the number of families has increased greatly over the last decade, from 16 families in 2006 to nearly 60 today throughout East and West Taiga.

Visiting the Tsaatan Reindeer Herders:

A journey into the Taiga is an incredible experience in itself, but staying with a Tsaatan family, deep in the heart of it, is truly special. Living in remote camps, reachable only on horseback for the majority of the year, a trip to stay with northern Mongolia’s reindeer herders takes planning and preparation.

The nearest airport to get there is in the town of Murun. To get to Tsagaan Nuur village [which is a village where the Tsaatan community belongs], you will have a 12-hour journey with few places to stop along the way, so stock up on food and, if you’re doing the driving yourself, extra fuel. And before you set out, be sure to get the required permit to visit the Tsagaan Nuur. Once you reach your destination, be less of a tourist and more of a traveller. You’re going to be interacting directly within their community for the duration of your stay, and there is no five-star hotel. Keep all of that in mind, at the end of the day, as long as you’re well mannered and mindful of the local traditions and culture, you’ll have an incredible time visiting the Tsaatan reindeer herders.
If you want to visit the Tsaatan reindeer herders with the added benefit of logistics taken care of and a local guide, check out the amazing once-in-a-lifetime tours with Way To Nomads.

The other important Mongolian holiday is Tsagaan Sar, literally the “White Month,” or New Year’s Day, which has been celebrated since the time of the Mongol Empire. Although Mongolia uses the Gregorian calendar, the lunar calendar is also used due to tradition and religious practice, and thus Tsagaan Sar usually falls in February or early March. As with most New Year celebrations, Tsagaan Sar focuses on happiness and an optimistic future, and the color white is considered an auspicious color in Mongolian tradition.

During the holiday and days preceding it, offerings are made to ancestral spirits or in honor of their memories. Blessings are made. Owing to Communist oppression of the holiday and a decline in religiosity, the holiday has changed considerably over the years.

Now, in addition to being a holiday that is both thanksgiving and a looking forward to a good year, it has become a holiday for visiting family and friends.  A central part of the celebration is food and buuz, devoured in great quantities, followed by liberal doses of vodka. The buuz serves another purpose: families often put a silver coin in one buuz, and according to tradition, whoever finds it will have prosperity in the coming year. At family gatherings in the countryside, the largest sheep in the flock, or in the city, the largest a family can buy, is cooked and eaten. It becomes, like the Thanksgiving turkey, a point of pride. The importance of food is marked in the preparations for the holiday, which often begin a month before the holiday.

During the Communist period, Tsagaan Sar came under attack. During the religious purges, the celebration of Tsagaan Sar was criticized, although during some years the criticism decreased. During World War II, herders received government approval to celebrate the holiday—perhaps because Josef Stalin, occupied with the Nazis, was too busy to notice or to care. In 1954 the holiday was declared a workday and the government again began a crackdown against it. Nonetheless, their efforts failed. While not willing to admit defeat, the government found a solution by making Tsagaan Sar “Collective Herders’ Day” in 1960. Not until 1988 did Tsagaan Sar receive official recognition as a national holiday.

Hunting with eagles is a traditional form of falconry for thousands of years, practised by the Kazakh people in Bayan-Ulgii, the westernmost province of Mongolia. It’s a rite of passage for Kazakh boys in western Mongolia who learn the crafts as early as 13. Passed down through generations, the tradition has a strict set of rules and practices. The hunts happen during winter when teams of hunters chase their prey on horseback and release an eagle to make their kill. Hunting once provided furs and meat during harsh winters, but the tradition is battling a dwindling number of hunters.

The Golden Eagle

Golden eagle is one of the world’s fiercest, with a wingspan of 6.6 ft, razor-sharp talons and the ability to dive at the speed of an express train — up to 190 mph.” Hunters prefer females because they are larger and regarded as more aggressive. Females weigh up to seven kilograms, which is a third heavier than males. It takes a great deal of strength to hold one of these large birds in your arm. When horses are on the move the eagles unfurl their wings for balance.

Training Golden Eagle:

Training eagles takes a lot of time, (3-4 years), must be done by one person, and requires constant daily attention. When the eagle is almost an adult, the trainer shows it the hides and furs of the animals it must hunt so that it becomes used to the smell and characteristics of the prey. All of this is done with special commands. Training continues by dragging a fox fur behind a galloping horse. Not all eagles can be so trained, but those that do show intense loyalty. Although never tethered they always return after killing their prey. Skilled hunters even manage to get the bird to kill the prey while scarcely leaving a mark on its fur.

The Golden Eagle Festival

The Golden Eagle Festival have been celebrated since 1999 with the aim of promoting conservation of Golden eagle and preservation of the Kazakh’s traditional unique culture of hunting with birds.  The festival comprises various competitions, in course of competitions which the eagle must catch a piece of fox fur pulled behind a galloping horse, the entrants compete for the awards of Best Turned Out Eagle and Owner; Best Eagle at Hunting Prey and Best Eagle at Locating Its Owner from a Distance, besides traditional horse games and camel races. Prizes are awarded for speed, agility and accuracy, as well as for the best traditional Kazakh dress, and more. Dark, rocky mountainous terrain forms the backdrop to the event, which incorporate cultural exhibitions and demonstrations followed by sporting activities and

Mongolian cuisine is much influenced by the continental climate that dominates the region, and also a bit by the Russian and Chinese cultures. Meat and dairy form the staple diet of this nomadic cuisine with the use of vegetables are limited. The meat of horse, yak, beef, lamb, mutton and even camel is consumed as delicacies.

Below, we are introducing the most famous five traditional dishes that every traveller must try when they are in Mongolia;

1. Tsuivan – the most fav one by Mongolian men

What is it: Tsuivan, or noodle stew, is one of the most popular Mongolian dishes—adopted from abroad and perfected by Mongolians. It’s a very popular dish beloved in every family’s home and served in most local restaurants. This dish is prepared in many different ways. Some people make it using only flour and meat, but some add fresh vegetables. Here at the Three Camel Lodge’s Bulagtai restaurant, we serve this dish with fresh seasonal vegetables. 

What does it taste like: The meatiness of the stew blends in with the unhampered flavour of the vegetables to create a unique taste.

2. Khorkhog – The Mongolian BBQ

What is Khorkhog: is a barbecue dish in Mongolian cuisine. Khorkhog is made by cooking pieces of meat inside a container (metal milk jugs are a traditional and typical choice, although any container sturdy enough to hold the hot rocks will serve.) which also contains hot stones and water, and is often also heated from the outside. Khorkhog is usually made during festivals or during family events with many guests. Depending on the number of people, one whole sheep is used. For the stones, fist-sized hard stone with no roughness (abraded by water) from the riverbank is most suitable, because it can withstand the heat without cracking. The stones are heated by placing them on fire with dung or wood (dung is used for fuel by nomads) in between. Meat is cut into appropriate size and put in a container, then the red hot stones are placed in between, one layer of meat and one layer of hot stones. Add a little bit of water, seasoning, salt, and vegetables such as onion, garlic and potato then tightly close the container. To ensure that meat is done evenly, carefully shake the container. After cooking the container on fire open the lid very carefully. Enjoy the meat and hold the hot stones, it is a form of oriental medicine. The hot stone will refresh your nervous system and relieve fatigue.

What does it taste like: The smoky flavour of the meat complements the bland taste of the vegetables.

3. Khuushuur – Fried beef/mutton pie

What is Khuushuur: Mongolia’s version of a handheld meat pastry. It’s a circle of wheat flour dough folded in half around a filling of minced or ground mutton, sometimes beef, and pan- or deep-fried. The meat is seasoned with onion and salt; some cooks add garlic and pepper as well. It’s possible to get versions with a mix of potatoes, carrots and/or cabbage as well, but these are far less popular. (Vegetarians beware: the veg versions can taste strongly of mutton from the cooking oil.)

What does it taste like: Just like meat in fried dough! Seriously, it doesn’t vary much: better-quality meat or lower-quality cooking oil make some difference, but it’s a simple, straightforward dish. For westerners, there is sometimes more fat included with the meat than we’re used to.

4. Guriltai shul – The Mongolian soupy noodles

What is it:  This traditional dish is basically mutton soup or stock served with noodles and veggies. The authentic recipe calls for fatty meat, though loin meat can also be used. The sliced meat and vegetables are stir-fried in oil, then simmered in water and stocked with the noodles until fully cooked. Guriltai shul is especially popular as comfort food during the cold winter months. 

What does it taste like: The acidity of the soup, often prepared with curd made from yak’s milk, and the rawness of the mutton makes it a sinful appetizer!

5. Buuz – A bigger dumpling

What is it: Flour dough, filled with shredded beef or lamb, cooked with onion, garlic, and pepper, and then steamed. Buuz is a type of Mongolian steamed dumpling filled with meat. Buuz is filled with minced mutton or beef, which is flavoured with onion and/or garlic and salted. Occasionally, they are flavoured with sprouted fennel seeds and other seasonal herbs. Mashed potato, cabbage, or rice may be added as well.

What does it taste like: Quite similar to dumplings, however, more intense and a bit spicier.