Mongolia's Wild Cats

Tour Highlights

This epic expedition ventures into the majestic Altai Mountains in Uvs province, Mongolia in quest for the truly enigmatic Snow Leopards and Pallas’s Cats along with other iconic wildlife including Argali, Siberian Ibex, elusive Grey Wolf and more.

Snow-capped mountains, seamless valley bottoms covered with caragana, and camels – these are the commonest views of the Snow Leopard site we venture into. The glittering stars seems to be so close every night.

The Soaring Expeditions arranges exclusive snow leopard trip to the Mongolian Altai Mountains in Uvs aimag, western Mongolia. We will see elusive Snow Leopard, plus Pallas’s cat, Grey wolf, Red Fox, Corsac Fox and Siberian Ibex. The top birds are Lammergeier, Godlewski’s Bunting, Asian Rosyfinch, Great Rosefinch, Baikal Bulfinch, Brown Accentor, Azure Tit, Long-tailed Rosefinch and Golden Eagle.

The incredibly scenic Mongolian Altai Mountains
The enigmatic Snow Leopards and Pallas's Cats along with other cryptic wildlife animals
The astonishing birds include Altai Snowcock, Asian Rosy-finch, Godlewski’s Bunting and more
Stay in the community based ger camp run by Mongolian nomads.

Itinerary Details

Day 1: Welcome to Ulaanbaatar
Our team greets you at the airport. Transfer to the reserved hotel located in the Valley of Tuul River near airport. The interesting birds include Azure Tit, Eastern Penduline Tit, White-cheeked Starling, Azure-winged Magpie, Long-tailed Rosefinch, and Red-throated Thrush.
DAY 2: Fly to Ulaangom and short transfer to Uvs Lake
Transfer to the airport and fly to Ulaangom for about 3 hours. Stay in a ger camp on the edge of Uvs Lake and bird around the lake side. Enjoy eye catching panoramic landscapes that merged views of wide expanding River Delta, the biggest Lake of Mongolia and imposing snow-capped mountains. Have truly unique experiences of birding, trekking and boating while taking photographs of stunning birds. (Tourist Ger Camp, B-L-D)
Interesting mammals: Corsac Fox, Red Fox, Brandt’s Vole, Long-eared Hedgehog, Siberian Jerboa and Tolai Hare.
Interesting birds: Whooper Swan, Bar-headed Goose, Bean Goose, Common Crane and Demoiselle Crane, Black-throated Diver, Eurasian Spoonbill, Oriental Plover, Pallas’s Gull, White-winged Tern, Caspian Tern, Isabelline Shrike and others.
DAY 3: Mongolian Altai Mountains
We will spend these 7 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 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 wolves in order to let them approach. The mountain provides all the main prey species of 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. (Community-based Ger Camp, B-L-D)
Day 4: Mongolian Altai Mountains
Stay and quest for the Snow Leopards. (Hotel, B-L-D)
Day 5: Mongolian Altai Mountains
Stay and quest for the Snow Leopards. (Hotel, B-L-D)
Day 6: Mongolian Altai Mountains
Stay and quest for the Snow Leopards. (Hotel, B-L-D)
Day 7: Mongolian Altai Mountains
Stay and quest for the Snow Leopards. (Hotel, B-L-D)
Day 8: Mongolian Altai Mountains
Stay and quest for the Snow Leopards. (Hotel, B-L-D)
Day 9: Mongolian Altai Mountains
Stay and quest for the Snow Leopards. (Hotel, B-L-D)
Day 10: Mongolian Altai - Ulaangom
Transfer to the Ulaangom town and unwind in a local hotel. (Hotel, B-L-D)
Day 11: Welcome to Ulaanbaatar
Fly back to Ulaanbaatar. Choose between world-class cashmere or souvenir shopping and birding for missing species in Tuul River Valley. (Hotel, B-L-D)
Day 12: Fly Home
Transfer to the airport according to your flight schedule.

Dates & Prices

In order to CUSTOMIZE or BOOK the tour please contact us via email.

2020

Departures	Duration	Availability	Group Size	Price ($)
Fri 02nd, Feb - Thu 15th, Feb	14 Days	FEW SPACES	2 - 6 PAX	5500$ - 7900$
Fri 01st, Mar - Thu 15th, Mar	14 Days	FULL	2 - 6 PAX	5500$ - 7900$
Sun 30st, Jun - Thu 11th, Jul	12 Days	FEW SPACES	2 - 11 PAX	2950$ - 4450$
Fri 02nd, Aug - Wed 13th, Aug	12 Days	FEW SPACES	2 - 11 PAX	2950$ - 4450$
Sat 20th, Jul - Wed 31st, Jul	12 Days	OPEN	2 - 11 PAX	2950$ - 4450$