Snow-covered ridges of the Altai Tavan Bogd range under a deep blue sky with billowing cloud

Mountain · Bayan-Ölgii Province, western Mongolia

Altai Tavan Bogd & Bayan-Ölgii

Glaciated peaks, rock art and Kazakh eagle-hunting culture in Mongolia's far west

Ambient sound · similar settingWind driving snow in the high north at night

Photo: Aibolat Askhar (@bythepeople) / Unsplash

Discover Altai Tavan Bogd & Bayan-Ölgii

Bayan-Ölgii is Mongolia at its wildest and most distinctive. In the far west, where Mongolia meets China and Russia, the Altai rises into the five snow-covered peaks of Tavan Bogd, including Khüiten, the country's highest summit, with glaciers spilling into valleys of larch, meadow and turquoise lakes such as Khoton and Khurgan.

The people are different too. Bayan-Ölgii is the country's only Kazakh-majority and Muslim-majority province, with its own language, cuisine and crafts, and a living tradition of hunting with golden eagles. Many travellers time their visit for the autumn eagle festivals, but the summer trekking season is just as rewarding.

Don’t miss

01Tavan Bogd massif and its glaciers, including Khüiten Peak
02Khoton and Khurgan lakes in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park
03UNESCO-listed petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai
04Kazakh eagle hunters and the autumn eagle festivals
05Ölgii town, with its mosques, markets and Kazakh culture

History & culture

The story of Altai Tavan Bogd & Bayan-Ölgii

People have lived and travelled through the Mongolian Altai for many thousands of years, and the evidence is carved into its rocks. The Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai, three sites in Bayan-Ölgii, are on UNESCO's World Heritage List; their images span roughly 12,000 years, from mammoths and other Ice Age animals to the herding and horse-riding cultures of the Scythian and Turkic periods.

Kazakh herding families here keep alive the tradition of eagle hunting (the hunters are called burkitshi), in which young female golden eagles are trained to hunt foxes and hares in winter. Altai Tavan Bogd National Park was established in 1996, and the eagle festival in the province was founded in 2000 by local hunters and tour operators.

Local life & traditions

Kazakh culture shapes daily life here: families live in large, richly decorated felt homes, women produce embroidered wall hangings (tus kiiz), and meals centre on mutton, dairy and bread. Islam is the main faith, and Ölgii has mosques, so halal food is far easier to find than elsewhere in rural Mongolia; dress modestly, especially when visiting mosques or homes. Eagle hunting is passed down within families, and responsible operators work with genuine hunters, keep visits small and avoid crowding or stressing the birds.

Things to do

Experience it like a local

Summer is for trekking or horse riding to the Tavan Bogd base area and its glacier viewpoints, camping by the lakes of the national park, and visiting rock art sites with a knowledgeable guide. Experienced mountaineers can attempt Khüiten Peak with a specialist operator.

In autumn, the Golden Eagle Festival is held around the first week of October, according to tour operators who attend it, with a smaller festival at Sagsai in September. Beyond the festivals, staying with a Kazakh eagle-hunting family gives a quieter, more personal view of the tradition.

When to go

July and August bring the warmest weather and open trekking routes in the mountains, though snow can fall at altitude at any time. September and early October are crisp and clear, with the eagle festivals; by mid-October temperatures fall sharply. Winter is very cold but is the real eagle-hunting season.

Plan your visit

Verified information

UNESCO World Heritage: The Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai comprise three rock art sites in Bayan-Ölgii aimag: Tsagaan Salaa-Baga Oigor (Ulaankhus soum), Upper Tsagaan Gol (Shiveet Khairkhan) and Aral Tolgoi (both Tsengel soum). Source: whc.unesco.org ↗

Checked against the sources on 27 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.

Travel tips

Ask your operator about border-zone and national park permits well before travel; the park lies along the Chinese and Russian borders.
Bring proper cold-weather gear even in summer; conditions change fast in the mountains.
Confirm the eagle festival dates for your year with your operator, as they are set locally.
Choose operators that work with genuine eagle-hunting families and keep a respectful distance from the birds.
Dress modestly in Ölgii and in Kazakh homes, and remove shoes if your hosts do.

General guidance from our specialists, not official information.

Around Altai Tavan Bogd & Bayan-Ölgii: food, markets & places to stay

Ölgii, the provincial capital, has an airport with regular flights to Ulaanbaatar, plus guesthouses, markets and the country's Islamic Center at the central mosque. The national park lies several hours' drive further west on rough roads, where accommodation is mainly camping, ger stays and simple ranger stations.

Where Altai Tavan Bogd & Bayan-Ölgii is

All places in Mongolia →

Loading map…

Open larger map ↗

Altai Tavan Bogd & Bayan-Ölgii in pictures

A boat crossing the deep blue water of Lake Khövsgöl past forested hills

Nature

Khövsgöl Province, northern Mongolia

Lake Khövsgöl

A long, deep lake near the Russian border that holds close to 70 per cent of Mongolia's fresh water, set within a national park of larch forest, meadows and mountains.

Explore

Visit Altai Tavan Bogd & Bayan-Ölgii on a Mongolia holiday

All Mongolia packages →

Rippled sand dunes of Khongoryn Els in the Gobi Desert under a wispy blue sky with mountains behind

AdventureNature

Mongolia · 11 nights3★ Camp

Gobi & Nomad Steppe Expedition

Flaming Cliffs
Ger camp stays
Camel trek

Includes accommodation · private transfers · daily breakfast · guided sightseeing

Indicative from

$3,307 pp

Granite rock outcrops and forested hills above green meadow with cabins and white gers in Terelj

CultureAdventure

Mongolia · 7 nights3★ Camp

Naadam Festival & Terelj

Naadam opening ceremony
Horse riding
Herder homestay