The Three Games of Naadam: A Guide to Mongolian Wrestling, Horse Racing, and Archery
Wrestling, horse racing, and archery are the three games of Naadam — what each one is, how it works, and how to watch, from a local team.
Mongolian Archery at Naadam: How to Read the Bow, the Wall, and the Chant
Mongolian archery is one of the three games of Naadam, alongside wrestling and horse racing. Men and women shoot blunt arrows at a low wall of small leather cylinders set on the gr
Mongolian Horse Racing at Naadam: How the Steppe’s Oldest Race Really Works
Mongolian horse racing at Naadam is a cross-country event run over open steppe, not a track. Horses are graded into six classes by their age, racing roughly 12 to 30 kilometers dep
Mongolian Wrestling (Bökh): A Traveler’s Guide to the Heart of Naadam
Mongolian wrestling, called bökh, is the centerpiece of the Naadam festival. It is a single-elimination contest with no weight classes and no time limit, where a wrestler loses th
Gobi Desert Statistics (2026): 40+ Facts on Size, Climate, Wildlife, and Dinosaur Discoveries
The Gobi Desert covers approximately 1,300,000 square kilometers — roughly the combined size of France, Germany, Spain, and the UK — making it the largest desert in Asia and th
Naadam Festival Statistics (2026): 37 Facts on Mongolia’s Three Manly Games, Wrestlers, and Horse Racing
Over 105,000 horses ridden by child jockeys compete across Mongolia’s naadams each year. At the national tournament alone, 512 of the country’s top wrestlers met in sin
Mongolia Horseback Riding Tours: Ride With Nomads Across the Open Steppe
Mongolia is one of the world’s great destinations for horseback riding — not as a novelty, but as the most natural way to cross a country where horses have been central to
Mongolia Travel Insurance: What You Actually Need (And What Can Wait)
Mongolia has no reciprocal healthcare agreements and hospitals require upfront cash payment. Learn what medical evacuation really costs, which adventure activities need a policy ri
Payments in Mongolia
The Real Story of Payments in Mongolia Unlike what many outdated travel guides suggest, Mongolia has largely embraced digital payments. While cash is universally accepted, cards an
