Road Trip to Golden Eagle Festival 2020

Road Trip to Golden Eagle Festival 2020

Take an overland journey with us to Bayan-Ulgii, one of the most popular tourist destination. The city is crowded with tourists during its famous Golden Eagle Festival, and all flights are booked out. So, we take road trip. Along the road, we will stop on many tourist attractions like lake, river canyon, temples, volcanic crater, sand dune and many more.

Itinerary

Day 1: UB - Tsetserleg

Stop At: Elsen Tasarkhai, Mongolia
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.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Erdene Zuu Monastery, Kharkhorin 62090 Mongolia
Erdenezuu temple (built in 1585, the oldest Buddhist temple in Mongolia) in Kharkhorin.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Lunch: Lunch at local nomadic family
• Dinner: Dinner at local nomadic family
Accommodation included: Sleep in ger with local nomadic family. Bring your own sleeping bag

Day 2: Tsetserleg - Songino village

Stop At: Taikhar Chuluu Rock, Mongolia
Stop by Taikhar Rock. Yak riding is available here.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Chuluut River, Mongolia
Stop by Chuluut river canyon on the way.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park, Khorgo Mongolia
Reach Khorgo, a crater of extinct volcano. Hiking to the top of Khorgo, a crater of extinct volcano (2210 m). View of the Lake Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur (White Lake) from the top of volcanic crater. Lake is 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.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Sleep in dorm-type of guesthouse room in Songino village.

Day 3: Songino - Bayan Ulgii

Stop At: Khyargas Lake, Mongolia
Khyargas Lake National Park, protected area established in 2000 and covers about 3,328 km² including a freshwater Airag Lake.
Duration: 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Sleep in ger

Day 4: Day 1 - Golden Eagle Festival 2020

Stop At: Olgiy, Olgiy, Bayan-Olgii Province
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.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Sleep in ger

Day 5: Day 2 - Golden Eagle Festival 2020

Stop At: Olgiy, Olgiy, Bayan-Olgii Province
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.
7:00 PM – Dinner at local restaurant.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Sleep in ger

Day 6: Bayan Ulgii - Altai

Pass By: Tugrug, Mongolia
Start driving 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.

Stop At: Khovd, Khovd, Khovd Province
Stop in Khovd city for lunch.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Sleep in hotel room in Altai

Day 7: Altai - Arvaikheer

Stop At: Bumbugur, Mongolia
Stop at local cafe for lunch
Duration: 1 hour

Pass By: Bayankhongor, Bayankhongor
Bayankhongor city we stop for refueling tank.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Sleep in hotel room Arvaikheer

Day 8: Arvaikheer - Ulaanbaatar

Pass By: Elsen Tasarkhai, Mongolia
We will again pass by Elsen Tasarkhai sand dune,

Pass By: Hustai National Park, Ulaanbaatar 13 Mongolia
We pass by without stopping

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.