Mongolia Winter Eagle Festival Tour

Upon arrival at Chinggis Khaan International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our local team and transferred to your hotel in central Ulaanbaatar. After check-in, take some time to relax and recover from your international journey. Depending on your arrival time, you may have the opportunity to explore the city center at your own pace, visit nearby shops and cafés, or simply enjoy a quiet afternoon at the hotel. In the evening, your guide will meet you for a short tour briefing and introduce you to the exciting winter journey ahead. This is also a good opportunity to discuss Mongolia’s winter conditions, the Winter Golden Eagle Festival, and what to expect during the coming days. Your first evening in Mongolia is deliberately kept relaxed, allowing you to settle in comfortably before beginning your winter adventure.

After breakfast, we leave Ulaanbaatar and travel east toward the impressive Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue, one of Mongolia’s most recognizable modern landmarks. Standing dramatically above the surrounding steppe, the enormous stainless-steel statue commemorates the founder of the Mongol Empire. We will visit the complex and ascend to the viewing platform, where panoramic views stretch across the snow-covered landscape. We then continue into Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, where granite mountains, frozen rivers and valleys create a beautiful winter landscape. During our exploration of the park, we visit the famous Turtle Rock and enjoy time surrounded by the peaceful scenery of the Mongolian countryside. Depending on weather and road conditions, there will be opportunities for short walks and photography along the way. In the late afternoon, we return to Ulaanbaatar and prepare for the highlight of our journey — the Winter Golden Eagle Festival.

Today is the first major highlight of our journey: the Winter Golden Eagle Festival. After breakfast, we travel to the festival grounds, where Kazakh eagle hunters gather with their magnificent golden eagles to celebrate one of Mongolia’s most remarkable living traditions. Dressed in traditional winter clothing and accompanied by their trained eagles, the hunters create an extraordinary scene against Mongolia’s snowy landscape. The opening day typically features the introduction and parade of eagle hunters, demonstrations of horsemanship and competitions showcasing the relationship between hunter and eagle. Throughout the day, you will have excellent opportunities to observe the hunters, learn about Kazakh eagle-hunting traditions and photograph the colorful costumes, horses and golden eagles. Unlike simply watching a performance created for tourists, the festival provides a fascinating opportunity to see a tradition that has been preserved and passed from generation to generation among Mongolia’s Kazakh communities. After the festival activities conclude, we return to Ulaanbaatar.

We return to the festival grounds for the second day of the Winter Golden Eagle Festival. Today, the competitions continue as eagle hunters demonstrate the training, speed and responsiveness of their birds. Depending on the official festival program and weather conditions, visitors may also witness traditional horseback games and other cultural competitions. This second day gives us more time to experience the atmosphere of the festival beyond the main events. Meet local participants, observe the beautifully crafted traditional clothing and equipment used by the hunters, and learn more about the centuries-old relationship between the Kazakh people and their golden eagles. For photographers, the combination of golden eagles, horses, traditional clothing and Mongolia’s winter landscape offers some of the most distinctive photographic opportunities of the journey. At the conclusion of the festival, we return to Ulaanbaatar for a comfortable evening at the hotel.

After two exciting days at the Winter Golden Eagle Festival, today offers a more relaxed introduction to Mongolia’s capital. We explore some of Ulaanbaatar’s cultural and historical highlights and learn more about Mongolia’s history, Buddhist heritage and modern life. Depending on opening hours and the final program, visits may include important cultural sites and museums in the city. There will also be time for shopping for Mongolian cashmere, handicrafts, souvenirs and locally made products. The afternoon is kept relatively flexible, giving you time to explore independently, relax at the hotel or enjoy one of Ulaanbaatar’s cafés and restaurants. In the evening, we gather for our final night in Mongolia and reflect on a memorable journey combining Mongolia’s winter landscapes with the extraordinary heritage of the Kazakh eagle hunters.

After breakfast, enjoy your final morning in Ulaanbaatar before your departure. At the appropriate time, our team will meet you at your hotel and provide a private transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport for your onward flight. Your Mongolia Winter Eagle Festival Tour comes to an end, leaving you with memories of snow-covered landscapes, Mongolia’s vast winter steppe and one of the country’s most fascinating cultural traditions. We wish you a safe journey home and hope to welcome you back to Mongolia for another adventure.