The Three Games of Mongolia
Wrestling, horse racing and archery — a living tradition of the nomadic steppe, celebrated for over 800 years.
The Naadam
Eriin Gurvan Naadam — the three games
Naadam is built on three ancient contests of the steppe warrior: wrestling, horse racing and archery — joined today by shagai, the ankle-bone shooting.
Beyond Ulaanbaatar
Every aimag and soum holds its own naadam — smaller, closer, and unforgettable. Find dates across the countryside.
Plan your visit
Plan your visit
Getting to Mongolia, visas, weather, etiquette and what to expect — everything a first-time visitor needs.
First time at Naadam? Start here
The honest one-page briefing: what to book when, what is free, and the mistakes every first-timer makes.
Read more →Getting to Mongolia
Flights, the Trans-Mongolian railway, and what to expect on arrival in July.
Read more →Visas & entry
Many nationalities enter visa-free; others use Mongolia's online e-visa. Rules change — always verify officially.
Read more →Weather & what to pack
July is Mongolia's warmest month — and still a land of four seasons in one day.
Read more →Etiquette — a guest at the celebration
Naadam is Mongolia's family celebration, and you are a welcome guest. A few customs go a long way.
Read more →What's open during the holiday
11–15 July is a five-day public holiday. The city celebrates — and partly closes.
Read more →Tours
Naadam tours
Guided festival experiences by Discover Mongolia Travel — opening ceremony seats, horse racing at dawn, and the countryside.
Naadam Festival — 3-day experience
The essential national Naadam: guaranteed opening-ceremony seat, afternoon wrestling, dawn horse racing at Khui Doloon Khudag, and the Deeltei Mongol parade — with an English-speaking guide.
3 days · from $$450 →Grand Mongolia at Naadam — 8 days
The festival plus the classics: Kharkhorin and Erdene Zuu, the Orkhon valley, Elsen Tasarkhai dunes and nomadic family visits — July at its fullest.
8 days · from $$1650 →Naadam & countryside — 5 days
National Naadam in Ulaanbaatar plus a soum naadam in the countryside: the big spectacle and the intimate original, with a night in a ger camp.
5 days · from $$890 →News
News & stories
Opening-ceremony tickets in 2026 — the honest guide
Face value is ₮100,000–150,000. Online sales open days before the festival and vanish in an hour. Here is how it actually works.
The zasuul: the man who sings the wrestler's titles
Every wrestler enters with a herald at his side. The zasuul's chant is a living archive of Mongolian sport.
Naadam 2026: dates confirmed for 11–13 July
The national festival keeps its fixed dates — opening ceremony on 11 July at the National Sports Stadium, races at Khui Doloon Khudag through 13 July.