What is the Golden Eagle Festival?
The Golden Eagle Festival is an annual gathering of Kazakh eagle hunters in Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia’s westernmost province. Usually 40 to 80 eagle hunters take part, sometimes more, alongside horseback riders and archers. Hunters compete with their trained golden eagles, ride in traditional dress and join the traditional horseback games.
The main festival is held at Shar Nuur, about 10 km from Ölgii, on the first weekend of October. Smaller soum (county) eagle festivals take place in the districts around Ölgii through September.
We are a local team based in Bayan-Ölgii, and the eagle hunters we visit are our neighbours and friends. This guide is written from our own visits. If you’d rather travel with us, see our 7-day Golden Eagle Festival tour.
At a glance
- What
- Eagle-hunter competitions, a parade in traditional dress, horseback games, archery, crafts and food
- Where
- Shar Nuur, about 10 km from Ölgii, Bayan-Ölgii Province. Taxis run there from town.
- When
- September festivals 11–26 September 2027. October Golden Eagle Festival 2–3 October 2027.
- Entry
- About US$50 per festival, paid at the entrance
- Getting there
- Direct MIAT flights from Ulaanbaatar to Ölgii (about 2 hours) on Wednesdays and Saturdays, or a daily bus of about 28 hours
When is the Golden Eagle Festival in 2027?
All five 2027 eagle festival dates are confirmed, from the Altai festival in mid-September to the October Golden Eagle Festival at Shar Nuur on 2–3 October. Flights fill up around these dates, so book early.
2027 festival dates
| Festival | Where | 2027 dates |
|---|---|---|
| Altai Eagle Festival | Altai soum | 11–12 September 2027 Confirmed |
| Sagsai Eagle Festival | Sagsai soum | 17–18 September 2027 Confirmed |
| Tolbo Lake Eagle Festival | Tolbo Lake | 21–22 September 2027 Confirmed |
| Altantsogts Golden Eagle Festival | Altantsogts soum | 25–26 September 2027 Confirmed |
| October Golden Eagle Festival | Shar Nuur, near Ölgii | 2–3 October 2027 Confirmed |
The 2026 festival calendar
These festivals have already taken place. We list them for reference.
| Festival | 2026 dates |
|---|---|
| Altai Eagle Festival | 13–14 September 2026 |
| Sagsai Eagle Festival | 17–18 September 2026 |
| Tolbo Lake Eagle Festival | 21–22 September 2026 |
| Altantsogts Eagle Festival | 26–27 September 2026 |
| October Golden Eagle Festival at Shar Nuur | 3–4 October 2026 |
Spring: the Nauryz Eagle Hunters Festival
In spring, Bayan-Ölgii’s Kazakh community celebrates Nauryz, the spring new year. The Nauryz Eagle Hunters Festival is expected on 20 March 2027. It’s a colourful festival, and it combines well with our winter migration photography expedition, which runs from January to April.
Where the festival takes place
All the eagle festivals are held around Ölgii, the centre of Bayan-Ölgii Province in western Mongolia, which borders Russia and China. For more on the region, see our Bayan-Ölgii travel guide.
The October festival at Shar Nuur
The October Golden Eagle Festival at Shar Nuur, about 10 km from Ölgii, brings together eagle hunters from across the province, with a full programme of competitions and cultural events. It tends to attract more visitors than the other eagle festivals because it has been held for many years. You can take a taxi there from Ölgii.
The soum festivals in September
The soum festivals in Altai, Sagsai, Tolbo Lake and Altantsogts are smaller and more intimate. They give you a closer look at the eagle hunters and their families, with fewer crowds. Many of our guests combine a soum festival with time staying with an eagle-hunting family.
October festival or a soum festival?
| October Golden Eagle Festival | Soum festivals | |
|---|---|---|
| When | First weekend of October | September |
| Where | Shar Nuur, about 10 km from Ölgii | Altai, Sagsai, Tolbo Lake and Altantsogts |
| Size | Larger, with more visitors | Smaller and quieter |
| Best for | The full programme of competitions and cultural events | Closer views of hunters and families, with fewer crowds |
If you have time, combine a festival with a stay with an eagle-hunting family.
What to expect at the festival
Registration and the parade
Each festival day begins in the morning with registration for the eagle hunters and for the riders competing in the horseback games. The hunters then ride in wearing traditional Kazakh dress, fox-fur coats and fur hats, with their eagles on their arms. It’s one of the most photographed moments of the festival.
The eagle-calling competition
In the eagle-calling event, each hunter calls their trained eagle back to them. Hunters are judged on how quickly and accurately their eagles answer the call and catch a lure, and on their overall skill and technique.
Horseback games and archery
The traditional horseback games show off nomadic horsemanship. They include kokpar, a rough contest in which riders wrestle for a goat carcass on horseback, as well as kyz kuu and tenge ilu. Archers also take part.
Music, crafts and food
Expect Kazakh music and performances, and stalls selling handmade felt, embroidery and jewellery. Try traditional dishes such as beshbarmak (boiled meat with noodles) and kazy (horse-meat sausage).
How to plan your visit
When to arrive
Plan around festival week. Either start your trip with the festival, or arrive about a week earlier and finish with it. Domestic flight days usually decide which works better. For the wider season, see the best time to visit Mongolia.
Getting to Ölgii
MIAT runs direct flights from Ulaanbaatar to Ölgii on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Ölgii is one hour behind Ulaanbaatar, so the clock times below already include the time change.
- Ulaanbaatar → Ölgiiabout 07:00 → 08:00Departs about 07:00 Ulaanbaatar time, arrives about 08:00 Ölgii time. Flight time about 2 hours.
- Ölgii → Ulaanbaatarabout 08:00 → 11:35Departs about 08:00 Ölgii time, arrives about 11:35 Ulaanbaatar time. Flight time about 2 hours 35 minutes.
- By busAbout 28 hoursDaily buses run non-stop from Ulaanbaatar to Ölgii. A VIP bus has Wi-Fi and sleeping seats.
2027 MIAT schedule. Times are approximate; check your ticket.
There are also flights from Ulaanbaatar to Khovd on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. During festival weeks, MIAT or Hunnu Air sometimes add extra flights when there’s demand. Flights fill up quickly around festival dates, so book early.
Getting to the festival ground
Shar Nuur is about 10 km from Ölgii. You can take a taxi from town.
Where to stay
Ölgii has hotels and guesthouses, and some visitors stay in ger camps near the festival ground. Book well ahead for festival dates.
If you travel with Sayat Travel, you can stay with a local eagle-hunting family whose members compete in the festival. You watch the hunters you’ve stayed with take part, and you can add a few days in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park.
Tickets
Entry costs about US$50 at each eagle festival. The organisers collect it before or as you enter the festival area. If you travel with a tour company or guide, they arrange it for you.
Weather and what to pack
Early October temperatures are around 10°C and can change quickly, and the festival ground is open to the wind. Snow is possible: the Shar Nuur video above shows the festival ground under snow in October. Pack:
- Warm layers, including thermal underwear and a fleece or down jacket
- A windproof outer jacket
- Sturdy, warm boots, a hat and gloves
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Spare camera batteries, which drain quickly in the cold
See our FAQ for a full packing list.
The Kazakh eagle-hunting tradition, in brief
Hunting with golden eagles has been passed from generation to generation among the Kazakh people, and in Bayan-Ölgii it is still part of everyday life for some families. Falconry, which includes hunting with eagles, is inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, with Mongolia among the countries that nominated it.
Why hunters use female eagles
Female golden eagles are larger, heavier and more aggressive than males, so they are almost always the ones used for hunting.
Training and the hunting season
Some eagles are taken from the nest when young; others are caught as mature birds with carefully set nets. The hunter builds trust slowly, feeding the bird by hand, until it is used to him, his horse and his dog. It then learns to chase a shyrga, a lure made from fox or hare skin, before real hunting begins. Hunters use a hood to keep the eagle calm, a leash, and a baldak, a wooden rest that supports the arm when riding with the heavy bird.
The hunting season runs through the cold months, from about October to March, when furs are thickest. Eagles hunt foxes, hares and game birds. In the warmer months they rest and moult.
Names for eagles
Kazakh hunters name their eagles by age. A first-year bird is a balapan, and the names continue year by year:
| Age | Name | Age | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | balapan | 7 | kana |
| 2 | kantubit | 8 | zhana |
| 3 | tyrnek | 9 | maytubit |
| 4 | tastulek | 10 | barkyn |
| 5 | muzbalak | 11 | barshyn |
| 6 | koktubit | 12 | shogel |
Beyond the festival: meeting eagle-hunting families
A festival shows the public celebration of eagle hunting; a family visit shows the everyday life behind it. You sit together in the ger, share milk tea and food, talk with the family and see how a hunter works with his eagle. If you have time, combining the two is one of the best ways to understand eagle-hunting culture in western Mongolia.
Eagle-hunting families live in Bayan-Ölgii all year. You can stay with families on our Nomad Homestay tour. For a look at life outside festival season, read Walking with Syerikbol, our photo story of a Kazakh family moving nearly 1,000 animals almost 150 km across the Altai Mountains to their summer pasture.
Seeing the festival with Sayat Travel
Our Golden Eagle Festival Experience is a 7-day trip that combines two festival days with a homestay with a local eagle-hunting family away from the crowds. Our host families compete in the festival every year. Groups are small, from 2 to 10 travellers. You can also combine the festival with trekking on the Altai Traverse.
Contact us to plan your festival trip.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Golden Eagle Festival in 2027?
All 2027 dates are confirmed: Altai 11–12 September, Sagsai 17–18 September, Tolbo Lake 21–22 September, Altantsogts 25–26 September, and the October Golden Eagle Festival at Shar Nuur on 2–3 October.
Where is the festival held?
The October festival is at Shar Nuur, about 10 km from Ölgii, and you can take a taxi from town. The September festivals are held in the Altai, Sagsai, Tolbo Lake and Altantsogts districts of Bayan-Ölgii.
How much does it cost to enter?
About US$50 at each eagle festival, collected by the organisers before or as you enter. If you travel with a tour company or guide, they arrange it for you.
How many eagle hunters take part?
Usually 40 to 80, sometimes more, along with horseback riders and archers.
How do I get to Ölgii?
MIAT flies direct from Ulaanbaatar to Ölgii on Wednesdays and Saturdays, leaving at about 07:00 and landing at about 08:00 Ölgii time. Extra flights are sometimes added in festival weeks. Daily buses take about 28 hours.
Should I go to the October festival or a soum festival?
The October festival is larger, with the full programme; the soum festivals are smaller and quieter. Combining one with a family stay gives the fullest picture.
Can I see eagle hunters outside festival time?
Yes. Eagle-hunting families live in Bayan-Ölgii all year. From January to April, our eagle hunter photography expedition follows a family’s winter migration, and in March it can be combined with Nauryz celebrations and an eagle festival. In summer, you can meet eagle hunters on our Naadam Festival & Eagle Hunters Trek.
Contact us to plan your festival trip, or book your tour.
