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 annual Ten Thousand 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 was first initiated in 1997 by the locals of Umnugovi (South Gobi) province to celebrate 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.
It’s an entertaining 2-days 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 and ride their best camels to attend the festival as it’s their pride and a big celebration for them. The date of the Ten Thousand Camel Festival 2017 is 6-7 March (the weather will be much milder!) and the event will take place in Dalanzadgad town of South Gobi.
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 annual Ten Thousand 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 was first initiated in 1997 by the locals of Umnugovi (South Gobi) province to celebrate 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.
It’s an entertaining 2-days 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 and ride their best camels to attend the festival as it’s their pride and a big celebration for them. The date of the Ten Thousand Camel Festival 2017 is 6-7 March (the weather will be much milder!) and the event will take place in Dalanzadgad town of South Gobi.
In 2016, there was a parade of over 1000 camel riders and it was recorded in the Guinness World Record Book during the festival! The organisers “Amazing Gobi” local tourism association and the Governor’s Office of Umnugovi province promise this year there will be more interesting events and competitions for everyone!
The brief program* for the Ten Thousand Camel Festival 2017 is:
Day 1. March 6, 2017.
12:00 Opening Ceremony
13:00 “Best looking couple on camelback” contest
14:00 Camel Polo
19:00 Traditional folklore concert by the local musicians
Day 2. March 7, 2017.
10:00 Race of 1000 camels
15:00 Race of Torom (2year old camels)
18:00 Awarding & Closing Ceremony
*We will give you updates once the program is finalised by the beginning of February.
How to get there: Dalanzadgad town is an easy 7-8hr drive from Ulaanbaatar to the south (all paved road), and there’s daily bus service available from Ulaanbaatar.
Currently, Mongolian Tourism Association is working with domestic airlines for special charter flights for the winter festivals in 2017. We will inform you once the flight details are announced.
Where to stay: Once you get to Dalanzadgad there are several hotels and Ger accommodation available. Here’s contact of 2 of them:
- Gobi Oasis Ger camp (comfortable). Tel: 9595-3012.
- Ger camp (basic). Tel: 9905-5955.
For more info about the festival, please contact the organisers (Amazing Gobi tourism association) at: Phone: 976-9514-4470, or email at n.ariunsanaa@yahoo.com.
And for more comfort, time and cost saving, we encourage travellers to contact local Mongolian travel agencies for package tours to the annual Camel Festival in the Gobi.
Prepared exclusively for GoGo Travel by Zola
(Co-founder of Premium Travel Mongolia LLC.
www.mongoliatravelmarket.com)
Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved.
In 2016, there was a parade of over 1000 camel riders and it was recorded in the Guinness World Record Book during the festival! The organisers “Amazing Gobi” local tourism association and the Governor’s Office of Umnugovi province promise this year there will be more interesting events and competitions for everyone!
The brief program* for the Ten Thousand Camel Festival 2017 is:
Day 1. March 6, 2017.
12:00 Opening Ceremony
13:00 “Best looking couple on camelback” contest
14:00 Camel Polo
19:00 Traditional folklore concert by the local musicians
Day 2. March 7, 2017.
10:00 Race of 1000 camels
15:00 Race of Torom (2year old camels)
18:00 Awarding & Closing Ceremony
*We will give you updates once the program is finalised by the beginning of February.
How to get there: Dalanzadgad town is an easy 7-8hr drive from Ulaanbaatar to the south (all paved road), and there’s daily bus service available from Ulaanbaatar.
Currently, Mongolian Tourism Association is working with domestic airlines for special charter flights for the winter festivals in 2017. We will inform you once the flight details are announced.
Where to stay: Once you get to Dalanzadgad there are several hotels and Ger accommodation available. Here’s contact of 2 of them:
- Gobi Oasis Ger camp (comfortable). Tel: 9595-3012.
- Ger camp (basic). Tel: 9905-5955.
For more info about the festival, please contact the organisers (Amazing Gobi tourism association) at: Phone: 976-9514-4470, or email at n.ariunsanaa@yahoo.com.
And for more comfort, time and cost saving, we encourage travellers to contact local Mongolian travel agencies for package tours to the annual Camel Festival in the Gobi.
Prepared exclusively for GoGo Travel by Zola
(Co-founder of Premium Travel Mongolia LLC.
www.mongoliatravelmarket.com)
Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved.
