Snow Leopards of Mongolia

Snow Leopard © Attila Steiner

A tour to the Mongolian wilderness offers good-to-very-good chances to observe the enigmatic Snow Leopard in addition to a range of seldom seen birds and rare mammals.

Few animals in the world stir the soul like the Snow Leopard. At home in the mountain strongholds of central Asia, this magnificent animal—beautiful, mysterious, and almost never seen by Westerners—evokes some of the grandest images of unspoiled nature.

This tour offers a wonderful opportunity to see the amazing Snow Leopard. Partnering with Ecotours Wildlife Holidays, we offer a wilderness-style experience amid the foothills of the Altai Mountains in western Mongolia where we’ll spend five full days exploring deep rocky valleys and remote mountainous regions in search of this legendary animal. Ecotours pioneered Snow Leopard tours in Mongolia, and its record of success exceeds 80%! Until very recently, Snow Leopard viewing was not to be taken lightly, typified by travel at high elevation, strenuous hikes, tent camping, and extreme temperatures. With this trip we provide what may be the best conditions ever associated with Snow Leopard viewing: lodging in good-to-very good hotels and ger camps; good meals; and sensible physical demands.

Beyond Snow Leopards, this area is a prime location to observe a range of Asian specialty birds and mammals including Mongolian Ground-Jay, Altai Snowcock, Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Bearded (Lammergeier) and Cinereous vultures, Himalayan Griffon, Goitered Gazelle, Argali Sheep, Siberian Ibex, Siberian Marmot, and Saiga Antelope, the latter now critically endangered.

From the mountains we’ll travel to the rolling terrain of Hustai National Park, west of Ulaanbaatar, to seek other specialty wildlife such as Daurian Partridge, Przewalski’s Horse, Mongolian Gazelle, and Gray Wolf. We will then continue west to the Manul Mountain in search of another iconic mammal of the Mongolian steppe, the charismatic Pallas's Cat, a plush feline of the rocky slopes. For a grand finale we’ll journey to Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve to witness the beautiful White-naped Crane.

Far more than “just” a mammal viewing tour, Mongolia offers incredible birding opportunities, and we are sure to encounter a range of marvelous birds that are the stuff of dreams for many a birder, with chances for Bar-headed Goose, White-headed Duck, Steppe Eagle, Asian Dowitcher, Amur Falcon, Azure Tit, White-winged (Güldenstädt’s) Redstart, Long-tailed Rosefinch, and Pere David’s Snowfinch in addition to waves of migrant waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds.

Remote wilderness region; surprisingly comfortable conditions throughout, with accommodations in good hotels and traditional ger (yurt) camps; food good to very good; travel by plane and 4x4 vehicles; physical demands from light to moderately strenuous; weather varies from mild and dry to cold and rainy.

White-naped Crane © Balazs Szigeti/Ecotours Wildlife Holidays