Golden Eagle Festival

Kazakh eagle hunting, berkutchi, involves taking a female golden eagle from the nest or trapping a young bird, training it over months to hunt fox and hare from horseback in winter, and releasing it back to the wild after some years. The festival, held since the late 1990s, brings hunters together each October to compete: birds are released from a ridge and judged on how fast and accurately they come to their handler's arm, and there are horseback games, costume judging and tug-of-war on horseback with a goat skin. It has become the main reason foreign visitors come to Bayan-Olgii, which has changed it: there are now several competing festivals, camera crews outnumber some events, and the whole thing books out months ahead. The hunting itself happens in winter, away from any audience.

Highlights

• Eagle calling - birds released from the ridge to fly to their handlers.
• Horseback games - traditional competitions including kokpar.
• Costume and equipment - traditional Kazakh dress and hunting gear judged.
• The hunters - families who keep the tradition, from across the province.

When to go

Early October, when the main festival is held; a smaller spring festival also runs. Book flights and accommodation months in advance since capacity in Olgii is limited. Weather in October is cold and can bring snow.

What to expect

The festival is heavily photographed and can feel like a media event rather than a living tradition, though the hunters and their skills are genuine. Multiple rival festivals compete for the name and dates, so check which one a tour is actually attending. Accommodation is basic and expensive during the event. Cold and wind on the open ground are severe.

Nearby

Olgii is the base town; the Altai mountains lie west.