🦅 Sagsai Eagle Festival & Altai Tavan Bogd National Park Tour – 10 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 immersive 10-day journey takes you deep into far western Mongolia, where dramatic high-altitude landscapes meet one of the world’s most remarkable living traditions—Kazakh eagle hunting. The tour thoughtfully combines raw wilderness exploration in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park with genuine cultural encounters in Sagsai village, culminating in two unforgettable days at the Sagsai Eagle Festival.
Your adventure begins in Ulgii, the heart of Mongolia’s Kazakh region, before venturing into the remote Altai Mountains. Here, you travel through vast steppe, glacial valleys, and alpine meadows to reach Mongolia’s highest peaks. Horse-assisted trekking brings you to panoramic viewpoints overlooking Potanin Glacier and Khuiten Peak, the country’s highest mountain—places few travelers ever see.
As the journey continues, you discover the serene beauty of Khoton Lake, hike to the forest-hidden Baga Turgen Waterfall, and explore ancient Turkic stone monuments and petroglyphs that reveal the deep nomadic history of the Altai. Nights are spent in a mix of ger camps, wilderness camps, and traditional homestays, offering comfort while keeping you close to nature.
A defining highlight of the tour is staying with real Kazakh eagle hunter families. Living alongside them in Sagsai village allows you to learn how golden eagles are trained, handled, and respected as hunting partners—a tradition passed down through generations. These intimate days provide rare insight into daily nomadic life, family values, and the spiritual bond between hunter and eagle.
The experience reaches its peak during two full days at the Sagsai Eagle Festival, one of the most authentic eagle hunting events in Mongolia. Unlike larger, more commercial festivals, Sagsai remains deeply local and skill-focused. You’ll witness eagle releases (Shyrga Tartu), horse and camel races, archery, traditional games, and ceremonial gatherings—all set against the vast Altai landscape.
Balanced in pace and rich in content, this tour is ideal for cultural travelers, photographers, and adventure seekers looking for a genuine connection with Mongolia’s land and people. It is not a luxury experience, but a meaningful expedition—raw, honest, and unforgettable—into one of the last strongholds of true nomadic eagle-hunting culture.
⭐ Highlights – Sagsai Eagle Festival Tour
- 🦅 Two Full Days at the Sagsai Eagle Festival: Witness real Kazakh eagle hunters compete in traditional skills—Shyrga Tartu, horse & camel races, archery, and nomadic games in a small, authentic setting.
- 🏔️ Altai Tavan Bogd National ParkWilderness: Explore Mongolia’s highest and wildest region—glaciers, alpine valleys, and dramatic peaks far from tourist crowds.
- ❄️ Potanin Glacier & Khuiten Peak Views: Horse-assisted trekking to panoramic viewpoints of Mongolia’s largest glacier and highest mountain.
- 🌊 Khoton Lake& Ancient Heritage: Crystal-clear alpine lake framed by snow-capped peaks, plus Turkic stones, burial mounds, and petroglyphs.
- 💧 Baga Turgen Waterfall Hike: A scenic forest hike to one of the Altai’s most beautiful waterfalls.
- 🏡 Eagle Hunter Family Homestays: Live with real Kazakh eagle hunters in Sagsai village—learn training methods, daily life, and traditions passed down generations.
- 🍖 Traditional Kazakh Cuisine: Enjoy home-cooked meals including ceremonial Besbarmak with champion eagle hunter families.
- 📸 Outstanding Photography Access: Close-up portraits, action shots of eagles in flight, sweeping mountain landscapes, and intimate cultural moments.
- 🕒 Well-Balanced Pace: Comfortable travel days with light hiking, scenic drives, and ample time for cultural immersion and photography.
- 🌍 One Complete Altai Experience: Mountains + culture + festival + homestays—everything that defines western Mongolia in a single journey.
Itinerary:
- 🚗 Distance: ~200 km
- ⏱️ Driving Time: ~5 hours
- 🍽️ Meals: 🥗 Lunch | 🍲 Dinner
- 🏕️ Accommodation: Nomadic Ger Camp / Yurt / Tent
✈️ Upon arrival at Ulgii Airport, you are warmly welcomed by your local guide and driver. After lunch and a short tour briefing, begin your scenic journey toward Altai Tavan Bogd National Park.
🚙 The drive passes vast open steppe, nomadic herder camps, grazing yaks, and dramatic mountain backdrops.
🌄 Evening arrival near the park gate, followed by dinner and your first overnight surrounded by untouched wilderness.
- 🥾 Hiking Distance: ~12 km (round trip)
- ⏱️ Hiking Time: ~6 hours
- 🍽️ Meals: 🍳 Breakfast | 🥪 Picnic Lunch | 🍛 Dinner
🏕️ Accommodation: Nomadic Ger Camp / Yurt / Tent
🐎 After breakfast, begin a horse-assisted trek into the high Altai. Horses carry supplies while you hike comfortably through alpine valleys and glacial streams.
❄️ Reach a spectacular viewpoint overlooking Potanin Glacier and Khuiten Peak, Mongolia’s highest mountain.
📸 Enjoy a picnic lunch with breathtaking panoramic views before hiking back to camp.
🕊️ Afternoon at leisure for rest, photography, or short walks.
- 🚗 Distance: ~160 km
- ⏱️ Driving Time: ~4 hours
- 🍽️ Meals: 🍳 Breakfast | 🥗 Lunch | 🍲 Dinner
- 🏕️ Accommodation: Nomadic Ger Camp / Yurt / Tent
🚙 Travel through wide glacial valleys toward Khoton Lake, one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in Mongolia.
🗿 En route, stop at Turkic stone monuments and ancient burial mounds, evidence of early nomadic civilizations.
🌊 Arrive at Khoton Lake in the afternoon and relax by its crystal-clear waters surrounded by snow-capped peaks.
- 🚗 Driving Distance: ~15 km
- ⏱️ Driving Time: ~30 minutes
- 🥾 Hiking Distance: ~6 km (round trip)
- ⏱️ Hiking Time: ~3 hours
- 🍽️ Meals: 🍳 Breakfast | 🍖 Lunch (Nomadic Family) | 🍲 Dinner
🏕️ Accommodation: Nomadic Ger Camp / Yurt / Tent
🥾 Short drive to the trailhead, followed by a scenic hike to Baga Turgen Waterfall, hidden in forested mountain slopes.
🏡 Lunch with a local Kazakh nomadic family, learning about herding traditions and daily life.
🪨 Afternoon exploration of ancient petroglyphs carved into rocks around Khoton Lake.
- 🚗 Distance: ~160 km
- ⏱️ Driving Time: ~5 hours
- 🍽️ Meals: 🍳 Breakfast | 🥗 Lunch | 🍛 Dinner
- 🏡 Accommodation: Eagle Hunter Family Homestay
🚙 Leave the national park and drive toward Sagsai village, one of the strongest centers of Kazakh eagle hunting.
🦅 Meet your host eagle hunter family and their golden eagle.
📸 Photo session with eagles, horses, and traditional Kazakh clothing.
🔥 Dinner and overnight with the family, experiencing genuine nomadic hospitality.
- 🚗 Distance: Local travel only
- 🍽️ Meals: 🍳 Breakfast | 🥗 Lunch | 🍛 Dinner
- 🏡 Accommodation: Eagle Hunter Family Homestay
🦅 Spend the entire day with your host family.
Learn how eagles are trained, fed, carried, and prepared for hunting and festivals.
🎓 Discover the spiritual and cultural importance of eagle hunting passed down through generations.
📸 One of the best days for close-up cultural photography.
- 🚗 Distance: ~20–40 km
- ⏱️ Driving Time: ~1 hour
- 🍽️ Meals: 🍳 Breakfast
- 🏨 Accommodation: Local Hotel or Ger Camp
🐎 Travel together with eagle hunters to the festival grounds.
🎊 Opening day focuses on ceremony and tradition.
Festival Program – Day 1:
- • 📝 Registration & credentials
- • 🎤 Opening ceremony
- • 👘 Best Kazakh traditional costume
- • 🦅 Best eagle & horse harness
- • 🐎 Horse races
- • 🦅 Eagle adaptation competition
- • 💰 Tenge Ily (coin grabbing on horseback)
- • 🏹 Uriankhai archery
- 🚗 Distance: ~20–40 km
- ⏱️ Driving Time: ~1 hour
- 🍽️ Meals: 🍳 Breakfast
- 🏨 Accommodation: Local Hotel or Ger Camp
🔥 The most exciting festival day.
Festival Program – Day 2:
- • 🦅 Shyrga Tartu (eagles released from hilltops)
- • 🐪 Camel race
- • 🐎 Kyz Kuar horseback game
- • 💪 Kokpar (goat-skin tug-of-war)
- • 🏅 Award ceremony
- • 🎉 Closing ceremony
📸 Exceptional action and portrait photography opportunities.
- 🚗 Distance: ~120 km
- ⏱️ Driving Time: ~2–3 hours
- 🍽️ Meals: 🍳 Breakfast | 🍖 Lunch | 🍽️ Farewell Dinner
- 🏨 Accommodation: Local Hotel in Ulgii
🏡 Visit the champion eagle hunter family from the festival.
🍖 Enjoy ceremonial Besbarmak, the most important Kazakh traditional dish.
📸 Final photo session and cultural exchange.
🚙 Afternoon return to Ulgii and 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 & stays in Ulgii
- 🏕️ Stay: Ger camps, tents, local hotels & eagle hunter homestays
- 🌦️ Weather: Cool & mostly dry; cold mornings/evenings
- 🚗 Roads: Off-road travel; times may vary
- 🥾 Level: Easy to moderate; light hiking
- 🦅 Festival: Fixed schedule; hunting demos weather-dependent
- 📸 Photos: Ask permission for close portraits
🌍 Why Choose the Sagsai Eagle Festival?
- 🦅 Most Authentic Eagle Festival: Experience the Sagsai Eagle Festival, a small, community-based event focused on real hunting skills—not staged shows.
- 🏔️ Mongolia’s Wildest Mountains: Explore Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, home to glaciers, alpine lakes, and Mongolia’s highest peaks.
- 🏡 Live with Eagle Hunters: Stay with genuine Kazakh eagle hunter families in Sagsai village and learn traditions passed down for generations.
- 🦅 Deep Cultural Access: Go beyond festivals—see eagle training, daily nomadic life, and ceremonial meals like Besbarmak.
- 🎉 Two Full Festival Days: Enjoy every major competition, ceremony, and celebration without rushing.
- 📸 Exceptional Photography: Unmatched access to hunters, eagles in flight, and dramatic Altai landscapes.
- 🕒 Well-Balanced Pace: Comfortable itinerary combining light hiking, scenic drives, and cultural immersion.
- 🌍 One Complete Altai Experience: Nature + culture + homestays + festival—everything that defines western Mongolia in one journey.
🎒 What to Bring
- 🧥 Warm layers – Thermal base layers, fleece, insulated jacket
- 💨 Windproof / waterproof jacket – Weather can change quickly
- 🧢 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 – Modest, comfortable clothes for homestays
- 🎒 Small daypack – For daily hikes and festival days
- 📸 Camera & spare batteries – Cold drains batteries fast
- 🔋 Power bank & chargers
- 🧴 Personal toiletries & wet wipes
- 💊 Personal medication & basic first-aid
- 📄 Travel documents – Passport, visa (if required), insurance copy
- 💵 Cash – Limited ATMs outside Ulgii
Optional: Sunglasses, scarf/neck warmer, thermos, headlamp, small gifts for host families.
❓ FAQs – Sagsai Eagle Festival Tour
- 🦅 What is the Sagsai Eagle Festival?
- The Sagsai Eagle Festival is a traditional Kazakh event where real eagle hunters compete in authentic hunting skills and nomadic games.
- 📅 When does the festival take place?
- Usually early to mid-September each year (exact dates confirmed closer to the event).
- 📍 Where does the tour take place?
- Western Mongolia: Sagsai village, Ulgii, and Altai Tavan Bogd National Park.
- ✈️ How do I reach Ulgii?
- By domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar. Seats are limited during festival season.
- 🏕️ What accommodation is used?
- A mix of ger camps, tents, local hotels, and eagle hunter family homestays—simple, clean, and authentic.
- 🥾 Is the tour physically difficult?
- No. The 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; cold mornings and evenings, especially in the mountains.
- 📸 Is this tour good for photography?
- Yes—excellent access to eagles, hunters, festivals, and dramatic Altai landscapes.
- 🕒 How early should I book?
- As early as possible. Flights and accommodation in Ulgii are very limited during festival time.