Lots of eagle hunters with their eagles and horses

GOLDEN EAGLE FESTIVAL

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4 Nights in gers

Tour grade: Easy

6 Nights / 7 Days

No camping

2 nights at 3* hotels

Low deposit from $200

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Free booking chances

TOUR & EVENT OVERVIEW

The Golden Eagle Festival is a lively celebration of the eagle-hunting tradition practiced by the nomadic Kazakh tribe who reside around the Altai Mountains in Mongolia. This unique, two-day-long festival is held annually in October. It showcases Kazakh and Mongolian traditional games and the eagle contest, in which many eagle hunters from nearby villages and mountains compete to see whose bird is in the best shape for the upcoming hunting season.

If you are interested in this festival, you must travel to Ulgii town in Western Mongolia, as only Kazakh nomadic people practice eagle hunting and live in the far western corner of Mongolia. Around one hundred eagle hunters participate in this festival each year, and some of them even travel to the festival from a two-day horse ride distance.

Additionally, traditional games such as camel racing, archery, coin picking while riding a horse, and tug of war add color to the festival mood. You will find plenty of things to photograph during the festival and have the chance to see and shop for a wide range of handicrafts and handmade souvenirs sold by locals.

Additionally, we visit not only western Mongolia but also Central Mongolia, including the 13th-century capital Kharkhorum, ErdeneZuu monastery, Hustai National Park to see wild horses, and Elsen Tasarkhai semi-desert. Enjoy every moment with us!

Tour Highlights & Destinations

Attend the Golden Eagle festival
Horse riding & camel riding for 1 hour each
Eat traditional Mongolian BBQ
Visit a nomadic family
Plenty of chances to take amazing pictures
13th-century capital Kharkhorum
Erdene Zuu monastery
Khogno Khan Nature Reserve
Uvgun Temple
Hustai National Park
Terelj National Park
Aryabal Meditation Temple
Chiggis Khan Equestrian Statue Complex
City tour
Chinggis Khan Museum
Mongolian National History Museum
Gandan Tegchilen Monastery
Visit Chinggis Khan's main square

Day 1. Arrival Day & City Tour (L)

This morning, we will pick you up from the Airport and transfer you to a hotel. if you want, you can rest for a while, and then we will start a city tour with the National History Museum, Chinggis Square, and Gandan-Tegchilen monastery. Overnight at the hotel***. Sustainable travel

Day 2. Golden Eagle Festival, opening ceremony (B/L/D)

This morning, we will fly to Ulgii, the capital of western Mongolia, and then we will drive to Sayat Tobe (Falconry Hill), where the festival will be held. It is about 15 15-minute drive to Falconry Hill. The festival will not only attract travelers but also locals from Ulgii town. Mix with the locals, enjoy this unique festival of eagle hunters who look like old warriors from ancient times. The festival starts with a parade of eagle hunters, then continues with the main event: a contest among them to test their specially trained golden eagles' abilities. Sustainable travel

The contest consists of a few rounds that eliminate most contestants who perform poorly. Several traditional games, such as archery, coin-pick while galloping, camel racing, etc., will also be displayed. You will spend the whole day at Falconry Hill, taking a lunch break. The dinner will be served at a restaurant in town. Overnight at a hotel. Sustainable travel

Day 3. The Golden Eagle Festival, Award ceremony (B/L/D)

Drive to Falconry Hill for the festival's second day to see the contest winners. If you plan to buy a souvenir, this is where you will find colorfully embroidered Kazakh handicrafts. Sustainable travel

The second day is a bit more interesting than the first because today, golden eagles try to catch a fox's skin dragged by a hunter, and the eagle that catches the skin in the shortest time gets the highest score. Today's traditional game (tug of war over a goat carcass while on horseback) will be displayed. The dinner will be served at a restaurant in town. Sustainable travel

lots of camel are lying down in front of Mongolian traditional ger

Day 4. Fly back to the city & Elsen- Tasarkhai semi desert (B/L/D)

This morning, after breakfast, we will drive to the local airport to fly to Ulaanbaatar. Then, we will drive to Khogno Khan Nature Reserve, about 280 km from Ulaanbaatar. Khogno Khan Nature Reserve has an extraordinary dune called Elsen Tasarhai. The scenery perfectly combines desert, picturesque mountains, rivers, and green grassland. Once we get there, we will discover the Elsen-Tasarkhai semi-desert and Khogno Khan nature reserve; after that, we will ride a camel for 1 hour. Sustainable travel

Then, we will visit the Uvgun monastery, one of this area's main attractions. Then, we will visit a Nomadic family to see how they live and learn about their culture and heritage. The nomadic family will cook a traditional Mongolian BBQ for dinner. Mongolians cook this dish for their very honored guests. You can see how they are cooking. If you want, you can attend. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Then we will drive shortly to our tourist camp for the night. Sustainable travel

Day 5. Drive to Kharkhorum, Erdene Zuu, Hustai NP (B/L/D)

This morning, we will drive 70 km to the ancient capital of the 13th-century Mongolian Empire, Kharkhorum. The city served as the Mongolian capital for 40 years (until Khubilai Khan moved it to Beijing). Chinese soldiers later destroyed most of the city during the second half of the 14th century. The remnants of the town were used to build the ErdeneZuu Monastery in the 16th century. After that, we will visit the Kharkhorum Museum and Erdene Zuu Monastery. Sustainable travel

Our next stop is Hustai National Park. The park lies in the foothills of the northern Khentii mountain range, where you can see wild horses called Takhi, known worldwide as Przewalski horses. Wild horses survive in nature on their own because they have been successfully reintroduced to their homeland after 40 years of extinction. Currently, the number of Takhi has already exceeded 450. Overnight at the Hustai National Park tourist camp. Sustainable travel

Day 5. Drive to Chinggis Khan equestrian statue complex via Terelj NP (B/L/D)

This morning, after breakfast at our tourist camp, we will drive to the Chinggis Khan Equestrian Statue Complex, about 160km away. The complex was built in 2008, on the eight-hundredth anniversary of the Mongolian Empire's foundation, in honor of its founder, Chinggis Khan. It's the tallest statue in the world, representing a man on horseback. The complex also has a museum to explore and some souvenir shops. Sustainable travel

Our next stop is Terelj National Park, considered one of the most beautiful places to visit for its combination of sharp mountains, granite cliffs, forests, and rivers. Once we get there, we will see the Aryabal Buddhist meditation temple. From the top of the temple, the park looks so amazing. Then our last activity is riding a horse for 1 hour through the beautiful valley, to an overnight tourist camp. Sustainable travel

Day 6. Drive back to Ulaanbaatar & City Tour (B/L/D)

After breakfast, we will go back to the city. Once we arrive in the town, we will drive to Gandan-Tegchilen Monastery. The monastery features a 26.5-meter-high statue of Migjid Janraisag, a Buddhist bodhisattva. It was designated a state-protected site in 1994. Sustainable travel

The monastery was established in 1838 upon the order of the Fifth Jebtsundamba and is the principal center of Buddhist learning in Mongolia. At lunchtime, we will go shopping. Mongolia is very famous for its cashmere. If you want, we can visit a cashmere shop and department store, etc. Farewell dinner / Transfer you to your hotel. Sustainable travel