Annual Yak Festival takes place in Bat-Ulzii district, Uvurkhangai province, Mongolia on 23 July 2016 in order to promote various benefits of yaks, their products and contribute to preserving yak based nomadic culture. Regardless her rich milk, fine wool, yaks require least care and can graze in remote mountain tops searching for the freshest pasture-land while surviving Mongolia’s harsh winters.
Tourism Department of Governor’s office of Uvurkhangai province, the Governor’s office of Bat-Ulzii District with support from Nomad Planet, ‘Tourism Youth’ group and Zendmen Travel Mongolia successfully organized Yak Festival 2016.
Over 400 visitors gathered at Undur-Khyasaa where herders from Uvurkhangai and Bayankhongor provinces competed over their skills of yak bucking, yak lassoing, yak polo and yak race. Yong boy raced his two years old yak and became the real star of the festival. Mr Daniel Wismer who travelled from Switzerland to Mongolia with Zendmen Travel, had been invited to be part of a team of three judges along with two local yak herders to judge ‘Beautiful Yak’ nominees.
During the festival, local herders exhibited yak products including clotted cream crust, cheese, curd and dried curd from yak milk and leather goods such as lasso, horse saddle belt and ropes made of yak hair. Local hand craft maker Mrs Boloroo also exhibited her hand-made yak wool and hair products such as jumper, bags, socks, slippers, boots and toys.
The Yak Festival became a good opportunity for local traders to trade groceries to yak herders and the festival attendees. Mongolia’s renowned airag, fermented mare’s milk, and khuushuur, fried pastry-made from yak meat, was local delicacy during the festival.
Zendmen Travel Mongolia co-organised a fundraising activity for the Yak Festival 2017 with ‘Tourism Youth’ group and local herders via offering ‘Yak milk coffee’ to visitors. The team managed to raise 85,000 tugrug along with a donation of 120,000 by Mr D. Wismer. Thank you very much for all the hard work and creativity of the festival organisers including tourism officer Mrs Munkhsoyol, Mr Dashdavaa –the State Honorary herdsman from Bat-Ulzii, Nomad Planet, ‘Tourism Youth’ and local herders.
Find more information about Yak festival tour organized by Zendmen Travel.
Yak Festival Mongolia| 12 days
