Wedded Wonderland
Mongolia

Eagle hunters of the Altai and the Gobi

12 days · 11 nights

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days
12
stops
3
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Planned by one Wedded Advisor

The same person from your first question to the flight home, with a wedding or vow renewal planned alongside if you like.

Speak with a Wedded Advisor
  • One advisor, start to finish
  • Hotels our team knows well
  • Dates and pace set around you
  • Flights and extra nights on request

Day by day

How the days unfold. Your advisor tailors the pace, the hotels and the extras to you.

Your route

12 days · 3 stops
  1. Ulaanbaatar
  2. Olgii
  3. Ulaanbaatar
  4. Gobi Desert

  1. Ulaanbaatar

    Day 1 · Ulaanbaatar

    Arrive in Ulaanbaatar

    You arrive in Mongolia's capital and settle into your hotel.

    Overnight
    Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar

  2. Day 2 · Ulaanbaatar

    The Chinggis Khaan Museum

    A local expert shows you treasures of the Mongol empire. The afternoon is free to explore, and the evening brings a welcome dinner.

    Overnight
    Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar

  3. Olgii

    Day 3 · Olgii

    Olgii and a Kazakh family

    You fly west into the Altai, visit the Eagle Hunter Cultural Center and the blue waters of Tolbo Lake, and spend time with a Kazakh family before dinner at your ger camp.

    Overnight
    Private Ger Camp

  4. Days 4 to 5 · Olgii

    The Golden Eagle Festival

    You watch the hunters' parade and the eagle-calling contests on the first day. On the second, riders snatch coins from the ground at a gallop and pull against each other on horseback.

    Overnight
    Private Ger Camp

  5. Ulaanbaatar

    Day 6 · Ulaanbaatar

    Back to the capital

    You fly back to Ulaanbaatar.

    Overnight
    Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar

  6. Day 7 · Ulaanbaatar

    Gandan monastery and the paleontology museum

    A senior lama talks with you at Gandan Khiid and its great gilded statue. You then visit the Natural History Museum and Institute of Paleontology.

    Overnight
    Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar

  7. Gobi Desert

    Day 8 · Gobi Desert

    Into the Gobi

    You fly over the steppe to the Gobi and settle into your ger-style lodge.

    Overnight
    Three Camel Lodge

  8. Day 9 · Gobi Desert

    Yol Valley and ger building

    You hike the Yol Valley looking for lammergeiers, ibex and argali sheep. Later you try archery, watch a ger being raised and see the Milky Way at night.

    Overnight
    Three Camel Lodge

  9. Day 10 · Gobi Desert

    Camels and the Flaming Cliffs

    You ride a Bactrian camel across the dunes of Moltsog Els, then watch the sun set over the Flaming Cliffs, where dinosaur eggs were first found.

    Overnight
    Three Camel Lodge

  10. Ulaanbaatar

    Day 11 · Ulaanbaatar

    Ulaanbaatar

    You fly back to the capital for a free afternoon and a farewell dinner.

    Overnight
    Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar

  11. Day 12 · Ulaanbaatar

    Depart Ulaanbaatar

    After breakfast, a transfer takes you to the airport.

Plan Eagle hunters of the Altai and the Gobi with an advisor

Tell us when you would like to travel. Your advisor confirms dates and hotels, tailors the trip to the two of you, and stays with you until you are home.

  • Dates, hotels and the price confirmed for your travel window
  • Every day adjusted to your pace, with time for the two of you
  • Flights and the nights before and after planned on request
  • One advisor from first question to the flight home

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Mongolia

The Gobi and the Naadam Festival

10 days · 9 nights

Ulaanbaatar → Gobi Desert → Ulaanbaatar

You begin in Ulaanbaatar with its museums and Gandan monastery, then fly to the Gobi for three nights among dunes, canyons and the Flaming Cliffs. Back in the capital, you spend two days at the Naadam Festival with its opening ceremony, archery, wrestling and horse racing.

Price on enquirySee the journey: The Gobi and the Naadam Festival

See what this trip covers

You start in Ulaanbaatar, then fly west to Olgii in the Altai Mountains to meet a Kazakh family and spend two days at the Golden Eagle Festival. Back in the capital you visit Gandan monastery, then fly to the Gobi for three nights of canyons, camel rides and the Flaming Cliffs.

  • The parade of Kazakh eagle hunters
  • Time with a Kazakh family near Olgii
  • Camel ride across Moltsog Els
  • Sunset at the Flaming Cliffs

Make this trip your own

Every trip can be shaped around you before you book.

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Questions about this trip

What happens at the Golden Eagle Festival?
Kazakh hunters in traditional dress parade on horseback with their eagles, then compete in calling contests as the birds dive from the hills. The second day brings horseback games such as tenge ilu and kykbar.
Where do you stay outside the capital?
In Olgii you stay at a ger camp near the festival. In the Gobi you spend three nights at a boutique lodge built in the style of traditional gers.
How big is the group?
Groups are capped at 18 travellers. You fly between Ulaanbaatar, Olgii and the Gobi, so long overland drives are avoided.
When is the best time to take this trip?
September is the best month for this route. Tell us your dates and your travel expert checks the weather and availability for them.
Can we make this trip our own?
Yes. Add nights before or after, upgrade a hotel, fly in from wherever you are on the dates that suit you, or tell us it is a honeymoon or anniversary and we plan the details around it.
12 daysPrice on enquiry
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