Everyone
is getting thrilled about winter! Winter is the time for snow, chills, holiday
season and fun! In Mongolia, however, there’s a bonus – exhilarating winter
festivals! One of the festivals is the Camel Festival, held in the middle of
the amazing Gobi Desert of Mongolia, and is already one of the most famous
winter festivals in the world. This festival celebrates Mongolian camels, to
conserve the 2-humped Bactrian camel species, pass the rich Mongolian camel
breeding heritage to the next generation, and to promote winter tourism in
Mongolia.
Camel
Festival
is annually held in 6-7th March and the event will take place in
Dalanzadgad town of South Gobi. It’s an entertaining 2-day of event that
features various contests related to Mongolian camel culture and lots of local
music and dances. Nomads from far and near wear their best deels (Mongolian
traditional clothes) and ride their best camels to attend the festival as it’s
their pride and a big celebration for them.
During the festival, People from Gobi with camels prepare nice dress and
traditional clothing to compete for best dressed and there are many kinds of competition
among others and everyone in this festival are very satisfied every single
programs by competing and involving.
Itinerary:
UB - Mandalgobi - Dalanzadgad - Bulgan soum (from UB to Dalanzadgad
560km of paved road, approximately 7 hours of drive)
Programs:
1st Day
- Pre championship of Camel Polo (competitions between
local teams should be finished day before)
- Opening ceremony of the
Camel Festival. Camels Parade. Tourists can attend the parade. Contest
of the best couple on camelback
- Start of the Mongolian
Traditional Game- ice shooting competition
- Championship of Camel Polo
- “Camel - My friend” Painting
Exhibition organized by “Altai Snow cock” nature protecting club of Bulgan soum’s
high school students and their activities
- Explore the
exhibition of local handcrafts, camel milk, healing effects of camel dairy
products
- Enjoy the cultural concert
of the “Altai Snow cock” nature protecting club
2nd
Day
- 09:00 – Start of Camel Race. Making bets on chosen camels.
Organizing the bets “Bulgan Bulagyn Trainer’s Association”
- 10:30 Enjoy Camel Racing
- 12:00 2 year-old young camels’ race with the bets
- 13:00- 14:00 Lunch break
- 14:00 “Camel Relay” competition testing camel herders’
agility
- 17:00 Awarding and closing ceremonies
3rd Day (Leisure day,
free day)
Back
itinerary: Bulgan soum- Khavtsgait Rock Petro glyphs- Dalanzadgad
- Watch the “Khavtsgait Petro glyphs”, the remnant of
the ancient people, which locate in Baruun Saikhan Mountain, the one of the
Gobi Gurvan Saikhan Mountains where in 28 km from Bulgan soum
- Visit “Youth Cultural and Information Center” in
Dalanzadgad and will be informed with the information of Mongolian Gobi paleontology and nature, animals,
flora and fauna
- Back to Ulaanbaatar from Dalanzadgad
Note:
- Bus ticket 30000 MNT (Bayanzurkh bus Station)
- Every day at 09:00 local transportation from Dalanzadgad to
Bulgan soum (bus ticket 10000 MNT), Taxi goes from “Ochir ” Shopping center
- Bayanzurkh Bus Station-70153386; 98663386
- Umnugobi aimag’s Transportation Department- 70533708
Accommodation:
Specially prepared Ger-hotels of Bulagan soum’s local people (in winter time tourist
camps don’t work). In Ger-hotels work trained servers by tourist services and
food services.
Communication
services: Bulgan soum locates in 100 km from Dalanzadgad and there are
available communication operators such as Mobicom, G-mobile, Skytel, Unitel.
Fee: 50 USD for
mandate and allowed to take photos from car during the camel race in certain distance. Wear the mandate during the whole festival. Mandates will be
given before one month.
Weather: Annual average temperatures at nights -10-15OC, at
days -3-8 OC
Other:
Various options of car services such as Land Cruiser 80, Land Cruiser 100, UAZ
furgon etc.
Possible
to attend tourists by team to all of the competitions like Camel polo, Camel
Racing, Camel Parade, Camel Relay etc. Also will be appreciated tourists with
the flags, logos of their countries and companies. Need to inform about
attendance before 1st of March.
The
companies or individual donors of the festival will be advertised broadly and gives
right to become a member of the “Thousand camels- camel travel" association, the
organizer. Tax of a member is 100 USD a year.
Festival committee
