Golden eagle festival & Great Gobi tour

Our guide will meet you at the airport upon your arrival in Ulaanbaatar city/capital of Mongolia/ and take you to the hotel you stay in. Free at leisure for the rest of the day. Prepare yourself; on most of the days of this tour, we'll spend several hours on the road. Note: the camera with a full battery, torch, and other stuff/suitable clothing for horse/camel riding/.

Overnight in Hotel
Meals included

In the early morning, our experienced driver and guide will pick you up from the hotel you stay in. Then we will head to Terelj National Park located 75 km on the side, on the way you will explore Ovoo-the pile of sacred stones, according to the local legend, the spirit of nature dwells in the heaped Rocks which was set for the god of nature and blue sky. Terelj National Park is Mongolian's best-known national park for good reason, it was created in 1965, popular among Mongolians for its magnificent granite rocky hills, rock formations especially Turtle Rock, and green forests. On the way to the park, you will visit Biggest Equestrian Statue in the world /Chingis Khaan/, and Meditation Monastery. Stay overnight in nomadic families experiencing nomads' everyday life, milk production, and livestock in the pasture.  

Overnight in Nomadic family                 Meals:B,L,D

After breakfast you will start your wonderful trip in Mongolia, early in the morning we drive to South Gobi. The first stop will be at Baga Gazriin Chuluu-located in Delgertsogt soum, Dundgovi province. Baga Gazriin Chuluu There will be seen granite stone mountains whose tallest one is elevated at 1768m above sea level. The landscape and rock formations are sacred to the locals. It's a pretty spiritual place.  In the n19th-century two important monks lived here and they had left some script and drawing as marks of their passage. There has been an open theatre of the national long song of Mongolia. There exists a rich family of plants and many wild animals.  

Overnight in Ger camp                 Meals: B, L, D

After breakfast, we depart for the Tsagaan Suvarga /White Stupa / which is absolutely one of the best sights in Mongolia.
Tsagaan Suvarga
Tsagaan Suvarga is located in Ulziit Soum, in the Dundgobi province. Tsagaan suvarga is a stunning and legendary cliff formed by deposits of sediment from millions of years. This cliff indicates different times by its colored layers containing 10 million years of history. The stunning scenery makes awesome photos and a chance to explore the area through the gorges and canyons. It makes you feel like you are in the time of a Giant dinosaur.

Overnight in Ger camp            Meals:B,L,D  

After breakfast, we've got another early start today leaving the Tsagaan suvarga. Yoliin Am has located 45km from the province of Dalanzadgad. The altitude is 2800m from sea level. This is one of the best places to encounter wild animals and wander through the majestic canyons.  This is the deep and narrow canyon in the Gobi GurvanSaikhan /Gobi three beautiful / mountains. The narrowest valley is named after Lammergeyer, which is called Yol in Mongolian.  The Lammergeyer is an old-world Vulture. In there you can see 1-1.5m thick ice in the middle of gorges where it barely gets sunshine during summer time and the sky looks pretty narrow in line between canyons.   

Overnight in Ger camp                Meals: B,L,D

This day we drive to Khongor sand dune. Khongor sand dune After having breakfast, we will be heading to the Khongor Sand Dunes-situated around 120 km from Yoliin Am.  Often called the singing dunes and surrounded by mountains. This grand sand dune stretches for 180km going from northwest to southeast. The most width part is 27km on the northwest section. The site is amazing. Khongor Sand Dunes are some of the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia. Reaching the top of the sand hill will be exhausting and around 40 minutes to one hour. but the views of the desert from the sandy summit are breathtaking. The sand dunes are a great place for riding camel so we take camel rides there. May stay overnight in the tent if the weather is fine.  

Overnight in Ger camp            Meals: B,L,D

This morning we head to Bayan zag /rich saxual/

Bayan zag

Bayanzag, which means ‘rich in saxaul shrubs’, is more commonly known as the ‘Flaming Cliffs’, a name penned by the paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews. First excavated in 1922, it is best known worldwide for the number of dinosaur bones and eggs found in the area, which you can see in museums around the world. Even if you are not a ‘Dienophile’, the beauty of the surrounding landscape is a good reason to visit. It’s a classic desert of rock, red sands, scrub, sun, and awesome emptiness. Bayanzag is around 90km from Dalanzadgad. Stay overnight may in the tent if the weather is fine.

Overnight in Ger camp         Meals: B,L,D

Journey to Ongi temple After breakfast we drive to the next destination which is the Saikhanovoo and Ongi temple in middle Gobi. 

Ongi Monastery

This small mountainous area along the river /Ongiin gol/ which is the tenth longest river of Mongolia with an overall length of 435 km. This temple makes a pleasant place to break a trip after long drive from Baynzag. OngiinKhiid is a sightworthy monastery on Ongiriver about 18 km from SaikhanOvoo. Formerly one of the largest monasteries in Mongolia, it was founded in 1660 and consisted of two temples complexes on the North and South of the OngiGolriver. The older southern complex consisted of various administrative buildings as well as 11 temples. The northern complex, built in the 18th century, consisted of 17 temples - among them one of the largest temples in all of Mongolia. The grounds housed also 4 Buddhist universities. It was completely destroyed in 1939 under Khorloogiin Choibalsan, the then president and leader of the Communist Party of Mongolia. Over 200 monks were killed, and many surviving monks were imprisoned or forced to join the Communist controlled army. A large number of ruins including a tall stupa can be seen on the river and on the surrounding hills. In the 1990s, it was decided to rebuild the monastery. At present (2011), 13 monks live in the monastery.  

Overnight in Ger camp          Meals: B,L,D

Our next destination is the Karakorum and Erdenezuu monastery. After brief stroll along the Ongi river,  we'll head on to capital of the  ancient  Mongolian empire. /13-14th century/ Kharkhorin (Karakorum) In the mid-13th century, Karakorum was a happening place. Chinggis Khan established a supply base here and his son Ogedei ordered the construction of a proper capital, a decree that attracted traders, dignitaries and skilled workers from across Asia and even Europe. The good times lasted around 40 years until Kublai moved the capital to Khanbalik (later called Beijing), a decision that still incites resentment among some Mongolians. Following the move to Beijing and the subsequent collapse of the Mongol empire, Karakorum was abandoned and then destroyed by vengeful Manchurian soldiers in 1388. Whatever was left of Karakorum was used to help build, in the 16th century, the enormous monastery, ErdeneZuu monastery, which itself was badly damaged during the Stalinist purges. The rather nondescript Soviet-built town of  Kharkhorin was built a couple of kilometers away from ErdeneZuu monastery, and there is little of interest in the town itself.    

Overnight in Ger camp                 Meals: B,L,D

After a brief visit through some sightseeing and museum in the town, we will hit a road and back to UB/capital/.  After fairly boring stretch of route, the sand dunes of Elsen Tasarhai will make you happy. Elsen Tasarhai is something of an oasis. These large dunes stretch for some 70km and are worth stopping off at for those who are not planning to visit the much more spectacular Khongoryn Els in the Gobi Desert. On the way the local restaurants and cafes will be the places where you will be eating. Then we carry on route back to UB seeing some natural beauty such as Khogno Khan Nature Reserve and countryside.  

Overnight in Hotel       Meals: B,L,D

Early in the morning drive to Airport and fly to Bayan-Ulgii province for 3 hours. It is located in far western part of Mongolia, 1700 km from Ulaanbaatar city.  Exploring Ulgii town.  

Overnight in Local Hotel                Meals: B,L,D

The golden eagle festival is held annualy in Bayn-Olgii province as organized event. During the Golden Eagle festivel, they celebrate this festival to show their ancester's heritage competing each other with their well-trained eagles that catch small animals, such as hares, fox even wolves. By doing this, they both show their skills and abilities. Prizes are awarded for their speed, agility, and accuracy, as well as best traditional Kazakh dress and more. 

Stay overnigh in Hotel               Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy the Golden eagle Festival.  Dark, rocky mountainous terrain forms the backdrop to the festivities which incorporate an opening ceremony, parade, cultural exhibitions, demonstrations and handcrafts in the center of town of Ulgii followed by sporting activities and competitions 4 km out towards the mountains. Dressed in full eagle hunting regalia and mounted on groomed decorated horses, the entrants compete for the awards of Best Turned out Eagle and Owner; Best Eagle at Hunting Prey and Best Eagle at Locating Its Owner from a Distance. Other sporting activities include horse racing, archery and the highly entertaining Bushkashi - goatskin tug of war on horseback.  

Overnight: in Hotel or Ger camp          Meals: B, L, D

With only around 400 traditional eagle hunters left in the world, the custom is precious and unless your father was an eagle hunter, you cannot become one. “They have to endure many hours of horse riding with a 7 to 9kg golden eagle on their arms in extremely cold weather.” Each eagle is taken from the wild at a young age - either straight from the nest or once the mother has taught them basic hunting skills - and hunters will embark on rigorous training to hone their skills. “As soon as the eagle reaches 10-years-old - half of their life expectancy - they are returned to nature to breed again and have a normal life with another eagle.” Only female eagles are used for hunting as they tend to be bigger, stronger, more agile and far more focussed while hunting down their prey. 

Stay overnigh in Hotel or Ger camp            Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast we will drive to local airport and flight to Ulaanbaatar for 2.5 hours. All you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy time. If we've got time left, you can do the shopping or cultural show. 

Overnight in hotel           Meals: B, L, D

We will take you to the airport. Check your items when you're leaving the hotel. Good luck for your next trip.