The annually organized October Eagle Festival is the largest Eagle Festival with 20 years' story. It is a must-see cultural event not only in Mongolia. Mongolian Eagle festival is a world-known spectacular event, and Mongolian Kazakhs are famed for keeping the custom and tradition in its origin. You will fly to and back from Ulgii town in western Mongolia to attend the 2 full days event, seeing and photographing competitions among the eagle hunters, eagles, and the Kazakh Nationals. Kazakh eagle hunters, prominent horsemen, and horsewomen wait for the festival year-round to compete. A visit to an Eagle Hunter nomad family will enrich your experience and photos through personal touch with an eagle and communications with the eagle hunter in their home environment. The Ulgii town sightseeing is part of the tour.
Itinerary
Oct 3, Day 1: Fly to Ulgii Town
Meet at your hotel and transfer to the airport for the Ulgii flight. Land in Ulgii and check in at a ger camp. Next, drive short to Ulgii town and climb Zaisan Hill to see the panoramic view of the town. Return to the ger camp.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Lunch- packed, Dinner
Oct 4 - Oct 5, Day 2-3: 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. Up to 60 eagle hunters are participating in the festival. Those will be 2 full days to see the eagle hunting festival, competitions, hunting techniques, the Eagles’ agility, and ability, besides some nomadic customs.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Oct 6, Day 2: Visit Eagle Hunter Kazakhs and Ulgii Town Tour
Today, you visit an eagle-hunting Kazakh family to observe the life of the eagle hunters and communicate with both the eagles and hunters in person. In the afternoon, you will visit the Ulgii Museum and market.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Oct 7, Day 4: Fly back Ulaanbaatar
Fly back to Ulaanbaatar and transfer to your accommodation.
Meals: Breakfast
Background
Is the October Eagle Festival Tour suitable for you?
On the October Golden Eagle Festival Tour, you will travel to Ulgii, a central town of Bayan Ulgii province, located 1600 km from Ulaanbaatar. To save time, you take a return flight to Ulgii. Private tours are available with an extension of more western Mongolian attractions and combined with other trips. Due to the remoteness and infrastructure, accommodations and restaurants are basic in Ulgii. The October Eagle Festival Tour does not include long driving. As an annual event for 20 years, October Eagle Festival is renowned, crowded, and accommodations are overbooked. We suggest you book the tour as early as possible.
Accommodation
The ger camps and hotels are in local standards and for twin share.
Eagle Festival Tour Meals
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
Guides
Fully guided by an English-speaking guide.
Tour vehicles
The tour includes a round-way domestic flight to western Mongolia. Regarding the land transport, the September Eagle Festival 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.
October weather during the Golden Eagle Festival
The 2024 Golden Eagle Festival takes place on October 5 and 6. October temperature is chilly among the Altai mountains, and it could snow. You should expect -7°C to +5°C during daylight and below -10°C to -5°C at night/in the evening/ morning. Therefore, we suggest you bring warm clothes suitable for below 0⁰C, including your woolen hats and gloves. Please check the DISCOVERY TOUR PACKING LIST and pack accordingly. Also, consider the free luggage allowance of 15 kg per person on domestic flights.
