Rolling steppe make way to stark desert; small nomadic ger camps pepper this vast land where camels and goats are herded on horseback, fermented mare’s milk is the tipple of choice, sand dunes are known to ‘sing’ and the first intact dinosaur eggs were found. Genghis Khan went forth from here on horseback to conquer the biggest land empire in history and, to this day, Buddhist and Animist traditions mix. We travel through steppe, mountains and the Gobi Desert exploring the nature and culture of this fascinating, yet little known country before making our way to the far western reaches to visit the Eagle Festival, celebrating the fascinating past time of hunting with eagles and the strong connection the Mongolian people have with their animals and land.



This departure of the Eagle Festival tour visits Gobi Gurvansaikhan N. P. at the start of the trip.

We use hotels in Ulaanbaatar and Arvaikheer and ger camps elsewhere. Gers are similar to yurts, generally airy and comfortable with beds and, normally, a central wood-burning stove (though in the summer the stoves are not normally needed). The bathrooms are shared and all have hot water (due to the remoteness of the camps this can be erratic at times). Many of the ger camps now have 24-hour electricity in the ger itself for charging batteries. If there is no charging facility inside the ger then there are charging facilities in the common area (though this may only be when the generator is turned on during limited periods of the day). Accommodation at the Eagle Festival is four people per ger. For the rest of the camps, it is two people per ger and hotels are on a twin-share basis too. Due to the remoteness of Olgii, there is a limited choice of accommodation and the ger camps here are more basic than elsewhere. There may also be rare occasions when a single cannot be guaranteed in a particular ger camp.