Day 1. June 01. Terelj National Park. Taiga forest
The mountainous areas of Terelj National Park are located at the southern end of the Khentii Mountains, the largest taiga forest in Mongolia. The main species are Black-billed Capercaillie, Hazel grouse, Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, Long-tailed Rosefinch, Azure Tit, White-crowned Penduline tit, Olive-backed Pipit, Godlewski’s, Red-throated thrush, Meadow and Pine Bunting. If we are lucky we may find Ural Owl.
Day 2 - 3. June 02 - 03. Drive to Khurkh Valley. Camp near Khangal lake.
The next two days will be spent searching for some of the Siberian taiga fauna. Taiga forest is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches.
Other deciduous trees such as willow, birch and poplar trees are present in the low valley and along the water sources such as rivers, streams and marshes. We will search for many resident and summer breeding birds such as Black Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Wryneck, Swinhoe’s Snipe, Common and Lesser Whitethroat, Siberian Rubythroat, Chinese Bush (Grasshopper) Warbler, Lanceolated Warbler, Thick-billed Warbler, Dusky, Yellow-browed and Two-barred Warbler, Black-faced Bunting which breed in this valley dominated by willows.
Day 4 - 6. June 04 - 06. Khurkh Valley, a Northeast Asian Crane Network/Ramsar site.
Khurkh river basin is in the transition zone of Siberian taiga forest and steppe zones, it is one of the tributaries of Onon river, a headwater of the mighty Amur river.
The river valley itself is 15-20 km wide along the middle and end stages. Separated from the forests, the valley contains many small wetlands that are rich in water birds and nesting cranes. We will see hundreds of breeding White-naped, Demoiselle and Common Cranes and a small number of Siberian and Hooded cranes and Great Bustards (ssp dybowskii). Other target species includes: Swan Goose, Falcated duck, Amur Falcon, Lesser Kestrel, Greater spotted eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Japanese Quail, Grey Nightjar, Mongolian Lark, Citrine Wagtail, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Richard’s and Blyth’s Pipit, Yellow-breasted and Chestnut-eared Bunting.
Day 7. June 07. Travel Day.
Drive back to Ulaanbaatar, about 400km and stay in a hotel in the city.
Day 8. June 08. Take a 1 hour domestic flight to Dalanzadgad town in the Gobi desert.
Transfer to Zuun Saikhan Mountain in Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park and rest of day exploring Yolyn Am gorge. We will look for various resident and summer breeding birds such as Altai Snowcock, Himalayan Griffon Vulture, Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier), Cinereous Vulture, Golden Eagle, Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch, Brown Accentor, Mongolian Accentor, Wallcreeper, White-winged Snowfinch and Godlewski’s Bunting.
Mammals such as Gobi Argali, Siberian Ibex, Pallas’s Pika and Ground squirrels are seen here.
Day 9. June 9. The morning will be spent trekking along two smaller mountain valleys that resemble Yolyn Am gorge. Mongolian Finch and Grey-necked Bunting are key target species. In the afternoon drive through the Gobi plateau and check several tree plantations as every tree and bush act as a magnet to tired late-season migrating passerines that pass through this arid land. We will also search for Oriental Plover and Pallas’s Sandgrouse.
Day 10. June 10. Long drive through stunning desert scenery. On the way birding in the Saxaul forest, search bushes for Mongolian Groundjay, Long-legged Buzzard, Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Saxaul Sparrow, Steppe Grey Shrike, Asian Desert Warbler, Pere David’s Snowfinch and Hill Pigeon etc.
Day 11. June 11. Arrive in Bogd mountain, our main Snow leopard target site. We will be settled in an attractive mountain valley, with steep rocky sides and surrounded by huge, rocky mountains which will be our base camp for the next few days. Our selected mountain for snow leopard is positioned at a relatively low altitude (2200-2600m) compared to other high mountain ranges and therefore doesn’t require exposure to harsh climatic conditions so often associated with viewing this secretive species.
Search for Snow Leopard and other montane mammals like Altai argali and Siberian Ibex. Altai Snowcock, Chukar partridge, Mongolian Groundjay and other wildlife typical of rocky valleys and higher elevations occur here.
Day 12. June 12-14. Search for Snow leopard. Three Full days to search for Snow Leopards. Morning and evening are crucial times to find Snow leopards. They are inactive and mostly sleep during the day, especially in the summer when the temperature rises. Another challenge is heat haze which makes it hard to scan with spotting scope. Generally, chances of finding Snow Leopards in June are low compared to the cold season (Oct - Feb). However, we have many years of experience organizing Snow Leopard observation tours and give our best to find this elusive species.
During these days we will also have time to enjoy the local birdlife and other nature including wildflowers, butterflies and more. There will be a team of local spotters moving around the area which will take some of the pressure off us to be constantly on the lookout for our elusive main target.
Day 15. June 15. Flex Day, continue Snow Leopard search or transfer to Barig Mountain Depending on if we have had any success with the Snow Leopards, or if we just feel like a change of scenery, we may opt to head to Barig Mountain which is one of the only breeding areas for the range-restricted White-throated (aka Hodgson’s) Bushchat. This site may require some amount of hiking to get to the Bushchat territories. Hume’s Leaf Warbler, Willow Ptarmigan and in some years, Guldenstadt’s Redstart can also be found at Barig. Grey Wolf is occasional as well.
Day 16. June 16. Drive to Sangiin dalai and Takhilt lake. A travel day with birding focussed at a couple of lakes en route. Target species include Upland Buzzard, Saker falcon, Steppe Eagle, White-naped crane, Asian Dowitcher, Marsh Sandpiper, Greater sandplover, White-winged Tern, Bar-headed Goose, Swan Goose, Stejneger's Scoter and Black-throated Loon.
Day 17. June 17. Visit Hustai National Park and explore the park.
We will finish the drive to Hustai National Park where we will of course look for the rare Takhi aka Przewalski’s horse. The park is good for other wildlife such as Altai Wapiti (Elk), Mongolian Gazelle, Mongolian Wolf, Corsac Fox, Mongolian Marmot, Mongolian Gerbil, Long-tailed Ground Squirrel, Daurian Pika and raptors.
Day 18. June 18. Hustai national park. Spend the morning searching for wildlife around the rolling grassy hills and forest patches of Hustai National Park until lunch and return to Ulaanbaatar in the evening.
June 19. Departure from Chinggis Khaan international airport.
