MONGOLIA SNOW LEOPARD PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR

Tour Info

About Snow Leopard:

Snow leopards have developed to survive in some of the most hostile, extremely cold climates on Earth. Their thick white-gray coat dotted with big black rosettes blends in completely with Central Asia’s steep and rocky, high mountains.

Their natural habitats are usually in Mongolia and northern India (the Himalayan Mountains). Because of their amazing natural disguise, making them nearly unnoticeable in their rugged terrain, snow leopards are frequently referred to as “the grey ghost of the mountains.”

The snow leopard has powerful hind legs and is a strong jumper, able to reach distances of up to 50 feet. These big cats utilize their long tails for balance and warmth, shielding sensitive areas from the harsh mountain chill with them. They are timid and reclusive and are rarely seen in the wild.

For years, this gorgeous cat has been the ruler of the mountain ranges. Snow leopards usually reside in steep, rocky areas. The mountains provide an abundance of their prey, including blue sheep, Argali wild sheep, Siberian ibex, marmots, pikas, and hares. Late winter and early spring are the mating season for Snow Leopards

Presently, it is unlikely for their wild prey animals to appear often in their habitat. That’s why they need such a vast amount of space; male snow leopards require an area as big as 80 square miles, which is about three times the size of Manhattan. Female snow leopards don’t need quite as much room and usually have a range spanning 48 square miles.

About Our Trip:

Our Discover Altai team, with the local “Association of Environmentalism and Tourism (Snow Leopard Conservancy)”, offers you a unique snow leopard photography tour, where you have the opportunity to look for the world’s rarest wild cats. We are a local group consisting of an English-speaking guide, a local herder, and an expert on snow leopards who is working for the state organization.

Our expedition price includes all transportation, accommodation, and meals during the tour. After confirmation of your arrival date, our snow leopard tracking team will start researching the snow leopards about a week before to be ready for our snow leopard photo tour.

On this once-in-a-lifetime photo tour, we’ll travel through our tracking area with our professional spotters to find and track Snow Leopards. We only work with the most excellent conservationists, researchers, and field teams, not just to track snow leopards, but also to save them and their environment.

We will make sure we find the best locations to photograph the wild snow leopards and Pallas’s cat. There are two main places where we might encounter elusive snow leopards.

• The first one is Siilkhemiin Nuruu (Saylyugem Mountains), which is located in the southeast part of the Altai Mountains.
• The second location is Khukh Serkhiin Mountai,n which is in a Protected Area.

TOUR EXPECTATIONS YOU NEED TO KEEP IN MIND

Our primary objective is for you to have a great time while also getting fantastic pictures of the extraordinary wild animals that roam Mongolia. To meet these goals, please consider the following:

• It takes dedication and perseverance to capture wild animals on film.
• During this trip, you will be spending a lot of time in a car or jeep, either in the sun or shade. Our main goal is to search for and photograph animals.
• To snap incredible pictures of animals in the wild, you might have to wait for a long time – it could take hours.
• Snow Leopard photo tours require big lenses as they are often fairly distant. So, in order to capture them in their natural habitat, grab some good cameras. When it comes to photographing these cats, having a lot of lenses is always beneficial. Telephoto lenses are also useful if you’re having one of those days when the snow leopards are hard to find.
• We CANNOT guarantee that a certain species of animal will be seen and photographed. We’ve chosen the finest area and guides, who in previous trips have had great success finding snow leopards and other Pallas’s cats, to ensure the greatest degree of success.

Don’t be disheartened, though. It is possible to get good wild snow leopard photography.

Our ultimate goal on any photo tour is to get close to snow leopards. The best way to experience these animals is by watching them hunt. There are ways that you can increase your chances of witnessing a snow leopard hunt

Our specialists often see snow leopards hunting their prey, including wild sheep, Altai argali, and ibex. They attempt to figure out how these prey animals operate when they come across them. When several local wildlife, such as Pallas’s cat, blue sheep, or ibex, look in the same direction, it’s generally a hint that something has piqued their attention.

Of course, there may be a snow leopard in the area if the herd is calm; it just implies that they haven’t detected it. Our trackers frequently find snow leopards (and sometimes wolves) attempting to sneak up on an unsuspecting herd.

After watching snow leopards for thousands of hours, we know that they prefer to stalk downhill. An uphill chase requires a lot of energy, and in this harsh environment, the snow leopard cannot afford to waste any. This is the perfect time to capture snow leopard photos in the remote region of Mongolia.

Come and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience in far western Mongolia!