Golden Eagle Festival

The Golden Eagle Festival is held each year in early October, usually over the first weekend of the month, on the plains near Ölgii, the centre of Bayan-Ölgii province in Mongolia's far west. Kazakh eagle hunters ride in from across the province with their trained golden eagles to compete in calling, catching and costume contests. It is one of the most striking events in Mongolia and a rare chance to see a living hunting tradition up close.

The Kazakh eagle hunters of Bayan-Ölgii

Bayan-Ölgii is the only Mongolian province where Kazakhs form the majority, and Kazakh is widely spoken there alongside Mongolian. Eagle hunting has been handed down within Kazakh families for generations; the hunters are known in Kazakh as bürkitshi. They usually train female golden eagles, which are larger and more powerful than males, and fly them in winter to hunt foxes and hares in the mountains. A hunter and his eagle work together for years, and many hunters release their birds back into the wild after a period of service so that they can breed.

What happens at the Golden Eagle Festival

The festival usually runs over two days on an open plain with the Altai mountains in the background.

• Calling contest: an eagle is released from a ridge and must fly to its owner, who calls it from horseback. Judges score the speed and precision of the landing on the hunter's gloved arm.
• Lure catching: a rider drags a fox skin behind his horse and the eagle has to strike and hold it.
• Dress and equipment: hunters are judged on their traditional clothing — fox-fur hats, embroidered coats — and on their saddles, hoods and leather gauntlets.
• Horseback games: kökpar, a rough tug-of-war over a goat carcass between riders; tiyn teru, picking up a coin from the ground at a gallop; and kyz kuu, a playful chase in which a young man and a young woman pursue each other on horseback.

Around the competition field you will find stalls selling Kazakh embroidery such as tus kiiz wall hangings, felt work and leather goods. Young women and girls have taken part as eagle huntresses in recent years, and their presence has drawn wide attention.

Getting to Bayan-Ölgii

Ölgii lies roughly 1,600 km west of Ulaanbaatar. The fastest option is a domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar to Ölgii, which takes a few hours. Seats around festival dates sell out early, and airlines and schedules change, so check directly with the domestic carriers. Overland, the drive takes several days each way and is usually combined with visits to Altai Tavan Bogd National Park or Uvs Lake. Many travellers join an organised tour that includes a stay with an eagle-hunter family before or after the festival.

Practical tips for the Golden Eagle Festival

• Confirm the exact dates each year with your tour operator or local organisers. A separate, smaller eagle festival is also held in Sagsai district, usually in mid-September.
• Pack for cold weather. Early October in the Altai can bring frosty nights, strong wind and even snow, though sunny days can be pleasant.
• Keep a respectful distance from the eagles; they are working animals with powerful talons. Ask before photographing a hunter and his bird, and agree in advance if a hunter asks for payment for posed photos.
• Kazakh households have their own customs. Follow your host's lead, accept tea and bread with your right hand, and dress modestly when visiting homes.
• Accommodation in Ölgii is limited, so book guesthouses, hotels or ger camps well ahead.