Altai Tavan Bogd National Park

Fishing inside the park is great with 5 species of fish, some only found in the Western Mongolian Basin, a captive water system that flows into the saltwater Uvs Lake. The lakes and rivers contain Taimen, Lenok Trout, Osman, Grayling, and Pike. Fly fishing attracts sportsmen from all over the world during the summer, while ice fishing is popular among locals during the winter. Fishing inside the park is permitted from June 15 to April 15. The Taimen or "River Wolf" is the most prized of the fish, being a large, aggressive salmonoid weighing up to 30 kg (66 lb), over a meter long. There is a legend in Mongolia of a large Taimen crawling onto land and eating livestock and people. Lenok Trout is a smaller fish living in cold running water that weighs up to 15 kg (33 lb) and is the favorite catch of locals. Though they are hard to catch in late summer when they migrate to lake bottoms. Osman is a carp only found in the Uvs Lake drainage area, weighs up to 10 kg. The Arctic Graylings are common to Siberia, while Pike are found all over east Asia. You can rent high quality fly fishing gear from any of the tour companies that all offer fishing tours. Or if you are feeling adventurous, try ice fishing. It is possible to catch over 100 Lenok Trout in a day during the winter.

Rafting is provided by several of the local tour guides, many with professional river guides on staff. The Hovd River inside the park is rated expert with many large rapids. Once outside of the park, the river is calmer, and you can raft all the way back to Ölgii. The Hovd River is dependent on snow and glacier melt. Water levels are highest in May and June once the ice clears. Typically rafting is offered as part of a larger tour with trekking and mountain climbing. While on the river, a van will follow near the river to prepare camp each night.

Climbing is among the biggest draws to the park. The highest peaks of Tavan Bogd attract expert climbers, though lower peaks can be hiked by novices without special equipment. Khuiten Uul ('Cold Peak') at 4374 m (14,201 ft), Nairamdal Uul ('Friendship Peak') at 4,180 m ( 13,714 ft), and Bürged Uul ('Eagle Peak') at 4068 m (13,207 ft) all require ice axes, crampons, and ropes. While Malchin Uul 4050 m (13,150 ft) can be hiked. The base of the mountains is 2342 m (7,600 ft). The best time to climb is from July to early September when temperature is highest and most snow has melted at lower elevations (all peaks have permanent snow covered peaks). The peaks can be climbed any time of year, though it becomes more difficult the further from August you go. Only experienced climbers should go during winter with the help of a local expert to get to the mountains. There are several smaller peaks of over 3,500 m inside the park as you go south from Tavan Bogd that can be climbed also.

The festival inside the park near the 2 lakes is a small celebration of Kazakh culture and horse games. The event is put on by local nomadic herders living inside the park. There are gers to stay in and food and crafts sold by local craftsmen

Eagle hunting in the Altai mountains of Bayan-Ölgii is a truly unique spectacle. Horse-mounted Kazakh nomads in the dead of winter armed with only an eagle, a 14-kg bird with 2.5-m wingspan and deadly, powerful talons, head out into mountains to find foxes, hares, and sometimes even wolves. After successfully spotting the desired target, the hunter removes a hood, waits for the eagle to see the prey, and releases it. A minute later, the hunter will pull the eagle off the victim, and retrieve the pelt, to later be turned into a hat or coat to protect against the bitter cold. Though not always successful, the best hunters can kill over 50 Corsac foxes and numerous hares in a winter. Though other places in Central Asia, Kazakhs or Kyrgyz have trained eagles for hunting, most are not capable of actually catching live prey. The Kazakh eagle hunters in Mongolia are a lucky exception: their culture was not suppressed, unlike their counterparts in China and the USSR. Today, film crews and journalists travel to this remote region each winter to witness a live hunt. A few adventurous tourists experience a successful hunt each year also, that only takes place during the winter months when it is easy to spot fox tracks and its fur is thick and soft. There are 250 eagle hunters in Bayan-Ölgii (the vast majority of the world's eagle hunters), with most living in or near Altai Tavan Bogd National Park.

This is organized by local tour operators. Skiing is on the mountain and Potaniin Glacier. One plus for skiing the mountains is that all 5 peaks form a bowl around the glacier, which leads to the base camp. One can ski all the way from Huiten Peak, the highest peak, all the way to the base camp. This is back-country skiing. You should be both an experienced mountain climber and advanced skier. From the Ranger station, skiers will have to ride horses and camels to the base camp of the mountains, then climb up and ski down. At night, you sleep in a tent at the base camp.

Hiking, trekking and photography tours in western Mongolia. Offers all inclusive packages to custom-made tours Mongolia.

Altai Tour was the first tour operator established in Western Mongolia. They provide tours all around Western Mongolia including trekking, hiking, horse riding, jeep tours, rafting, mountain climbing and eagle hunting. Golden Eagle Festival is organized annually with the support of Altai Tour.

They provide fishing, bird watching, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, jeep, hiking, whitewater rafting, and mountain climbing. The owner, Bekbolat, is an expert mountain climber and whitewater rafting guide. They operate a ger camp, guesthouse, and restaurant in Ölgii.

Has tour packages that offer cultural experiences, trekking, hiking, horseback-riding, fishing, cycling, kayaking, and mountain climbing. The owner, Akhmaral, has been a guide for many years. They have a ger camp and restaurant in Ölgii.

They are a large tour operator in Bayan-Ölgii, with ger camps in Sagsai and Ölgii, scheduled shuttle services to Tavan Bogd and Tsambagarav National Parks, tours in Russia, China, and Kazakhstan Altai regions, a wide selection of tours including unguided tours and the only snow skiing trips in Western Mongolia.

Explore Altai was founded in 2010 by two brothers, Jagaa and Bulgaa, native sons to Western Mongolia’s Altai Mountains. Raised as nomadic herders the boys roamed throughout the Altai Nuruu, following their herds, and forming a close bond with the land. After the transition from communism starting in 1990, both Jagaa and Bulgaa became tourist guides and pursued higher education in Mongolia’s nascent tourism industry. Bulgaa is a Geography Lecturer at the National University in Ulaanbaatar, and Jagaa is Director of Ethnic History in Mongolia’s mountainous western province of Bayan-Olgii.

They offer a broad selection of tour packages and services, including scheduled shuttle services to Tavan Bogd and unguided tours. Their tours have many exciting activities such as fishing, bird watching, eagle hunting, mountain climbing, and whitewater rafting.

They are a full service travel management company that can provide customers with all camping equipment and serve them by guiding, driving and cooking while you will do tours in the Altai Mountains area.

Provides full service trekking, jeep tours, drivers, camping, cooking, et al., with either prepared packages or custom-designed experiences. The owner, Taskhyn Khalamkhan, has worked as a guide for 7 years and speaks English, Kazakh, and Mongolian