OVERVIEW

Commencing from Ulaanbaatar, the expedition will journey to the Altai region, recognized as the most sparsely populated area on our planet, home to 20% of the world’s leopard population. Despite our exploration taking us far from settled cultures, we will be welcomed by a comfortable and warm community-based ger camp, offering delicious food and led by a team with years of experience.

SNOW LEOPARD

TOUR 2024

HIGHLIGHTS

Mountain ghost Snow Leopard
Mongol Altai mountain range
Stay in the community based ger camp with Mongolian nomadic herders
Visiting nomadic herders Eagle hunters and interesting their heritage Golden Eagle hunting.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1. Welcome to Ulaanbaatar

Our team greets you at the airport. Transfer to the reserved hotel located in the Valley of Tuul River. Those who wish to bird the area is open to do so. The interesting birds include Azure Tit, Azure-winged Magpie, Long-tailed Rosefinch, Red-throated Thrush and Little Bunting.

Day 2. Fly to Khovd

The early morning transfer to the airport and fly to Khovd for over 3 hours. The town is the capital of the Khovd province. After check in the local hotel, do birding in the trees of the town and the willows of the river. The highlight species include Rufous-tailed Shrike, Steppe Grey Shrike, Desert Wheatear, Small Snowfinch, Brown and Siberian Accentors, and Little and Pine Buntings. Enjoy your dinner at a local restaurant discussing the plans of the adventure for the ‘ghost’ cat.

Day 3-9. In Search of Snow Leopards in the Mountains

We will spend these 6 days exploring the mountain for the ‘ghost’ and other exotic animals in this pristine natural environment. Our camp assistants, local guides and cooks are all friendly local people who grew up in the same mountain we stationed, which will be a great benefit to our guests as they know a lot about the history, archeology, weather, and animals of the area. During the dinner time, you can share a lot of time chatting with the team. In order to prevent from the further disturbance and disruptions to the wildlife, we are not mentioning the exact name of our Snow Leopard spotting site. One of the local men skillfully imitates the howling sound of the wolves in order to let them approach. He will try his best to call the wolves to come into view. The mountain provides all the main prey species of the Snow Leopards including Argali and Siberian Ibex as well as the Altai Snowcock. The exotic bird species which are only found above the 3,000 m above sea level in the Mongolian Altai will be the highlights of the trip, which include White-winged Redstart, Rufous-streaked Accentor, Plain Mountain-finch, Black-headed Mountain-finch, and Asian Rosy-finch. The mountain provides high opportunity to photograph the flying raptors including Himalayan and Bearded Vultures, Golden Eagle, Saker Falcon, and other unexpected migrants.

Day 10. Mountains to Khovd

Today we drive down to Khovd exploring the desert steppe. The attractive endangered Mongolian Saiga antelope on the desert , Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Henderson’s Ground Jay. The elegant Black-tailed Gazelle will catch our eyes in the scrubby areas.

Day 11. Fly to Ulaanbaatar

Take flight to Ulaanbaatar. Today we will stay in the centrally located hotel so that our guests can have a chance to walk around the city center. Suggestions include Chinggis Square and National History Museum. Farewell dinner at a fine restaurant.