Welcome to Grand Alitai travel agency

Welcome to Grand Alitai travel agency

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Most Popular Tour

WESTERN MONGOLIA PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR 2

THE EAGLE HUNTING PHOTO SAFARY TOUR

ALTAI TAVAN BOGD TOUR

THE EAGLE HUNTING FESTIVAL

Things to do in Bayan-Olgii

Tourism in the spectacular Altai Mountains of Mongolia, home of the Kazakh Eagle Hunters

Bayan-Olgii is a place to get away from the crowds and enjoy life under the clear blue sky with people that know how to live. From its scenic mountains, wild rivers, and abundant wildlife to petroglyphs, eagle hunters, and felt tents of nomadic gers; there is no other place on earth that offers the chance to experience life in such an unrefined form. The western-most province of Mongolia is not Disneyworld or New York; it is not a place for those whose idea of a vacation is an all-inclusive resort, a massage, and name brand shopping. What Bayan-Olgii does offer is a chance to get a truly unique adventure-packed experience that can include riding a Bactrian camel, climbing a 14,000 ft mountain, whitewater rafting, fly-fishing, spending the night with a real nomad, seeing 3000 year old cave drawings, and visit with an eagle hunter within one week. On the way back to the airport, you can get your massage and buy hand stitched Kazakh embroideries or Mongolian cashmere at a number of local shops if you still want the massage and shopping.
Activities in Bayan-Olgii include hiking, horse and camel riding, mountain biking, jeep tours, wildlife and bird watching, eagle hunting, fishing, hunting, archeological sites and cultural experiences, festivals, shopping, mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, and skiing.

BAYAN-OLGII, MONGOLIA

Nomadic Living

Archeological treasures are abundant in Bayan-Olgii. You can see petroglyphs, standing stones, and burial mounds from the Aimag museum in Olgii to Tsaagan Salaa inside Tavan Bogd National Park with over 10,000 petroglyphs in one valley. Many sites are outside of National Parks, though the best places are inside Tavan Bogd National Park. Due to the rough landscape, it is easy to pass within a short distance of a petroglyph site and not see it without a detailed map or guide. Burial mounds and standing stones are usually found in wide valleys inside the park. Archeology sightseeing is included in most tour packages and archeology centric tours are popular. These tours are usually paired with visits to nomadic families, allowing you to view artistic representations of past cultures and the current lifestyle of locals.

Mission of the company

Outside of Mongolia, the ancient practice of nomadic herding has been mostly suppressed in Central Asia under communist rule. Between 80 to 95% of Mongolia’s land is public grazing land used by semi-nomadic herders that move 3 to 6 times a year and live in felt tents called gers at least part of the year. They are considered to be semi-nomadic since they return to the same pastures each year, only changing during droughts or extreme weather. Kazakh and Mongolian nomads are very hospitable people that will welcome unexpected guests with milk tea and food. Kazakhs in particular take great pride in being good hosts. It is their responsibility to ensure that guests are full by the time they leave, and they intend to make sure that no one is hungry. In areas like Tavan Bogd, nomadic families will host guests throughout the summer for small fees. Other families and eagle hunters are usually given gifts as not to insult proud herders

Cultural Festivals

Bayan-Olgii has a busy calendar of cultural events throughout the year. The Golden Eagle Festival in early October is listed by Lonely Planet quite unfairly as only the 2nd best event in Mongolia behind the National Naadam. Naadam lacks displays by trained golden eagles and wrestling is a poor substitute for fighting over a goat carcass on horseback (kokpar). The smaller Altai Kazakh Eagle Festival is held in late September is equally entertaining. You can see the Kazakh horse games at two more festivals in March and July, though without eagle hunters (they only hunt in winter). No celebration in Bayan-Olgii would be complete without a Kazakh traditional music concert. Also, several small Naadams and a large Aimag Naadam are held during the summer.

Shopping

The Kazakhs of Mongolia are famous throughout Central Asia and increasingly further abroad for their beautiful, vibrant hand-embroidered designs. Kazakh gers are covered in the stunningly colorful wall hangings, carpets, and ribbons, creating a psychedelic world inside the felt tents, which Kazakhs consider to be the center of the universe. The curving designs patterned after goat horns symbolize the wealth of herders. The richness of Mongolian Kazakh designs make them a popular export to their traditional homeland in Kazakhstan, where the old production method has fallen out of favor. Kazakh products made in Olgii can be found in many shops in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Almaty and Astana, Kazakhstan. However the best prices and selection can be found in the workshops and stores of Olgii. The hectic bazaar with its fresh halal meat, produce, clothing, and vast variety of Chinese, Russian, and local goods is worth experiencing even if you have nothing to buy. For higher end shopping, the several cashmere shops sell Mongolian cashmere (the best in the world), camel hair, and furs that rivals anything sold in Europe.

MONGOLIAN ALTAI WILDLIFE

Wildlife and Bird Watching

Bayan-Olgii possesses a wide spectrum of large, rare, and endangered animals that cannot be found easily in many other places. The Argali sheep, Corsac fox, grey wolf, Siberia ibex, brown bears, falcons, and golden eagle attract tourists and nature film makers from around the world. The rare snow leopard and lynx prowl the mountain passes though most people are lucky if they find tracks. Many migratory birds pass through during the warmer months, while the perennial bird population of eagles, falcons, eagle owls, and vultures become more active during winter. Silkhemiin Nuruu and Kohkh Serkhiin Nuruu National Parks were created specifically to protect the rare and majestic Argali sheep and Siberian ibex. Many of these animals can be seen year round, though winter is better. Contact tour guides for the best times and places to see the wildlife.

Eagle Hunting

This awesome show of power and manliness cannot be found on this scale anywhere else in the world. An estimated 70% of all the eagle hunters in the world live in the small province of Bayan-Olgii, with a small number in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and China. The Kazakh eagle hunters of Mongolia have continuously practiced this unique sport; even through periods of historical adversity. Today it is thriving and is still much celebrated. This is truly their passion. In fact, only a fraction of eagle hunters host tourists during the summer. Every tour guide knows several hunters whom is probably a relative. You can visit eagle hunters year round, though hunting only takes place during winter when their prized game, the Corsac fox, is easily seen in the snow and has a thick, soft fur. In late September and October, you can see one of two eagle festivals including the largest gathering of eagle hunters in the world. Afterwards, you can have a once in a lifetime experience of going on an actual eagle hunt.

Fishing

The rivers and lakes of Bayan-Olgii are stocked full of trout, salmon, and other freshwater fish. Fly fishing and ice fishing are especially popular. All of Bayan-Olgii drains into the Great Lakes depression of Mongolia, and is a self contained watershed. There are 5 species of fish that inhabit this watershed including the Taimen, Lenok Trout, Osman, Grayling, and Pike. Fish in Mongolia can be quite big with the Taimen weighing over 30 kg (66 lbs), making the large salmon prized by anglers around the world.  Lenok Trout are abundant during late spring and early summer, while graylings are found all over Northern Asia. Osmans are a large carp that is only found in the Lake Uvs drainage area of Russia and Mongolia (covering all of Bayan-Olgii). Fly fishing is great all summer with the best time being July to September, though ice fishing offers the largest catches. The locals prefer fishing during the cold winter months when the thick ice traps fish in a limited number of deep water holes. It is not uncommon to catch hundreds of trout and graylings in a 2 or 3 day fishing trip.

Hunting

Hunting wolves is a common pastime for men across Mongolia and is actively encouraged by the Mongolian government. Custom says that every Kazakh should have a wolf pelt in their house for good luck. Marmots are also hunted, though it is currently illegal. Foreigners can hunt a wide range of animals with a hunting license and an official guide. These currently include wolves, Argali sheep, Siberian ibex, elk, roe deer, wild boar, brown bears, and several other species found elsewhere in Mongolia. No local guide currently offers hunting. Only Ulaanbaatar based guides providing this service in the Bayan-Olgii area.

WHY TRAVEL MONGOLIA

WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT MONGOLIA?

Travel to Mongolia:

Mongolia is a country made for nature lovers: Mongolia is the 17th largest country in the world. Nevertheless, it is sparsely populated with just 3.6 million people residing in its 1.566,500 square km area. Almost all of the Mongolian land is uninhabited space with its natural beauty of northern-forested mountains to the southern semi-desert; the western snowcapped mountains to the eastern grassy steppes. Mongolia is commonly associated with views of beautiful landscapes of different natural zones bordered with blue sky, fenceless grazing animals, and the occasional "ger" a nomadic dwelling. And of course, there is the striking silence of nature.

A country of the last nomadic culture and hospitable people:

Mongolian nomads make a living by herding their five kinds of animals and moving their portable dwelling or "ger" from a place to a place in search of water and pasture for their animals. The five animals are horses, cattle (including yaks), camels, sheep, and goats. The nomads are friendly, open-hearted, generous and welcoming people. Their distinctive way of life living communally in a ger and the demands of herding so many animals in such a vast area during the four distinct seasons lead them to be hospitable as they can.

Country of different ethnic groups:

There are 24 different ethnic groups in Mongolia. When you visit nomad families in the different parts of Mongolia, you will find that they have different customs and traditions - even the shape of the ger, how the ger is decorated, etc. varies. The most interesting ethnics among them are the Kazakh people who live in Western snow-capped Altai Mountains. They are known as the "Eagle Hunting People".
Next, are the Reindeer people who live up in the North in the forested mountains. They live in the "tepee" and their livelihood is completely dependent on nature and their few reindeer.

Mongolia has a lot to offer any type of travelers:

The beautiful countryside of Mongolia has a lot to offer for all kinds of travelers starting from cultural and natural discovery tours to active adventure and special interest tours, which you can experience in any part of Mongolia.

Mongolia is a county with a long and impressive history:

The traces of the first human settlements dating back to 800 000 years ago, were found in the Mongolian territory. Some historians even say that the land was inhabited by humans as early as 2 million years ago. The best-known period of Mongolian history is related to Chinggis Khaan and his descendants who conquered half of the world in the 13th century. As the country is home to nomadic civilizations and because there was a highly competitive race to conquer its territories, almost no constructed evidence remains. However, some charming monasteries and ruins of ancient cities are still visible today. Travelers more interested in ancient history can visit deer stones, balbal stones, rock drawings, burial mounds and noblemen-related monuments that are spread throughout Mongolia.

Home country of ancient extinct animals:

Mongolia keeps fossils of ancient animals such as mammoths and dinosaurs. The dinosaur fossils are common in remote uninhabited areas.

Only in Mongolia:

here are many endemic wild species in Mongolia such as the Gobi/Semi desert bear and the two-humped wild camel. Besides animals, there are also rare plants. The Gobi, which is classified as a semi-desert is only in Mongolia. It is a spacious, empty, life-supporting, but surprisingly beautiful area. In reality, it's impossible to compare the Gobi with the semi-desert, so you would better come and see this for yourself!.

National holidays:

One of the easiest opportunities to discover traditional aspects of Mongolian culture in one setting is to visit during the national holidays. There are two important national holidays: the Naadam Festival held in July and the Tsagaan Sar/Lunar New Year festival held in winter depending on the lunar calendar. The events and celebrations are not limited to these two holidays. You can find more about the events

Good weather:

There are more than 260 sunny days a year in Mongolia. Besides what you see and do in Mongolia, the weather will help to make your holiday even more enjoyable.

Mongolia safe to travel?

No crimes against tourists have been registered besides some pickpocketing and an occasional robbery in Ulaanbaatar at night. In the countryside, you will meet people who are welcoming and proud to give tourists an insight into their way of life. Furthermore, the air is fresh and the water is clear.

Take break from modern-day stressful civilization:

When you travel in the Mongolian countryside, you will be refreshed and replenished by the views of natural scenery and the calmness. Perhaps you will even forget which day of the week it is in this timeless environment so far from the world's modern, noisy and stressful cities.

Mongolian tourism is still in its infancy:

Even though Mongolia is a country able to attract any traveler, it is not yet a well-known destination. As Mongolia is the least densely populated country on earth, and though modern development is slowly creeping in, the country remains largely off the mass-tourism trail, giving visitors plenty of opportunities to learn first-hand about the traditional Mongolian way of life before it is threatened by change. It is now an emerging destination. You can imagine how attractive Mongolia is when you hear that most of the travelers who traveled to Mongolia want to come back.