Itinerary

Day 1: Fly to Ulgii, visit eagle hunting Kazakhs

Our driver meets you at your hotel and transfer to the airport for a flight to Ulgii, a central town of Bayan-Ulgii province. Land in Ulgii after 3 hours of flight. Meet your local guide and driver. Have a short tour of the provincial center town Ulgii and the journey continues to a Kazakh family. Visit an eagle training Kazakh family, discover their unique lifestyle, and try Kazakh foods.

Accommodation: Kazakh Family
Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2: Go to mountains, see the Eagle Hunting and horse riding

You will mount on a horse (driving is available if you do not have much horse riding experience) and go to the nearby mountain to see how the Kazakhs train the eagles for hunting. In the afternoon, drive to the provincial center town Ulgii.

Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: 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: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: 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 7 km to the base camp near 20 km Botanin glacier, loading your luggage on luggage horses/camels. Set the tent at the base camp that allows us to have breathtaking views of the eye-capturing peaks of the snow-capped mountains. Free afternoon and evening to explore the surrounding areas and enjoy the wilderness.

Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Adventures in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park and trek back Presidential Ovoo

Experienced hikers can trek 15 km(in return way) to Mongolian border column 1, where you will have nicer views of the mountains and see the Russian Altai Mountains from some distance. Trek back to the base camp. After lunch, continue the trekking to the Presidential Ovoo for 7 km. Inexperienced hikers may enjoy a leisure morning before trekking back to the Presidential Ovoo, where you will meet the vehicle. Drive short back to the Oygor Valley and stay overnight in the tent.

Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Drive to Ulgii

Arrive at Ulgii after 7-8 hours of scenic driving on bumpy roads. Check-in a ger camp and be refreshed from the adventures.

Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Fly back Ulaanbaatar

The Ulgii-Uaanbaatar flight takes 3.5 hours. Our driver meets you at the airport and transfer to an accommodation of your own booking

Meals: Breakfast

Tour Price

Background

On the Eagle Hunting and Altai Mountain Trekking Tour, you will travel to Ulgii, a central town of Bayan Ulgii province, located 1600 km from Ulaanbaatar. To save time, you will fly to and back Ulgii town from Ulaanbaatar. Alternatively, we can arrange the tour overland if you wish. Tourism and infrastructure have less developed in western Mongolia. You should expect very local accommodation and restaurants. The roads in western Mongolia are rough, and our tour requires 7-8 hours of driving on one way when traveling to the Altai Tavan Bogd Mountain. The total hiking in Altai Tavan Bogd Mountain is 14 km in two days. Experienced hikers have option to hike longer for more scenery. Luggage horses and camels will carry your luggage when you trek. Alternatively, you can hire a horse or a camel instead of hiking.

The hotel in western Mongolia is in local standards. Due to our experience, staying in a hotel room is more comfortable than staying in the ger camp in the cold weather. You will stay 1 night with an Eagle Hunter Kazakh family, 2 nights in a local hotel, and camping in the Altai Tavan Bogd Mountain for 3 nights.

The guides in western Mongolia are local Kazakh guides. The guides speak Mongolian language, Kazakh, and English. So, there will be no miscommunication among you, Mongolians and Kazakhs.

The tour includes a round-way domestic flight to and from Ulgii town. The domestic flights run on certain days of the week, and the itinerary is subject to a change due to the domestic flight availability. About the land transport, most of our tours were designed with four wheels driving Russian vans driven by experienced, friendly, and good mechanic-drivers. Different car types are available upon request. The Russian van is the most common car suitable on isolated bumpy roads of western Mongolia.

The tour is available between 1 June and 5 September. The reason is that western Mongolia is a colder region compared to the other parts of Mongolia. In the Altai Mountains, it snows until the beginning of June and early in autumn. The snow in the mountain makes driving difficult. Or would you like the Eagle experiences solely, you can travel all year round. To plan and prepare for the tour, please check Mongolian monthly weather and HIKING tour packing list.

To plan your dream holiday or customize the tour exclusively for you, please checkwestern Mongolian attractions

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