Hunting with golden eagles in Kyrgyzstan

Last updated on March 28th, 2026

Want to learn more about one of Central Asia’s ancient hunting traditions? Plan ahead and add a demonstration (or training session) with an eagle hunter to your travel plans for Kyrgyzstan.

Hunting with golden eagles is a type of falconry with a very long history on the Eurasian steppes of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and parts of China.(“Falconry, a Living Human Heritage” is on the UNESCO list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.) But it’s a tradition at risk of disappearing from many areas where it was once practiced, including Kyrgyzstan.

I really wanted to see a falconry demonstration while in Central Asia. Unfortunately, my tour didn’t include that. So, it was pure luck that my group happened to drive by while a local hunter was standing by his car at the side of the road . . . with his eagle. (He was waiting for a family member who needed to get something from him.)

Of course we stopped.

We were lucky. He was on his way to a training session with his eagle and invited us to tag along and learn a little about this ancient practice.

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Golden eagles as hunting partners

You’re probably familiar with falconry, which has a particularly long and deep history in the Middle East, but is also practiced in many places in the northern hemisphere. One of those other places is Kyrgyzstan, although falconers in Kyrgyzstan prefer to hunt with golden eagles.

Falconers who hunt with eagles – berkutchi or bürkütchü in Kyrgyz – have a long history in this region. As a mostly nomadic people, the practice continued for centuries, passed down from generation to generation within a family. That pretty much ended during the Soviet period, when nomads were moved into settlements and hunting was no longer critical for survival. That’s because eagle hunting isn’t a sport one takes up as a casual pastime. This is a long-term lifestyle that requires a great deal of time and patience every day. It’s a major commitment.

Turning an wild eagle chick into a partner

Golden eagles are taken from the nest as fledglings. Females are preferred for hunting, as they are bigger and tend to be more aggressive. They are also usually larger than male chicks, which makes it easier to know which one to take from a nest. (Serious hunters scope out a promising nest, watch it pretty obsessively, and then select their chick when it is about three months old – old enough to fly, but young enough to bond with its human captor.)

The young bird is then fitted with a leather hood (to reduce distractions) and slowly introduced to its new environment and substitute parent.

Training an eagle begins with its handler (berkutchi) not only hand-feeding the bird, but also singing and talking to it for hours each day. One person, and only that person, interacts with the eagle while it is young. That creates a strong bond between man and bird. It also insures that, as an adult, that bird will only respond to its human partner.

It takes at least three years of training together before an eagle is ready to begin hunting in the wild. That training includes teaching the bird to come to rest on the berkutchi’s arm and remain there even while in motion; make a clean kill that quickly kills its prey without damaging the pelt or injuring itself; and then to guard its kill – without eating it – until the berkutchi arrives.

Training sessions like I saw serve a couple of purposes for mature birds. While it reinforces the bird’s training and hunting skills, ongoing training is needed to keep the bird healthy and in good physical condition. It’s the golden eagle equivalent of a regular workout at the gym!

The training session 

Because this was an actual training session, we drove out into an open area that seems best described as a bleak desert. . . but with great mountain views.

Today’s training was happening with the help of the berkutchi’s nephew, who wants to hunt with his own eagle someday.

Even when eagle hunting was common, it wasn’t something every family did. But in those that did hunt this way, the practice was passed down from one generation to the next.

Up-close with a golden eagle

Scheduled hunting demonstrations usually include an opportunity to hold an eagle. And we had that opportunity as well.

Central Asian golden eagles are heavier than golden eagles in other parts of the world. A captive bird may weigh more than 20 pounds (9 kilos). That means the instinct is to just hold that weight nice and still. But, if you do that, the eagle will also sit perfectly still.

That’s a little boring.

So, most of the time, you’re told to move your arm some so the eagle spreads its wings to stay balanced.

Training time

Once everyone who wanted to hold the eagle had done so, it was time to get down to training.

While hunting only occurs in the winter, birds are trained throughout the year to keep them in peak form. But you don’t want to train them too often, because every flight carries some risk of injury to the bird. (This eagle usually gets out a couple of times a week. Some are taken out less frequently.)

While no animals are killed or injured during this training, if you are uncomfortable with hunting and fur, you may want to skip this section.

Where to see eagle training and hunting

Although it wasn’t on our itinerary, most everyone on my tour wanted to see an eagle hunt or demonstration. We got lucky and just happened to drive through a town where a man holding an eagle was waiting for a relative along the side of the road. Just another day in Kyrgyzstan.

But we were also in an area where traditional eagle hunting is becoming more common again.

In Kyrgyzstan you are most likely find eagle hunters south of Issyk Kul Lake, and particularly around the town of Bokonbaevo. (Also written as Bokonbayevo, Bökönbay, Бөкөнбай, Боконбаево, and other variations. Language is complicated in this part of the world.)

Located roughly midway between Bishkek and Karkol, Bokonbaevo is also a good base for exploring more of this area.

Because Bokonbaevo is known for its eagle hunters, you’ll find notices around town with information on booking demonstrations and short tours. If you stay in one of the area’s many guesthouses, yurt camps, or other lodging, your host usually can offer suggestions and make contacts for you.

If you travel independently and want to book before you arrive, contact the Bokonbaevo Community-Based Tourism office to get information on eagle hunting demonstrations in the area. The Salburun Federation (Facebook), which was created to preserve and support traditional eagle hunting, also has resources and information for tourists. Either can help arrange and book your experience.

Of course, multi-day tours that include an eagle hunting demonstration are also available through sites like Viator, but these tend to be more expensive than tours booked directly.

In August each year, the Salbuurun Festival is held in Bokonbaevo. The festival features competitions, music, and cultural events. Many activities center around various aspects of traditional falconry with golden eagles.

When to see an eagle hunt

If you want to see an actual eagle hunt, visit in the winter. October to February is the usual hunting season, but it is also a little weather dependent. The season was over when I visited in March, thus we observed a training run.

On the other hand, demonstrations can usually be arranged at almost any time of year. And birds are usually trained at least once a week when they aren’t hunting. That means even if you don’t plan ahead, you might meet someone willing to let you tag along like we did.

You are least likely to see either a demonstration or training run during the summer. That’s when the birds molt (loose their old feathers as new ones come in), and often they aren’t flown much during this time. But not all birds molt at the same time, so birds are still being trained throughout the summer, just not as many at any given time.

Other things to do in the area

Although this area is unfamiliar to most North American tourists, Issyk Kul Lake is a popular destination for tourists from other places, particularly Russian tourists. This means there are plenty of tourist accommodations in the area, from yurts to spa resorts. However, English is not widely spoken or understood, while Russian is still understood by pretty much everyone.

While the area around Issyk Kul attracts a lot of visitors interested in hiking and/or spas, tours and local guides can connect you with a variety of cultural experiences. These include yurt building, textile arts, and traditional dining.

Keep in mind that most spas are on the north shore of Issyk Kul, which is quite a distance.

I traveled here as part of a general small group tour of several countries in Central Asia. However, it seemed that experienced travelers could visit independently without too much difficulty.

Skazka (Fairytale) Canyon

Kyrgyzstan offers a wide variety of hiking options, but you’ll find some of the most colorful and oddly shaped geology in Skazka Canyon on the way to/from Karakol.

There isn’t really any signage or trail map here, but it’s not a huge site and well-worn trails make it pretty easy to find your way back to the wide valley at the main canyon entrance. And, even if you aren’t much of a hiker, there are plenty of flat trails that still offer eye-popping color and shapes.

Information from another website on planning a trip to Fairytale Canyon.

Learn how yurts are made

Yurts are the traditional housing of Kyrgyzstan’s nomads. Today they mostly serve as summer homes and guest lodging, for both local residents and tourists alike.

The Kyrgyz Friends homestay in Kara-Koo is owned by Ruslan and Gulnur, a delightful couple (with a great love story) who build custom yurts from scratch. Groups can arrange a tour that will show you how all the parts needed for a yurt are made, how to assemble them, and how the textiles were created and decorated both in the past and today.

They also offer lodging and can arrange to serve incredible traditional meals.

Stay in a yurt

Yurts are the traditional housing of Central Asian nomads. And, while there are very few true nomads left, there are still a lot of yurts in use.

So, as long as you visit during warm weather, you will have lots of options for staying in a yurt.

But this is mostly a summer option. If you are traveling while nights are still cold (like in March, when I visited), traditional yurts are hard to find. We ended up staying at Guesthouse EMILY in Bokonbaevo. It has a mix of traditional yurts; stucco year-round “yurts” with western beds, heat, and en suite bathrooms; and a nice guesthouse. Traditional meals are served in a traditional setting – which means sitting on the floor.

You might be able to book through Booking.com or TripAdvisor.

There are a lot of yurt and guesthouse options in and around Bokonbaevo. You can start your search by checking on Agoda or Booking, but keep in mind that many places are not listed on the big online booking services. And many of the best are often booked up by tour companies.

Notes on my trip to Kyrgyzstan

I visited Kyrgyzstan as part of an Intrepid tour that combined a separate tour of Uzbekistan with a tour of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to create a single itinerary option. This offered a nice range of sights at a reasonable pace. However, it’s a challenge weather-wise, as Uzbekistan’s weather for tourism doesn’t align well with that of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

And, as I noted, a falconry demonstration was NOT included in our itinerary. Our guide added that when the opportunity arose.

Check this blog to learn more about falconry along the Silk Roads.