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Olgii, Mongolia
26 September 2006-06 October 2006
02 October 2007-12 October 2007
In the isolated Altai mountain range, local Kazakh minorities
still practice an ancient tradition of hunting with
Golden Eagles. Once a year, the people gather to celebrate
and compete for the best traditional Kazakh costume
and beat each other at the team horseback game of 'kukbar'.
But the highlight is the culmination of three exhilarating
rounds to establish who has the most loyal and agile
eagle. This annual competition displays not only the
eagle's skill, but also the strength of the bond they
have with their trainer.We will stay in comfortable
Mongolian ger tents and experience the traditional music
and dancing of the Kazakh people during the festivities,
along with their trade of beautiful Kazakh embroidered
rugs.Our itinerary also spends time in the Terelj National
Park home to over 250 species of birds and many rare
and endangered animals, including the brown bear. Travelling
overland in 4WD vehicles we will visit Genghis Khan's
ancient empire capital of Karakorum, home to the 16th
century Erdene Zuu Monastery..
More Info: The Kazakh Eagle Festival
is held in Bayan olgii in the far west of Mongolia at
the start of October every year. Kazakh nomads have
been herding their flocks in the mountains of western
Mongolia since the mid 1800’s, and used to wander freely
between Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Xinjiang until the
1930’s, when many ethnic Kazakhs settled in Mongolia.
Their culture is quite different to Mongolian culture,
following Sunni Islam; their gers are richly decorated
and their handcrafts, particularly the colorful wall
hangings and felt rugs are highly sought after. One
tradition the Mongolian Kazakhs have proudly held onto
is hunting with Golden Eagles.
Hunting with Eagles takes place in the winter, and the
eagles are trained to hunt marmots, foxes and wolves.
For a close up look at Kazakh culture and eagle hunting,
and to shop for Kazakh arts and crafts, join us for
the Eagle Festival at the start of the hunting season;
or for a genuine adventure take a custom trip in mid-winter
to join Kazakh hunters as they ride out to hunt with
their eagles.
Tour Option:
Brief Itinerary
DAY 1 Arrive in Ulaanbaatar DAY 2 To Terelj National
Park, day walking DAY 3 In Terelj National Park, return
to Ulaanbaatar DAY 4 Fly to Olgii DAY 5/6 Golden Eagle
festival DAY 7 Fly back to Ulaanbaatar DAY 8 Drive to
Khustain Nuruu National Park to see the wild horses
being reintroduced DAY 9 Drive to Karakorum and visit
Erdene Zuu monastery DAY 10 Drive back to Ulaanbaatar
DAY 11 Trip concludes in Ulaanbaatar
Book
this trip through worldexpeditions.com
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March
3, 2006