Mongolia Birding and Culture Tour

If you are interested in Mongolia Birding and Culture Tour, come and join us at Kaiyote Tours!

Mongolia Golden Eagle Festival Tour

This intimate gathering showcases the real essence of eagle hunting traditions, celebrated by locals and master trainers alike. 

Location: Altai town, home to about 5,000 people, offers an intimate cultural setting.

Participants: 35–40 Kazakh Eagle Masters and their majestic hunting birds.

Legacy: Organized in collaboration with the local Eagle Hunters Association and hosted by a community-run ger camp with 9 years of guest-welcoming experience.

Authenticity: This will be the 8th annual festival (since 2017)

For a great YouTube video (with a few ads) of the event, click here:  Golden Eagle Festival

Lodging is in traditional ger camps where you will meet nomadic herders and learn from the age-old nomadic lifestyle. Mongolia is about the same size as Alaska and with only 3.2 million people, most of the country is uninhabited pristine wilderness. Our local Mongolian team leaders provide excellent guide service, transport and lodging for this adventure. 

Printable Bird List
(Checklist of birds that we have seen on our summer tours)

• Golden Eagle Festival Tour:  
• September 9 - 22, 2025, spots left = 5
• ​September 8 - 21, 2025, spots left = 8
• Group Size:  8 travelers 
• Trip Length: 14 days
• Rates: Rate per person = $5,650 (based on double occupancy, $900 extra for single occupancy). Please contact us for fishing itinerary and pricing. 
• Rates include: Domestic transfers, lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, scheduled group tours, park entrance fees and basic travel insurance.
• Not included: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, alcohol, trip cancellation insurance.
• Adventure level:  Adventurous, please check "Welcome" page for definition

Fishing:  The largest trout in the world is the Siberian Taimen (Hucho taimen), which can be up to 4-feet long and 60 pounds. This fish is in the Salmon family and lives in freshwater rivers.  We have a very special fishing trip planned.  Please contact us for details and itinerary.  This will be a camping trip along several different areas of the river where the Taimen can be found. The camping gear, cooking gear, food, and fishing gear will be supplied. You will need to bring a sleeping bag.  In September the nights can be chilly, but it will not go below freezing. This trip will also be a birding and hiking trip for those who are interested as well. Tours by request. Please contact us for fishing itinerary and pricing. 

Special offer:  Included with your trip (one per room) is a copy of the field guide “Birds of Mongolia (Princeton Field Guides) by Gombobaatar "Gomboo" Sundev and Christopher W. Leahy.  You will receive this when you reserve your trip so you will have time to study and know the beautiful birds of Mongolia.

Animals we have seen on this trip:  Mongolian Gazelle, Red Deer, Siberian Chipmunk, Mongolian Marmot, Corsak Fox, Przewalski's Horse, Tolai Hare, Mongolian Gerbil, Brandt's Vole, Mongolian Toad, Long-tailed Ground Squirrel, Red Squirrel, Korean Field Mouse. 

Here are a few things you need to know about travel in Mongolia:

1) We stay in traditional "gers" (pronounced "gare" or "gear").  It is a great experience.  These lodging areas are called tourist camps. There are photos of the interior and exterior of the some of the gers below in the photo gallery.  The gers are comfortable and cozy. They do not have bathrooms.  The bathrooms are in a separate building.  There are no hairdryers.  If you require a hairdryer, you will need to purchase a 2-prong type in Ulaanbaatar. 

2)  The electric outlets are 2-prong European types.  There is only one electric outlet in the ger for charging your phone and other simple electronic devices.  One of the places we stay at does not have overnight electricity. You will need to bring a headlamp or flashlight.  

3)  Most of the roads we travel on are dirt and can be rough.  Be prepared for a bouncy ride in the van. 

4)  The restaurants at the tourist camps provide either a buffet or a set menu and they can accommodate vegetarians.  The food is very good.  Sometimes we eat at local restaurants. 

5)  Credit cards are accepted everywhere, even at some of the tourist camps. 

6)  Most of the tourist camps do not have wi-fi, but most will have cell service.  There is one tourist camp without cell service. 

7)  The luggage space in the van is limited, so please pack lightly.  The climate is arid, and clothes will dry quickly.  

8)  Domestic flight baggage info:  The baggage allowance for a domestic flight within Mongolia is 33 pounds total: 22 pounds for check-in luggage and 11 pounds for hand luggage. For extra luggage, you pay 5,000 MNT/Tugriks (Approximately $1.50 USD) per extra pound.

Golden Eagle Festival Ger Camps: 

1) At these ger camps, some will have generators, and electricity will be available for a certain amount of time and turn them off during the night. Some ger camps might be connected to the local town’s electricity, so they can also have electricity all night. In Mongolia, electrical plug types vary. Most are Type C and Type E with 2 round holes.

2) Ger camps do not provide toiletries. Please make sure to bring your travel toiletries. For your own comfort and usage, it is good to also bring towels. A travel towel that is compact, very absorbent, and fast-drying is the best.

To view a photo album from a photographer who was on a previous summer Mongolia tour, click here:  

Ersten Imaoka’s Photo Album (opens new page)

Day 1:  Arrival Ulaanbaatar
*United Airlines had recently added flights to Ulaanbaatar.  They have flights that connect through SFO and/or Narita. Check United first. With other airlines, depending on your departure city, it will be 2 - 3 flights to get to the Ulaanbaatar to the Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) and with arrival the next day.  Your flight should be scheduled to arrive on “Day One” of the tour. You will be greeted at the airport and shuttled to the hotel.

Day 2:  Chingis Khaan and Terelj National Park
Mongolia is known for well-trained falconers, Golden Eagles, and horses.  In the morning, we will visit the Chingis Khaan Statue and Memorial complex, which is amazing.  In the afternoon, we head up to the mountains of Terelj National Park. The Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is at southern end of the Siberian boreal forest (or taiga) where you find picturesque mountain with mixed forest trenched by beautiful valleys. we will do some light walking and birding and see some interesting birds including Olive-backed Pipit, Siberian Rubythroat, Willow Tit, Taiga Flycatcher, Common Rosefinch, Yellow- browed Warbler, Chinese Bush Warbler, and Pine Bunting, and Eurasian Sparrowhawk.

Day 3:  Ulaanbaatar
Today we will have a walking tour of significant sites in Ulaanbaatar:  National History Museum, Gandan Monastery, Sukhbaatar Square, and other local sites determined by the groups interests.

Day 5:  Golden Eagle Festival
After a filling breakfast, we go on a short drive to the “Golden Eagle Hunters Festival of Altai” festival site.  The competition begins with a parade of Eagle hunters in their traditional hunting outfits and accessories with their Eagles perched on their arms. The most elaborate and beautiful adornments of the hunters receive the highest marks, so the hunters are all dressed to truly impress. The parade is closely followed by thrilling competitions. The Golden Eagles are evaluated for their speed, agility, and accuracy. This festival, which continues for 2 days, provides a unique opportunity to be close and be part of the festivity and to photograph. We organize lunch at the festival area and dinner in Ulgii town.

Day 9:  Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve
From Ulaanbaatar, it is a 3-hour drive to the amazing area called Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve. Upon arrival at the nature reserve, we will check-in to our tourist ger camp located near the several birding sites.  The camp is located along a beautiful slow moving river.  Dinner is at the restaurant of the ger camp.

Day 10:  Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve
Our camp is in the heart of a large and stunning river valley.  We will have two days of birding and viewing wildlife in this area.  Our camp is situated along the river. The Nature Reserve is a complex of high mountains, steppes, rivers, lakes, and wetlands that are kept in their original condition. Visitors to Gun-Galuut see vast steppes seeming to meet the sky.  Here you will find imposing mountains and natural lakes which are a paradise for birds. Kherlen, the longest river of Mongolia, and the Tsengiin Bird wetland, can be visited here.

Our local Mongolian guide is none other than Gombobaatar "Gomboo" Sundev (PhD), the man who wrote the book on Mongolian birds.  He shares all his knowledge and image database for research and conservation activities. Besides his busy duty at the University and Society in Ulaanbaatar, he leads birding and wildlife tours and expeditions. Gomboo was born and grew up in the Onon and Balj River valleys in the east which is an area with rich avian diversity. The place is known as Chinggis Khaan’s birthplace. He started to identify bird species during his childhood only for ‘play’ with them. His dad’s binoculars were the best toy for his childhood. Since he graduated from University, he has been working on bird research and conservation in Mongolia. He is one of the best mentors and educators of the new generation of ornithologists in Mongolia. Most of the professional bird guides and bird researchers in Mongolia were mentored and supervised by him. His numerous publications show his experience and knowledge on birds in Mongolia. He owns one of the largest bird image databases for Mongolian birds. Gomboo is really keen to share his knowledge with everybody.