Culture meets the wild west

The primary goal of our Mongolian journey was "The Eagle Festival". We had developed an interest and were already booked but this interest was piqued by the release of the film, The Eagle Huntress.Well, the experience exceeded expectations. Not only did Syerik from the Altai Nomads Travel, and his delightful family, make the Eagle Festival a great event, but he also took us for the five days before the Festival to the Altai Mountains. Again, superb.The assistance you get is fantastic and essential. You can't really do an Altai trip by yourself. Access is intrepid to say the least. You need knowledge of roads, a driver who can master the feral Furgon (the local Russian equivalent of a Combi) and a series of local skills that only locals have. We saw a huge amount, ate well and felt safe and cared for.Back to Ulgii and the wonderful Eagle Festival. To be part of this event was up there with Antarctica, the Atacama Dessert and the Australian Kimberley. You felt quite unique. Again, Syerik and his crew kept us exceptionally comfortable with our own Yurt set up for a respite from the cold with endless food and drinks.This is a part of the world where you need local help. If you want to see "stuff" you need local insights. Syerik and his family were wonderful. Easy communication, lots of laughs, great food and drinks and an excellent knowledge of the area. The whole affair was tailored to suit our needs. The four of us (the tourists) could not recommend Syerik enough. Many thanks