Eagle Hunters of Bayan-Ölgii

An Ancient Art in the Altai Mountains

In the far western mountains of Mongolia, where Kazakhstan, Russia and China converge, the Kazakh eagle hunters of Bayan-Ölgii practise one of the oldest and most dramatic traditions in human history — falconry with golden eagles.

You are a guest in their home, learning their stories, sharing their meals, and witnessing the ancient ceremony of the hunt on horseback through snow-blanketed mountains.

The Altai Eagle Festival (March & October) is available on select departures, but our winter tours offer something even more rare: the hunt itself, in its natural environment, with no audience and no performance — only the freezing mountain air, the thunder of hooves, and the magnificent arc of a golden eagle against a steel-grey sky.