Self-Launched Mongolia Eagle Festival Adventure

Fly into Chinggis Khaan International Airport. Take a taxi or shared shuttle into the city centre (~£5-8). Check into a hostel or guesthouse in the Sukhbaatar district. Spend the afternoon exploring Sukhbaatar Square, the National Museum of Mongolia (entry ~£2), and the iconic State Department Store. In the evening, head to a local restaurant for traditional Mongolian buuz (dumplings) and khuushuur.

🚌Taxi or airport shuttle from Chinggis Khaan Airport to city centre (~£5-8)

🛏Ulaanbaatar Guesthouse or Khongor Guesthouse (~£12-18/night)

• →Explore Sukhbaatar Square (free)
• →Visit the National Museum of Mongolia (~£2 entry)
• →Browse the State Department Store
• →Dinner at a local Mongolian restaurant (~£5-8)

Hire a shared 4WD jeep with driver for the next leg of your journey — this is the standard way to travel independently in Mongolia. Many guesthouses in Ulaanbaatar can arrange this (budget ~£60-80/day for jeep + driver, split between 2-4 travellers). Drive 2 hours west to Khustain Nuruu National Park. Pay the park entry fee (~£3) and visit the Project Information Centre. Take a guided hike into the park to spot Przewalski's wild horses (Takhi). Overnight at one of the ger camps within or near the park boundary.

🚌Private 4WD jeep hire with driver, shared across travellers (~£30-40pp/day)

🛏Khustain Nuruu Ger Camp (~£20-30/night including dinner & breakfast)

• →Jeep transfer to Khustain Nuruu (~2hrs)
• →Park entry fee (~£3)
• →Visit the Takhi Wild Horse Project Information Centre (free)
• →Guided hike to see Przewalski's horses (~£5-10 local guide fee)

Continue west along the asphalt road towards Karakorum, diverting to the Mongol Els sand dunes — a surreal belt of Gobi-style dunes rising from the steppe. Watch Bactrian camels wander the dunes while horses graze on the green steppe beyond. Visit Mt Khogno Khan and the small temple at its base. The area is excellent for spotting steppe eagles and other raptors. Overnight at a local ger camp near the dunes.

🚌Continued jeep hire (~£30-40pp/day)

🛏Ger camp near Mongol Els (~£18-25/night half-board)

• →Explore Mongol Els sand dunes (free)
• →Visit Mt Khogno Khan temple (small donation welcome)
• →Bactrian camel and wildlife spotting
• →Birdwatching — steppe eagles, harriers

Drive ~90km to Karakorum, the 13th-century capital of the Mongol Empire. Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery (entry ~£2), the largest monastery in Mongolia, built in 1586 on the ruins of the ancient capital. Walk the wall of 108 stupas, explore the surviving temples, and visit the Karakorum Museum next door (entry ~£2) for artefacts from Ogedei Khan's era. Overnight at a ger camp near Kharkhorin.

🚌Jeep ~90km from previous camp (~£30-40pp/day)

🛏Ger camp near Kharkhorin (~£18-25/night half-board)

• →Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery (~£2 entry)
• →Karakorum Museum (~£2 entry)
• →Walk the 108-stupa perimeter wall (free)
• →Explore the town of Kharkhorin

Drive south on a paved road towards Arvaikheer, capital of Ovorkhangai Aimag and the northern gateway to the Gobi. En route, stop at Shankh Monastery — a beautifully restored active monastery once home to the great Mongolian theorist Zanabazar. Arrive in Arvaikheer mid-afternoon and check into a local hotel. Spend the afternoon at the Ovorkhangai Aimag Museum, which houses stone figures, Turkic scripts, and natural history collections (~£1-2 entry).

🚌Jeep on paved road south (~£30-40pp/day)

🛏Local hotel in Arvaikheer (~£15-22/night)

• →Visit Shankh Monastery (donation welcome)
• →Ovorkhangai Aimag Museum (~£1-2 entry)
• →Explore Arvaikheer town and local market

Early start heading south through the Gobi Altai. Pass through Bayanteeg, a coal-mining settlement, and cross the Taats River. The imposing Ikh Bogd Mountain — the highest peak in the Gobi Altai range — dominates the horizon. Stop for a self-catered picnic lunch on the steppe (buy supplies in Arvaikheer). Continue ~80km southwest to a ger camp in the Bayan Gobi region for the night.

🚌Jeep off-road south (~£30-40pp/day)

🛏Ger camp in Bayan Gobi region (~£18-25/night half-board)

• →Views of Ikh Bogd Mountain (highest Gobi Altai peak)
• →Steppe and Gobi desert scenery
• →Wildlife spotting en route — look for khulan (wild ass) and gazelle
• →Picnic lunch on the steppe

Drive 2-3 hours to the Bayan Mountain Range to see the Bichigt Khad petroglyphs — rock art dating back to 3000 BC, depicting ibex, argali sheep, and horseback riders. Bring binoculars to view the higher carvings without a steep scramble, or hike up to the main accessible cliff for a closer look. Continue through classic Gobi scenery — flat stony plains, rocky outcrops, sand patches — arriving at a ger camp near the magnificent Khongoriin Els dunes by late afternoon.

🚌Jeep off-road (~£30-40pp/day)

🛏Ger camp near Khongoriin Els (~£18-25/night half-board)

• →Bichigt Khad petroglyphs — Bronze Age rock art (free)
• →Optional hike to main cliff face (bring walking poles)
• →Gobi desert driving — vast stony plains and sand patches
• →First views of Khongoriin Els dunes

Spend a full day exploring the Khongoriin Els — Mongolia's largest sand dunes, stretching 200km and reaching 300 metres in height. On windy days, the dunes produce a haunting low roar, earning them the name 'Singing Dunes'. Climb the dune ridge for panoramic views of the surrounding desert and mountains. Arrange a camel ride through a local herder family (~£5-10 for an hour). Visit a camel-breeding family to learn about nomadic life in the South Gobi.

🚌Local movement by foot and camel

🛏Ger camp near Khongoriin Els (~£18-25/night half-board)

• →Hike to the top of Khongoriin Els dunes (free)
• →Camel ride with local herder family (~£5-10/hr)
• →Visit a nomadic camel-breeding family
• →Sunset views from the dune crest

Drive ~70km to Bayanzag, the world-famous 'Flaming Cliffs' — a landscape of vivid red, yellow, and orange eroded sandstone where the first intact dinosaur eggs were discovered in the 1920s. Spend the morning hiking freely around the cliffs (no entry fee required, open access). Keep your eyes peeled for fossilised dinosaur bone fragments in the sand — they're remarkably common here, though removing them is illegal. Bring a packed lunch from your ger camp.

🚌Jeep ~70km (~£30-40pp/day)

🛏Ger camp near Bayanzag (~£18-25/night half-board)

• →Hike the Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag (free, open access)
• →Dinosaur fossil spotting
• →Photography of vivid coloured sandstone formations
• →Picnic lunch among the cliffs

Drive through the Three Beauties of the Gobi — Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park — a landscape of rocky desert plains, ravines, salt pans, and oases. The highlight is Yolyn Am (Vulture's Mouth Canyon), a dramatically narrow gorge so deep that ice can persist on the valley floor through summer. Pay the park entry fee (~£3-5) and hike into the canyon. Watch for ibex on the cliff faces, and with luck, signs of snow leopard. Transfer to a nearby ger camp for the night.

🚌Jeep through national park (~£30-40pp/day)

🛏Ger camp near Yolyn Am (~£18-25/night half-board)

• →Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park entry (~£3-5)
• →Hike Yolyn Am canyon — ice formations, wildlife spotting
• →Look for ibex, argali, khulan and snow leopard signs
• →Rocky desert plain driving through 'Three Beauties' landscape

Transfer to the nearest airstrip for a domestic flight back to Ulaanbaatar (book in advance via MIAT Mongolian Airlines or EZnis Airways; expect to pay ~£80-120 one-way). Once back in the capital, arrange transport east (~1.5hrs) to Terelj National Park. Explore the remarkable granite rock formations including Turtle Rock, visit Aryabal Meditation Temple (small donation), and stroll through wildflower-carpeted meadows. Stop at a nomadic family ger for a tasting of homemade dairy — yoghurt, curds, aaruul, and salty milk tea.

🚌Domestic flight + jeep transfer to Terelj (~£85-125 total)

🛏Ger camp in Terelj National Park (~£20-28/night half-board)

• →Domestic flight Gobi region → Ulaanbaatar (~£80-120, book in advance)
• →Explore Terelj National Park — Turtle Rock, granite formations (park entry ~£3)
• →Visit Aryabal Meditation Temple (donation)
• →Nomadic family visit — dairy tasting and hospitality

Drive to the enormous Chinggis Khan Equestrian Statue at Tsonjin Boldog (~55km east of UB), a 40-metre stainless steel colossus visible for miles. Explore the complex, climb inside for panoramic views (~£5 entry), and visit the small museum at the base. Return to Ulaanbaatar in the afternoon. In the evening, book tickets for a Tumen Ekh performance of traditional Mongolian arts — throat singing, contortionism, and Tsam dance (~£10-15). Book directly at the theatre or via your guesthouse.

🚌Jeep from Terelj to statue to UB (~£30-40pp/day)

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Ulaanbaatar (~£15-22/night)

• →Chinggis Khan Equestrian Statue — entry and rooftop views (~£5)
• →Museum at the statue base (~included in entry)
• →Tumen Ekh Traditional Song and Dance performance (~£10-15 tickets)

Take an early domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar to Olgii in western Mongolia (~£90-130 one-way; book well in advance as flights fill fast around Eagle Festival season). On arrival, hire a local driver or arrange a shared jeep to Sagsai village (~1hr off-road). Spend the day with a Kazakh family — observe daily life, try home-made yak cheese and yoghurt, and hear about the eagle-hunting tradition passed down through generations. Return to Olgii for overnight.

🚌Domestic flight + shared jeep to Sagsai (~£100-145 total)

🛏Ger camp near Olgii (~£18-25/night half-board)

• →Domestic flight Ulaanbaatar → Olgii (~£90-130, book early)
• →Jeep to Sagsai village (~1hr, shared taxi ~£8-12pp)
• →Visit a Kazakh eagle-hunting family
• →Sample yak cheese, yoghurt, and traditional Kazakh food

The Golden Eagle Festival! Purchase your festival entry ticket directly at the gate (~£15-20 for a two-day pass — book ahead if possible via the Mongolian tourism board or a local Olgii guesthouse to secure your spot). Day one features the spectacular costume parade judging the best traditional Kazakh hunting attire, thrilling horse races across the steppe, and archery competitions. In the evening, catch a cultural performance at the local theatre in Olgii town (~free or small donation).

🚌Jeep or shared transport to festival site (~£5-8pp return)

🛏Ger camp near Olgii (~£18-25/night half-board)

• →Golden Eagle Festival entry (~£15-20 two-day pass)
• →Best Kazakh costume competition
• →Horse racing on the festival grounds
• →Traditional archery competition
• →Evening cultural performance in Olgii theatre

Day two of the Golden Eagle Festival — the day many visitors consider the highlight. Watch eagles and their berkutchi (hunters) demonstrate hunting techniques, with eagles swooping from mountain ridges to their handlers' arms in breathtaking displays. A camel race adds more spectacle, followed by Kokpar — the exhilarating and boisterous horseback game where riders fight over a goat carcass, a centuries-old Central Asian tradition. Spend the rest of the day photographing the hunters in their magnificent traditional costumes against the dramatic Altai Mountain backdrop.

🚌Jeep or shared transport to festival site (~£5-8pp return)

🛏Ger camp near Olgii (~£18-25/night half-board)

• →Eagle hunting demonstrations — berkutchi and their eagles
• →Camel race (festival event)
• →Kokpar horseback competition
• →Photography with eagle hunters in traditional dress
• →Browse local craft stalls for Kazakh handicrafts

Morning flight back from Olgii to Ulaanbaatar (~£90-130; confirm timings with your airline as schedules can shift around the festival). Arrive back in the capital with a free afternoon to explore at your own pace. Visit the Gandantegchinlen Monastery (Mongolia's largest active Buddhist monastery, ~£1 entry), browse the Narantuul Market ('Black Market') for Mongolian souvenirs and cashmere, or treat yourself to a farewell dinner at one of UB's excellent Korean or Mongolian restaurants.

🚌Domestic flight (~£90-130); city taxi from airport (~£5-8)

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Ulaanbaatar (~£15-22/night)

• →Domestic flight Olgii → Ulaanbaatar (~£90-130)
• →Visit Gandantegchinlen Monastery (~£1 entry)
• →Browse Narantuul Black Market for souvenirs and cashmere
• →Farewell dinner in Ulaanbaatar (~£8-15)

Your adventure ends today. Depending on your flight time, you may have a final morning to grab breakfast at a local café (try the buuz or tsuivan noodles), pick up last-minute cashmere at a department store, or simply enjoy a final coffee overlooking Sukhbaatar Square. Transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport (~£5-8 by taxi) for your onward flight.

🚌Taxi to Chinggis Khaan International Airport (~£5-8)

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Final breakfast at a local Mongolian café (~£4-6)
• →Last-minute shopping for cashmere or souvenirs
• →Airport transfer (~£5-8 by taxi)