EAGLE FESTIVAL TOUR GALLERY










The Golden Eagle Festival is an annual event that takes place in Bayan-Ulgii province, located in western Mongolia, just as the winter hunting season begins. The festival celebrates the fascinating tradition of golden eagle hunting, where hunters from different regions of the province gather to showcase their skills and the bond between them and their birds.
The Golden Eagle Festival is held in three different locations, each at a different time.
Nomadic Trails, a travel agency, is offering a six-day, five-night Golden Eagle Festival tour in 2024. The tour will take place during the third festival, which is the Ulgii Golden Eagle Festival in October. The tour will have up to 100 Kazakh participants, and you will have the opportunity to be a part of this unique festival and create your own trails.
Create your own trails with Nomadic Trails!
This day is our international arrival day. Depending on your arrival time we can visit the National history museum with priceless treasures of Mongolian history. We will also visit and explore the main square of Ulaanbaatar city called Sukhbaatar square located a short walking distance away from our hotel. An authentic folk concert is also available in the evening.
Welcome dinner. Hotel /L,D/
Today after our check-out from the hotel, we drive to the local airport for our local domestic flight. Our flight destination is Bayan Ulgii, the westernmost province of Mongolia. After landing, we will have lunch at a local Turkish restaurant and try out the delectable local cuisine.
After our arrival, we transfer to a ger camp in the vicinity of Tolbo lake. With a short drive, we will have a welcome dinner with a local Eagle family where we will get to know the lifestyle and culture of Kazakh people and especially how Eagle Masters and hunters train their eagles. After a delightful evening, we will return to the ger camp to rest before the Festival scheduled for the next day. Ger camp /B,L,D/
Our morning starts with a hearty breakfast and a short drive to the festival site.
The festival starts with a parade where Eagle Hunters march proudly with their Eagles sitting proudly on their outstretched arm. Dressed in their traditional clothes, they make a truly amazing sight to behold.
We will spend the whole day at the Festival area bustling with activity. Lunch at the festival site. During the several competitions, we get the amazing opportunity to see and capture on your camera lens the skill of the Eagle hunter and their trusted eagle. Ger camp /B,L,D/
This beautiful morning, we visit the Festival area again as we still have half a festival to finish.
On the second day of the Golden Eagle Festival, masters and eagles who have proven their skill and speed on the first day have more competitions to test who is the best among them. After lunch at the Festival site, experience more equine games such as Kiz Kuar, Tug of war where participants test their skill and speed on horses.
After this amazing experience, we return to Ulgii town from the landing destination of our domestic flight and visit the local open market. Ger camp /B,L,D/
This day will have an adjustable schedule as we take a local flight back to Ulaanbaatar city.
Depending on our flight schedule, we will have a free evening with some souvenir shopping and have a farewell dinner with Nomadic Trails. Hotel /B,L,D/
On this day we transfer you to your international departure.
Our wilderness camp was within walking distance of the festival grounds in an open valley near a small stream offering serenity with sweeping views of the valley. The Ger I stayed in was very nice and private.
Great cooking staff and food and the opportunity to meet tribal elders and be hosted and entertained by local and regional nomadic eagle hunters. Options for horseback riding and other private eagle hunter encounters.
If you are looking for a more intimate eagle festival experience, I highly recommend traveling with Nomadic Trails.
thanks to Nomadic Trails. Tulga and everyone on his team were so accommodating to any of our requests and even helped us navigate our way through the local market and barter for souvenirs. Truly delicious food as well at every stop. Phenomenal all around. Thank y’all for everything! Unbelievable experience in Mongolia!
Our entire trip was well organised and our needs catered for. I highly recommend Nomadic Trails to anyone who wishes to discover Mongolia.
for 8 days through the steppe camping over night or staying with local families in their gers.
I was very impressed with the staff and the thought they put into our itinerary, and considerations for our comfort. They erected our tents for us each night so that we could relax after our days ride.
The food, even in the outback was good, the contacts that the team had with local people enriched our experiences, (especially when plans changed last minute due to unforeseen weather moving in across the mountains).
This was a most interesting trip and the knowledge of the staff made it even more enriching. I would like to return to other parts of Mongolia in future and would travel again with the team at Nomadic Trails, they are professional, fun, informative and friendly. Can highly recommend.
of our tour where on every occasion we had comfortable, modern and clean transport waiting for us wherever we went and never did we have to wait for our meals either.
As a vegetarian, my needs were completely met on every occasion with no fuss. All of our accommodation was also very comfortable, and whilst sleeping in gers, we even had staff members light our fireplace to ensure that we slept warm during each night. Not only was the service exceptional, but it was also incredibly friendly where we were always greeted with a smile and warmth. Our tour guide Tulga was very entertaining and extremely knowledgeable.
I would personally book a tour with Nomadic Trails again in a heartbeat!
The baggage allowance for a domestic flight in Mongolia is 15kgs in total: 10kg for check-in luggage and 5kg for hand luggage. For extra luggage, you pay 3000-5000 Tugriks (local currency) per extra kilogram.
In Mongolia, electrical plug types vary. Most are Type C and Type E with 2 round holes.
For this specific trip, you will be able to charge your phones in the car while we drive from one location to another or at a ger camp. For ger stays, you might not have many opportunities on charging your electronics, so please make sure to bring extra sets of batteries for your camera as well as power banks in your hand luggage.
For this specific tour – Golden Eagle Festival Tour, you do not need to bring a sleeping bag as you will spend three days in Ulgii town in a ger camp.
As we will be staying right near the festival site, many Eagle hunters can also visit us for dinner as well as take photos with you. Photo shooting after or before the festival is available. Normally it costs by hour or daily. It will be from 15 USD per hour to 40 USD per day per Eagle Hunter.
On each Nomadic Trails trip, we offer our clients the best experience possible. Our guides and Eagle Masters would give you instructions on how to hold an eagle properly.
Western Mongolia has a wide range of handicrafts or souvenirs made by Mongolians and Kazakhs. There are local souvenir shops are available in Ulgii town. All these shop owners bring their goods to the Festival sites. So, you will have a variety of choices in the area.