Ulaanbaatar
Camel Festival, Conference of Herders to Take Place in Dundgobi
Art & Culture
Ulaanbaatar, January 16, 2026 /MONTSAME/. “The Sun is Closer on the Camel’s Back” Camel Festival, and the 5th Conference of Camel Herders will take place in Mandalgobi, Dundgobi aimag on January 24-25 under the auspices of the President of Mongolia.
The main objectives of the event are to promote Mongolian
camels, bring their products and benefits into economic circulation,
disseminate camel-related culture, and develop winter tourism.
During the event, the eight types of competitions promoting
Mongolian camels will be held as follows:
- Camel
racing by four age categories;
- Camel
archery;
- Camel
polo;
- Ankle-bone
picking from atop a camel;
- Buil zorokh /making a wooden nose peg, used to fasten a burantag to a camel's nose/;
- Burantag
tomokh /traditional method of preparing a rope for leading a camel/;
- Taming
wild camels;
- Camel
relay races.
Moreover, contests will be organized to select the most
attractive camel-herding couple, the best breeding male and female camels. An
exhibition fair of camel milk, dairy products, wool, and leather goods will
also be held, along with a special exhibition by cultural heritage bearers.
At the 5th Conference of Camel Herders, participants
will discuss topics such as “Policies and Actions to Preserve and Protect Camel
Culture,” “The Impact of Climate Change and Desertification and Policies,” and
“Developing Tourism in Harmony with Camel Culture,” and issue recommendations afterwards.
Last year, the Camel Herders’ Festival was held in Dornogobi aimag under the title “Great Gobi Camel – 2025.” Nationwide, some 480 thousand camels were counted in the 2024 livestock census, increasing to 501 thousand according to the 2025 census.
