“Sunkar” Falcon Farm

Falconry is a thousand year tradition carefully kept and passed to the next generation by tribes living in Central Asia. Falconry in Kazakhstan is a kind of sport of hunting with birds of prey like eagle. There is a unique place near Big Almaty Lake where these birds are raised, trained and eventually released to wild, called “Sunkar” falcon farm. There is a chance to get a car for rent in Almaty. This falcon farm is usually included in most tours in Kazakhstan. 

The relationship between bird and man has a long history. The hunters catch a chick from the next, nurse it until its wingspan reaches two meters and train them to attack the prey from the air and hang over them waiting for their masters. The birds of prey spend a lot of time to get used to the voice of master. This tradition is being revived nowadays. There are annual competitions between the hunters held in Almaty. There is a museum of falconry in Nura small town, two hours from Almaty. “Sunkar” falcon farm breed 400 endangered species, and raised over 1,000 birds. The farm has celebrated 30^th anniversary a year ago. 

In this farm you will meet a respected ornithologist and hunter Pavel Pfander who will tell you interesting facts about this tradition. You can also watch a show of eagles in flight at 5 pm daily except Monday. 

If you drive to visit Big Almaty Lake, stop at this amazing place and learn about ancient Kazakh tradition of eagle hunting. To get here, you can rent a car and have a great tour in entire country.