Other Festivals

Mongolian Yak Festival is an annual event celebrated in the Orkhon River Valley in Bat-Ulziit soum, Uvurkhangai province on 23 July. Except for the Yak Festival, the Orkhon River Valley is famous for its outstanding nature, top attractions, Buddhist Monasteries, historical remains, and evidence. Therefore, the Orkhon Valley has been registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The main purpose of the festival is to promote the yak herder nomads, improve and increase the benefits of the yak-related products, introduce the yak culture to the public, and attract tourists.

Main Events of the Yak Festival

• Opening speech of a local governor followed by a yak parade and performance
• Yak lassoing — participants lasso a yak from an untrained herd of yaks
• Yak training — participants ride and train the yaks they lasso
• Team competition of the yak herders with differing competition types
• Polo sport while riding yaks
• Nice yak competition judged on appearance and decorative ornaments
• Yak racing — fun and often slow races where many yaks barely trot or give up halfway
• Best yak product competition featuring dairy products, yak hair/skin/horn products, and creative new ideas
• Demonstration of yak wool rope making, important for nomadic housing and animal tethering
• Demonstration of yak dairy product making
• Best yaks gather for nomads to exchange experiences, bargain and trade
• Prizes awarded to competition winners
• Locals wear their finest traditional clothes and meet friends, relatives, and communities
• Yak riding available for the audience

About Mongolian Yak

There are approximately 1,005,000 yaks in 13 provinces of Mongolia. Thus, Mongolia has the world's second-largest yak population after China. The world yak population is 14.2 million. The mountainous yak habitat areas of Arkhangai, Uvurkhangai, Khuvsgul, Bayan-Ulgii, Uvs, and Khovd provinces are among the top tourist destinations in Mongolia. Yaks are also found in mountainous areas of the Gobi Desert such as Bayankhongor, Zavkhan, and Gobi Altai provinces. The yaks were domesticated relatively late and their isolated mountainous pastureland influences the animal's strong character.