Hunting with eagles is a cultural tradition passed down though generations. Traveling to Mongolia and spending a week living with eagle hunters and their families was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Now I am excited to share my photos and story of my adventure to make this experience last even longer.
Spending quality time in such close quarters added depth to the cultural experience. We ate all our meals around the same family table, went back and forth sharing stories and photos of our lives building a deeper connection, and supported one another through challenging situations.
Blue Wolf Travel was the tour company that organized our authentic experience by connecting us with a local eagle hunter and his family. Blue Wolf Travel values genuine connection focusing on how their clients and local hosts can learn and grow from one another. The guides that took us on this life-changing journey exuded these values. Each and every individual on the tour was genuinely interested in how they could learn and grow from one another through the weeklong experience.
Read on to immerse yourself in a 5-day experience traveling, learning, and growing with eagle hunters and their families.
Mongolia Eagle Hunting 5-Day Tour with Blue Wolf Travel
Day 1: Fancy Hotels & Mongols
On the first day we arrived at the airport in Ulaanbaatar (UB). The largest main city in Mongolia UB is bustling with people every hour of the day. Blue Wolf Travel had all our accommodations and transportation services set up for us, so we were graciously greeted by a translator and driver at the airport. We were then whisked away to the Ramada Hotel (take advantage of their steam room and fitness center). The temperature was -17*C which is the warmest we experienced in all of Mongolia during our 20-day visit. Everyone clad in their winter coats, furry hats, scarves, and mittens. Side note: Wear mittens instead of gloves because you can move your fingers together to keep them warmer. For more packing recommendations see my Packing Guide for Winter in Mongolia.
PRO-TIP: I highly recommend visiting Naran Tuul—The Black Market in UB before you head out to the countryside where it is even colder and snow-covered. At the market you can find goods like traditional Mongolian clothing, candy, toys, household supplies, carpets, horse-riding gear, fake brand-name snow jackets for $23 and souvenirs at a quarter of the price they are sold in stores around UB. Be aware of your possessions at all times because this area is known for pick-pocketing and backpack slashing. Put your money somewhere safe and wear your backpack on the front of you. We wish we had visited this market BEFORE our trip to the colder weather because we would have bought warmer layers, gifts for the families we visited, and mittens!
Unfortunately Austen caught the flu at the beginning of our journey. For our entire Mongolian adventure he was under the weather. He ran 103*F fever while filming the eagles on the mountain tops, spent the nights sweating, and the days riding in the van with chills. It was a terrible coincidence, but he did not let it stop him from creating a quality film and having the time of his life.
Day 2: Food Glorious Food
After our quick stay at the Ramada Hotel in UB we headed back to the airport and flew to Bayan-Ölgii Province and again were warmly greeted by a different translator, Banu and our driver, Bic. Bic drove Banu, Austen, his family, and I to Blue Wolf Travel headquarters which is a beautiful hotel and restaurant. There we sat down and were served the most grand breakfast spread consisting of cakes, breads, cookies, tea, coffee, fruit, eggs, veggies, yogurt, and granola. We ate slowly and shared stories with the tour guides. We had no idea what plans they had in store for us and it was nice to go with the flow. In Mongolia there is no rush to eat meals fast. Nomadic people value community and communication—spending time with others and storytelling—that is riches to them. After filling our bellies we started our journey to the countryside.
First we stopped at a local supermarket to pick out some treats to offer to the families that would be hosting us during the week ahead. We were told the children love toys and the adults enjoy chocolate. (This is why I recommend visiting the Black Market before you depart on this trip). However, we later found out that fruit is a delicacy, so I highly recommend bringing this for the children because their eyes light up when they are offered fruit. After the supermarket we hopped in our epic off-roading van and headed west. We drove 6 hours through barren countryside off-road (extremely bumpy—motion sickness medicine) in a van jam packed with gear, a driver, a cook, a translator, and us four travelers. Dress extremely warm because the van is not insulated and again, it is -25*C and colder as it grew dark as we drove.
We stopped in a tiny village (halfway to our destination) at a house that was a friend of our cook and Banu asked if we could come in to have lunch. We were warmly welcomed into their home to enjoy a meal cooked by our amazing cook, Alma.
Alma brought her tables, stove, water, veggies, meats, cooking accessories every where we went. She set everything up and broke it all down. Every single meal was different and amazingly tasty. She even made vegetarian meals the entire trip for Austen’s mom, Lorraine. Again a spread was laid out on the table that we came to know as our family table because it went with us everywhere, just like Alma’s cooking gear. It had only been a couple hours before that we ate a giant slow breakfast. This second spread started off with another assortment of cookies and breads followed by noodles with beef and vegetables. After lunch we got back on the road, or what I think was the road. Basically there are no roads. There was one paved road leading out of Bayan-Ölgii Province that ended abruptly opening up to vast dirt and grasslands with tire tracks leading every which way. So back on the off-road we go passing camels, yaks, horses, and sheep grazing in the open valley.
Bouncing around in the backseat we started getting very cold. Night was creeping up on us and the van was getting chillier. We finally arrived at a small village. We drove up to a home and were told to start unloading. We were greeted by a family (a mother, a son, and a daughter-in-law) who helped us into the house and showed us our room. The room all four of us were sharing was covered in rugs and had one wall that heated the entire room. The wall was so nice to come home to every day because you could take your boots off and warm your chilly toes.
Then it happened…I had to pee. I asked where the toilet was and Banu told me it was at the edge of the yard. So I headed toward the front door of the house. I put my boots on in the mud-room and as I looked up a giant man walked in the front door wearing camouflage clothing, a furry hat, and a black ski mask that covered his entire face. At first I was scared because he spooked me and then I was shocked because he extended his hand to shake mine—something I was not expecting at all. I laughed and shook his hand.
Back to my initial mission: The toilet we used was at the edge of the yard behind a brick wall where you then would squat over planks of wood. So at 4AM when you had to pee you would have to take a headlamp and maybe even a buddy with you on your walk through the -40*C weather to the edge of the property (about 50 feet away). Every walk to the bathroom was an adventure.
After we settled in to our new home for the week the family asked us to sit with them to enjoy a traditional Mongolian meal. MORE FOOD? Again they started the meal with an assortment of cookies, candies, breads, milk tea, dried fruits, and yak cheeses. After the treats they brought out a giant dish of meat and one long noodle, yes...one noodle. The meat was horse meat and cow tongue/stomach. The noodle was hand wrapped and stuffed with shredded carrot and onion. At first sight Austen and I thought the noodle was an intestine, both swapped looks of fright, but accepted our fate. However, lucky for us the noodle was delicious.
An interesting dish to be served it was even more unique how it was eaten. Two men at the table are given giant knives with which they grab handfuls of meat and chop it up in tiny pieces and throwing the pieces on top of the pile of food (they do the same with the noodle too) and everyone digs in with their hands grabbing pieces of meat and noodle. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the flavors of the dish.
After the traditional meal our cook, Alma also prepared dinner for us. EVEN MORE FOOD? It is safe to say we were not going to starve on this trip. We were well fed the entire journey. Our second meal consisted of soup with vegetables and beef accompanied by more assorted treats. We later cuddled up in our cots to sleep.
Day 3: Dude, Where’s My Eagle?
Our first day in Western Mongolia started with yet another hearty breakfast spread including a morning chat about our plans for the day. We drank our coffee, tea, and milk tea, which is a traditional drink of the culture made from yaks milk and black tea. Some individuals added butter or soaked dried yaks cheese in the tea.
After breakfast we suited up for a day hunting with eagles in the snowy mountain tops. I put on all the clothes I brought: two pairs of leggings, one pair of sweat pants, snow pants, four layers of shirts, a fleece, a quilted puffy, and my longer waterproof coat. I wore two beanies as well as two pairs of socks AND my -25*C snow boots. Even with all this gear the tour guides asked if what I was wearing was the warmest clothes I brought…and they were not joking. This scared me a bit, but it was all I had.
We piled into the car with our driver, cook, translator, the four of us, along with the eagle hunter AND his eagle. Yes, the hunter hopped right into the van with his 35lb. eagle claws-wrapped around the giant animal hide oven mitt. I cautiously looked at everyones bundled-up faces, yet no one seemed a bit concerned that a wild animal was sitting in the backseat of a van with us. The eagle was wearing a face cover called a hood, so it was not overwhelmed being in the car with all the commotion. I needed a hood because I was overwhelmed sitting a foot away from this enormous creature. As we drove the bumpy unpaved roads the eagle struggled to keep its balance. Multiple times it spread its long wings out and smacked us in the face. We drove 30 minutes to the snowy countryside where we stopped at the eagle hunter’s son’s house.
When we pulled up to a countryside duplex we were greeted by smiling faces and lots of farm animals. There were horses, goats, and yaks in tiny coats—it was adorable. The people living in the countryside houses rushed over to us holding heavy fur coats. They decked us out in warmer winter wear and I am so thankful they did because this was the coldest weather I have experienced.
We were all carefully given horses (mine being award winning) and started heading towards the mountains. The mountain horses are so amazing, they haul you up the highest peaks and walk so gracefully on the shale and snow. My horse was very cautious and I thanked him every step he took. I think he enjoyed my chatter along our trek.
I will try my best to describe my all-time favorite moment, but it left me speechless. Riding my horse behind Banu approaching the top of a snowy peak the sun peeked out from behind her silhouette and blinded me with sparkles of light. This split second of a moment was it for me—it made my heart melt completely. It is one moment attached to so many feelings that I will remember forever.
The top of the mountain peaks are so pristine—so quiet it is deafening. Looking around you see white with specks of tan rocks peaking out. Once you reach the top of a mountain you think you made it to the top of the tallest peak, but then as you trek on you somehow reach a taller one.
At the mountain tops the eagle hunters pause to search for foxes. They look for paw prints in the snow or snow puffs kicked up as the foxes run. Once the eagle hunters spot a fox they take the hood off the eagle and signal the eagle to catch it in its sights. Once the eagle has locked its eyes on the fox the hunter releases the eagle to soar after the prey while they shout out commands. Every hunter and their eagle have a special call that bonds them. After the eagle flies to catch the fox the hunter has to ride after it. If the eagle flies back to the hunter then it did not catch the fox.
If the eagle does NOT come back to the hunter it could mean one of two things:
1. The eagle caught the fox and is feasting, or
2. The eagle got distracted and is in pursuit of another prey.
Either scenario the hunter has to go after the eagle. So unlucky for us we lost the eagle. We searched riding up and down the mountains on our horses. It was getting late in the day and colder, so half of us decided to go back to the house and warm up while the hunter, his son (who is also an eagle hunter), and Austen (with his fever) stayed out to find the eagle.
When we arrived back at the house we were greeted by the same smiling faces who helped us take off our heavy coats and showed us the warmest places to put our frozen hands and feet. We all sat down to another giant spread of treats followed by beef dumplings and shaved carrot salad (one of my favorite meals here).
A couple hours later Austen arrived back at the house with the hunters AND the eagle. Austen looked like a popsicle—his lips were blue and his fingers numb. The smiling faces tended to him just as they tended to us early arrivers. Austen was so brave for staying out in the cold without a translator following the hunters all over the mountains.
I do not think I explained this yet, but there was only one person on our trip native to Mongolia who spoke English—Banu, our translator. Even with the language barrier the time spent with such friendly company was delightful. We still shared stories over meals and thank goodness for Banu’s patience to translate them all.
After our large meal we drove back to the eagle hunter’s home from the snowy countryside and had a light soup dinner before crashing in our cots.
WHY MONGOLIA
The main two reasons for this somewhat random trip to Mongolia:
1. Austen saw a photo of eagle hunters and added it to his bucket list, since then he has been dying to go. December 2017 he wanted to make it happen, but there was not enough time to plan it. September 2018 he asked me to go with him and I said, “Let’s do it.” And this is where number two comes in, so
2. I started researching Mongolian travel companies and reached out to a few explaining Austen’s bucket list and profession. Blue Wolf Travel was the perfect match for us. They value family, unique experiences, and learning from others. These characteristics are ones that Austen and I share as well. We offered to document our tour through videography/photography and create media content for Blue Wolf Travel.
So, while the hunters were hunting Austen and I were documenting. Every time we reached the top of a peak Austen jumped off his lazy horse (his horse would randomly lay down and refuse to follow the group, so it was led by another rider most the time) and run to capture the raw moments. I would tag along taking photos of the hunters scoping the scenery or releasing their eagles to hunt.
Reading about what we did sounds easy, but in -30*C weather maneuvering was difficult. We were wearing long thick coats (mine made it difficult to walk with my short legs) and had to climb over snow and loose shale rocks trying to get the right angles for our shots without falling off the mountain. One time Austen was walking across the snowy rocks and slipped. He threw his camera as to not fall down the cliff. His camera landed on a rock, but was okay and thankfully so was he.
I am thankful to have had the warm clothes than not because while using the camera gear we had to take our gloves off. Holding on to freezing cold metal is almost painful. My fingers felt as if they might pop off a couple times. Not only was the metal freezing cold, but our equipment actually froze several times. The Dji drone even froze, but the batteries were the most difficult to deal with.
The cold drained our batteries almost instantly, especially if we were in the shade of a valley. We had to wrap everything in socks and scarfs in our backpacks and could only keep things out in the air for short periods of time.
The language barrier was also difficult. Banu patiently explained so many shot details and basically directed our shoots—she was a life saver. Even more difficult than a language barrier, working with wild animals. A hunting scenario can be especially dangerous and difficult to shoot—you basically have to take what you get.
Day 4: Bic’s Wild Ride - Break Easy, Fix Easy
The next morning we drove back out to the snowy countryside where we saddled up and went eagle hunting. We rode our horses on more treacherous mountain peaks and had to walk them down snowy slopes.
At the end of the day the eagle finally caught a fox, but because we were not in the right position to film the eagle catching the fox Austen asked the hunters if we could stage the ‘catch.’ The hunters agreed and took the rope off the fox to let it run. Unfortunately (fortunately for me because I wanted the fox to escape) the fox took off and the eagles did not have a chance to catch it, so the hunters had to ride their horses across the valley floor chasing after it. After 30 minutes of chasing they finally caught up to the fox and tied the leash back on it.
After the second catch we all rode home to eat another fantastic meal by Alma: chicken thighs, dill yogurt salad with cucumber and tomato with a side of rice. Since we spent a long day hunting we ended up driving home from the countryside pretty late at night. It was -40*C in the van on the drive home.
While driving the snowy roads the car stopped and the headlights flickered off. Bic rushed to fix the problem moving so swiftly. At one point he came back in the car and I said, ‘Oh maybe he fixed it!” Then he grabbed the front seats of the car and tossed them out in the snow…”Nope not fixed.” We all laughed. But a couple minutes later it was done! Break easy, fix easy. You know those Indiana Jones films where Indy has to crank up the car to make it go right before the rock falls on it, yup that was real life for us, well without the rock. But we did almost slide down a snowy ravine at one point. Every day was such a bumpy ride in that van that we would randomly break out in the Indy theme song.
Day 5: Eagles, Foxes, and Horses, Oh My!
The most amazing thing about this adventure was that it really was an adventure. Every day was different and exciting with no wifi, no sense of time, and electricity at a minimum.
After breakfast we bundled up and got ready to head to the countryside for another day of hunting. While tying up the laces to my snow boots the hunter rushed in with his fingers bleeding. Apparently the fox we caught yesterday got loose and was running around the yard and bit the eagle hunter on the hand.
Wait…we caught the fox in the countryside and drove home to the less snowy area where we sleep every night, so why is the fox with us…how did it get here?
My questions were answered by the look on Austen’s face. He told me they brought the fox home with us last night. He said he did not want to tell me the fox was hiding (untied) under my car seat the whole ride home. I am glad he did not tell me because I definitely would have freaked out.
So now what? We have to bring the fox back to the countryside to stage our shoot for the second time (because the fox escaped last time) which means we all will be riding in the car—a driver, a cook, a translator, us four, a hunter, an eagle, and a fox…it was a cozy ride.
While riding in the car to the countryside I watched the fox run under the seats in front of me to the other side of the car…closer to the eagle. Then the fox proceeded to jump up on Austen’s mom’s leg except it was stuck because it was barely tied to a rope that was tangled around the bottom of the chairs. I sit staring in horror as I watch the eagle on the hunters arm next to me lean closer and closer on the bumpy ride sniffing the fox. I was in shock. Were we about to have an all out brawl in the backseat? Thankfully we were almost to the countryside home, but that was the craziest ride of my life.
Once at the countryside home we dressed up in traditional colorful eagle hunting attire and took turns sitting on the eagle hunter’s horse holding his super heavy eagle. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience. After our photoshoot we had a hearty lunch of fried beef dumplings with a side of shaved beet and carrot salad. It was delicious as always. I also tried yak butter for the first time, which tasted almost like a sweet brie cheese.
We spent another day out on the mountain and tried to attach a GoPro to one of the eagle’s backs, but it was a No-GoPro.
As night came we headed back to town where we charged all our fast-dying equipment using bandaids to hold the battery plugs into the wall because the socket was too loose to hold it. The night ended with a surprise by Banu and Alma who baked a 30th Anniversary cake for Austen’s parents. The hunter’s daughter-in-law sang a traditional song on a Kazakh guitar—it was magical.
Day 6: GoPro Eagle Edition
On our last day eagle hunting in the beautiful snowy countryside we started the day by eating delicious pasta for lunch then headed out for a second attempt at attaching the GoPro to one of the eagles. Success! You can see the video below.
We also spent the day watching the eagle hunters hunt. At one point we all had to stay very quiet and watch from the valley floor as the hunters hiked up the mountains to get a vantage point to stake out a fox. As we were all staring at the place the hunters said the fox was hiding a wild horse walked by noticed we were all laying quietly staring at the mountains. The horse stopped mid step on the path, froze, and stared at us. It was hilarious. The horse did not move a muscle until all the commotion had ended and we started moving again.
During all the commotion we watched the eagle hunters release their eagles from the mountain above and one of the eagles fought with the fox tumbling all the way down the mountain. It was quite a fall because we thought he may have broke his eagle. But the fox got away (yes!) and the eagle was fine too.
We ended the day taking group photos on our horses using the drone at sunset.
Day 7: Traditional Toasty Toasts
The last day in Western Mongolia we had breakfast with the family that hosted us (a giant feast as always) packed up our chilly van and drove the six hours back to Bayan-Ölgii Province. After driving for three hours we stopped to have lunch at Bic’s family members home where they graciously welcomed us. Austen offered the family cookies and in return they plated us horse meat to share. We warmed up with tea and lunch before heading back out on the roadless road to drive to the Blue Wolf Travel Hotel in Bayan-Ölgii Central.
The first thing we did when we arrived at the hotel…shower. We did not shower for the entire week…(new record for me) and also had our first experience with a flushing toilet. We took a nap and connected to wifi for the first time, so I could let my family know I did not freeze to death in the middle of nowhere.
Alma made us a glorious last meal (the best French fries ever, chicken thighs, and soup) and Blue Wolf Travel owner Canat joined us in sharing stories and giving toasts. We enjoyed a good nights rest on a mattress before flying back to Ulaanbaatar in the morning.
What we communicate, create memories of, and experience together is what matters most. I never thought I would ever have the experience to travel to Mongolia, but I am so thankful I did.
Sometimes the things you least expect have the greatest impact. This travel experience left a mark on my heart and ignited a greater sense of wonder in my soul. Travel can seem costly, time consuming, or stressful, but if you can be a bit creative and flexible through the process the reward will be undoubtedly fulfilling.
Find the richness in your life through this Mongolian eagle hunting experience. I highly recommend taking a trip to this magnificent country to experience the wealth that radiates through their cultural traditions.
Follow the sky, the stars will guide you on your hearts journey.
See the video below that Austen created from our trip to Mongolia. See more of Austen Paul's work here.