Altai Mountains Kazakh Felting
& Eagle Hunters

2 September, DAY 1: Ulaanbaatar

Enjoy your morning breakfast. Meet at the lobby at 9.00 am to meet your fellow travelers and your guide. After a brief orientation, we’ll walk through Sukhbaatar’s square then to National Museum of Mongolia. It is a great museum where you can learn general knowledge of Mongolia’s rich culture and history and we will explore more deeply felt and textiles of the region. After visiting the museum we will walk to a well known restaurant for lunch. Post lunch, take it easy and rest for the afternoon or we can go and visit a felting cooperative shop. We will meet at the lobby at 5pm for a special traditional musical concert, before our welcome dinner. Best Western Tuushin Hotel (B,L,D) Elevation: 1350m/4430feet

3 September, DAY 2: Ulaanbaatar / Ulgii, Bayan Ulgii Province

Our destination today is the sacred Shiveet Khairkhan Mountain, home to Tuvan nomads and mountain ibex. We will get picked up from our hotel and drive almost 2 hours to reach the airport. After lunch at the airport, check in starts at 12:30pm. We will fly across over 780 miles of sweeping Mongolian countryside to Ulgii, the provincial capital. Landing in Ulgii at 15:30 local time, we ride 4WD Land Cruisers, heading west to Shiveet Khairkhan Mountain in the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park. Most of the drive will be along the Tsagaan Gol, or the White River valley. The drive is going to be long but smooth and beautiful to our campsite. We stop along the way to take in the dramatic landscape. Drive: 100 miles (170 Km), approx 4.5 hours drive time including stops. We should reach our camp by 20:30. Overnight in Ger (B,L,D) Campsite Elevation approx: 2400m/ 7874feet

4 September, DAY 3: Shiveet Khairkhan Mt, Tavan Bogd National Park

After breakfast we have a short drive to the largest Petroglyphs site in Central Asia. The Petroglyphs date back starting from the Neolithic period (11,000 BC) to the Bronze Age (6,000 BC). Exploring the rock carving provides exceptional documentation of the prehistoric and early historic communities, and reflects the development of human culture over the period of thousands of years in the Altai Mountains. After viewing the Petroglyphs, we drive a little further to a stunning spot where we can view the magnificent Altai Tavan Bogd Mountain peaks. We do a short hike to Shiveet Khairkhan Mountain and if we are lucky, we will have ibex sightings up close. Shiveet Khairkhan is home to a little over 300 mountain ibex. We have another short drive to visit the animist Tuvan nomad families, the smallest ethnic minority within Mongolia. We will have the opportunity to share tea, learn about their culture and way of life and participate in a felting demonstration. Shiveet Khairkhan Mountain is considered sacred by Tuvans. We head to our campsite to relax and refresh. In the early evening we gather around the bonfire with one of the last of the Tuvan Shamans who joins us in an intimate shamanic ritual at the campsite. Drive: Today is mostly short drives | some short hikes; little longer hikes may depend on ibex sightings | Overnight in Ger (B,L,D) Campsite Elevation approx: 2400m/ 7874feet

5-6 September, DAY 4-5: - Two-Day Horse Trek Expedition to Khara Kul

Experience an epic two-day horse riding expedition with Kazakh horseman and pack-camels. Brush up on your horse riding skills, saddle up your horses and ride through pristine valleys and passes. Bactrian Camels carry our pack lunch and support gear. The 4wd land cruiser shuttles between camps. Horse Riding: We will ride horses at a Walk, for most parts of the trail. It will be very gentle and relaxed riding.The approximate distance each day will be a 10 mile ride; approximately six to seven hours ride including lunch break and stops in-between | Overnight in Ger (B,L,D) Campsite Elevation approx: 2600m/ 8530feet

7 September, DAY 6: Altay Village - Ardak’s Autumn Camp

Today we have a short drive through a scenic valley to our campsite close to an eagle hunter family in Altay village. After lunch we take a short rest. In the early afternoon we visit an eagle hunter family to spend time with the hunter. Over piping hot Kazakh tea, we have the opportunity to get insights into their daily lives and age-old traditions of hunting with the golden eagles. After some more tea, we will have a hands-on demonstration by the hunter on how they train the eagles. If time permits, we will visit a few more eagle hunters to hear their stories while appreciating the rich legacy of felting adorning their yurts. By late afternoon we come back to our camp to enjoy traditional Kazakh dinner with an eagle hunter family. We might have chance to observe the process of how these locals nomads make felt with lamb wool. Drive: 21 miles (35 Km) 2 hours drive including stops along the way | Overnight in Ger (B,L,D) Campsite Elevation approx: 2000m/ 6560feet

8 September, DAY 7: Altay, Eagle Hunting Expedition

After a leisurely breakfast, at around 10 am we meet legendary eagle hunters of this area and ride with the hunters to a nearby mountain on a hunting expedition. The expedition lasts for approximately five hours. Today is your chance to photograph up close the eagle hunters. We are back at the camp by mid-afternoon. Enjoy time to relax and refresh. In the late afternoon we gather around a bonfire at the camp to enjoy folk songs by local herders. Overnight in Ger (B,L,D) Campsite Elevation approx: 2000m/ 6560feet

9 September, DAY 8: Tolbo village

After breakfast we say goodbye to the eagle hunter and his family and leave Altay village heading to Tolbo village. It is possible to fish on Sagsai river on the way, good fishing spots. Then we would continue driving heading to Tolbo. We have our temporary ger camp by Kizilbast mountain near to beautiful Tolbo lake, in a beautiful spot. This is the place where we would spend 3 coming nights that is close to eagle festival site. Drive: 85 miles (135 Km) 6 hours drive including stops along the way | Overnight in Ger (B,L,D) Elevation approx: 1750m/ 5741feet

10 September, DAY 9: Eagle Festival near Tolbo Lake

For the next two days, we enjoy the incredible mini Eagle Festival as eagle hunters prepare and compete, providing amazing photographic opportunities. We are camped next to Tolbo lake. After breakfast we drive to the eagle festival 15 minutes away. Opening Ceremonies | Competition | Awards Ceremony. Witness a local eagle festival begins with a parade by the hunters wearing hunting outfits and accessories. The most elaborate and beautiful adornments receive the highest marks. It is followed by thrilling competitions. The golden eagles are evaluated for their speed and agility. Interesting Kazak traditional games such as Kokbar (buzkashi) and Kazakh archery will also take place. We will have our own get at the eagle festival site we can use to relax, find refuge from weather, have lunch and coffee and tea. Each day we drive from our temporary ger camp and back after the events. Driving distance: 15kms/10miles Elevation approx: 1790m/ 5870feet

11 September, DAY 10: Fly back to Ulaanbaatar

After breakfast, we would get transferred to Ulgii airport to catch our morning flight back to Ulaanbaatar. We arrive in Ulaanbaatar in the early afternoon and return to our hotel. After checking back into our hotel, spending the afternoon for rest and relaxation. Meet at the hotel lobby at 7 pm for a farewell dinner at a restaurant in town. Tuushin Hotel (B,D) Elevation: 1350m/4430feet

12 September, DAY 11: Ulaanbaatar

Depart Ulaanbaatar today after breakfast. You would get transferred to airport (B)