heymongolia
Festivals

Altai Kazakh Eagle Festival

A smaller, more local eagle festival held in Sagsai a few weeks before the Golden Eagle Festival.

The Altai Kazakh Eagle Festival is held in the village of Sagsai, west of Ölgii. It has the same mix of eagle competitions, horse games and Kazakh culture as the bigger October festival, with fewer visitors.

Some travellers time a trip to see both festivals, staying with eagle-hunting families in between.

  • When: Usually mid-September
  • Where: Sagsai, Bayan-Ölgii province
  • Region: Altai & the west

Tips

  • Fewer crowds than the October festival
  • Combine with a homestay with an eagle-hunting family

Tours for Altai Kazakh Eagle Festival

  • Golden Week – Golden Eagle (7 days · Altai & the west · Tour Mongolia (Active & Adventure Tours Mongolia) · from $2,790)
    A 7-day fly-in trip from Ulaanbaatar to Ulgii for the Golden Eagle Festival, with a homestay at a Kazakh eagle hunter family and a private hunting demonstration.
  • Golden Eagle Festival & Gobi Desert (12 days · Altai & the west · Nomadic Expeditions · from $12,350)
    A 12-day autumn group tour flying to Bayan-Ulgii for the Golden Eagle Festival at Tolbo Lake, then to the Gobi, with Terelj and Ulaanbaatar sightseeing.
  • Golden Eagle Festival (7 days · Altai & the west · Nomadic Expeditions · from $7,115)
    A 7-day group trip from Ulaanbaatar to Bayan-Ulgii for the Golden Eagle Festival, with a trek around Tolbo Lake, Kazakh family visits and ger camp stays.
  • Tolbo Lake Eagle Festival and the Gobi Desert (11 days · Altai & the west · Nomadic Expeditions · from $11,975)
    An 11-day September trip pairing the eagle festival at Tolbo Lake in Bayan-Ulgii with Terelj National Park and the southern Gobi, using domestic flights.
  • Golden Eagle Festival (8 days · Altai & the west · Nomadic Journeys · from $3,950)
    An 8-day October trip flying from Ulaanbaatar to Bayan-Ulgii for the Golden Eagle Festival, with an eagle hunter family visit and a temporary ger camp stay.
  • Golden Eagle Festival Tour 2027 (9 days · Altai & the west · Kazakh Tour · from $3,452)
    A 9-day autumn trip flying from Ulaanbaatar to Bayan-Ulgii for two days of the Golden Eagle Festival, with eagle hunter family visits, a hunting outing and a shaman ceremony.
  • Nomads & Eagle Festival Tour /SPECIAL/ (14 days · Altai & the west · Kazakh Tour · from $5,990)
    A 14-day September trip to Bayan-Ulgii combining the Golden Eagle Festival with an eagle hunting outing, a two-day horse trek, Altai Tavan Bogd and Tuvan nomad visits.
  • Spring Eagle Festival Ulaanbaatar Mongolia (1 days · Altai & the west · Kazakh Tour · from $100)
    A day trip from Ulaanbaatar in March to an eagle festival a short drive outside the city, with eagle competitions, Kazakh horseback games, archery and a camel ride.

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