Footage of Kazakh eagle hunters riding on horseback across the vast landscape of Mongolia’s Altai Mountains inspired gasps of awe when shown as part of the BBC’s Human Planet series in 2011. Clad in animal skins to ward off the sub-zero temperatures, the weathered-faced father and son each rode with one arm outstretched and a huge, blindfolded golden eagle perched on their hands. As a fox sprinted across the plains below, the blindfolds were removed and the eagles soared down to hunt the prey – the ultimate test of the eagle handler’s skill. The scene barely looked real, much less like something you might find in the 21st century.

Indeed, the Kazakh practice of hunting with birds of prey is hardly a modern one. Cave paintings depict falconry practices dating back to the Bronze Age, Genghis Khan was said to be a fan, and Marco Polo described eagle hunting with Khan’s grandson in the 1100s.

Any intrepid travellers who were awestruck by the Human Planet footage will be thrilled to learn that the Kazakh eagle hunters (berkutchi) are now opening their doors to guests, who can learn about their lives and observe these falconry skills. And modern festivals in Western Mongolia showcase the unique relationship between the hunters and their eagles, along with traditional horsemanship and other aspects of the Kazakh culture.

THE GOLDEN EAGLE FESTIVALS

Starting a new tradition

There are three Golden Eagle Festivals in Mongolia’s westernmost province of Bayan-Ulgii that showcase the astonishing skills of the Kazakh golden eagle hunters. They are becoming increasingly popular with tourists, but the festivals’ origins are not as ancient – or traditional – as they may appear.

The Altai Golden Eagle Festival was founded in 2000, a collaboration between two tour operators and local Kazakh eagle hunters. It has taken place in the first week of October each year since then; a slightly smaller festival was founded in 2002 in nearby Sagsai, and is held each September. These festivals are aimed primarily at spectators, comprised of local Kazakhs, and Mongolian and foreign tourists. A third festival was launched by another travel company in March 2018.

The festivals’ huge success has been credited with raising awareness of eagle hunting in Mongolia and abroad, and of encouraging young Kazakhs to take up the practice. In 2011, eagle hunting was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as an example of ‘living human heritage’