Mystic Altai Mongolia Challenge incl. Golden Eagle Festival

Altay incl start

FIT Adventure Sports Travels special in trips allowing participants to come in contact with local nomad people. While mountain biking through the mostly untouched landscape you get to know and understand the authentic nomad culture! No cars whatsoever, but clear blue skies over the magnificent Altai Mountains harbouring Kazach nomad people in this western part of Mongolia. Challenging tracks amidst stunning natural territory, breathtaking landscapes and along comfortable huts of the Kazach people, showing you their withdrawn way of living, only aimed at authentic primary needs. For example their way of hunting with horses and eagles.

Learn to get familiar with one of the most beautiful countries of the world in which men and nature are still in perfect harmony. Where people still value the practice of authentic traditions and characteristic rituals. Thus, combine a 4 day Mountain Bike Challenge with participating in the centuries old Eagle Festival in the Altai Mountains of Western Mongolia.

Eagle Festival
During two days Kazach nomads show their abilities and technical skills to hunt with horses and eagles. In addition to these hunts with their proud royal eagles, you will also witness spectacular camel races.

We offer you options to extend your stay to visit the Gobi Desert along the southern border with China, as well as the northern border with Siberia with its natural taigas. And of course also the extensive green pastures of Central Mongolia!
In addition you might enjoy the extra opportunity to travel by train from China to Russia with the famous Trans Siberia Express, visiting cities like St. Petersburg, Moscow and Beijing.

Mystic Altai Mongolie Challenge incl. the Eagle Festival in the Altai Mountaine in Mongolia

This trip takes place every year.

Dates:
September 9 – 20, 2021

Prices **:  (depending on actual inflation rates)
€ 1.780,= per person, with groups of at least 10 people

Group size:
The event will be organised with a minimum number of 10 participants. In case the event has to be cancelled, you will be informed not later than 4 weeks before the scheduled departure dates. When the minimum number of participants is registered, you will be informed directly on the exact dates the event will take place, including details regarding the travels involved.
You can register for this trip as a group as well as individually.

** Also see Travel and Price Info

Contact
Stefan Rasing
(Managing Director FIT Adventure Sports Travels)
T: 00 31 6 42547010
M: info@fitavontuurlijkesportreizen.nl

REGISTRATION

Making a reservation is no booking (yet)!

DAY TO DAY PROGRAM

DAY 1
International flight to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

DAY 2 (D)
Upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar a bus transfer will take you to your hotel. During the rest of the day you might enjoy some leisure time. For example, a sight seeing tour, including a visit to the Gandan Monastery. Its monastic community, amidst the vast temple complex, is still active nowadays and harbours the tallest standing Buddha (26 m high) in Asia. We offer you a wellcome dinner in an enormous Mongolian tent, including traditional music and dance.

DAY 3 (B-L-D)
Following breakfast a flight transfer will bring you to Ulgi in West Mongolia, that gives way to the majestic and almost untouched Altai Mountains. A 35 km mountain bike tour along endless green pastures leads you to today’s campsite in Sagsai Country.

DAY 4 and 5 (B-L-D)
These two days will have you enjoying the activities of the Golden Eagle Festival.
On the morning of the first day, you might witness the opening ceremony of the festival, where participants on their horses and accompagnied by their royal eagles make their entrance.

Mongolie incl Kazakken

All participants show their uniform, outfit and material means for the hunt and in the afternoon they will show their technical skills and speed, working with their royal eagles. The evening program offers you a concert with traditional Kazach songs and dances.

During the second day of the festival the royal eagles will show their speed and abilities to catch fox skins from adjacent rock cliffs.

Mongolie incl jongen met adelaar


Next, these local nomads take part in a traditional game, called Kekbar, in which they – seated on the back of their horses –pick up and pass on goat skins. It certainly requires technical horse riding skills as well as enormous agility. Towards late afternoon hours the festival winners are announced and celebrated, followed by a grand and festive dinner for participants and visitors.

DAY 6, 7, 8 and 9 (B-L-D)
All four days we will undertake mountain bike tours of some 60 to 70 km off-road. Every tour will challenge us to cover rough terrain and moderately steep slopes. On the way we view the every day life and dwellings of nomad people, while we find the opportunity to find new strengt h and inspiration with nutritious food and drinks. Every evening we return to our campsite to stay fort he night.

Altay incl runderen

DAY 10 (B-L-D)
Today’s program brings a splendid walk to snow covered slopes of the surrounding mountains. Here we visit a traditional nomad family who live in felt tents and herd their horses and cattle. While sharing with us their sometimes harsh every day life, we also learn to recognize and value this cultural existence of nomad people. We will stay for the night in a campsite nearby.

DAY 11 (B-L)
Leaving yesterday’s campsite a car transfer brings us to Ulgi Airport, where we take an inland flight back to Ulaanbaatar. Here we visit a historical museum and the local market and we stay for the night in a local hotel.

Altay incl jongen met geiten

DAY 12 (B)
After breakfast a bus transfer will take us to Ulaanbaatar International Airport for the flight back to The Netherlands, where we arrive at the very same day.

N.B. Optional programs our available to extend your stay either before or after the trip offered here.

Prices **:  (depending on actual inflation rates)
€ 1.780,= per person, with groups of at least 10 people

Prices include:
All lodgings in simple hotels and campsites
All meals mentioned in the DAY TO DAY PROGRAM
B = Breakfast
L = Lunch
D = Dinner
Dutch and English speaking guides
All national transfers mentioned in the DAY TO DAY PROGRAM, including luggage transfers

Not included in the price:
International flight of € 600,= (depending on the booking date; early booking might yield a lower price)
International transfer mountain bikes: ±€ 200,=
All meals that aren’t mentioned in the DAY TO DAY PROGRAM
Travel- and Health Insurances
Travel cancellation Insurance
Additional visa costs
Additional and/or optionally extra excursions

Visa
Either you arrange your own visa or ask FIT Adventure Sports Travels to do this for you, by indicating so in your final reservation.
To apply for a visa you need a passport, valid for at least 6 months following departure to Mongolia.

Pre-travel participants meeting
Following reservation or booking for the trip FIT Adventure Sports Travels invites you to attend a pre-travel participants meeting. Here you will receive detailed information on background, program and various apects about this trip. Also you will have ample opportunity to ask questions and gather additional documentation.±

Target group:
Recreative and well trained sports minded people

Our vision and mission
FIT Adventure Sports Travels offers you the opportunity to turn your endurance sport into an adventure. We organise sports travels in areas of natural beauty, almost untouched by (mass) tourism and in doing so, offer you the unknown and unexpected. You will experience basic outdoor living in foreign countries, combined with local standards of modern life circumstances. We closely work together with local people and create employment.  Thus avoiding, that people leave the country side for a life in the city and doing so, preventing that old traditions and cultures get lost.

Reviews and evaluations of former participants in our sports travels include reactions such as:
‘Sheer amazement because of the natural surroundings and the constant variety in traveling experience, from traditional to modern’
‘Wonderful surprises regarding the acquaintance with the every day authentic life of the local people’
‘You start out as an indivual, but you will finally end up as a group’
‘I enjoyed very much the constant focus on individual performance levels’
‘No extreme sports is forced upon you, but you gradually learn to reach your own maximum level of performance’