Olgiy – a provincial capital of the Kazakhs, stopping along the way to visit local Kazakh families – no drive in Bayan-Olgiy is complete without stopping for tea breaks. By then, will have opportunity to see the magnificent golden eagles known as winged weapons, which are used for hunting by the Kazakh people during winter times. The local Eagle Hunter’s families in the region so-called Altantsogts is famous for their eagle training expertise in not only Bayan-Olgiy but also the Western Mongolia.

These skillful Kazakh people use female eagles for hunting, as they are far bigger then male ones and much more aggressive. These eagles are trained to hunt foxes, wolves, rabbits, and wild cats.

The eagles are captured and trained at their young ages and since then in about 6-7 years, they are released back into the wild. You will learn and enjoy this unique custom of Kazakh nomadic people. We have chance to visit some Kazakh families and feel the great hospitality. Even we could try with a Kazakh Dombra (a traditional musical instrument with two strings) to show your musical talent to the locals. Upon arrival in Olgiy we obtain our environment, perhaps stop for a café at the Italian Coffee shop, then continue further west to reach Kok –Khotol river, where we camp for overnight.

Tsagaan-Gol Valley

Archaeological evidence from petroglyphs suggests that early in the Bronze Age, the inhabitants of the Altai Mountains depended primarily on hunting and fishing, only gradually shifting to a greater dependency on the herding of small and large animals. These included sheep and goats, horses, cattle and, at higher elevations, yak.

Bactrian camels seem to have entered the life of the herders in this part of Mongolia only at the end of the Bronze Age. By approximately 3000 years before the present, quasi-sedentary pastoralism was gradually replaced by semi-nomadic, horse-dependent herding involving periodic movement up the long valleys leading to the rich grassland of higher elevations and then, in cold months, down to the protection offered by lower elevation.

Today, we will drive about 120 km (4-5h) to the west towards TAVAN-BOGD National Park, through Ulaanhus and Sogoog Valleys.

Along the way, we’ll stop by ancient burial sites that date back 4000 years. Some of them have been excavated by Russian archaeologists and still remain open. We’ll make camp in the pristine White River Valley (Tsagaan Gol) near Tavan-Bogd. You will be provided with tents and other camping equipment like mattresses and blankets.

The base camp, at 3000 meters above the sea level, is the exact spot where you will see the shocking beauty of Tavan-Bogd—the eternal snow, high peaks, and enormous glacier spreading down the mountain.

In the morning we will leave the vehicle behind and load up the camels to start trekking towards to the northwest, the edge of the Potanina Glacier, at the foot of Malchin Peak (4050m). The crew’s supplies will be carried by two-humped camels. We’ll head about five hours, or 17 km, to see breathtaking, fantastic views of the mountains and glacier.

Our base camp on the edge of the Potanina Glacier will offer panoramic views of the mountains and is a convenient base for climbs and exploring the surrounding region on day hikes. This is great trekking—exploring a unique and far-removed corner of the world.

The Malchin peak is the non-technique climbing mountain; no need for special climbing equipment. This peak is about 4050 meters above sea level and divided by two countries— one side belongs to Mongolia and the other to Russia.

Today our mission will be to conquer one of the peaks of the Altai Mountains. The tremendous views of the mountains and glaciated peaks spread over three countries: Mongolia, Russia, and China. If today we are lucky with weather conditions, from the summit, we will be able to see Russia’s highest mountain, Belauho (5000 meters).

We will spend about three hours to get to the summit and less than three hours to go back to our camp.