WILDLIFE SAFARIS
In the search of Mongolia's rare wildlife
TRIP SUMMARY
Mongolia evokes images of immense grasslands, desert and mountain wilderness, limitless blue skies, and nomads roaming the ancient steppes on their sturdy horses. And many will have heard of the Silk Road and Genghis Khan, the world conqueror. But few realize that Mongolia is home to some of the rarest and most elusive wildlife species on Earth. These include Snow Leopard, big horn Argali sheep, Goitred and Mongolian Gazelles, the Asian Wild Horse (Takhi or Przewalski’s Horse), the Mongolian Wild Ass (Hulan), the last wild Bactrian camels (Havtgai), and, rarest of all the endangered Gobi Bear (Mazalai).
Join this exclusive expedition through the mountains of the Gobi Desert and steppes of Central Mongolia to look for these rare mammals as well as seldom seen bird specialties of Inner Asia, such as Mongolian Ground Jay, Altai Snowcock, and Pallas’s Sandgrouse.”
Brief Daily Itinerary
Day 1. Arrival in Ulaanbaatar
Enjoy a short city tour followed by a welcome dinner at a fine local restaurant
Day 2. Drive to Gun Galuut
After a morning full of sightseeing in UB, drive east to the picturesque Gun Galuut Nature reserve for your first taste of Mongolian flora and fauna. Return back to UB and overnight at hotel.
Day 3. Ikh nart
Drive to Ikh nart reserve, Established 1996, Ikh nart covers an area about 66000 hectares and is home to a significant population of Argali sheep. Dinner and overnight at local ger camp
Day 4. South Gobi
Today we drive to South Gobi and we will spend time around Gobi Gurvan saikhan. in the evening, we check into our ger camp, dinner, overnight
Day 5. Yol valley
In the morning, drive to the Yol valley and exploring the gorge. After lunch, in the afternoon we will drive to the Flamming Cliffs, where the first dinousaurs eggs were found by Roy Chapmen Andrews. Overnight ger camp
Day 6. Hongoryn Els
In the morning, drive to the Hongoryn Els sand dunes and enjoy climbing the tallest of the dunes.
Day 7. Sevrei Mountain range
We will spend these days camping in the deep valley of the remote Sevrei Mountain, one of the most beautiful and hidden sites in the heart of the Gobi. We will meet local rangers and join them in the search of the elusive snowleopard. Overnight in tents.
Day 8-9. Tost Mountain
For the next two days, we will stay in tents in the Tost Mountain, another remote mountain site where the rare snow cats find a refuge. We will join a local ranger in the pursuit of these cats. Overnight in tents.
Day 10-11. Bayanhongor province
We turn north and drive through the picturesque Bayanhongor province, where we will visit an ancient cave and one of the largest petroglyph sites in the country. It is also a popular bird watching ground as we pass several lakes en route. Overnight in gers.
Day 12-14. Kharakhorum / Hustai Nuruu National Park
Spend these remaining days exploring ancient archeological sites, Buddhist Monasteries, meeting monks, visiting nomadic herders and exploring world’s only true wild horse, the takhi. Overnight in gers.
Day 15-16. Ulaanbaatar
We return back to Ulaanbaatar, enjoy last minute shopping and sightseeing opportunities and depart Mongolia.
Trip Highlights:
- Travel through Mongolia’s vast grassland and the steppe, learning about their ecosystem and searching for the wildlife
- Enjoy hiking in some of the most scenic trails in Mongolia while learning about birds, flowers and geology
- Visit the Gobi desert and ride two-humped Mongolain camels on the sand dunes
- Visit the habitat area of the elusive snowleopards in the Altai Mountains
- Visit the Orhon Valley, considered as the cradle of Mongolian civilization and visit the largest Buddhist Monastery Erdenezuu
- Enjoy a private tour at the Wild Horse park with a leading local biologist
- Enjoy meeting with nomads and exploring the nomadic culture of Mongol
DATES & PRICING
Trip Date:
Sep 2 – 17, 2023
Prices:
2 travelers:
$4,800 per person; twin occupancy
3-5 travelers:
$4,650 per person; twin occupancy
6-9 travelers:
$4,400 per person; standard twin occupancy
10 and more travelers:
$4,150 per person; standard twin occupancy
Optional single supplement:
$600 per person
GALLERY
ACCOMMODATIONS & TRANSPORTATION
Hotel Ulaanbaatar
Hotel Ulaanbaatar is conveniently located in downtown Ulaanbaatar and is a very well established hotel with a friendly staff. All major atractions of UB are located with a walking distance of the hotel.
Field camps
In the Gobi mountains, we will be staying expedition style tents. It is one of the best camping grounds in the entire country and be sure to watch for the northern stars and the entire Milkyway spanning over us!
Ger camps
Throughout the rest of the program, you will be staying at cozy and authentic ger camps with western bathroom and restaurant facilities. Most visitors find staying in gers as one of the highlights of their trip to Mongolia.
Land Transportation
Land transportation is provided by Toyota Land Cruiser jeeps seating 3 passangers per vehicle. Some roads can be bumby and hard but our drivers are some of the most experienced and reliable in the country.
