Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Mongolia: the Golden Eagle Festival and the Altai
10 days from Ulaanbaatar: fly west to Olgii for both days of the Golden Eagle Festival, a night with a Kazakh eagle-hunter family in the Altai foothills, then Terelj.
10 days · Round trip from Ulaanbaatar · up to 12 guests
A Kazakh eagle hunter and his golden eagle in Mongolia Photo: J bayarmagnai, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3Z3A3669.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Ulaanbaatar
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3.5 h on day 9No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Easy
Little walking: up to about 3 km a day on rough, uneven festival ground and short hill paths, at about 1,700 m in Olgii. The demands are cold and long hours outdoors on festival days, not distance; you can go back to the hotel at midday on either festival day.
- Meals included
- 9 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 7 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 980 (estimated price)
- Season
- One festival departure a year
Highlights
Why this trip
- Both days of the Golden Eagle Festival in Olgii, at the arena rail for the opening parade of mounted eagle hunters
- The eagle-calling event, when a golden eagle released from a ridge flies down to its owner's call
- A night with a Kazakh eagle-hunter family in the Sagsai valley, with dinner in their home and the eagle on its perch outside
- Morning with the family's eagle and horses, then a stop in the Altai foothills on the way back to Olgii
- Horse games at the festival: kokpar, the goat-skin tug of war, and the coin pick-up at a gallop
- Gandan Monastery at the morning prayers and an evening of throat singing in Ulaanbaatar, included
- The Chinggis Khaan statue and Terelj in autumn colour on the last full day
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 980 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3.5 h, on day 9.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar
Chinggis Khaan International Airport to your hotel in Ulaanbaatar
- Dinner
- Stay in Ulaanbaatar
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN), in a valley about 50 km south of the city, where a driver meets you for the hour or so into Ulaanbaatar. The capital sits at about 1,350 m along the Tuul River, a mix of Soviet-era blocks, glass towers, Buddhist temples and districts of gers on the hills around it. In early October the air is already sharp, so if you land early, wrap up and walk to Sukhbaatar Square, a few minutes from the hotel, with its seated statue of Chinggis Khaan in front of Government Palace.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing: what the festival days are like, how cold it gets in Olgii, what to pack in a soft bag for the flight west and what the family night involves. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner of Mongolian food, buuz dumplings, khuushuur and grilled meat, with vegetarian dishes on request.
Included
- Pick-up at Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Gandan, the National Museum and throat singing
Ulaanbaatar on foot and by van
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ulaanbaatar
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
We start at Gandan Monastery while the monks are at their morning prayers, when the halls fill with chanting and the smell of juniper. Gandan was one of the few monasteries allowed to stay open through the communist years, and its tall white temple holds a standing figure of Avalokiteshvara more than 20 m high, rebuilt in the 1990s. Walk the rows of prayer wheels in the courtyard with your guide before the tour groups arrive.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch we go to the National Museum of Mongolia, a good primer for the week: its rooms run from Bronze Age deer stones to the Mongol Empire and the dress of every ethnic group, including the Kazakhs of the far west whose festival we are flying to see. The late afternoon is free.
Evening
In the evening we go to a concert of Mongolian music and dance, with throat singing and the horse-head fiddle; dinner afterwards is your choice.
Included
- Gandan Monastery at the morning prayers, with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in the city
- The National Museum of Mongolia, with your guide
- Evening concert of Mongolian music, dance and throat singing
Free time: Late afternoon and dinner free
Activity: About 2 to 3 km on foot, with steps at Gandan.
Fly west to Olgii
Ulaanbaatar to Olgii by air, then Olgii town
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Olgii
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive to the airport for the flight west to Olgii, the capital of Bayan-Olgii province, a little over an hour in the air (about an hour and a quarter, confirmed with the airline) over the steppe, the lakes and the first ranges of the Altai. Your guide flies with you. Set your watch back an hour on landing: the far west runs one hour behind Ulaanbaatar. Olgii sits at about 1,700 m in a bowl of bare brown hills on the Khovd River, and it feels different at once: most people here are Kazakh, the signs are in Kazakh as well as Mongolian, and the main mosque's green dome stands over the low roofs.
Afternoon
After lunch in town we visit the Bayan-Olgii aimag museum, with its Kazakh felt hangings, saddles, eagle hoods and a floor on the Altai's wildlife, then walk through the market, where hunters' fox-fur hats and embroidered wall hangings are sold beside sacks of flour.
Evening
Dinner tonight is at a Kazakh restaurant, and the rest of the evening is free.
Included
- Flight from Ulaanbaatar to Olgii (ULG), with checked baggage
- Lunch in Olgii
- The Bayan-Olgii aimag museum, with your guide
- A walk through Olgii market and past the main mosque
- Dinner at a Kazakh restaurant
Free time: Evening free
Activity: Flight times and days are confirmed with your final itinerary; if the schedule needs an early flight, this is the only start before 8 am.
A night with an eagle-hunter family
Olgii to the Sagsai valley in the Altai foothills
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Sagsai valley
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
A slow morning in Olgii, then our 4x4s take us about an hour and a half west, the paved road soon giving way to tracks up the Khovd River valley towards Sagsai, a district known for its eagle hunters.
Evening
We spend the afternoon and night with a Kazakh family whose men hunt with golden eagles in winter. Lunch is in their home: bread fried in the pan, salty milk tea, home-made butter and cheese, and meat if there is a feast. The eagle sits hooded on its perch outside, and the hunter shows how it is handled, fed and kept calm, with your guide translating. Help with the evening milking or bringing in the goats if you want to, then eat dinner with the family by the stove. The night is simple and we say so plainly: you sleep in the family's guest ger or house, on beds or thick mattresses, with a warm sleeping bag we supply. The toilet is outside and there is no shower.
Included
- Drive to the Sagsai valley in our 4x4s
- Lunch and dinner with a Kazakh eagle-hunter family
- The hunter shows his eagle and how it is handled, with your guide translating
- Overnight at the family's home, with a sleeping bag supplied
Easier option: If a night without a shower is not for you, say so when you book: you return to the Olgii hotel after dinner with a driver and rejoin the group at the family in the morning.
More active option: Ride out with one of the family on a local horse to bring the herd in at dusk.
Free time: Late afternoon free at the family's home
Activity: Sleeping arrangements are shared by party or, for solo travellers, by gender; rooms of your own are not possible this night. Nights in the valley fall well below freezing.
The eagle at dawn, then the Altai foothills
Sagsai valley to the Altai foothills, then back to Olgii
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Olgii
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
Wake to the stove being lit and breakfast with the family. In the morning light, before the wind gets up, the hunter takes his eagle to a slope near the house and calls it down to his arm, or drags a fox-skin lure for it to strike; this is training, not a hunt, which starts in winter when foxes have their thick coats. Then we say goodbye and drive up a side valley into the Altai foothills, where bare brown hills climb towards the snow ranges along the Chinese and Russian borders, and stop for a short walk to a viewpoint.
Afternoon
Lunch is a hot picnic laid out by our crew. We are back in Olgii by mid-afternoon with time to wash, warm up and rest before the festival.
Evening
This evening the group can go to the performance of Kazakh music and dance that is often held at the Olgii theatre on the festival's eve, if it runs this year.
Included
- Breakfast with the family and a morning eagle-training session
- A walk to a viewpoint in the Altai foothills
- Hot picnic lunch
- Dinner in Olgii
Optional experiences
- Festival-eve performance of Kazakh music and dance at the Olgii theatre, if it runs (ticket price shown at booking)
Easier option: Stay by the vehicles at the foothills stop instead of walking up to the viewpoint.
More active option: A longer walk along the ridge above the viewpoint, about 5 km, with your guide.
Free time: Afternoon free in Olgii
Activity: Viewpoint walk about 2 km return on rough slopes.
Golden Eagle Festival, day one
Olgii to the festival ground and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Olgii
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
Breakfast early, then the drive of about 15 km to the festival ground below the hills outside Olgii, where we arrive before the opening so the group can stand at the arena rail. The festival usually opens with a parade of eagle hunters on horseback, each in a fox-fur hat and long coat with an eagle on the arm, followed by the judging of costumes, saddles and hunting gear. Then come the eagle events: a bird released from the ridge above the ground flies down to its owner's call as he gallops across the plain, and the fastest to land on the arm scores best. Between rounds there are horse games and archery, and Kazakh families sell felt work and food from tents.
Afternoon
Lunch is hot, from the food tents, and your guide explains each event as it happens. Stay until the last round in the late afternoon, or go back to the hotel at midday if the wind turns bitter.
Evening
Dinner tonight is in Olgii.
Included
- Golden Eagle Festival, day one: festival ticket included
- The opening parade, costume judging and the first eagle-calling rounds
- Hot lunch at the festival ground
- Dinner in Olgii
Easier option: A driver takes you back to the hotel at midday to warm up, and brings you back for the afternoon if you like.
Free time: Evening free after dinner
Activity: Several hours standing or walking on rough ground in wind and cold. A folding stool, a thermos and hand warmers help.
Golden Eagle Festival, day two
Olgii to the festival ground and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Olgii
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The second day is usually the one with the finals, so we go back after breakfast and watch from a different place: today your guide takes you up the slope towards the ridge where the eagles are released, so you see the birds launch and drop past you to the riders below. The second day usually brings the lure event, when an eagle stoops on a fox skin dragged behind a galloping horse, and the horse games the crowd waits for: kokpar, two riders wrestling over a goat skin, and tiyn teru, picking a coin off the ground at a gallop. There may be camel races and a girl-chase race too; the programme changes a little each year.
Afternoon
Lunch is again hot at the ground. The prize-giving for the best eagle and hunter closes the festival in the late afternoon.
Evening
We come back to Olgii for a warm shower and a last dinner in the west together.
Included
- Golden Eagle Festival, day two: festival ticket included
- The eagle-calling finals, watched from the release slope
- Horse games: kokpar and tiyn teru
- Hot lunch at the festival ground
- The closing prize-giving
- Dinner in Olgii
Easier option: Watch from the arena rail instead of walking up the slope, or go back to the hotel at midday with a driver.
More active option: Climb to the top of the release ridge with your guide for the view over the ground and the hills, about 150 m of ascent.
Activity: The slope walk is about 1 km on loose ground. Same cold and wind as day 6.
Fly back to Ulaanbaatar
Olgii to Ulaanbaatar by air
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ulaanbaatar
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
A last breakfast in Olgii and a final walk through the market if the flight leaves late enough, then the short drive to the airstrip for the flight back east. Remember the hour you gain back on landing. A driver meets us at Chinggis Khaan International Airport for the drive into the city, and we check back into the same hotel where you left your luggage, with a hot shower and a proper bed after five nights in the west.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a restaurant in town on the way in or after we land, depending on the flight.
Evening
The rest of the afternoon and the evening are free. The State Department Store and the shops around Sukhbaatar Square sell cashmere, felt slippers and other things to take home, and Ulaanbaatar has restaurants of every kind for dinner on your own. Your guide is happy to suggest a few.
Included
- Flight from Olgii to Ulaanbaatar, with checked baggage
- Lunch in Ulaanbaatar
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Ulaanbaatar
The Chinggis Khaan statue and Terelj
Ulaanbaatar to Tsonjin Boldog and Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Ulaanbaatar
- Drive about 3.5 h
We leave at 8:30 to clear the city traffic and drive about an hour and a half east to Tsonjin Boldog, where the stainless-steel Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue, about 40 m high, rises out of the steppe. We are there near opening, before the day-trippers, and walk up through the horse's body to the viewing platform on its head, looking out over the plain where, by legend, Chinggis found a golden whip. Then on into Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, a valley of granite outcrops and larch woods that are usually gold or just bare in early October. We stop at Turtle Rock and walk up a stony path to the Aryabal Meditation Temple for the view down the valley.
Afternoon
Lunch is hot, at a camp in the park, and we are back in the city by late afternoon.
Evening
Tonight we sit down to a farewell dinner together.
Included
- Tsonjin Boldog: the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue and the viewing platform on the horse's head
- Gorkhi-Terelj National Park: Turtle Rock and the walk to the Aryabal Meditation Temple
- Hot lunch in Terelj
- Farewell dinner in Ulaanbaatar
Easier option: Skip the climb to the Aryabal temple and wait at Turtle Rock or the lunch camp.
More active option: An hour's horse ride in Terelj with a local horse handler in place of the temple walk.
Activity: The Aryabal walk is about 2 km return with a steady climb and steps.
Depart from Ulaanbaatar
Your hotel in Ulaanbaatar to Chinggis Khaan International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel, then the trip ends. Chinggis Khaan International Airport is about 50 km south of the city, an hour's drive and more at rush hour, and we time your transfer to your flight: plan to leave the hotel about three hours before an international departure. With a later flight the morning is yours. Walk to the Choijin Lama Temple Museum, a group of early 20th century temples now surrounded by office towers, or climb the steps of Zaisan Hill for a view over the whole city and the Tuul River below. If you would like the Gobi as well, our Gobi, Karakorum and Terelj trip can follow this one; ask us about the dates and extra nights in Ulaanbaatar between them. Your guide says goodbye at breakfast and checks that every transfer is booked.
Included
- Drop-off at Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN)
Free time: Free until your airport transfer
Activity: Any flight time works; the transfer is about an hour.
- Ulaanbaatar2 nights
- Olgii1 night
- Sagsai valley1 night
- Olgii3 nights
- Ulaanbaatar2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Early October in the Altai is cold and dry. Days are usually around freezing to about 10 C in bright sun, nights fall well below freezing, the festival ground is windy and dusty, and snow is possible. The larches in Terelj are usually gold or just bare by the end of the trip.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the Golden Eagle Festival without a two-week Gobi trip attached
- Photographers who want time at the arena rail and on the release slope, not a quick look
- Anyone curious about Kazakh nomad life and happy to sleep one night in a family home
- Travellers combining it with our Gobi trip for a longer stay in Mongolia
Not for you if you want
- Anyone who dislikes the cold: festival days are long, windy and near freezing
- Travellers who need a private bathroom every night
- Those hoping to see a real winter hunt: in October the eagles are shown and trained, not hunted
- Travellers wanting the high Altai glaciers of Altai Tavan Bogd, a much longer trip from Olgii
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
9 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Ulaanbaatar2 nights
- Olgii1 night
- Sagsai valley1 night
- Olgii3 nights
- Ulaanbaatar2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 9 nights: 4 in Ulaanbaatar (2 at the start, 2 at the end), 4 in Olgii and 1 with a Kazakh eagle-hunter family in the Sagsai valley
- A central Ulaanbaatar hotel of a 3-star-plus standard, within walking distance of Sukhbaatar Square, the same one at the start and end so you can leave luggage
- The best available hotel in Olgii, with private bathrooms and heating; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- The family night in a guest ger or house, with a warm sleeping bag supplied
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement (except the family night)
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN)
- Flights from Ulaanbaatar to Olgii (ULG) and back, with checked baggage
- Our own 4x4 vehicles and local drivers in Bayan-Olgii, no more than four guests per vehicle
- A private vehicle and driver in Ulaanbaatar and on the Terelj day
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 10, including on both flights
- A local Kazakh-speaking guide in Bayan-Olgii at the family and the festival
Activities
- Golden Eagle Festival in Olgii: tickets for both days
- A night with a Kazakh eagle-hunter family in the Sagsai valley and a morning eagle-training session
- A walk in the Altai foothills
- Olgii: the Bayan-Olgii aimag museum and the market
- Ulaanbaatar: Gandan Monastery, the National Museum of Mongolia and an evening concert of music, dance and throat singing
- Tsonjin Boldog: the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue and its viewing platform
- Gorkhi-Terelj National Park: Turtle Rock and the Aryabal Meditation Temple
- All entry and camera fees for included visits
Meals
- 9 breakfasts
- 8 lunches, hot meals on both festival days
- 7 dinners: a welcome dinner, five in the west (four in Olgii and one with the family) and a farewell dinner
Not included
- International flights to and from Ulaanbaatar
- Visa, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance, which should include medical evacuation
- Dinners on days 2 and 8, and lunch on day 10
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, drivers and your host family
- The festival-eve performance in Olgii, if it runs
- Excess baggage on the domestic flights
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 980 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Nine nights' accommodation, including one with a Kazakh eagle-hunter family, 9 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 7 dinners, both domestic flights to Olgii and back, tickets for both festival days, airport transfers, 4x4s with no more than four guests each, your See Sight Tours guide throughout with a local Kazakh-speaking guide in the west, the Ulaanbaatar concert, the statue and Terelj day, and every entry in the day plan.
When is the Golden Eagle Festival?
It is usually held on the first weekend of October in Olgii, in far western Mongolia, over two days. The organisers confirm the dates and programme each year, and our one departure is timed so days 6 and 7 are the festival. We confirm the exact dates before you book.
How big is the group?
The small group runs with 7 to 12 guests, and no more than four guests ride in each 4x4 in the west, so everyone has a window seat and the group fits in a family's home without crowding it.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide is with the group from arrival to departure, including on both flights. In Bayan-Olgii a local Kazakh-speaking guide joins us, because most people there speak Kazakh, so you can talk with your host family and the hunters at the festival.
What is the night with the eagle-hunter family like?
Simple and warm. You sleep in the family's guest ger or house on beds or thick mattresses, with a stove and a sleeping bag we supply. The toilet is outside and there is no shower. Sleeping is shared by party or by gender. If that is not for you, a driver can take you back to the Olgii hotel after dinner.
Will I see a real eagle hunt?
No. Kazakh hunters fly their eagles at foxes in winter, from about November, when the fur is thick. In early October you see the eagles handled, called to the arm and flown at a fox-skin lure, both at the family's home and in the festival events.
How fit do I need to be?
Not very: there is little walking, at most a few kilometres a day on rough ground at about 1,700 m. The hard part is the cold and wind on two long festival days. You can go back to the hotel at midday on either day, and every walk has an easier choice.
How cold is it in early October?
Cold. Days in Olgii usually run from around freezing to about 10 C in bright sun, nights fall well below freezing, and snow is possible. Pack a down jacket, thermals, a warm hat, gloves, warm boots and a buff for the wind and dust on the festival ground.
I am travelling solo. What does a room of my own cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 980 more, shown before you book, and covers your Ulaanbaatar and Olgii nights. On the family night everyone shares by party or by gender, because the family has one guest space. Olgii fills up in festival week, so we reserve single rooms early.
Can I go on my own dates?
The festival sets the dates, so this trip only runs in festival week. You can take it as a private trip for your party only that week, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently, ask us from the dates section: we can quote flights, hotels and a local guide.
Do I need a visa for Mongolia?
Possibly not: Mongolia lets citizens of 34 listed countries visit without a visa for up to 30 days, under a waiver currently in force to 1 January 2027. The list changes, so we confirm the rules for your passport, including Canadian and US ones, when you book.
How much does it cost and how do I book?
The small group starts from CAD 5,765 per person sharing a room, with taxes, and private from CAD 10,375. Send your preferred dates as an enquiry. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. Book early: flights and rooms in Olgii fill a year ahead.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.