Hunting with GOLDEN EAGLE

Arrival in Ulaanbaatar

International Arrival / Tuul Riverside Lodge

Arrival at the Chinggis Khaan International Airport. After clearing immigration formalities, meet your local guide and directly transfer to the Tuul Riverside Lodge. An intimate and fully sustainable traditional Mongolian ger camp on the foot of the Bayanzurkh Mountain – set amidst rolling hills above the 500-mile Tuul River, the main water source for Ulaanbaatar — awaits you; the beautiful camp’s surrounding invites to be explored and discovered! Your gers are prepared by a dedicated team of people, giving you a warm welcome! Well earn rest. Leisurely do some botanical hike around camp area or simply to curl up with a good book or try archery. Legendary for their prowess with the bow, Mongols perfected this ancient practice with bows constructed from wood, animal sinew, bone, and glue made from fish bladders in a process that could take up to a year. A stone inscription dating from the 13th century claims that one of Genghis Khan’s generals hit a target from a distance of 1/3 of a mile.

A mini cooking lesson, gentle horse riding, star gazing

Please feel free to channel your inner discoverer and explore the beautiful surroundings of our camp! We hope to give you an insight of Mongolia’s captivating culture through various activities. Enjoy the mini cooking lesson in the morning! Mongolian traditional cooking has been enriched with cooking traditions of many other nations which is tracked with history of 800 years ago, the time of conquest. This led to rapid culture exchange. We will cook today „buuz“, which is cooked on special occasions and shall be fun for the kids to prepare! Then our nomadic neighbor will come with his ox and his card will take you on a ride. On the way we’ll stop and visit a local herder family and learn more about their lifestyle. Tonight, we dine on traditional Mongolian barbecue around the lodge’s campfire. In the evening dine a traditional Mongolian barbecue food, known as Khorhog – our family’s favorite Mongolian dish by the way – demonstrating what an important ingredient stones can be: mutton will be cooked slowly in a huge, metal urn with vegetables, water, and most importantly hot stones from the flame. The meat becomes soft and tasty, and the water turns into a thick meaty broth… Quite a few Mongolian chefs affirm that they can taste the difference between river and lake stones! The day shall finish with a camp ‘s bon-fire and star gazing … Unforgettable on a clear night. Promised.

Fly to Bayan-Ulgii

After leisurely breakfast we will transfer to the Bayan-Ulgii bordering province to China and Russia. Upon arrival we will meet our local staff and will explore the city by visiting the local mosque and vibrant markets with a chance to purchase renowned, handmade Kazakh crafts including their famous rugs. We will stay for the night in local Hotel.

Golden Eagle Festival – Opening Ceremony

Parade of 250 eagle hunters on horseback with their eagles. Each hunter will demonstrate how well his bird is used to his commands by calling him. Eagles are placed on a cliff nearby and are called from below it by the owners. In the afternoon there will be a race of amblers – an exciting scene. In the evening watch a Kazakh concert consisting of traditional songs and dances.

Hunting with Golden Eagle Festival – Award Ceremony

Golden eagles display their speed and agility: each bird had to land as soon as possible onto a fox skin dragged by a horse. Participate in the excitement of some traditional Kazakh games, such as ‘aitis,’ a poetry duel, ‘kyzkuar,’ a dating game played on horseback and ‘kokpar,’ a wild game played on horseback with a goatskin.

Day trip to Ulaan Hus or Tolbo lake

Today we will visit Kazakh families of which many are eagle hunters, then saddle up your horses go with eagle trainer and his assistant to the beautiful snowy high mountains, where can observe the hunting training with your guide. This is one of the oldest and most spectacular customs of Mongolia’s Kazakh people, passed down from generation to generation, hunting with specially trained eagles. The animal works in a similar way as hunting falcons do. While eagles are used for hunting in other part of the world, this area is arguably the birthplace of eagle falconry. The eagles are trained from a young age or caught when they are older having already developed the hunting instinct. When they are 15 years of age they are released back into the wild. ill wake up to the voice of singing birds.

Take flight back to Ulaanbaatar

We will drive to the local airport for the return flight to Ulaanbaatar and transfer to your hotel. There will be an evening program of traditional song and dance, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.

International Departure

After a relaxed breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport and depart back home. Thank you very much for travelling with us! We hope to see you again.