Itinerary

Sept 15, Day 1: Fly to Ulgii town

Meet at the hotel at 11:30 am and transfer to the airport for the 14:30 Ulgii flight. Land in Ulgii at 16:30. Dinner in a Kazakh restaurant

Accommodation: Local Hotel/Ger
Meals: Dinner

Sept 16, Day 2: Snow-capped Tsambagarav Mountain and visit Eagle Hunter Kazakhs

Today, you first see the snow-capped Tsambagarav Mountain and Balbal stone. Next, visit an eagle hunting Kazakh family to see the eagle training, besides observing the life of the eagle hunters and communicating with both the eagles and hunters in person. Return to Ugii town in the evening.

Accommodation: Local Hotel/Ger
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sept 17 - 18, Day 3-4: Golden Eagle festival

The impressive Golden Eagle Festival starts with a parade of eagle hunters dressed in traditional hunting clothes, riding horses and holding their eagles in their right arms. There are up to 60 eagle hunters participating in the festival. Those will be 2 full days to see the eagle hunting festival, competitions, hunting techniques, the Eagles’ agility, and ability. Eagle Festival program.

Accommodation: Local Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sept 19, Day 5: Oygor Valley in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

Drive to the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park through picturesque valleys and along the Tsaagan Gol (White River). On the way, you will see balbal and deer stones dating back to the Turcic Era. Reach the Oygor Valley after 6-7 hours of driving. Numerous Kazakh families live in the area.

Accommodation: Kazakh’s Ger
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sept 20, Day 6: Trekking in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

Tavanbogd means “The Holy Five.” They are the Mongolian highest peak Huiten 4374 m above sea level, Naran, Ulgii, Burget and Nairamdal peaks. All the peaks are snowcapped. First, you will drive close to the Presidential Ovoo ritual site. Next, hike to and back Botanin glacier viewing the majestic snow-capped mountains (reaching too close to the glacier is not recommended). Drive back to the Kazakh nomad’s home.

Accommodation: Kazakh’s Ger
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sept 21, Day 7: Explore rock drawings and return to Ulgii

In the morning, you will explore some rock drawings in Altai Mountain. Return to Ulgii late afternoon and check-in at a hotel.

Accommodation: Local Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sept 22, Day 8: Ulgii town tour and fly back Ulaanbaatar

Morning tour of Ulgii town visiting the market, and museum, and climb a hill to see the panoramic view of Ulgii. After lunch, head to the airport to take the 17:00 flight. Upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar, the driver will transfer you to your accommodation.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour Price

Background

On the Eagle Festival and Atai Mountain Group Tour, you will travel to Ulgii, a central town of Bayan Ulgii province, located 1600 km from Ulaanbaatar. To save time and keep the driving short, you will fly to and back Ulgii town. Due to the remoteness and infrastructure, accommodations and restaurants are basic in Ulgii. The Golden Eagle Festival takes place 40 km out of Ulgii town. You will drive short to the Eagle Hunter's home and the Eagle Festival field on the first 3 to 4 days. The September Eagle Festival size is smaller compared to the October Eagle Festival. 40-50 eagle hunters compete in the September festival, while 60-70 eagle hunters participate in October Eagle Festival. The September Eagle Festival's advantage is that the audience can see and photograph the events from a closer distance or the festival is less crowded. The Altai Mountain part of the trip will be more adventurous because of the bumpy roads driving by a Russian van for 400 km on a return way. When youare in the mountain, you will have 7 - 8 km of optional trekking.

The ger camps and hotels are in local standards and for twin share. In Altai Mountain, you will share a guest ger with the other travelers.

You will dine at local restaurants in Ulgii and have a picnic lunch or eat in ger food courts at the Eagle Festival site. Vegetarians and restricted diet travelers should inform of the dietary requirements before arrival in Mongolia. We will arrange the meals accordingly. We will supply two 0.5L bottles of water a day. Providing one large bottle (1.5 liters) of water instead of 2 small bottles is available upon request. More information about the Mongolia meals

Fully guided by an English-speaking guide.

The tour includes a round-way domestic flight to western Mongolia. Regarding the land transport, the Eagle Festival and Altai Mountain Tour was designed with four wheels driving Russian vans, driven by experienced, friendly, and good mechanic-drivers. Different car types are available upon request for private tours. You may check the travel vehicle details at Mongolia transportation.

It occasionally snows in the Altai mountains in September. You should expect -2°C to +10°C during daylight and below 0°C at night/in the evening/ morning. Therefore, we suggest you bring warm clothes suitable for a little below 0⁰C, including your woolen hats and gloves. Please check the DISCOVERY TOUR PACKING LIST and pack accordingly. Also, consider the free luggage allowance on domestic flights - 15 kg per person, including the handbag.

To plan your dream holiday or customize the tour exclusively for you, please check the attractions in Western Mongolia

Rewiews