The Kazakh minority in western Mongolia — concentrated in Bayan-Ölgii province north of Khovd — practises the ancient art of hunting with golden eagles. A handful of hunters can be visited at their ger camps in the valleys, where they will demonstrate the bird's training, the heavy embroidered glove, and the call that brings the eagle down from the sky.
The best time to visit is October, when the Golden Eagle Festival in Ölgii brings together over a hundred hunters in full ceremonial dress for competitions of accuracy and bird-handling. Outside the festival, longer trips can be arranged through Khovd-based or Ölgii-based tour operators. Expect long drives across open steppe and basic accommodation in family gers.