Trip summary
Wolfgang Kaehler has traveled to Mongolia about a dozen times. Over the years he has visited many places in this beautiful country and the itinerary below reflects the cultural and scenic highlights of his MONGOLIA 2017: From Gobi Desert to the Golden Eagle Festival tour.
After leaving Ulaanbaatar we journey to Hustain Nuruu National Park to watch and photograph the Takhi wild horses (Przewalski’s horse) which is a rare and endangered subspecies of wild horse native to the steppes of central Asia. At one time extinct in the wild, it has been reintroduced from zoos around the world – a conservation success story!
On the way to the Gobi Desert, we will visit Kharakhorum, built by Chingis Khan’s son, Ogodei, to serve as the capital of the Mongol Empire and the Ongiin Hiid Monastery. Onto the Gobi Desert, which is a diverse ecosystem of Mongolia where high mountains, dry basins and grasslands all co-exist. Spend 2 full days at Gobi’s tallest sand dunes, the magnificent Hongoryn Els for various photo opportunities. You will be surprised by the beauty of the Gobi.
Next, fly over the high mountains to the western most part of Mongolia, to participate in the annual Golden Eagle Festival. Every year, over 70 hunter Kazakhs, who train Golden Eagles for hunting, gather around in a valley of Altai Mountains and celebrate the Golden Eagle Festival. There’s no age and gender restriction and in fact, the winner of the 2014 festival was a 13 year old girl who was taught to hunt with her eagles by her grandfather. Passed down to generations, the skill of hunting with eagles was only preserved among the Mongolian Kazakh community in Mongolia. Thanks to the festival in the past 15 years, this unique tradition is coming back. Enjoy spending a private time with the hunters and their raptor birds for a close up interaction. This trip is one of the best examples of sustainable tourism supporting the local community.
If you are interested in a future trip, please email us.