- Price
- From USD 1,800 per person · domestic flights not included
- Duration
- 10 days 9 nights
- Start / end
- Ölgii Bayan-Ölgii province
- Group size
- 2–10 travellers
- Season
- June–Sept Provisional dates
- Activity
- Walks and hikes Includes a day hike toward Potanin Glacier
Live with nomadic families in Mongolia’s far west
This Western Mongolia tour is a homestay first. You spend nine nights in Bayan-Ölgii province, most of them in a guest ger beside a herding family: three nights at a Kazakh eagle hunter’s summer camp, then two more families on the way into Altai Tavan Bogd National Park.
Share milk tea and home cooking, help with milking and dairy making, ride out on horseback if you like, and visit lakes and ancient rock art, and hike toward Potanin Glacier, Mongolia’s largest. The pace is unhurried and the welcome is real.
- Ölgii
- Eagle hunter’s camp3 nights
- Khoton–Khurgan lakes1
- Turgen valley2
- Tavan Bogd2
- Ölgii1
Why choose this nomadic homestay experience
Hosted, not visited
Three nights with a Kazakh eagle hunter’s family, then stays with two further host families. Long enough to share real routines, not a quick tea stop for photos.
A team from Ölgii
Sayat Travel has been based in Ölgii, Bayan-Ölgii, since 2014. Your guide is local to the province.
Culture and wild landscape
Family life first, then lakes, petroglyphs, a waterfall valley and the Tavan Bogd glaciers in one small-group journey.
Authentic experiences with a Kazakh eagle hunter’s family
Life in a Kazakh herding camp runs on the animals and the weather. Join in as much or as little as you like; your guide translates so you can ask questions and hear the family’s stories.
- Milking and herding. Help with the goats and sheep in the cool of the morning and evening.
- The golden eagle. In summer the eagle rests at home; hear how it was caught, trained and cared for. Hunting takes place only in the cold months, roughly October to March.
- Visiting the neighbours. Share tea with a nearby family on Day 3.
- Respectful photography. Ask before photographing people; most families are happy to be photographed once you have spent time together.
Traditional food and dairy production
Summer is the dairy season. Depending on the family, you may watch, or help, as fresh milk becomes cream, curd or cheese, and taste the results straight from the family’s kitchen. Meals are home-cooked by your hosts, with fresh bread, dairy and bowls of milk tea through the day.
Products and their names vary from family to family.
Horseback riding in the Altai
Horses are part of everyday life here. Where horses are available, learn the basics of riding a Mongolian horse, ride around the eagle hunter’s camp, and ride out with the eagle hunter himself if his plans allow. This is a ride, not a hunt. On Day 6 you may also be able to ride up the Turgen waterfall valley. Riding depends on the availability of horses and local horse guides, and walking is always an alternative.
Lakes, rock art and glaciers
The second half of the journey heads west into Mongolia’s highest mountains, staying with two more host families along the way.
Khoton and Khurgan lakes
A long, scenic drive brings you to the twin lakes of Khoton and Khurgan, ringed by larch forest and herders’ summer camps. Stop for landscape photography and birdwatching by the water, then meet your second host family and watch the sun go down over the lake.
An estimated 8 hours of driving, including stops.
Ancient petroglyphs and Turkic balbal monuments
The shores of the lakes hold some of the oldest traces of people in the Altai: rock carvings, burial mounds from the Scythian era, and Turkic balbal stone figures still standing on the steppe. Your guide explains who made them and what they meant.
Turgen waterfall valley
A green side valley with a waterfall at its head, home to your third host family. Spend a full day exploring on foot with a local guide, or on horseback if horses are available, then return to camp for local hospitality and, where permitted, a campfire evening.
Altai Tavan Bogd National Park and Potanin Glacier
Drive to the ranger station area beneath the five Tavan Bogd peaks, close to where Mongolia meets China and Russia. The next day, hike toward Potanin Glacier, the largest in Mongolia, to viewpoints your guide chooses for the weather and the group. With luck you may spot argali wild sheep on the slopes; sightings are never guaranteed.
A guided day hike toward the glacier, not a technical glacier trek.
10-day itinerary
Starts and ends in Ölgii. Domestic flights between Ulaanbaatar and Ölgii are not included; we can help you arrange them separately. Meals shown for each day are the planned arrangements.
- Day01
Arrive in Ölgii and meet an eagle hunter’s family
Your guide meets you in Ölgii. After a short look around town, drive out to the summer camp of a Kazakh eagle hunter’s family, settle into your guest ger and share milk tea and a home-cooked dinner.
- Day02
A day in the life of a Kazakh herding family
A full day at camp. Help with milking, see how the family makes dairy products such as cream, kurt or cheese, and taste the results. Spend time with the eagle hunter and his golden eagle, walk the hills or simply rest.
- Day03
Horses, an eagle hunter and the neighbours
If horses and a horse guide are available, begin with an introduction to Mongolian horses and an optional ride around camp, possibly riding out with the eagle hunter if his plans allow (a ride, not a hunt). Visit a neighbouring family for tea before a last evening with your hosts.
- Day04
Into Altai Tavan Bogd National Park: Khoton and Khurgan lakes
A long, scenic drive west with stops for photographs and birdwatching. Visit another nomadic family, your hosts for tonight, and watch the sunset over the lake.
- Day05
Petroglyphs, stone monuments and the road to Turgen valley
Explore the lake shores, rock carvings, Scythian-era burial mounds and Turkic balbal stones, then continue to the Turgen waterfall valley to meet your third host family.
- Day06
Turgen waterfall valley on foot or horseback
Walk up the valley toward the waterfall with a local guide, or ride if horses are available. Back at camp, local hospitality and, where permitted, an evening campfire.
- Day07
To the foot of the Tavan Bogd range
Drive to the northwestern part of the park and the ranger station area below the Tavan Bogd peaks, as the landscape grows higher and wilder.
- Day08
Potanin Glacier
A day hike toward Potanin Glacier, Mongolia’s largest, to viewpoints chosen for the weather and the group. Return to the same camp in the evening.
- Day09
Return to Ölgii
Drive back to Ölgii with a picnic lunch and photo stops. Check in to your hotel, then join a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
- Day10
Tour ends in Ölgii
After breakfast, the tour concludes in Ölgii. Domestic flights to Ulaanbaatar are not included; we can help you arrange them separately.
Your own guest ger beside the family
Separate guest gers, close enough to share the family’s day, with your own space to rest. Facilities are simple and vary from camp to camp.
| Nights | Where | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | The eagle hunter’s family | Guest ger |
| 4 | Host family near Khoton–Khurgan lakes | Guest ger |
| 5–6 | Host family, Turgen valley | Guest ger |
| 7–8 | Ranger station area, Tavan Bogd | Guest gers |
| 9 | Ölgii | Hotel |
Meals
Planned meals run from lunch on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 10: home cooking with your host families, picnic lunches on travel days and a farewell dinner in Ölgii. We regularly arrange vegetarian meals and other dietary requirements; please tell us in advance.
What’s included and excluded
Included
- English-speaking local guide throughout
- 4×4 vehicle and driver for the tour
- 8 nights in guest gers, 1 night in an Ölgii hotel
Not included
- Domestic flights between Ulaanbaatar and Ölgii
- International flights and Mongolia visa fees
- Travel insurance covering horse riding and evacuation
- Accommodation and meals in Ulaanbaatar
- Alcoholic drinks, personal expenses and tips
Practical travel information
- Start and end
- Ölgii (Ulgii), Bayan-Ölgii province
- Getting there
- Domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar, about 3 hours; not included
- Season
- June to September (provisional)
- Group size
- 2–10 travellers
- Fitness
- Walking on uneven ground, including a day hike toward Potanin Glacier on Day 8; riding is optional.
- Driving
- Rough tracks; Day 4 is an estimated 8 hours including stops, and Days 1, 7 and 9 also involve driving
- Permits
- Permits may be needed for the Tavan Bogd area; we will advise you and may ask for passport details in advance
- Weather
- Warm days, cold nights; snow possible near the glacier even in summer
Frequently asked questions
Where does this Western Mongolia tour start and end?
In Ölgii (also spelled Ulgii or Olgii), the capital of Bayan-Ölgii province. Flights between Ulaanbaatar and Ölgii take about three hours and are not included in the price; we can help you arrange them separately.
Will I see eagle hunting on this tour?
No. Kazakh eagle hunters hunt only in the cold months, roughly October to March. On this summer tour you meet an eagle hunter and his golden eagle at home and learn how the tradition works. For the hunting season, see our Eagle Hunter Homestay & Photography Experience (September–May) or our Eagle Hunters Migration Photography Expedition.
What are the Mongolia homestays on this tour like?
You sleep in a separate guest ger beside the family’s home and share daily life with your hosts. Facilities are simple and vary from camp to camp.
Do I need riding experience?
Riding on Days 3 and 6 is optional, and you can walk instead. Rides depend on the availability of horses and local horse guides.
How fit do I need to be?
The most demanding day is the hike toward Potanin Glacier on Day 8, on uneven ground. Your guide chooses viewpoints that suit the group.
How long are the drives?
The longest is expected to be Day 4, an estimated 8 hours including stops. Days 1, 7 and 9 also involve driving on rough tracks.
Do I need a permit for Altai Tavan Bogd National Park?
Altai Tavan Bogd National Park lies close to Mongolia’s borders with China and Russia. We have arranged permits for Western Mongolia tours before, using guests’ passport details. We will let you know which permits apply to your trip and what we need from you.
Can you cater for vegetarian or other diets?
Yes. We have experience arranging vegetarian meals and other dietary requirements on our tours; please tell us in advance. Allergies are discussed individually with you and your hosts, and we cannot promise an allergen-free environment.
Is there electricity and phone signal?
Charging facilities and mobile coverage vary along the route, so please do not rely on continuous signal or electricity.
Can I combine this tour with others?
Yes. It pairs well with our Golden Eagle Festival Experience in early autumn, or a trek on the Altai Traverse.
