Golden Eagle Ride

Day 1: Arrival & Concert

Fly into Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia (called ‘UB’ by locals and visitors alike). After passing through immigration and customs, you’ll be collected and whisked to the dependable luxury of the Holiday Inn hotel. Referred to as the ‘city of contrasts’, UB is a city where modern skyscrapers stand beside traditional dwellings and ancient monasteries. The population has almost reached 1.5 million, and it’s growing rapidly, with new developments popping up all around the place. We’ll be very conveniently located in downtown UB, within walking distance of Sukhbaatar Square, museums, theatres, and shops. Our local guide will give us a quick orientation tour before we head to a local concert and a welcome dinner.

Day 2: Ulaangom

Please note: The second departure scheduled for the Eagle Festival Ride will run this itinerary in reverse – starting with the Eagle Festival and ending with the ride.

EEEEP, the day has finally come! Today we’re catching a regional flight to Ulaangom, where we’ll bundle into one of Mongolia’s iconic Russian vans for an hour’s drive to Turgen soum, where we’ll have lunch with the amazing local crew who make our ride possible. Then it’s time to meet our Mongol steeds! Once we’ve been matched to our horses, we’ll explore our gorgeous surrounds in the saddle. Tonight’s campsite sits just below Ulaan Davaa, which translates to ‘Red Pass’, and you’ll soon see how it got its name! After the first of many scrumptious campfire dinners prepared by our amazing crew, we’ll settle into our tents and fall asleep to the soft sounds of our horses grazing – and maybe even the distant cry of a wolf.

Days 3 to 9: Riding across the steppe

The following seven days will be spent travelling deep into the wilderness of Uvs Province, crossing the incredibly varied, heartachingly beautiful landscapes of the steppe. Savour the chance to switch your phone to flight mode and live in the present moment, globetrotters, because we will be totally, blissfully off-grid. We’ll slip into a daily routine of enjoying breakfast at camp, jumping on our horses, riding all day with stops to enjoy lunch and take in the sights, and finally arriving at our campsite for dinner, fireside stories and perhaps a dip in the river.

Highlights will include riding along the shore of Uureg Lake, spotting herds of ibex and keeping a hopeful eye out for snow leopard tracks in the stunning Yamaat Valley, fording pristine rivers strewn with huge granite boulders and crossing dramatic, rocky passes.

Finally, on day 9, we’ll arrive at the edge of the magnificent, azure-blue Achit Lake. This piece of eden is a cornucopia of fish and bird life, and the rock formations of the surrounding hills will take your breath away. If we still have some energy to burn, we can hike to the top of one of these formations to watch the sun set over the land we’ve just traversed.

Day 10: Olgii

Today we’ll have breakfast on the lakeside, then pack our bags and bid a fond farewell to our faithful steeds. A half-day van trip brings us to to Olgii, where we’ll be accommodated in a traditional ger camp. Here we’ll have the luxury of a hot shower! There will also be a chance to visit the village market should we need any supplies for the upcoming weekend of festivities.

Day 11: Eagle Festival Day 1

After breakfast at our ger camp, we’ll be transferred the remaining 40 kilometres to Ulaankhus, where the beautiful family who is hosting us for the Eagle Festival awaits our arrival. These are some of the last remaining Eagle Hunters in Mongolia, and we’ll have the immense privilege of riding into the festival with them. The whole afternoon will be spent lapping up the magic of the Games, with eagles soaring overhead and Mongol horses and riders thundering every which way across the plains. As dusk falls, our hosts will bring us to their riverside ger, where we’ll share stories together over a hearty dinner (and likely a few nips of vodka!) before resting up for another big day with the Eagle Hunters.

Summer Trip (July):

At the end of the riding adventure, you will have the unique and intimate experience of being hosted by a local eagle hunting family and getting up close and personal with their hunting birds and horses.  You will be visiting before the eagle hunting season starts, and before the festivals showcasing those skills take place, but the birds will be in training and in residence, and you’ll have a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with one of only 60 or so families who preserve and practice this ancient way of life left in Mongolia.

Day 12: Eagle Festival Day 2

This morning there’s the option to ride or take a transfer to the site of the Games, where we’ll spend the whole day witnessing this rarest and most remarkable of events. Participation isn’t mandatory, but it’s definitely encouraged and will score you massive brownie points! You could try your hand at the whipping game, camel racing, or tug of war, or simply sit back with a glass of airag (fermented mares’ milk) and soak it all in. At last the time will come to give thanks to our hosts, wave goodbye to the Eagle Hunters and head back to our ger camp in Olgii. And yes, we can even have another shower! Talk about being spoilt. Then, bellies full, we’ll retire to our cosy gers, where the crackle of the fire will lull us into a deep sleep.

Summer Trip (July):

This day is removed from the July departure.

Day 13: Return to Ulaanbaatar

After an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience in one of the remotest corners of Mongolia, it’s time to head back to civilisation. Will we be ready for a plush bed and a hot bath? No doubt. But you can bet your bottom dollar we’ll be wishing for another week in the wilderness first! We’ll check in to the same hotel we stayed in at the beginning of our trip, so if you left any superfluous luggage with the concierge, you can collect it as soon as you like. After freshening up and luxuriating in the creature comforts of our rooms, we’ll regroup for one last celebratory feast, reminiscing over a journey we will never forget.

Day 14: Departure

Today we’ll bid our fond farewells and take a transfer to the airport for onward travels.

Summer Trip

New for 2026 is a summer edition of our incredible horse trek, boasting a warmer climate, horses and riders in summer coats, summer pastures under hoof and even some pleasurable wild swims in the lakes we will camp by at night on multiple riding days during the trek.  If you feel the cold and this has been a hesitation factor for you in booking this iconic adventure, this edition could present a perfect solution.  At the end of the riding adventure, you will have the unique and intimate experience of being hosted by a local eagle hunting family and getting up close and personal with their hunting birds and horses.  You will be visiting before the eagle hunting season starts, and before the festivals showcasing those skills take place, but the birds will be in training and in residence, and you’ll have a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with one of only 60 or so families who preserve and practice this ancient way of life left in Mongolia.

Why would you choose this ride over the Eagle Festival departures?

• If you feel the cold and are scared about camping in the snow!!
• If you don’t like standing around much, and will struggle with two days on your feet at the festival with very limited facilities (no toilets, no catering, no seating).  This is a much smaller slice of the wild west, but still a great chance to sit and be with the eagle hunters. More intimate, more relaxed.
• If the traditional games on display trouble you – the goat carcass tug of war, and the hunting of a wolf cub.
• Price point – it’s cheaper in respect of one day less on the road and catered and crewed, and no festival entrance fees and tourism fees.