Our snow leopard of Mongolia photo tour is designed to give you the best opportunity to photograph wild snow leopards safely in their mountain habitat. We have timed this tour in the winter, when snow leopards come down lower from the high mountains, to follow their ibex prey which are escaping the high snow areas.

Not only have we always found the ghost of the mountain, but we have always had multiple encounters. This includes consistent sightings at less than five hundred meters, which for snow leopards is an incredible feat. We maximize our time in the field by going to an area of the Altai mountains where the elevation is less than 7,000 feet. Unlike tours in India, where you spend two days acclimitizing, we can travel directly to snow leopard habitat. This also means that while hiking, you are not as easily out of breath.

To maxmize safety, your enjoyment, and local involvement, we hire one porter per guest that carries your gear, and makes sure you are safe on the mountain. For those guests interested in getting eye level with the snow leopard, and hiking to its position, a porter carries your camera gear and extra clothing. This allows you to just carry walking sticks to focus on your footing as you hike up the mountainside. The local porters also always walk slightly downhill of you to ensure that you are safe on the mountain. Finally, we strongly believe that by paying local people and showing them that the snow leopard is worth more alive than dead, natural protection of the species happens.

As we travel to the Altai mountains, in the western part of Mongolia, we enter the realm of the snow leopard, which reigns over the ibex that also call this their home. Bearded vultures circle overhead, constantly searching for carryon. Golden eagles do the same, but for live prey. The valleys are steep, the ridgelines higg, but for a snow leopard this terrain is no challenge.

We work directly with snow leopard biologists to photograph the cats ethically, in a way that ensures the well-being of the cats, while providing you the best opportunities for great pictures. In all of our past trips we have had the opportunity to see multiple snow leopards, giving us multiple chances to photograph them.

Our accommodations for this snow leopards of Mongolia photo tour are incredibly unique. We have the privilege of staying at a traditional, nomadic ger (yurt) camp, right at the entrance to the mountains. The rooms are simple, but very comfortable, the food is delicious, and our hosts are extremely friendly.