🦅 Sagsai Eagle Festival & Altai Tavan Bogd National Park Tour – 9 Days
📍 Western Mongolia | Altai Mountains | Sagsai Eagle festival | Eagle Hunter Family | Altai Tavan Bogd National park
🦅 High Altai Wilderness, Kazakh Eagle Hunters & Mongolia’s Most Authentic Eagle Festival
📅 September 17–18, 2026
This unforgettable 9-day journey takes you deep into far western Mongolia, where dramatic mountain landscapes meet one of the world’s most unique living traditions. The tour combines the raw wilderness of Altai Tavan Bogd National Park with the powerful cultural heritage of the Sagsai Eagle Festival, offering an experience that is both adventurous and deeply immersive.
You begin in Ulgii, the cultural heart of Mongolia’s Kazakh population, before traveling into the remote Altai Mountains. Here, you explore high-altitude valleys, glacier viewpoints, alpine lakes, waterfalls, and ancient petroglyphs left behind by nomadic civilizations thousands of years ago. Highlights include views of Potanin Glacier, Mongolia’s highest peak Khuiten, the crystal-clear waters of Khoton Lake, and a scenic hike to Baga Turgen Waterfall.
A key part of the journey is time spent with real Kazakh eagle hunter families in Sagsai village. Staying in their homes allows you to learn how golden eagles are trained, cared for, and respected as hunting partners—knowledge passed down through generations. This intimate cultural exchange is something few travelers ever experience.
The tour culminates with two full days at the Sagsai Eagle Festival, a smaller, community-based event known for its authenticity. Here, local hunters compete in eagle-handling skills, traditional hunting demonstrations, horse and camel races, archery, and nomadic games. Unlike larger festivals, Sagsai remains deeply traditional, focused on real hunting ability rather than performance.
Balanced in pace and rich in content, this tour is ideal for cultural travelers, photographers, and adventure seekers looking for a genuine connection to Mongolia’s land and people. It is not a luxury tour—but a rare, meaningful journey into one of the last strongholds of true nomadic eagle-hunting culture.
⭐ Highlights – Sagsai Eagle Festival Tour
- 🦅 Sagsai Eagle Festival – 2 Full Days: Experience the authentic Sagsai Eagle Festival, where real Kazakh eagle hunters compete using traditional hunting skills passed down for generations.
- 🏔️ Altai Tavan Bogd National Park: Explore one of Mongolia’s most remote and spectacular regions—glaciers, high-altitude valleys, and vast alpine landscapes.
- ❄️ Potanin Glacier & Khuiten Peak Views: Enjoy panoramic viewpoints of Potanin Glacier and Khuiten Peak, the highest mountain in Mongolia.
- 🌊 Khoton Lake & Ancient Petroglyphs: Visit crystal-clear alpine lakes and discover prehistoric rock carvings and Turkic stone monuments.
- 💧 Baga Turgen Waterfall Hike: Take a scenic hike to one of the Altai’s most beautiful waterfalls, hidden in forested valleys.
- 🏡 Eagle Hunter Family Homestays: Live with authentic Kazakh eagle hunter families and experience traditional nomadic hospitality.
- 🦅 Eagle Training & Hunting Culture: Learn how golden eagles are trained, handled, and respected as hunting partners.
- 🐎 Traditional Nomadic Games: Watch horse and camel races, archery, Tenge Ily, Kyz Kuar, and Kokpar.
- 📸 Outstanding Photography Opportunities: Capture eagles in flight, hunters on horseback, dramatic mountain scenery, and intimate cultural moments.
- 🕒 Well-Paced & Immersive Journey: Balanced travel days with light hiking, scenic drives, and deep cultural interaction.
Itinerary:
- 🍽️ Meals: Lunch, Dinner
- 🏕️ Overnight: Ger camp / Yurt / Tent
- 🚗 Distance: ~200 km | ⏱️ ~5 hours
✈️ Upon arrival at Ulgii Airport, meet your local guide and driver. After lunch and a full briefing, depart toward the Altai Tavan Bogd Mountains.
🚙 The drive reveals Mongolia’s vastness—rolling steppe, grazing herds, nomadic gers, and distant snow-covered peaks.
🏕️ Arrive near the park gate in the late afternoon. Settle into camp and enjoy a traditional dinner under a sky filled with stars.
- 🍽️ Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- 🏕️ Overnight: Ger camp / Yurt / Tent
🐎 After breakfast, begin a horse-assisted hike (12 km, ~3 hours one way) toward a high-altitude viewpoint.
❄️ From the ridge, admire sweeping views of Potanin Glacier and Khuiten Peak, Mongolia’s highest mountain (4,374 m).
📸 This is one of the most photogenic locations in the country—glaciers, jagged peaks, and endless valleys.
🥪 Picnic lunch in the mountains before hiking back to camp.
- 🍽️ Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- 🏕️ Overnight: Ger camp / Yurt / Tent
- 🚗 Distance: ~160 km | ⏱️ ~4 hours
🚙 Travel deeper into the Altai toward Khoton Lake, passing Turkic stone monuments and ancient burial mounds left by nomadic civilizations over 2,000 years ago.
🌊 Arrive at the lake—surrounded by snow-capped peaks and open alpine meadows.
🚶♂️ Enjoy free time along the lakeshore, watching light reflections shift across the water.
- 🍽️ Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- 🏕️ Overnight: Ger camp / Yurt / Tent
🥾 Short drive to the trailhead followed by a 1.5-hour hike to Baga Turgen Waterfall, hidden among forested slopes.
🍽️ Lunch with a local Kazakh nomadic family, offering insight into herding life and hospitality.
🪨 Afternoon visit to ancient petroglyphs carved into rocks around Khoton Lake, depicting animals, hunting scenes, and nomadic rituals.
- 🍽️ Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- 🏡 Overnight: Eagle hunter family
- 🚗 Distance: ~160 km | ⏱️ ~5 hours
🚙 Leave the mountains and head toward Sagsai village, a stronghold of Kazakh eagle hunting.
🏡 Meet your host eagle hunter family and their golden eagle. Learn how eagles are trained, fed, and respected as hunting partners.
📸 Photograph the hunter in traditional clothing with eagle and horse.
🍖 Dinner and storytelling by the stove before sleeping in a traditional home.
- 🍽️ Meals: Breakfast
- 🏨 Overnight: Local hotel or Ger camp
🐎 Travel alongside eagle hunters riding toward the festival grounds.
🎊 Opening day focuses on tradition, pride, and ceremony.
Festival Program – Day 1:
- 📝 Registration & credential check
- 🎤 Official opening ceremony
- 👘 Best Kazakh traditional costume
- 🦅 Best eagle & horse harness
- 🐎 Horse races
- 🦅 Eagle handling & adaptation skills
- 💰 Tenge Ily (coin grabbing on horseback)
- 🏹 Uriankhai archery
- 👫 Best traditional costume for couples
- 🎶 Evening folk concert in Ulgii
- 🍽️ Meals: Breakfast
- 🏨 Overnight: Local hotel or Ger camp
🔥 The most thrilling festival day, showcasing real hunting skill.
Festival Program – Day 2:
- 🦅 Shyrga Tartu – eagles released from hilltops to catch a lure
- 🐪 Camel races
- 🐎 Kyz Kuar – horseback chasing game
- 💪 Kokpar (Kukhbar) – goat-skin tug-of-war
- 🏅 Award ceremony
- 🎉 Official closing ceremony
- 🍽️ Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- 🏨 Overnight: Local hotel
🏡 Visit the champion eagle hunter family from the festival.
🍖 Enjoy Besbarmak, the most important Kazakh ceremonial dish.
📸 Extended photography and cultural exchange.
🚙 Evening return to Ulgii for farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
- 🍽 Meals: Breakfast
🚐 After breakfast, transfer to Ulgii Airport.
✈️ Flight back to Ulaanbaatar and end of the tour with unforgettable memories of Mongolia’s eagle hunting heritage.
ℹ️ Tour Notes – Sagsai Eagle festival tour
- 📅 Festival: Sagsai Eagle Festival
- 📌 2026 Dates: September 17–18
- ✈️ Book Early: Limited flights & hotels in Ulgii
- 🏕️ Stay: Ger camps, tent camping, local hotels & eagle hunter homestays
- 🌦️ Weather: Cool, mostly dry; cold mornings & evenings
- 🚗 Roads: Off-road travel; driving times may vary
- 🥾 Level: Easy to moderate; light hiking
- 🦅 Activities: Festival fixed; hunting demos weather-dependent
- ⚠️ Flexibility: Minor program changes possible
🌍 Why Choose the Sagsai Eagle Festival?
- 🦅 Most Authentic Eagle Festival: Attend the Sagsai Eagle Festival, a smaller, community-based event with real working Kazakh eagle hunters—less crowded and deeply traditional.
- 🏔️ Altai Tavan Bogd Wilderness: Explore Mongolia’s most dramatic mountain region, including glaciers, alpine lakes, waterfalls, and vast high-altitude valleys.
- 🏡 Live with Eagle Hunters: Stay with genuine Kazakh eagle hunter families and experience true nomadic hospitality and daily life.
- 🦅 Real Eagle Hunting Culture: Learn authentic training methods and witness eagle-handling skills passed down for generations.
- 🎉 Two Full Festival Days: Enjoy all major competitions: eagles in flight, horse & camel races, archery, and nomadic games.
- 📸 Outstanding Photography: Exceptional access to hunters, eagles, and epic Altai landscapes—ideal for photographers.
- 🕒 Well-Balanced Pace: Comfortable itinerary with light hiking, scenic drives, and plenty of time for cultural immersion.
- 🌍 All-in-One Experience: Nature, culture, festival, and homestays combined into one seamless Altai adventure.
🎒 What to Bring
- 🧥 Warm layers – Thermal base layers, fleece, insulated jacket
- 💨 Windproof / waterproof jacket – Weather changes quickly in the Altai
- 🧢 Warm hat & gloves – Cold mornings and evenings
- 👟 Comfortable hiking shoes – Good grip for trails and uneven ground
- 🧦 Warm socks – Wool or thermal recommended
- 👖 Outdoor clothing – Comfortable, modest clothing for cultural visits
- 🎒 Small daypack – For daily excursions and festival days
- 📸 Camera & spare batteries – Cold drains batteries fast
- 🔋 Power bank & chargers
- 🧴 Personal toiletries – Wet wipes & hand sanitizer useful
- 💊 Personal medication & basic first-aid
- 📄 Travel documents – Passport, visa (if required), insurance copy
- 💵 Cash – Limited ATMs outside Ulgii
Optional: Sunglasses, scarf/neck warmer, thermos, small gifts for host families.
❓ FAQs – Sagsai Eagle Festival Tour
- 🦅 What is the Sagsai Eagle Festival?
- The Sagsai Eagle Festival is a traditional Kazakh festival where local eagle hunters compete in eagle-handling skills, hunting demonstrations, and nomadic games. It is smaller and more authentic than larger eagle festivals.
- 📅 When is the festival held?
- The festival usually takes place in early to mid-September each year. Exact dates are confirmed closer to the event.
- 📍 Where does the tour take place?
- In western Mongolia, covering Sagsai village, Ulgii, and Altai Tavan Bogd National Park.
- ✈️ How do I get to Ulgii?
- By domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar. Seats are limited during festival season, so early booking is recommended.
- 🏕️ What type of accommodation is used?
- A mix of ger camps, tent camping, local hotels, and eagle hunter family homestays. Facilities are simple but clean.
- 🥾 Is the tour physically demanding?
- No. The tour pace is easy to moderate, with light hiking and optional horse-assisted trekking.
- 🦅 Is eagle hunting guaranteed?
- Festival competitions are guaranteed. Hunting demonstrations depend on weather and wildlife conditions.
- 🌦️ What is the weather like?
- Cool and mostly dry. Daytime temperatures are comfortable; mornings and evenings can be cold.
- 📸 Is this tour suitable for photographers?
- Yes. It offers excellent opportunities for action, portrait, and landscape photography.
- 💰 How far in advance should I book?
- As early as possible. Flights and accommodation in Ulgii are very limited during festival time.