Mongolia Gobi Desert Camel Festival

Thousand Camel Festival is a magnificent winter festival and cultural introduction to the life of Mongolian camel herders.The Mongolian Camel Festival has been organized since 1997 for the following reasons.To protect and increase the two-humped Bactrian camel populationTo help the nomads exchange experiencesTo Increase the benefit of camelsTo improve locals’ participation in natural protection and recoveryTo develop winter tourismTo support the livelihood of the localsTo introduce the camel herding Gobi desert nomads’ culture locally and internationally.

The Camel Festival is not a tourist event. This is one of the biggest celebrations and festivals the Gobi desert nomads prepare and excitedly wait. The Camel Festival has a significant influence on the value of the camels. Head of the Gobi desert camels has increased from 192.000 to 460.000 nationwide. The camel head grows slowly as the camels colt after 2 years. The Camel Festival of 2016 was an exceptional celebration, incorporating over 6000 camels and 10.000 people. The Guinness Record book registered the 1200 two-humped camel race organized on the Gobi desert steppes.

The Camel Festival two-day events and competitions

• Camel Polo – Teams consist of 5 camel riding members compete playing with an 8-diameter ball and 130 to 140 cm mallets

• Camel parade - The 100 camel parade is marvelous. Tourists are always welcome to participate in this event by riding one of the camels.

• Attractive couple with beautiful camels – the criteria and contest score is 50% and 50% for both the camels and couples. Traditionally dressed coupe ride beautifully decorated, same color camels.

• Mongolian traditional game Ice Anklebone Shooting

• Camel races of 3 different age categories- full-grown camel race, 3-year-old camel race, and 2-year-old camel race

• Concert of the local school children

• Local club party – This is not a disco club or similar. You will spend an evening dancing with locals in the town's cultural hall.

• Team competition – Teams consisting of 5 members contest on their agility and ability. Each member has their duty. The team members catch one of the untrained camels from the field, cut its wool to make a halter, and train the camel for approximately 20-30 minutes. Afterward, they load luggage within the given time, and the camel caravan moves.

• The local camel and sheep wool product exhibition support the local community income.

• Opportunity to try camel milk dairy products

• The festival closing and prizes for the winners.

  
  

  The Camel Festival Location

  The Camel Festival takes place at Bulgan town in Umnugobi/Southgobi province, 680 km from Ulaanbaatar. Due to the low season, domestic flight does not operate in March. Some aviation companies fly depending on the reservation.The best way to travel to Bulgan town is by driving 580 km on paved roads and 100 km on rough roads. You can take the same route when returning to Ulaanbaatar or travel back through Kharkhorin and Orkhon Valley. Bulgan town is central in terms of location for the camel herders and allows the camel herders to participate in the festival by traveling appropriate distances. Another advantage of the Camel Festival location is it is close to the famous attractions of the Gobi desert. Visitors can see the Gobi Desert's top attractions, such as Khongor dunes, Flaming Cliffs, Khavtsgait Rock Drawing, Moltsog dunes, Mukhar Shivert Valley, and Eagle Valley in Gobi Gurban Saikhan Mountain, adding 2-3 extra days.