Ölgii

Overview

Ölgii is the centre of Bayan-Ölgii aimag, on the banks of the Khovd river at about 1,710 metres in the far west of Mongolia. It was a Kazakh village before 1911, became the seat of the aimag government in 1940 and was made a city in 1961.

It is the centre of a mainly Kazakh region, and Kazakh is the main language of the city, which has at least four mosques.

Each October the Golden Eagle Festival celebrates the Kazakh tradition of hunting with eagles.

What to See

• The Golden Eagle Festival in October
• The city's mosques and Kazakh culture
• The Khovd river

Visiting

• Ölgii Airport has regular flights to Ulaanbaatar and Khovd; by road, buses from the capital take two days at best.
• The climate is dry with long, very cold winters; summer and early autumn are the easiest seasons.