2025 Winter Expedition to Mongolia
The ‘Migration of the Eagle Hunters’ 10th Anniversary Expedition
February 20th – March 6th, 2025
Nomadic migration + private eagle festival + ice archery tournament + camel racing tournament
In our time-honoured tradition of providing incredible once-in-a-lifetime experiences to adventurous photographers, this year we will be offering 8 people the chance to come on an awe-inspiring nomadic migration across Mongolia’s Altai mountains with a Kazakh family and their livestock. Your journey will give you intimate access to an incredible cultural experience in a beautifully remote corner of Mongolia.
In 2015, I was the first foreigner to walk the length of this nomadic migration over 5 days. Accompanying my good friend Shokhan, a Kazakh eagle hunter, our group made the 150km corral with around 1000 animals including camels, horses, goats, sheep and yaks. A collection of the photographs from that trip can be found on the BBC’s website here.
This year, to mark my 10th anniversary of walking this migration with the same family, we have added some special additions to the trip to celebrate the milestone.
Shokhan and his young eagle
We will begin the trip by joining a private ice archery tournament on the frozen river near Ulgii, the capital of Western Mongolia. The expedition will then follow roughly the same route that I took the first year that I walked it, crossing snowy passes, frozen lakes and through the incredible winter scenery of the Altai mountains. Backed up by a team of 4 off-road vehicles and 12 staff including cooks and translators, a camp of warm yurts will be erected every night at each stage of the journey, providing home cooked food and cosy beds in the evenings when outside temperatures regularly fall to minus 30°C. Your destination will be Shokhan’s family’s Spring camp in Tavan Bogd National park, a place that few outsiders have witnessed in the winter months. Once there you will live alongside Shokhan’s family and enjoy a few days in this truly remote location, accompanying him hunting with his golden eagle and spending time with his extended family at their homestead.
You will also have the chance to film or photograph eagle hunters at our own private eagle festival in the snowy landscape of Tavan Bogd showcasing eagle training and the traditional Kazakh sport of Buzkasi and Tin Teru.
After the migration we will return to Ulgii in our expedition vehicles and round off the trip by visiting a local festival showcasing the incredibly exciting sport of camel racing.
Following the herd..
We still use the same fixers that organised my first trip to Western Mongolia with the BBC’s Human Planet team… trusted friends who understand precisely the kind of opportunities that photographers and filmmakers crave. We have limited the attendance to 8 people in order to give everyone the chance to shoot great images without creating too much impact on our surroundings. I will be traveling with you at all times and offering as much advice and help as you can absorb as well as guiding you through my methods of shooting, editing and image preparation in post production.
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This is a specialist photo expedition for the adventurous type and for this reason I will be personally vetting participants. This will usually involve a brief zoom or phone conversation prior to booking so that we can ascertain whether or not you will be a suitable member of our team. Traveling in extremely cold environments throws up uniquely complicated problems for living and you must expect the possibility of a certain degree of discomfort on this journey. Equally, we will expect you to come with a sufficient level of clothing and personal equipment to deal with the potential harshness of the environment. I will discuss all these things with you before you book.
To give you an idea of what my expeditions are like, here is a short film shot during our 2016 winter trip:
… and here is a link to an article written by a novice photographer who joined us in 2018: https://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/2018/03/16/weekend-reads-western-mongolia-edition/
What is included in the price of this trip?
Everything except your international flight, personal travel insurance, Visa fees and the costs of the kind of things you would normally expect to buy with your own personal money supply (gifts, personal treats etc.) Other than that, from the moment we meet for dinner on Day 1 of the trip we will take care of everything for you. Accommodation, 3 meals a day including alcoholic drinks, internal flights to Western Mongolia, overland transport, tips, translators… anything you can think of… and probably quite a few things you can’t.
What kind of things should I bring?
This is a specialist cold weather trip and your packing should reflect that. Clothing-wise, layers are the key since you will be potentially both walking and sitting in cold vehicles… the amount of each that you choose to do will depend on your fitness and preference… our support vehicles will follow our route at a distance as much as possible offering everyone the chance to travel in a vehicle if need be. Part of our team will travel ahead each day and set up camp at our daily destination with mattresses, camel wool blankets and wood stoves in each ger. Our staff will stoke the fires throughout the night allowing us to dry clothes and stay warm, however a 5 season sleeping bag is essential and you must provide your own.
Our team will endeavour to create a comfortable experience under tough circumstances
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Equipment-wise… You should bring cameras, laptop (for editing in the evenings), head torch… these kind of things instantly spring to mind. Don’t worry about recharging since we will have generators to top up our gear each night. Once you confirm your booking with a 25% deposit, we will send you all the information you need to fully prepare yourself for this epic journey.
Father & daughter hunting
How fit do I need to be to join this trip?
If, like me you decide to walk the full 150km of the migration then I suggest that you will need a fair to good level of fitness. The migration moves at a normal walking pace and includes breaks for food and tea throughout the day. However, since you will always have the option to rest your legs by calling a vehicle with your walkie talkie, I feel that hardiness is a more important quality to have than fitness on a trip like this. If you are the kind of person who can’t live without your home comforts then you will struggle on this journey. We will be sleeping together in gers and toilets will only be available each night at camp in the form of ‘long drops’ dug by our crew in the frozen ground and enclosed in a small tent. Similarly, due to the freezing cold, showers will NOT be available during the 5 day migration (a bowl of hot water and some wet wipes in a warm ger will have to do)… however, we will be able to set up a shower once we reach our destination. The weather will have the greatest effect on the harshness of this trip. Most commonly, days are fine with blue skies and cold (around -15 °C)… nights will be -25 °C and beyond.. be aware though… snow storms and wind chills can affect this drastically.
Life under canvas… an expedition camp
Private eagle festival
Can I join this trip as a non-photographer?
Sure! If your significant other wants you there by their side then be our guest! Similarly, if you just want to come alone without a camera then don’t feel that you need to be into photography. This expedition is designed to be an immersive experience for everyone and we have hosted many non-photographers on previous expeditions. Last time on the migration I spent many hours just walking alongside the animals helping to corral them rather than shooting photographs. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of things to occupy your time as a non-photographer.
Natural light portraiture masterclass
Crossing a high pass
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Itinerary
Day 1: After arriving from your international flight, a driver will bring you to our hotel in the centre of Ulan Bator. In the evening we will all meet for dinner.
Day 2: After breakfast we will spend the day getting to know each other visiting Gandantegchinlen Monastery, the Main Square and the black market. In the evening we will enjoy a traditional meal at a local restaurant near our hotel.
Day 3: Take the morning flight to Ulgii, the capital of Western Mongolia. In the afternoon we will join our own private Ice Archery tournament and then drive to camp alongside our Kazakh friends.
Day 4: Leave on the migration at first light.
Day 5: Migration day 2
Day 6: Migration day 3
Day 7: Migration day 4
Day 8: Final day of the migration. Arrive at Spring camp late afternoon.
Day 9: Rest Day. A leisurely day spent at Shokhan’s Spring camp.. a beautiful and very isolated spot in the snow covered mountains of Tavan Bogd national park.
Day 10: Portraiture day: A natural light masterclass with Timothy followed by portrait sessions with our local friends.
Day 11: Eagle hunting and private eagle festival: In the morning we will hunt and afterwards we will gather with 8 eagle hunters for a private festival showcasing traditional Kazakh sports and eagle training.
Day 12: Drive to Ulgii (full day driving). We make the long overland journey back to the capital in our expedition vehicles. In the evening we will stay at a local hotel and enjoy a traditional Kazakh music performance with our meal.
Day 13: Today we will travel to a village near to Ulgii to attend a camel racing tournament.
Day 14: Take the morning flight back to Ulan Bator. In the evening share a farewell meal at my favourite restaurant in the city.
Day 15: Tearful goodbyes as our driver drops you off at the airport to connect with your international flight. Have a safe trip!
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Ice archery
Eagle hunting in the frozen wilderness: One of the highlights of the trip
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A maximum of 8 places are available on this trip. A brief Skype/phone interview with applicants is required prior to booking.
Price: Entries Closed
Please enquire about this expedition using the form below: