🦅 Golden Eagle Festival & Visit Eagle hunter family 7 days Tour
📍 Western Mongolia | Altai Mountains | Golden Eagle festival | Eagle Hunter Family | Hunting with Eagle
🦅 Golden Eagle Festival & Eagle Hunting, Exclusive 7-Day Cultural Journey
This 7-day Golden Eagle Festival Tour offers one of the most authentic cultural journeys in Mongolia, combining real eagle hunting experiences with full access to the world-famous Golden Eagle Festival. Designed for travelers seeking deep cultural immersion rather than staged performances, this tour takes you into the heart of Kazakh nomadic life in western Mongolia.
The journey begins in Ulgii, the cultural center of Mongolia’s Kazakh community. From here, you travel into the remote countryside to stay with a real eagle hunter family. Living alongside them, you will learn how golden eagles are trained, handled, and cared for, and gain insight into a tradition passed down through generations. You will witness eagle training and experience real hunting on horseback across the open steppe, following authentic methods still practiced today.
After your immersive countryside experience, return to Ulgii to join your host eagle hunter as he prepares to compete in the Golden Eagle Festival. Over two full days, you will witness powerful eagle hunting competitions, traditional nomadic sports, vibrant Kazakh costumes, and emotional ceremonies. Unlike many cultural events around the world, this festival is not staged for tourism—every participant is a real hunter, and every competition reflects living tradition.
This tour is ideal for culture lovers, photographers, and adventurous travelers. It offers exceptional opportunities to capture eagles in flight, hunters on horseback, and intimate moments of nomadic family life, set against the dramatic landscapes of the Altai Mountains. Traveling in a remote region far from mass tourism, you will experience a way of life that has changed little over centuries.
The Golden Eagle Festival Tour is more than a festival visit—it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness one of the world’s last remaining human–eagle hunting traditions while directly supporting local communities and preserving an endangered cultural heritage.
⭐ Golden Eagle festival tour highlights:
- 🦅 Live with a Real Eagle Hunter Family
- Stay with an authentic Kazakh eagle hunter family in the countryside and experience daily nomadic life, traditions, and hospitality that have remained unchanged for generations.
- 🏹 Hands-On Eagle Hunting Experience
- Witness and participate in real golden eagle hunting on horseback, learning traditional techniques used to hunt fox, corsac fox, and small game in the open steppe.
- 🎓 Learn Eagle Training & Care
- Observe how golden eagles are trained, handled, and prepared for hunting, and understand the deep bond between hunter and bird.
- 🎉 Attend Both Days of the Golden Eagle Festival
- Enjoy full access to the Golden Eagle Festival, including opening and closing ceremonies, competitions, and traditional games.
- 👘 Authentic Kazakh Culture & Costumes
- See real traditional clothing, horse gear, and eagle equipment used in everyday nomadic life—not costumes made for tourism.
- 🐎 Traditional Nomadic Sports
- Watch thrilling competitions such as Kokpar, Kyz Kuar, Shyrga Tartu, horse racing, camel racing, archery, and ancient horseback games.
- 📸 Outstanding Photography Opportunities
- Capture powerful images of eagles in flight, hunters on horseback, colorful festival scenes, and intimate family life in remote landscapes.
- 🏔 Remote Altai Landscapes
- Explore the vast steppe and mountain scenery of western Mongolia, far from mass tourism and modern development.
- 🤝 Support a Competing Eagle Hunter
- Travel alongside and support your host eagle hunter as he competes in the festival—an emotional and uniquely local experience.
- 🥘 Traditional Kazakh Cuisine
- Enjoy home-cooked meals, including the iconic Besbarmak, shared with nomadic families in an authentic setting.
- ✨ A Once-in-a-Lifetime Cultural Journey
- This is not a show—it is real nomadic life, real competition, and a living cultural heritage found in very few places on Earth.
Itinerary:
- 🍽 Meals: Lunch, Dinner
- 🏕 Overnight: Eagle Hunter Family (Traditional Homestay)
- 🚗 Driving Distance: ~100 km
- ⏱ Driving Time: 2–3 hours
✈️ Upon arrival at Ulgii Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by your local guide and experienced driver. Ulgii is the cultural center of Mongolia’s Kazakh community and the gateway to the Golden Eagle Festival.
🍽 After arrival, enjoy lunch in Ulgii city before departing into the countryside.
🚙 The drive takes you across wide-open steppe landscapes, rolling hills, and mountain scenery toward the home of a traditional Kazakh eagle hunter family.
🏡 Upon arrival, meet your host family and receive a warm Kazakh welcome. Learn about their daily nomadic lifestyle, livestock herding, and the deep-rooted tradition of golden eagle hunting passed down through generations.
🥘 In the evening, enjoy a special welcoming dinner of Besbarmak, the most important Kazakh traditional dish, prepared in honor of guests and shared communally with the family.
🌙 Overnight stay with the eagle hunter family, offering an authentic introduction to nomadic life far from modern tourism.
- 🍽 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- 🏕 Overnight: Eagle Hunter Family
🦅 Today is dedicated to understanding the foundation of golden eagle hunting.
🎓 In the morning, observe how golden eagles are handled, fed, and trained. Learn about the strong bond between hunter and eagle, how birds are captured and trained, and how skills are refined over many years.
🏹 Gain insight into traditional hunting equipment, clothing, saddles, and eagle gear—each item crafted for real daily use, not for display.
📸 Enjoy a relaxed and extended photo session with eagle hunters, their golden eagles, horses, and traditional Kazakh clothing against dramatic steppe and mountain backdrops.
🌙 Evening at leisure with the family, sharing stories around the stove and experiencing genuine nomadic hospitality.
- 🍽 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- 🏕 Overnight: Eagle Hunter Family
🐎 Today offers a real eagle hunting experience, following authentic traditional methods.
Ride on horseback alongside the eagle hunter and travel across open terrain while observing how eagles are released, recalled, and guided during hunts.
🦊 Golden eagles traditionally hunt fox, corsac fox, rabbits, and other small animals depending on weather and wildlife movement. This is a real hunting environment—not a staged demonstration.
📸 This day provides outstanding action photography opportunities, including eagles in flight, hunters on horseback, and powerful human–animal interaction.
🌙 Return to the family camp in the evening for dinner and rest, reflecting on one of the most unique cultural experiences in the world.
- 🍽 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- 🏨 Overnight: Hotel in Ulgii
- 🚗 Driving Distance: ~100 km
- ⏱ Driving Time: 2–3 hours
🚗 After breakfast, drive back to Ulgii city together with the eagle hunter, who will bring his eagle, horse, and equipment to prepare for the upcoming Golden Eagle Festival.
🎉 Experience the growing excitement as eagle hunters from remote regions arrive in town.
🤝 Support your host eagle hunter as he prepares for competition—an emotional and meaningful local experience rarely shared with travelers.
🏨 Check in to your hotel and enjoy a relaxed evening in Ulgii.
- 🍽 Meals: Breakfast
- 🏨 Overnight: Hotel in Ulgii
🚐 After breakfast, transfer to the festival grounds. Along the way, witness dozens of eagle hunters riding on horseback in full traditional Kazakh dress, golden eagles perched proudly on their arms.
🎊 The first day celebrates cultural identity, tradition, and ceremony.
🦅 Festival Day 1 Program
- 📋 Registration and credential verification of eagle hunters
- 🎊 Opening ceremony of the Annual Golden Eagle Festival
- 👘 Best Kazakh traditional costume competition
- 🦅 Best eagle equipment and horse harness competition
- 🏇 Horse race
- 🦅 Eagle adaptation competition (hunter–eagle bond)
- 🪙 Tenge Ily – traditional coin-grabbing game on horseback
- 🏹 Uriankhai traditional archery competition
- 💑 Best Kazakh costume competition for couples
- 🎶 Evening folk concert at the local theater in Ulgii
📸 A vibrant day filled with color, emotion, and cultural photography opportunities.
- 🍽 Meals: Breakfast
- 🏨 Overnight: Hotel in Ulgii
🚐 After breakfast, return to the festival grounds for the most competitive and action-filled day.
🎯 This day focuses on real hunting skills, speed, accuracy, and teamwork between hunter and eagle.
🦅 Festival Day 2 Program
- 🎯 Shyrga Tartu – eagle hunting competition judging speed and precision using a fox or rabbit-skin lure
- 🐪 Camel race
- 🏇 Kyz Kuar – traditional horseback chasing game
- 🎲 Continuation of traditional nomadic games
- 🐐 Kokpar (Kukhbar) – horseback competition over a goat skin
- 🏅 Award ceremony honoring festival champions
- 🎊 Official closing ceremony
📸 Outstanding opportunities for dramatic action photography and emotional moments as winners are crowned.
- 🍽 Meals: Breakfast
🚐 After breakfast, transfer to Ulgii Airport.
✈️ Flight back to Ulaanbaatar.
👋 End of an unforgettable journey into the heart of Kazakh nomadic culture and the world’s most authentic eagle hunting tradition.
ℹ️ Tour Notes – Golden Eagle festival tour
- 📅 Early booking is essential – Flights and hotels in Ulgii sell out quickly during the Golden Eagle Festival. Most tours are booked early in the year.
- ✈️ Limited domestic flights – Schedules between Ulaanbaatar and Ulgii may change due to weather.
- 🏨 Accommodation – Local hotels in Ulgii and a traditional eagle hunter family homestay with basic facilities.
- 🌦 Weather – Early October is cool to cold; wind and light snow are possible.
- 🚙 Road conditions – Countryside travel is on unpaved roads; driving times may vary.
- 🦅 Eagle hunting – Hunting activities depend on weather and wildlife and cannot be guaranteed.
- 📸 Photography – Excellent photo opportunities; protect gear from dust and cold.
🌍 Why Choose the Golden Eagle Festival Tour?
- 🦅 Real & Authentic – Travel with real Kazakh eagle hunters, real eagles, and living traditions—not a staged show.
- 🏡 Deep Cultural Immersion – Stay with an eagle hunter family and experience true nomadic life in the countryside.
- 🎉 Full Festival Access – Attend both official days of the Golden Eagle Festival.
- 🏹 Hands-On Hunting Experience – Witness real eagle training and hunting on horseback.
- 📸 Exceptional Photography – Eagles in flight, nomads on horseback, powerful cultural moments.
- 🏔 Remote & Unspoiled – Western Mongolia’s Altai region, far from mass tourism.
- 🤝 Support Local Communities – Your visit directly supports eagle hunter families and cultural preservation.
🎒 What to Bring for Golden Eagle festival tour
- 🧥 Warm layered clothing – Thermal layers, fleece or down jacket
- 💨 Windproof jacket – Essential for open steppe and festival grounds
- 🧢 Cold-weather accessories – Hat, gloves, scarf
- 👟 Comfortable shoes or boots – Warm and suitable for uneven ground
- 📸 Camera & accessories – Extra batteries, memory cards, lens protection
- 🎒 Daypack – For daily essentials
- 🧴 Personal items – Toiletries, sunscreen, lip balm, hand sanitizer
- 💊 Medications – Personal medicine and basic first-aid items
- 🔌 Electronics – Power bank, chargers, travel adapter
- 📄 Documents – Passport, visa (if required), travel insurance copy
- 💵 Cash – Limited ATMs outside Ulgii
❓ FAQs – Golden Eagle Festival Tour
- 🦅 What is the Golden Eagle Festival?
- An annual cultural festival where Kazakh eagle hunters compete using trained golden eagles, preserving an ancient nomadic tradition.
- 📍 Where is the festival held?
- Near Ulgii, western Mongolia.
- 📅 When does it take place?
- Usually in early October each year (exact dates may vary).
- ✈️ How do we get to Ulgii?
- By domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar. Flights are limited during festival time.
- 🏡 What accommodation is used?
- A mix of local hotels in Ulgii and a traditional eagle hunter family homestay in the countryside.
- 🌦 What is the weather like?
- Cool to cold, especially mornings and evenings. Wind and light snow are possible.
- 📸 Is this tour good for photography?
- Yes. It offers some of the best cultural and action photography opportunities in the world.
- 🧭 Is the tour physically demanding?
- No. Easy to moderate pace with light walking and some long drives.
- 🦅 Is eagle hunting guaranteed?
- Eagle hunting depends on weather and wildlife movement and cannot be guaranteed.
- 💰 When should I book?
- Early booking is essential—most tours are reserved at the beginning of the year.