The Mongolian Altai forms the country's western extremity, more than 1,600 km from Ulaanbaatar. The mountain range runs for 900 km along the Russian, Chinese and Kazakhstani borders, culminating at Mount Khüiten (4,374 m), the junction point of the three nations. It is Mongolia's only region to preserve active glaciers: the Potanin, stretching 14 km, and the Petrov descend to 2,800 m altitude. U-shaped valleys, moraines, and glacial lakes such as Khoton and Khurgan give the landscape a sharp geometry, distinct from the rolling steppes of the country's interior.

Ölgii Province, the regional capital of 30,000 people, is 90% Sunni Kazakh, settled here since the 19th century after fleeing conflicts in Xinjiang. Kazakh is spoken in the streets more than Mongolian, signage is bilingual, and the central bazaar sells baursak (fried pastries) and beshbarmak (flat noodles with boiled mutton) rather than the buuz found elsewhere. The mosques of Ölgii and Tsengel are small, built of wood or painted brick, without minarets. This Muslim and Turkic-speaking character surprises travelers expecting Buddhist Mongolia alone.

The practice of golden eagle hunting, known as berkutchilik, still structures the lives of around 250 families, primarily in the sums of Sagsai, Altantsögts and Tolbo. A young female eagle is taken from the nest at four months old, trained for three to four years to hunt foxes and marmots in winter, then released into the wild after a decade of partnership. Our team works with several of these families, who welcome travelers in yurts (called kiiz üi in Kazakh, decorated with embroidered wall carpets known as tuskiiz) between June and September. The Golden Eagle Festival, held the first weekend of October near Ölgii, brings together 80 to 100 berkutchis for lure retrieval competitions and simulated hunts.

Tavan Bogd National Park ("the five sacred peaks," named for the five summits crowning the massif) covers 6,360 km² and shelters, besides the glaciers, hundreds of petroglyphs dating from 12,000 to 3,000 years before the present, classified as UNESCO World Heritage since 2011. The sites of Tsagaan Salaa and Aral Tolgoi display hunting scenes of deer and aurochs, and later depictions of riders and chariots. The fauna includes the argali (giant wild sheep), Siberian ibex, and more rarely the snow leopard, with around thirty individuals roaming the massif.

The local economy rests on extensive herding of yaks, horses, sheep and cashmere goats, supplemented by regulated hunting and, for the past two decades, tourism. Kazakh and Tuvan herders (a Turkic-speaking minority of around 1,500 people, concentrated in Tsengel) practice short-distance transhumance, moving between wind-protected winter valleys and summer pastures at 2,500–3,000 m. Life in yurts, the absence of paved roads beyond Ölgii, and low population density (1 inhabitant per km²) make the Altai one of the country's most isolated regions.

What to Discover

Trek to the Tavan Bogd Glaciers. Four to seven days of hiking from the Tsagaan Gol valley to the Potanin Glacier base camp at 3,000 m. Nights in tents, crossings of glacial rivers by ford, views of the five snow-capped peaks from Maliy Potanin pass.

Stay with a Berkutchi Family. Two to three nights in a Kazakh yurt in Sagsai or Altantsögts, horseback outings with the hunter and his eagle perched on his left forearm. In October, the bird is in peak physical condition and actively hunts foxes.

Khoton and Khurgan Lakes. Two glacial lakes connected by a strait at 2,080 m altitude, where a few Tuvan families live. Arctic char fishing, bivouacking on larch-lined shores, accessible by 4x4 from Ölgii in seven hours.

Golden Eagle Festival in Ölgii. First weekend of October on the hippodrome south of town. Lure retrieval competitions at 200 m, kokpar (horse wrestling over a goat carcass), parades in embroidered costumes. Temperatures range from -5 to 5°C.

Tsagaan Salaa Petroglyphs. More than 10,000 rock engravings on schist slabs in a high-altitude valley, accessible on foot from a yurt camp. An undervisited UNESCO site, with two to three groups per day during peak season.

When to Go

The practical window for the Altai is short: mid-June to mid-September for treks and nomadic life, first week of October for the eagle festival. In July and August, daytime temperatures range between 15 and 22°C in the valleys and 5 to 15°C above 3,000 m, with nights near 0°C at high altitude. Afternoon thunderstorms are frequent in July, usually brief. Passes at 3,000 m can see snow from mid-September onward, and glacial rivers reach their highest levels in late July, complicating certain fords.

We advise against the November to May period: temperatures of -25 to -40°C in January, roads cut off by snow, flights to Ölgii often cancelled. Eagle hunting is practiced in winter but remains reserved for experienced travelers with proper gear and prepared for very basic comforts. For the October festival, bring a down jacket and hat: mornings drop to -5°C, afternoons rise to 5–10°C.

Practical Advice

Plan a minimum of seven days on site to justify the journey, ideally ten to twelve days. Access is via domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar to Ölgii (3 hours, two to three flights per week depending on season with Hunnu Air and Aero Mongolia). From Ölgii, all travel is by 4x4 on unpaved tracks at speeds of 30 to 50 km/h: three hours to reach the Tavan Bogd park entrance, seven hours to the Khoton-Khurgan lakes. Comfort is rustic: yurts with local families without electricity or running water, bivouac tents for treks, two or three decent guesthouses in Ölgii for transit nights.

The Altai combines poorly with the Gobi or Orkhon Valley in a short single itinerary due to distances and flight dependence. We recommend pairing it either with Khövsgöl Lake (another domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar, complementary forest atmosphere) or a short stay in the central steppe around Ulaanbaatar to balance the journey. The region suits hikers, horsemen, photographers and travelers interested in Turkic ethnography. It is less suited to families with young children due to altitude, long tracks and lack of medical facilities outside Ölgii.