5-days 4-nights
Daily Tour
12 people
English
Step beyond the large-scale festivals and into the heart of the tradition. The Altai Town Golden Eagle Festival Tour 2026 offers an intimate, community-powered experience from September 12–15. With just 35-40 master hunters and their eagles, this gathering in a town of 5,000 is where the ancient Kazakh culture is lived, not performed. Organized in partnership with the local Eagle Hunters Association, your visit directly supports the families who keep this heritage alive.
This is the 8th annual local festival (since 2017), created by and for the community. Unlike commercial events, here you’re a welcomed guest at a celebration of skill and lineage, hosted at a community-run ger camp built with pride by local families.
Your Immersive Accommodation Experience
–Option A: Homestay with an Eagle Hunter Family
Live with a master hunter. Share daily meals, hear generational stories, and witness the profound human-eagle bond in a deeply personal setting.
-Option B: The Community Festival Ger Camp
Stay in a unique, temporary ger camp where local families compete in hospitality and craftsmanship. Each beautifully decorated ger is a source of family pride. 100% of your accommodation cost goes directly to these families.
Seamless Travel: Included flights Ulaanbaatar ⇄ Ulgii on festival dates.
Full Accommodation: Gers in Altai Town + ger camp/hotel in Ulgii.
All Meals: Traditional Kazakh cuisine throughout.
Full Festival Access: All events, competitions, and ceremonies.
Private Transfers: All ground transport in Western Mongolia.
Expert Guidance: Professional English-speaking guide and local handlers.
Our pricing reflects true cost-sharing and direct community support.
Group of 5: $1,390 per person
Group of 4: $1,450 per person
Group of 3: $1,575 per person
Prices based on double occupancy. Final quote may vary slightly with preferences.
Direct Partnership: We co-organize this festival with the Eagle Hunters Association.
Sustainable Model: Profits fund the community ger camp and local projects.
Cultural Integrity: We facilitate respectful, genuine exchanges, not staged performances.
Logistical Excellence: Over a decade of expertise in remote Western Mongolia.
Ready for an unfiltered cultural experience? Spaces in this intimate festival are very limited.
Contact festival specialist Tulga to book or request the detailed itinerary:
📧 tulga@nomadictrails.com
📱 WhatsApp: +976 99040894
After breakfast, we transfer to the local airport and take a flight to Ulgii town (please bear in mind, that flight time is only an estimate). Have lunch at a local Turkish restaurant.
we drive through the mountains and arrive at Altay town. We ride a horse to Golden Eagle Hunters and do some photo shooting with them. All day with Golden Eagle Masters. We head to our gers in the evening. Dinner with Golden Eagle masters. Ger stay /B,L,D/
/If anyone would like to ride a car, it is possible. Horse riding is not mandatory, so simply notify your tour guide/
After a filling breakfast, we go on a short drive to the “Golden Eagle Hunters Festival of Altai” festival site.
The competition begins with a parade of Eagle hunters in their traditional hunting outfits and accessories with their Eagles perched on their arms. The most elaborate and beautiful adornments of the hunters receive the highest marks, so the hunters are all dressed to truly impress.
The parade is closely followed by thrilling competitions. The Golden Eagles are evaluated for their speed, agility, and accuracy. This festival which continues for 2 days, provides a unique opportunity to be close and be part of the festivity and to photograph. We organize lunch at the festival area and dinner in Ulgii town. Ger stay /B,L,D/
Today, another day with more equine games such as mounted horse archery, woman horse competitions, and of course Eagle competitions.
Afterward, there will be award-giving ceremonies. With the closing ceremony, the Golden Eagle Festival will be concluded. Ger stay /B,L,D/
After an early morning photo shooting with the Eagle hunters, we drive to Ulgii town. Do take some nature photographs on our way back as the mountainous scenery that we pass through is simply stunning. After lunch in the town, we have an opportunity to visit the local market. Ger camp. /B,L,D/
This morning we take a flight back to Ulaanbaatar. After transferring to the hotel we have a free evening with some souvenir shopping. Hotel /B,L,D/
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.
At the ger camps with generators, electricity will be available for a certain amount of time and turn them off during the night. Some ger camps can be connected to the local town’s electricity, so they can also have electricity all night. In Mongolia, electrical plug types vary. Most are Type C and Type E with 2 round holes.
Ger camps do not provide toiletries. Please make sure to bring your travel toiletries. For your own comfort and usage, it is good to also bring towels. A travel towel that is compact, very absorbent, and fast-drying is the best.
For your own comfort and usage, please make sure to bring sleeping bags. However, as the local flight baggage limit is only 15kg, you can rent a sleeping bag from us. Please make sure to check with us beforehand.
Water will always be provided, but personal water bottles that keep their temperature are highly recommended and requested.
Hot water can be requested from the Ger camps. Your tour guide can request them for you should you require hot water. For the duration of the trip outside Ulaanbaatar city, you will be dining at the ger camp and on a few occasions picnic lunch during stops from driving between destinations.
On day 3 of the trip, you will have several opportunities to take photos of and with the Eagle Masters. As we will be staying right near the festival site, many Eagle hunters can also visit us for dinner as well as take photos.
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.
It is one of the amazing experiences working with 3-5, maybe more Eagle Hunters for photo shootings. Usually, we work 2-3 hours at most. If we think we may need more work, always available.
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.
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.
Not so much available at this specific Altai festival, so it is better to buy them in Ulgii town.
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