PARACTICAL GUIDE FOR THE VISITORS

Activities:

• Hiking and trekking
• Jeep trips (auto rally)
• Horse riding (and camel riding)
• Cycling and rafting)
• Fishing
• Hunting
• Eco tourism
• Mountain climbing
• Photo safari     
• Cultural tourism
• Professional and educational trips 

Events:

Naadam                             

• The Naadam festival, the top event attraction of the country, originated many centuries ago as a test of courage, strength, patience, intelligence, and horsemanship of the nomads. It is held in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city on 11th-12th of July. The three “manly games” consist of horse racing, wrestling and archery but the festival also features ankle bone shooting and other events.  
• Mongolian Wrestling: Over 1,024 wrestlers participate in the wrestling competition annually. There are no weight divisions and no out-of-bounds areas in the Mongolian style of wrestling. Before the contest wrestlers perform a short eagle dance to show off their strength and power. The techniques used in Mongolian wrestling are unlimited and include a variety of holds, throws and other moves. A contestant wins when he makes his opponent’s knee or elbow touched the ground.     
• Archery contest: Men fire 40 arrows made from willow branches and griffin vulture feathers from a distance of 75 meters and women deliver 20 arrows from 60 meters at a target consisting of 360 small leather rings rowed as a target. Men stand on either side of the target singing a folk song (Uukhai) to cheer the contestants and then use hand signals to indicate the results.
• Horseracing: The races, which take place on the steppe over distances of 15 to 30 kilometers, are a test of endurance for the horses and riders, boys and girls, some as young as six years old. The special cheering folk song Uukhai is sung to cheer on and give inspiration to both horses and riders. There are 6 categories of horse racing depending on the horse’s age. Mare’s milk is poured over the heads of the winning horses followed by honored songs.           

Tsagaan sar                          

• For more than 2,000 years Mongols have been celebrating Tsagaan Sar, literally the “White Month,” to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The holiday usually occurs in late January or February according to the lunar calendars .
• The calendar is (system of 12) = 12 years+ 12 months+ 12 hours. According to oriental lunar cosmology the world is built on the interaction of 5 elements iron; earth; fire; water; and wood whose colors are white; yellow; red; black; and blue respectively. Each year comes 5 times under the sign of the 5 elements, thus making a 60 year cycle.
• "Tsagaan Sar," the celebration of new life, symbolizes wealth and prosperity in the family.  Families start preparing for the holiday a month in advance by making plenty of food and gifts. 
• There are also many customs to follow. "Bituureh" (in the last day of old year families eat large supper); first step of the New Year (first step determines coming year’s mood); brand New Year food “Tsagaalga”; "Zolgoh" greeting custom (it signifies showing the respect the elderly and one another); playing a game "Alag melkhii" etc.  
• The celebration can last longer than a month especially in rural areas. Sporting competitions, traditional song festivals and other events follow the celebration. At this time monasteries are flocked by people, usually wearing new Deels (traditional gowns), praying and blessing for well-being.