Road Trip To Golden Eagle Festival
About this tour
Wanna catch Golden Eagle Festival, but all flights are booked out. Well, let’s take overland journey to western Altai Mountain. Final destination is city Ulgii where Kazakh ethnic group of people practice eagle hunting culture. Along the road, we will stop on many tourist attractions like lake, cave, rock paintings, river canyon, temples, hot spa, and many more.
ROUTE: Ulaanbaatar-Hugnu Tarna National Park-Kharkhorin (Erdenezuu Temple)-Tsetserleg-Chuluut River canyon-Khorgo Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park-Tosontsengel-Lake Khyargas-Naranbulag-Ulgii-Khoid Tsenkher Cave-Altai-Arvaikheer-Ulaanbaatar. The trip is long, but it is worth taking. It is a big loop. Total length of this road trip is ~3700km.
We can cook ourselves, share meals and fun. Riders must have their own sleeping bags etc.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake, Mongolia
7:00 AM – Meet in front of Ramada Hotel Ulaanbaatar. Start driving to Hugnu-Tarna National Park, a magnificent mountain area, illustrating a unique and beautiful natural scenery encompassing a mixture of mountainous and fertile pastures, plain steppe and desert type of landscape. 12 noon – Stop at local café in Rashaant village for lunch. 1:00 PM – Visit to the ruin of Erdenekhamba monastery on the Hugnu Khan Mountain, a monastery built in 1612 by Mongolian monk Erdenetsorj. Later destroyed twice during its history in 1688 and 1937. 2:00 PM – Camel riding on the Elsen Tasarkhai sand dune is available here. Sand dune stretches 80km long, unique combination of Mongolian mountains, forests and Gobi-type landscape. 3:00 PM – Start driving to Erdenezuu temple (built in 1585, the oldest Buddhist temple in Mongolia) in Kharkhorin. 4:00 PM – Visit Erdenezuu Temple. Continue driving to Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park via Tsetserleg city. Stop by Taikhar Rock. Yak riding is available here. Stop by Chuluut river canyon on the way. 7:00 PM – Reach Khorgo, a crater of extinct volcano. Hiking to the top of Khorgo, a crater of extinct volcano (2210 m). Check in to local guesthouse in Tariat village on the Lake Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur (White Lake), 16 kilometers wide, 20 kilometers in length 20 meters in depth. The lake is extremely beautiful with fresh water and rich species of fish and birds. Dinner at the guesthouse.
Day 2: Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake, Mongolia to Khyargas Lake, Mongolia
7:00 AM – Start driving to Khyargas Lake National Park, protected area established in 2000 and covers about 3,328 km² including a freshwater Airag Lake. 12:00 noon – Lunch at local café along the road. 7:00 PM – Check in to a local hotel on the lake. Explore area by foot. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 3: Khyargas Lake, Mongolia to Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia
7:00AM – Start driving to Ulgii city via Khovd village 12 noon – Lunch at local café along the road. 7:00PM – Reach Ulgii, a capital city of Bayan-Ulgii province. Check in to a local Kazakh ger camp. Dinner at the city.
Day 4: Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia
9:00 AM – Start driving to Sayat Tolgoi of Bugat, a festival site after breakfast at the camp. 10:00 AM – Opening ceremony of the annual Golden Eagle Festival with parade of eagle hunters. 10:30 AM – Competition of best Kazakh costume, eagle and horse. And horse racing, archery. 12 noon – Lunch break at the festival site with festival food: skewers, horse meat, khuushuur, and airag 2:00 PM – Competition of how eagle adapted to their hunters. Uriyankhai style archery competition 4:00 PM – Tenge competition of coin grabbing game while riding horse. 7:00 PM – Return to Ulgii. Dinner at local Kazakh food restaurant. 8:00 PM – Watch cultural performance at the local theater in Ulgii 9:30 PM – Return to camp.
Day 5: Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia
9:00 AM – Start driving to Sayat Tolgoi of Bugat, a festival site after breakfast. 10:00 AM – Competition of how eagle adapted to hunters “Shyrga Tartu” (eagles will be qualified how fast and smoothy catch a lure that is made of rabbit or fox skin) 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM – Watch camel race 11:00 AM – “Kyz Khuar” game show. Traditional horseback riding fun game for youth. Horseback men chased and whipped by women. 1:00 PM – Lunch break. Lunch at the festival site. 2:00 PM – “Kukhbar” competition, a kind of fighting over a goat skin game on horseback 4:00 PM – Medal ceremony 5:00 PM – Return to Ulgii after a closing ceremony. 8:00 PM – Kazakh cultural performance at the local theater. Dinner at local restaurant after performance.
Day 6: Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia to Govi-Altai, Mongolia
7:00 AM – Start driving down to the south along the Altai mountain range to Khoid Tsenkher Cave via Khovd city. The cave is located 25km away from Mankhan village of Khovd province. Famous rock paintings of some 30-40 thousand years old. Cave was first discovered in 1951 by O.Namnandorj, the UNESCO has enlisted this amazing cave into the World Heritage Tentative List in 1996. 12 noon – Lunch in local café in Khovd city, a capital city of Khovd province. 2:00 PM – Reach Khoid Tsenkher Cave. Exploring area by foot. Continue driving to city Altai, a capital of Gobi-Altai province. 7:00 PM – Check in to local hotel. Dinner at the local restaurant.
Day 7: Govi-Altai, Mongolia to Arvaikheer, Mongolia
7:00 AM – Start driving to Arvaikheer city, capital of Uvurkhangai province, via Bayankhongor. 12 noon – Stop for lunch at local café on the way. 7:00 PM – Reach Arvaikheer city. Visit to Mongolian Equestrian Culture Monument. Check in to local hotel. Dinner at hotel
Day 8: Arvaikheer, Mongolia to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
7:00 AM – Start driving (450km) to Ulaanbaatar city. 12 noon – Stop for lunch at local café on the way. 2:00 PM – Visit to Hustai Nuruu National Park, home to the Takhi (Przewalski wild horses), to see the endangered wild horse species roaming freely on rolling hills of beautiful Mongolia. 7:00 PM – Reach Ulaanbaatar by late evening. End of road trip.
What's included
One hour horse or camel back riding is included. Free water bottles available on board.
travel insurances, personal expenses, cost for extra activities
What to know
This tour can be customized. Please get in touch with me.
Route & locations
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake, Mongolia