heymongolia
Culture & nomad life

Ölgii & Kazakh eagle hunters

The Kazakh-majority far west, home of the golden-eagle hunters and the Golden Eagle Festival.

Ölgii is the capital of Bayan-Ölgii province, where most people are Kazakh. Families in the surrounding valleys still train golden eagles to hunt foxes in winter. In early October the Golden Eagle Festival brings hunters together for competitions, horse games and music.

  • Region: Altai & the west (Bayan-Ölgii)
  • Best time: June–October; festival early October
  • Time needed: 3–6 days

Tips

  • Fly from Ulaanbaatar: the drive takes 3–4 days.

Tours that visit Ölgii & Kazakh eagle hunters

  • Storytelling Through Photography in Mongolia (10 days · Several regions · Tour Mongolia (Active & Adventure Tours Mongolia) · from $3,740)
    A 10-day small-group photography trip to Bayan-Ulgii in western Mongolia, built around the Golden Eagle Festival, with mentored shooting of eagle hunters and a Kazakh family stay.
  • 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.
  • Trails of the Altai (12 days · Altai & the west · Tour Mongolia (Active & Adventure Tours Mongolia) · from $2,380)
    A 12-day camping trek in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, reached by flight to Ulgii, with pack camels, a Malchin peak climb and visits to Kazakh and Tuvan herders.
  • Mongolia Family Adventure (14 days · Several regions · Nomadic Expeditions)
    A 14-day family itinerary using domestic flights to western Mongolia, Karakorum and the Gobi, with eagle hunter visits, camel trekking and many hands-on craft activities.
  • Grand Traverse of Mongolia (15 days · Several regions · Nomadic Expeditions)
    A 15-day luxury crossing of Mongolia by private Cessna and SUV, from Khuvsgul province and the Altai to the Gobi, with eagle hunters, fossil hunts and lodge stays.
  • 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.
  • From the Altai Mountains to the Gobi Desert featuring The Naadam Festival (12 days · Altai & the west · Nomadic Expeditions · from $10,990)
    A 12-day trip flying from Ulaanbaatar to the Altai for Kazakh eagle falconry and a local Naadam, then to the southern Gobi for camel trekking and desert sights.

Nearby places