Bayan-Ölgii, an aimag (province) in far western Mongolia, is home to around 100,000 people (mostly ethnic Kazakhs) and more than 1.5 million livestock. It’s Mongolia’s only Muslim-majority region, in contrast to the predominantly Buddhist rest of the country. The area is best known for its Kazakh eagle hunters, who domesticate and train wild eagles to hunt prey such as foxes, hares, and wolves. Hunting is done on horseback between early October and early February. Riders carry their eagles on their right arm, supported by a baldark — a forked wooden rest fixed to the saddle.
This collection of western Mongolia photos comes from a ten-day trip spent with a group of eagle hunters, which also doubled as a training ride for a horseback journey across eastern Kazakhstan. As a sidenote, Uppsala University holds a collection of historical western Mongolia photos taken by early 20th-century Swedish missionary Erik Joel Eriksson.
Bayan-Ölgii is not only a cultural hub but also a base for adventure travel, offering opportunities for multi-day horseback expeditions, hiking, backcountry skiing, and mountaineering. The region has two national parks: Altai Tavan Bogd, on the Russian-Chinese border, and Tsambagarav-Uul, a quieter park southwest of Ölgii. Altai Tavan Bogd contains Khüiten (4,356m) — Mongolia’s highest peak — and the Tsagaan Salaa rock art site, with 10,000 Neolithic–Bronze Age petroglyphs.
Bayan-Ölgii can be reached by flight or shared taxi from Ulaanbaatar; the overland journey takes more than two days of non-stop driving, but passes through spectacular scenery. Several local fixers and travel agencies operate in the area. Work with someone who knows the region well, has strong contacts, and ideally speaks Kazakh — Bek Travel and Blue Wolf are two established Bayan-Ölgii-based operators.
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