A first-timers guide to Mongolia’s Golden Eagle Festival.
Altai for the Awkward – The Golden Eagle Festival
Hi! My name’s Kori. I’m an adventurous introvert in addition to went to the Golden Eagle Festival inward Olgii, Mongolia! Here’s some tips to help y'all hold upwardly in addition to thrive on your trip.
How To Get To The Golden Eagle Festival
Although it is possible to travel Mongolia on your own, it is much easier alongside a tour equally they tin give the sack drive y'all across the tough terrain in addition to accommodate ger hosts for you.
We used Travel Buddies who did an fantabulous project at arranging things in addition to showing us around. All our guides were local in addition to passionate most their country. The cost per mortal including a few days inward the Mongolian countryside, transportation, in addition to the Golden Eagle Festival cost most $1200 USD.
To acquire to the Golden Eagle Festival, y'all volition receive got to receive got a flying through Ulaanbaatar which volition receive got most 3 hours. You’ll solid reason inward a tiny aerodrome inward Olgii where y'all volition non live allowed to run out until the waiting room is emptied of people waiting to acquire on the airplane that merely landed.
When nosotros exited the aerodrome our novel hosts, Aibek in addition to Ainur, were waiting for us in addition to brought us to our guesthouse.
Where To Stay In Olgii
If y'all are travelling on your ain to Olgii know that the hotels are really express in addition to fifty-fifty the local people tell they are really bad. Originally nosotros were supposed to rest at a invitee ger campsite inward town but it filled upwardly hence our tour arranged for us to rest at a guesthouse.
We were surprised that this literally meant existence a invitee inward someone’s house! The twosome who picked upwardly us from the aerodrome brought us to their habitation in addition to showed us a spare room upstairs. Their English linguistic communication was express but they were hence friendly in addition to welcoming it wasn’t a actually a problem.
Although our hosts had a prissy habitation their bath had entirely a bathtub in addition to sink. The lav was nevertheless an outhouse out back, in addition to a squatter at that. By this signal I was used to squatter outhouses but those who are non should live warned that at that spot are really few western toilets inward Olgii!
We were fed good in addition to got to know their adorable immature children equally well. This gave us a really genuine experience in addition to nosotros left feeling similar nosotros made truthful friends.
What To Bring
The Eagle Festival takes identify inward the commencement calendar week of October. The atmospheric condition from Beijing to Olgii was dramatically different, but nevertheless non terribly mutual depression temperature inward town. However, where the festival takes identify is inward an opened upwardly expanse that is really windy in addition to if y'all produce non clothes properly y'all volition live miserable.
Dress inward layers in addition to live certain to receive got lid in addition to gloves. Bring sunglasses fifty-fifty if it’s non sunny hence your eyes tin give the sack live protected from the blowing dust. Hand warmers are also a skillful idea. Bring plenty of tissue for the bath equally good equally the snotty olfactory organ y'all are saltation to get.
What To Expect At The Eagle Festival
Do non hold back a well-organised, strict-rules event. There are officiators, in addition to a few safety personnel but non nearly equally much equally you’d think.
The festival began alongside announcing the hunters who would ride out on their horses one-by-one in addition to demonstrate off their eagles. Then they describe upwardly at the terminate of the acre in addition to at this fourth dimension everyone is allowed to approach the hunters for photos. This business office was a niggling nuts.
Many professional photographers equally good equally many wanna-be professionals swarmed the hunters in addition to shot away. Some photographers were a niggling rude inward my opinion, repositioning their targets without e'er speaking to them. This is a non bad photographic chance but don’t forget that they are people too. It’s prissy for everyone if y'all interact a bit.
On the upside, The Kazakh people are really proud of their heritage in addition to dearest to demonstrate off. They are to a greater extent than oft than non happy to pose for y'all inward total regalia or may fifty-fifty allow y'all concord their eagle. Even existence a shy lensman I got some non bad photos because the people were hence happy to pose!
Once the festival starts live certain to acquire out of the roped area. The trial isn’t good equipped to tell all the foreigners to acquire off the acre inward dissimilar languages. For a piece nosotros heard what sounded similar angry announcements inward Kazakh until someone inward English linguistic communication explained for everyone to exit. Even in addition to hence many clueless people hung out despite existence the entirely non-hunters on the field.
“Will the human being inward the greyness lid delight run out the arena. The human being inward the greyness hat. The human being inward the greyness lid in addition to the dark sweater delight run out the arena. WILL THE MAN IN THE GREY HAT AND BLACK SWEATER NEXT TO THE HUNTERS PLEASE EXIT THE ARENA.” This went on for several minutes until someone physically went over to tell them to move.
The commencement trial is a calling event. There are iii circles on the acre for dissimilar points. The eagle is taken to the top of the mount in addition to the hunter calls it downwards to solid reason on his arm. The further away the hunter is the to a greater extent than points he tin give the sack get. There were most xc hunters at the trial I attended.
Some eagles impressively went correct to their hunters. Other eagles got lost or merely never came downwards inward the commencement place. Sometimes at that spot would live iii eagles flying around in addition to 2 would endeavor to solid reason on the hunter inward confusion. Many eagles struggle alongside the sounds in addition to colours of the crowd. If y'all attend, endeavor to article of apparel muted colours in addition to non live overly noisy hence the hunters tin give the sack live successful.
The hunters who successfully telephone telephone their eagle downwards volition displace on to the adjacent circular on the 2nd day.
The 2nd day’s trial is calling the eagle from the mount alongside a fob or rabbit fur that is tied behind the horse. I had amend luck getting photos at this trial equally the hunters ride around trying to attract the eagle’s attending hence y'all receive got a amend adventure of them coming unopen to you.
Other events include archery, camel race, in addition to Bushkashi, which is a tug of state of war game alongside a goatskin. This game gets really competitive in addition to fifty-fifty sometimes results inward fights!
In improver to watching these events y'all tin give the sack also purchase some items from sellers. The most pop detail is the hand-embroidery. Kazakh women pass months embroidering tapestries that hang inward the walls of their gers. Many of the older ones are sold at events similar this.
Most of the tapestries receive got circular or diamond patterns piece others volition receive got animals. All of them receive got an unfinished border that symbolises that life never ends. I had a difficult fourth dimension choosing but constitute 1 inward my cost hit for 180,000 Tugrik (about US$72). They threw inward a traveling pocket in addition to pocket-size patch of embroidery equally thanks.
You tin give the sack also observe wool felted rugs in addition to beautiful traditional Kazakh coats. If I had to a greater extent than room inward my backpack, I powerfulness receive got been inward trouble.
As for food, don’t hold back nutrient trucks! Our guides had meals laid upwardly for us that they cooked inward the van, but your entirely other pick for nutrient is buying from someone selling out the dorsum of their car. It volition mostly probable live mutual depression temperature Equus caballus meat that is traditional for the area. I would also reckon bringing some pocket-size snacks for emergency.
Bathrooms at this trial are virtually non-existent. There was 1 spot where a pit was dug alongside woods planks fitted over equally a squatter outhouse. Tarps made walls on iii sides but the 1 side is opened upwardly hence anybody walking yesteryear tin give the sack encounter you.
It’s full general etiquette to glaze your eyes over piece walking yesteryear hence you’re non looking also intently at someone doing their business. If the tarp lav isn’t for you, your entirely other pick is to merely walk out far plenty inward the rocky distance in addition to produce your work organisation there. This is what a bulk of people did.
What To Do In Olgii
If y'all receive got the opportunity, see an eagle hunter’s home. Their gers are dissimilar from typical Mongolian gers in addition to are really ornate on the inside. During the festival many of the nomads are switching from their summertime homes to wintertime homes, which tend to live a wooden construction instead of gers.
We were lucky plenty to see Aisholpan’s home, the immature eagle huntress right away famous for existence featured inward the documentary The Eagle Huntress. We were also lucky that Asher Svidensky, the lensman who commencement brought attending to her stopped yesteryear alongside his ain tour.
Through him nosotros learned a lot most her household unit of measurement in addition to the film. Although she was at schoolhouse piece nosotros visited her parents were really welcoming in addition to her manly mortal nurture fifty-fifty dressed inward his hunter’s costume for a photo!
If y'all see a home, it is respectful to convey a gift for your host. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 prissy nutrient detail or something useful similar headlamps or stationary is appreciated. Sometimes beer or vodka is given but many Kazakhs are Muslim in addition to produce non drinkable alcohol.
In improver to the festival our hosts brought us to the house for a demonstrate of traditional music in addition to dance. This is a non bad chance to encounter traditional Kazakh costume. There is a pocket-size museum inward town that is worth a look.
We were also lucky plenty to live invited to a wedding. The marriage ceremony had most 500 people squeezed into a room alongside really niggling seating. During the ceremony kids ran wild piece the grandmothers occasionally smacked them alongside canes. Afterwards nosotros were served a grand repast alongside cakes, fruit, vodka, in addition to airag, the fermented mare’s milk. It was quite an experience!
Last Words To Introverts
For an introvert, staying alongside a host household unit of measurement may live an emotionally challenging thing. You should know that Mongolia is 1 of the friendliest countries I receive got e'er been to in addition to hosting is a deep business office of their culture. So don’t dwell on feeling similar an intrusion! Hosting is an accolade for them. Be gracious, convey a gift, in addition to toast airag to your novel Mongolian friends!
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