Hunting with Golden Eagles in Mongolia

Day 2

Take the morning flight to Bayan Ulgii in western Mongolia and then transfer into a 4x4 for the journey to meet your eagle hunter family.

You'll stay in a private ger (yurt) alongside the family ger joining them to eat and learn about nomadic life.  In this remote setting you will enjoy very basic facilities, a long-drop toilet and a bowl of water to wash in.

Day 3

Learn about nomadic life and experience some eagle training

The Altai region has an air of the Wild West about it and you'll spend two days learning about hunting with a Golden Eagle, how the birds are treated with love and respect before being re-released into the wild, helping train her (hunting eagles are usually female) and riding out on horseback across breathtaking plains and mountains.

Day 4

Help your new Kazakh friends with some more eagle training whilst exploring.

You'll get used to a slower pace of life here learning about nomadic culture so spend your last day in the Altai riding or hiking in the mountains and aborbing the sheer grandeur of the landscape - don't forget to take a good camera.

Day 5

Today you will start your journey to the famous Eagle Festival.

You may even choose to make part of your journey on horseback, travelling with your new friends as up to 200 eagle hunters come together to celebrate this age-old tradition.

Day 6

Enjoy the first day of the festival; the parades and the hunting competitions

Full Kazakh regalia, best furs and decorated horses make this a spectacular event. An eagle on the back of a motorbike is quite intriguing; horse racing, camel racing and Bushkashi - goat skin tug-o-war on horseback - will demonstrate awesome horsemanship. 

Day 7

Return for more competitions, horsemanship displays and Bushkashi

You may even meet Aisholpan, star of the Eagle Huntress movie.  These celebrations last two days and you'll get to know the charcters involved and be able to immerse yourself in the drama of the competition.

Day 8

Head out into the countryside to see the ancient Turkic Man Stones

This is your last day in Kazakh Mongolia and you will get the opportunity to explore the area some more.

Day 9

Fly back to Ulaanbaatar; shop for souvenirs or visit a monastery or museum

You will have a packed lunch for the flight, which stops to refuel part-way. Back in UB, meet again in the hotel reception at 4.30pm to go to a concert of traditional Mongolian music and dance including throat singing, followed by dinner.

Day 10

Head east out of the city to the giant Chinggis Khan statue and Gorkhi-Terelj National Park

At the base of the statue, you can try on traditional Mongolian costumes, tour the numerous portraits of the Khan lineage and climb to the horse’s head for a panoramic view over the surrounding landscape towards Chinggis' birth place. 

Day 11

Depart Mongolia for your journey home