Wild wrestling, superstitious nomad rituals, marmot feasts, cursed whistles, and much more...
Had enough of the usual influencer-friendly destinations? Feeling sick at the thought of yet another watered-down mojito on a crowded beach?
Then get ready, because I’m about to throw open the doors to a world where adventure waits behind every sand dune: Mongolia! Today I’m taking you on a stroll across endless steppes, beneath a sky that looks like it was painted by a drunken artist, among people who welcome you with open arms (and might even offer you a taste of fermented mare’s milk, but that’s another story).
Buckle up, because I’m about to hit you with five fun facts about this place that will blow your mind: let’s dive right in!
Read also: Discover the Isle of Skye in Scotland: whisky galore and kilts blowing in the wind!
1. Here comes Mongolian wrestling: forget Hulk Hogan!
Alright, let’s start with a bang.
In Mongolia, wrestling (or “bokh,” if you want to sound like someone who’s done their homework on local traditions) is serious business, almost a religion. Only men can compete, and during the Naadam Festival (think of it as a village fair turned all the way up) there can be as many as 1,024 wrestlers facing off!
Picture the scene: a horde of huge men in outrageous outfits grappling like there’s no tomorrow. But the best part comes when one of these giants wins: do you know what he does? He opens his jacket and bares his chest—what a legend!
It’s not a fashion show, but an ancient tradition.
Here’s what it means.
Legend has it that once, a woman disguised as a man won the match—basically a kind of Lady Oscar—and to expose her, they forced her to show... well, you get the idea.
Since then, male winners proudly show their chest, as if to say, “See? I’m definitely a man!”
Honestly... it sounds a bit more Village People than Hulk Hogan to me!
2. Sacred stone mounds and nonstop honking: the chaos of the Ovoo
If you ever find yourself driving (or rather, being jolted around) on Mongolian roads, get ready to spot strange piles of stones, like little obelisks made from whatever was lying around. These are Ovoo, and they’re not there by chance. For Mongolians, they’re like roadside rest stops for nature spirits.
Nomads stop, leave offerings (candies, cigarettes, animal bones, Fabio Volo’s latest book... anything goes!), walk around them three times clockwise (like the hands of a clock—they’re not savages), and ask for a little luck.
But the wildest part comes when you pass them by car: if you don’t have time to stop (say, because you’re fleeing a herd of angry camels), you’re supposed to honk like crazy as you go by. Basically total chaos: a nonstop concert of car horns in the middle of nowhere, all to avoid offending the spirits of the rocks.
3. The Naadam Festival: horse races and warrior women!
The Naadam Festival is Mongolia’s national celebration, a sort of tribal rave that lasts for days.
It kicks off with horse racing—but not the polished, gentlemanly kind. Here, the jockeys are fearless children who send their horses flying at full speed for mile after mile.
Then there’s wrestling, which we’ve already talked about (thank goodness, because I’m running out of adjectives for sweaty men rolling around on the ground). And finally, archery. Pretty cool, right?
Yes, but here’s the twist: women can finally take part—and about time too—both in archery and in horse racing.
So while the men grapple it out, the women show off their precision with bow and arrow like Amazons. Not a bad division of talents, if you ask me!
4. Home sweet yurt (but be careful not to whistle)
The gher (or yurt, if you prefer the Russian word) is the traditional Mongolian mobile home. Think of it as a giant round tent, simply furnished but incredibly welcoming. Stepping inside feels like traveling back in time—but be careful, there are rules to follow, or you’ll bring bad luck to everyone!
Never step on the threshold of the door, or you’ll end up cursed worse than Tutankhamun.
Don’t lean on the support poles either, apparently that brings bad luck too (though who really knows why?).
And above all, NEVER WHISTLE INSIDE THE GHER!
Apparently it summons evil spirits. So if you’ve got a habit of whistling movie tunes, in Mongolia you’ll need to hold back—unless you want to find yourself surrounded by Mongolian demons angrier than Genghis Khan.
Oh, and before leaving, you’re supposed to walk clockwise around the stove. I swear I’m not making this up!
5. Boodog, the prehistoric marmot barbecue that will make you forget hamburgers (or maybe not...)
If you think Mongolian cuisine is nothing but boiled mutton, think again. There’s one truly crazy dish: Boodog.
What is it? You take a marmot (yes, that little animal you see on TV staring at the horizon, ready to whistle if it spots a predator), butcher it, carefully remove the bones, and then stuff it with red-hot stones.
Yes, you read that right: glowing hot stones.
Then you seal it up again and let it cook slowly until the meat turns tender and flavorful.
It’s basically a prehistoric barbecue, a way of cooking that makes you feel like a real cave dweller.
And just like that, these rodents can finally stop making chocolate...
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Run to Mongolia with us!
So, have I convinced you that Mongolia is a wonderfully wild place? An explosive mix of age-old traditions, breathtaking landscapes, and people who don’t overcomplicate things?
If the answer is yes, then don’t waste another minute.
Book your 12-day trip to Mongolia with Sto Gran Tour now! We’ll take you riding across the steppes like a true Genghis Khan, you’ll sleep in a gher under a sky full of stars, and you’ll do plenty of other amazing things too.
You won’t regret it—I swear!
