Mongolian Altai Eagle Hunters Horse Trek

“"The eagle chooses you as much as you choose her. Seven years together, then we release her back to the mountain."”

Ten days on horseback through the Kazakh Altai with a family of berkutchi (eagle hunters), living in their ger, riding to hunts, sharing meat and milk tea.

This is not a festival visit. You are hosted by three generations of a Kazakh eagle-hunting family in Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia's westernmost aimag. Days move at horse pace across autumn steppe and up into snow-touched Altai passes. You ride with the hunters as they train their golden eagles on fox and hare, help herd sheep off summer pasture down to winter camp, and share every meal in the ger — mutton, kazy sausage, milk tea, boortsog. The trip is timed to the annual descent of the herds and finishes with a small local eagle-hunting demonstration (not the tourist festival) organized by the host family.