Mongolia is a land of blue sky, huge landscapes, and a vibrant conventional tradition. On our autumn journey with WT, Wild Mongolia, we had the pleasure of witnessing the Golden Eagle Pageant (made well-known by the movie “The Eagle Huntress”), and exploring the Gobi Desert, with hikes to historical websites, camel rides, and experiencing the dramatic contrasts of such distinctive landscapes.
The custom of eagle looking thrives within the coronary heart of Mongolia’s wild west. Traditionally, nomadic Kazakhs have trusted golden eagles for looking, catching the eaglets when they’re younger and coaching them to seize small prey. In 1999, the Golden Eagle Pageant was based to protect this proud custom. We loved two days watching this superb spectacle alongside Kazakh locals.
This annual Mongolian pageant, which celebrates the Golden Eagle in addition to the hunters’ conventional tradition, is organized by the native Kazakh neighborhood and members of the Berkut Affiliation, a community-based conservation group.
The principle attraction of this pageant are the golden eagles, often called berkut. The hunters, wearing full regalia and mounted on horseback with their eagles, compete in catching decoys that resemble foxes and hares. Prizes are awarded for accuracy, agility, and velocity. The principle prizes are: Greatest Turned Out Eagle and Proprietor, Greatest Eagle at Searching Prey, and Greatest Eagle at Finding its Proprietor from a Distance.
A proud contestant and his feminine eagle. Feminine eagles are captured and skilled by the hunters. They’re heavier and extra aggressive than males and higher suited to taking bigger prey.
Aisholpan, star of “The Eagle Huntress” film, turned the primary feminine eagle hunter in 12 generations of her Kazakh household. At 15 years previous, she competed in opposition to 70 grown males and positioned first on this yr’s pageant.
Aisholpan, the 15-year-old lady who took the title of Golden Eagle Pageant in 2016, holding her golden eagle.
It’s exceptional the period of time and degree of dedication every eagle hunter pours into their prized eagles. On our approach to the pageant sooner or later, our driver stopped to speak with a contestant, and let me pose along with his golden eagle—a particular spotlight for me!
Our ger camp, set alongside the Khovd River, was 30-40 minutes from the grounds of the Golden Eagle Pageant. The range of landscapes throughout Mongolia astounded us, from the steppes and plains to the rivers, and later into the Gobi Desert.
Sundown alongside the Khovd River, close to our Wilderness Journey Ger Camp
Throughout our time within the Gobi, we loved a beautiful hike to the Khavtsgait petroglyphs, with its rock artwork on the hilltops.
Our overnights had been at The Three Camel Lodge, which is positioned within the southernmost province in Mongolia bordering northern China. It’s a nice residence base for exploring the encircling space by 4WD car and on foot. And it was particularly good to see the camp painted in early morning mild.
Dawn at Three Camel Lodge, Gobi Desert. This can be a great place for exploring by 4WD car or mountain climbing and enjoyable close to the camp.
We additionally received to discover one of many few areas of the Gobi with sand dunes by camel. This was at Moltsog Els.
One among our day hikes introduced us to the Yol Valley. The valley is known as after the lammergeier, an Outdated World vulture, and is usually referred to as “Valley of the Vultures” or “Valley of the Eagles”.
