This journey will immerse you into untouched beautiful nature and the rich cultural heritage of western Mongolia. It’s a great opportunity to meet the various ethnic minorities like Muslim Kazakh people with their traditions and etiquette. On this trip, you will witness the special Golden Eagle Festival where the Eagle hunters show off their hunting skills.
Ulaanbaatar – Ulgii town – Sagsai – Golden Eagle Festival – Ulgii town – Ulaanbaatar
We will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport which will take a flight to Ulgii town, the centre of Bayan-Ulgii province by the domestic airline. Our local staff will greet and welcome you at the airport. Then we will head to the Sagsai, and visit the Kazakh family’s settlement. You will notice that the dwelling of Kazakh people is slightly different from the Mongolian ger or yurt, which is decorated with brightly coloured rugs. We will enjoy their hospitality and learn more about their culture. You will also observe the traditional technology to make colourful rugs. In the afternoon we go to the highlight of the day to have “Bisparmak” which is the original Kazakh dish for highly respected guests! Stay overnight in a local hotel. L
This day you will enjoy “The Golden Eagle Festival”. About 11.00am enjoy the Opening ceremony of the festival, as commences the participants join the parade on horseback riding with their eagles. The competition begins with each Kazakh displaying his hunting outfit and accessories. The most elaborate and beautiful clothing and accessories are given the highest points. In the afternoon, the Golden Eagles will be evaluated for their speed and agility. We’ll be staying overnight in a local hotel. BL
Prepare for some exciting action today! The Golden Eagles will be released from a cliff to attack fox skins that will be dragged by their owner on a horseback. The eagles will be judged on their success of grabbing the “fox”, their speed, and “gripping” technique. As the points for the competitions are being tallied, the Kazakhs will compete in their traditional game called “kekbar”- passing goat skin which tests one’s horse riding skills, strength and agility at the same time. In the late afternoon the winners of the festival will be nominated at the awards ceremony. You will stay overnight in a local hotel. BL
After breakfast, we will transfer you to a local airport taking a flight back to Ulaanbaatar. Upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar city, we will drop you off at the location of your choice in the city. End of the service. B
Price Per Person: | 1 Pax | $2690 | |
2-3 Pax | $2290 | ||
4-5 Pax | $2190 | ||
Single Supplement: | NA |
Private tour: This trip is available as a private tour too, and you can book it on any day of your choice for you and your family or friends. Just email us with your proposed dates and your group size for pricing.
Occupancy: Single occupancy may not be possible during the Eagle festival (15th Sep -8th Oct) at the community gers and hotels. Single occupancy at the hotel requires an extra supplement as shown in the above table.
Travel arrangements: We are happy to book your international or domestic flight/train tickets or accommodation in Ulaanbaatar at discount prices, please contact us for availability.
More information: info@tourmongolia.com
Joining point
Your guide and driver will pick you up at the location you confirmed with us in advance. It can be your accommodation, airport or train station in Ulaanbaatar. The pick-up time will be stated in the confirmation document/or a single email we will send you after the booking is made.
Joining point instructions
Meet your tour guide who holds a welcoming board with your name(s) shown. It is your responsibility to advise us of your accommodation, number of flights/or train and carriage numbers in advance.
Problems and emergency contact information
In the case of an emergency or concerns about a missed pick-up, please contact us on cell phones at (+976) 99008467 or (+976) 9909 8467.
For all other enquiries and outback tour services, please call our office team at (+976) 11 35 46 62.
Your guide and driver will drop you off at the location you confirmed with us in advance. It can be your accommodation, airport or train station in Ulaanbaatar.
All travelers must obtain a visa before traveling to Mongolia. Some nationalities can obtain visa at the airport, however it requires an application through us to the Immigration Authority of Mongolia in advance.
Please check the following website for your nationalities requirements. www.consul.mn
Travelers with special dietary requirements or food allergies must inform at the time of booking. Due to the nature of our trips, food is basic. We are able to provide vegetarian, vegan, gluten free food to our clients. However religious dietary requirements and specifically sourced foods are unable to be catered for remote trips.
Inclusive meals in your trip as indicated B, L, D with per day itinerary. On most days, breakfast, lunch and dinner will be included. For expedition trip, your service team will prepare meals. You will have an opportunity to assist with cook and learn how to make Mongolian traditional meal. As well as your help on daily activities such as setting up dining camp, prepare meals and clearing dishes is much appreciated.
It is also available to have and taste traditional dairy products such as yogurt /Mongolian name is tarag/, dried milk curds /aaruul/, milk tea /suutei tsai/, fermented mare’s milk wine /airag/, sour cream /tsotsgii/ and cheese /byaslag/ when you visit nomad herder families.
Generally, in Mongolia water quality is good. But you are advised to buy mineral water with big bottles from shops, food markets and kiosks in capital and many of the provinces centers and tourist Ger camps in the countryside. Mineral or bottled water usually exclude in our offers since we try to produce as less garbage as possible. But in other hand we provide well plenty of drinks like tea and coffee during our trips.
Depending on your trip in countryside, you will have different type of accommodations including tourist Ger camps, community based Eco Ger camp and nomad Ger homes or tents.
Normally, three or four beds are in one Ger and 2 people will share a tent. And the Ger camp provides restaurant/bar, western-style toilet, washing facilities and showers. Low-impact eco, community based Ger camps provide composting toilet and shower where available.
Nomad home condition is very basic, none of shower, a ground hole surrounded with side covers as used for composting toilet.
For expedition trips with tent stays, we provide good quality light spacious tent of 3people for twin occupancy. And as well we provide other gears including foldable mattress, ground sheet tarpaulin, toilet tent, sometimes shower tent and dining tent for groups with more than 5 parties, kitchen equipment, table and chairs depending on the trip conditions.
All travelers in expeditions trips are advised to bring own sleeping bags according to hygienic reasons.
Mongolia is a big country! Here in Mongolia we’re used to driving long distances between destinations. An advantage of driving trip you can travel through different zones and enjoy vast open spaces with natural contrasts within several days. During the trip, approximately it takes 5-8 hours driving from one to next destination. Each 1-1.5 hours, we have short stop frequently for photographs, toilets, stretch and meet with local nomads.
In the countryside, we use 4WD vehicles, specially, Russian minivans and Japanese jeep and minivans. Normally, 2-3 people can seat in one jeep with luggage. The Russian minivan has capacity of 6 people with luggage and Japanese minivan can take up to 4 people with luggage.
All vehicles used in our tours are insured and carefully prepared before departures. Our drivers are also good mechanics, have many years of experience for driving through unmarked, unpaved bumpy roads in the countryside.
The Mongolian currency is called Tugrug (MNT). Please refer recent rates on
www.bloomberg.com/markets/currencies
Credit and debit cards are accepted in Ulaanbaatar and center of the provinces.
Automatic teller machines (ATMs) are common in central areas.
– Refill bottle: Please bring your own water bottle to refill along the way. We recommend at least a 1.5litre capacity. We encourage our clients not to use small bottled water when traveling in countryside.
– Battery: Trips with stays in Ger camps have access to power to recharge batteries for phones and cameras every couple of days. We would like to recommend to bring an extra battery for your camera. For expedition trips, most handy item is solar charger.
– Headlamp: A headlamp or torch is useful at night time. Some Ger camps have limited lighting and are powered by generators that switch off at a certain time.
– Pack: Please ensure you pack appropriately according to season and temperature. Warm jacket, thermals, underpants, woollen hat is advisable for the colder months. Please refer our “Pre travel advisory” document with detail information regarding temperatures during your travel time.
– Luggage: Please pack smart. Due to the domestic flight luggage limitation, a passenger can carry maximum of 15 kg including hand baggage. Excess luggage will be charged according to airlines fee.
– Tour guide: The aim of the guide is to help you have the best trip possible. Your guide will provide information on the places you are travelling through, organize things to do and see according to the itinerary, lead the group including travelers and service staff. The guide will provide you all relevant information for options and introduce you to our nomad herders along the way.
– Safety: We will provide you relevant information on safety before and during the trip. As well as we would like to recommend that you check your government’s advice for their latest travel information before departure and ensure that your travel insurance covers you for all areas your itinerary covers. Travel insurance is compulsory for joining all our trips.
– Responsible Travel: Being a responsible tour operator is at the heart of what our company is all about. We committed to offering low-impact tours that benefit traveler and host alike. Thanks to our clients support (who paid for tours) we work with local communities, businesses and individuals to develop sustainable tourism opportunities that help local economies while minimizing negative environmental and cultural impacts. Please find more information: www.tourmongolia.com/who we are/about us
– Community projects: We are pleased to combine your trip route to destinations where our local supporting projects run. Please advice us your wish in advance.
As you will note, all our tours are graded to help you decide whether they’re right for you. The grading is as follows:
– EASY: A basic level of fitness is required, the tour is generally easy-paced.
– MODERATE: Within the capability of anyone leading a normal active life. However, involves more walking or tiring journey.
– ACTIVE: These tours may involve considerable walking and long travel days.
– STRENUOS: These tours may include different energetic activities.
– CHALLENGING: A high level of fitness is required. It may contains high altitude trek or rope climbing.
Golden Eagle Festival it’s great opportunity experiencing eagle hunt and how to train their eagles, and learning Kazakh culture.
It was excellent trip. The highlight was the Eagle are hunting fake fox, and also understanding western Mongolian Ethnic groups culture.