Ölgii

Altai Craft

Art Shop

This cooperative is a providing women with employment by sewing. They have some beautiful Kazakh embroidered bags, pillowcases, placemats, coats, Kazakh hats, and even Christmas stockings!

Altai Expeditions

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.

All year

Altai Kazakh Eagle Festival

This smaller eagle festival usually has 30 to 40 eagles and their horse-mounted masters. The event is held over 2 days and features displays of skill by the trained eagles, traditional Kazakh horse games such as a camel race, kokpar, Tiyn Teru, and Kyz Kuar. The event has handicrafts, food, and gers to stay in.

3rd weekend of September·Admission is US$30

Altai Mountains

It's worth going on hikes up into the nearby mountains; find someone familiar who can guide you there, or just walk in any directions. Bugan Tou Mountain to the southwest can be hiked at 2775 m.

Arvins

Arvins is a small Mongolian restaurant, which is a little more expensive, but has nice food.

10AM-10PM·5000 ₮ and up

Bazaar

The bazaar is a sprawling collection of small shops, kiosks, and street vendors in the center of the city. Meat, vegetables, fresh dairy, and packaged food can be bought next to Chinese clothes and goods, next to local crafts makers and souvenir shops. Outside the market, you can find shared jeeps to various villages and neighboring provinces, outdoor billiards tables, and small cafes. The bazaar serves as a central gathering place for commerce in the province, and is a must see place in Ölgii. Safety or theft is not a big issue in the market though there may be drinking near the billiards tables.

Tue-Sun 12:00-18:00·As of 2013, all parts of the market became free to enter

Bear Valley Adventures

Bear Valley 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.

All year

Blue Wolf Cafe

They can make Kazakh, Mongolian, and western dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a reasonable price. Though most people eating there have their meals included in the cost of their room or tour package. Only open during the summer, has live entertainment. Disappointingly, the "western toilets" don't work.

7AM-10PM

Blue Wolf Travel

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. Though, Blue Wolf sometimes uses inexperienced guides.

All year

Chinese Uighur Cafe

It serves spicy Uighur dishes with lots of vegetables and spices. It is a welcome departure from the normal meat and flour of Mongolian canteens.

11AM-5PM. Closed on Mondays·2500-5000 ₮

Golden Eagle Festival

It is the largest gathering of eagle hunters in the world with 70 eagles and hunters at the event, which has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Cultural Event. There are 2 days of events starting with various competitions between eagle hunters such as appearance, returning to master on command, and catching a piece of fur pulled behind a horse. Other events are a camel race, kokpar (tug-of-war over goat carcass while on horseback), Tiyn Teru (race to pick up a coin on the ground), and Kyz Kuar ('woman chase' with woman whipping man while racing). There are locally-made Kazakh handicrafts, food tents, and other entertainment at the festival site. Those with tickets to the event can attend a traditional Kazakh concert at the Kazakh National Theater in Ölgii.

1st weekend of October·Admission for festival and concert is US$40

Green Garden

It is a nice place to hang out in the evenings; has cheap beer and soft drinks, and is one of the greener spots in town. Most tourists come in the summer when it is quite brown and dusty (in the winter it's snowy!), so green is a rare thing.

Open during summer, 10:00-22:00·Free for foreigners

Jolaush Travel

Family-owned and -operated travel company that has extensive experience with foreigners and U.S. Peace Corps volunteers. Offers packaged trips to Tavan Bogd National Park, fishing trips, and other custom packages.

All year

Kazakh Craft

Kazakh Craft is an Ölgii based maker of traditional Kazakh embroidery and eagle hunter accessories. Though most of the actual embroidery is done at one of the 40 women sewers' homes. Their products can also be found in Ulaanbaatar and Kazakhstan. Their products are more expensive than most due to better sewing machines and use of high quality thread and leather.

Starting at 3000 ₮ for a wallet over 200,000 ₮ for antique wall hangings

Kazakh National Theater

This giant red building was constructed to promote Kazakh culture and host events in the city and now has concerts and plays from locals and groups traveling from Kazakhstan or elsewhere in Mongolia. Though it is not especially nice or well maintained, it does hold regular concerts and plays throughout the year.

Prices vary

Kazakh Tours

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.

All year

Kumizhana

Serves kumiz (fermented milk), milk tea, and occasionally kebabs. Also has a hookah lounge in the back.

2,000 ₮ per glass

Museum

Myзeй

You should take time to visit it before heading out to the countryside to see the displays of Kazakh culture, local history, and wildlife. The 3-story museum has an entire floor dedicated to various tribes living in Bayan-Ölgii including the majority Kazakhs, Uriankhai, Dörvöd, Tuva, and Khoshuud, including a complete Kazakh ger (much larger and more colorful than Mongolian gers). There are also costumes and ancient artifacts from each tribe. The second floor has local history from the Communist era, and the ground level covers local wildlife, with many stuffed animals, and has a gift store full of Kazakh handicrafts. Outside is a small display of ancient small Turkic Stone Men (ones in countryside are much bigger).

8AM-noon, 2PM-4PM·Admission 5000 ₮, Photos 5000 ₮

Naadam

If you are in town during Naadam (the Mongolian summer festival, usually in early July) there's a nice little celebration outside of town up on the hill, with horse racing, drinking, and lots of people picnicking and shopping at tents set up there. Village Naadams are held throughout the summer, and can be very entertaining.

July 10/11·All events are free

Nauryz

It is the traditional Kazakh New Year during the spring equinox. There is a parade in the center of town, a concert, and everyone is dressed in traditional clothing. It is mostly a family holiday with everyone going from house to house to eat Nauryz soup and wish people a happy new year.

March 22

Pamukkale Turkish Restaurant

is a nice Turkish-owned restaurant, serves Turkish, Mongolian, Kazakh, and some western dishes and salads. Most dishes include meat, rice, carrots, salad, and french fries. Serves koumis, coke products, juices, coffee, and desserts. Does not serve alcohol.

10AM-10PM Everyday·4000-9000 ₮

Tolganai Shaykhana

A small guanz with standard offerings of hoshuur and buuz washed down with milky tea. Prices are very cheap and service is fast.

10AM-6PM·200 ₮ for buuz, 500 ₮ for hoshuur

Way to Mongolia

Western Mongolia Tour is owned by local tour guide B. Baldyrgan who is from the western Mongolian Bayan-Olgii province. It is full service local travel agency that serves every type of condition and accommodation in western Mongolia. With this travel agency you are able to arrange tours in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park such as trekking, hiking etc. Company provides accurate tour information, camping equipment, driver and van, translator guide, chef, lodging, manage horses and any other service necessary for safe and enjoyable tours in western Mongolia or in Bayan-Olgii province.

All year and 24/7

Altai Nomad's Festival

The event has Kazakh horse games, cultural performances, and wrestling. Food, lodging, and handicrafts available during the event.

July 21/22·Admission is US$30, not including transportation.

Elaman Chee Maker

She is a local artisan of decorative straw panels used to cover the inside walls of Kazakh gers. These panels are made of painted wheat straw tied together in a slow laborious process. They make smaller panels for placemats, hot plates, and wall decorations. They do not speak English, so you will need a translator.

Mosques

There are at least a half dozen mosques in the city that have all been built in the last 25 years. The call to prayer can be heard around town several times a day. The old mosque was destroyed in the 1930s during religious purges throughout Mongolia. You are free to go inside and take pictures, though you should follow Muslim customs inside the mosque. Another large mosque and minaret is at Bilge Tegin School just north of the shower house next to several large communist-era apartments.

All day

Petroglyphs

There are an estimated 1 million images throughout the region dating back 12,000 years. Petroglyphs are images that have been carved into rocks. The images trace the history of early cavemen to more recent groups like the Blue Turks (ancestors of modern Turkic language groups) as transition from hunter gather to pastoralism to 'modern' horse-based nomadism seen today in Mongolia. Several sites with large concentrations make up the Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai UNESCO World Heritage Site inside Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, though other sites are only a short drive outside of the city.

Statues

Ölgii has many modern statues besides its ancient stone men. The central square is dominated by the Soviet-Mongolian War Memorial commemorating Mongolia's contribution to the Great Patriotic War (World War II). Facing the square is statues of Lenin and Sukhbaatar ('Ax Hero,' hero of the war of independence) in front of the government building. Inside the beer garden is a full size statue of a man playing a dombra (traditional Kazakh instrument). The most unusual statue is a full size statue of a local war hero, Akie, that died in 1929 during the war between White and Red Russians in Mongolia. Akie is firing a pistol backwards while running.

Turkic Standing Stones

are unique stone artifacts made by the ancient Blue Turks and others made between 2000BC to right before the Mongolian Empire. These standing stones are carved to look like a man and can be over 6 ft tall. Other standing stones have images of deer that appear to be flying, made by Turks or possibly Tuvans. There are around 1000 standing stones in the province, with a small number of deer stones.

Bayan-Ulgii Central Square