Mongolia - Birding in the Steppes of Genghis Khan

The very mention of ‘Mongolia’ conjures up images of Genghis Khan and hordes of fearless horsemen charging across the open steppe! Thankfully the marauding hordes have long since vanished and in their place remain peaceful nomadic families dotted over this seemingly timeless landscape of distant horizons, blue skies and exotic wildlife! On this pioneering tour we will take you on a journey across some of Mongolia’s most dramatic landscapes, to the remote Altai Mountains in the far west of the country (realm of the elusive Snow Leopard), through endless steppe – dotted with graceful Demoiselle Cranes – past desert-encircled lakes and into rugged forest-clad hills. We will journey from Mongolia’s historic capital of Ulaanbaatar to the Altai Mountains close to the border with China, enjoying the scenery and looking for some of central Asias’s most iconic birdlife en route, including Altai Snowcock, White-naped Crane, Oriental Plover, Mongolian Ground Jay, Pallas’s Sandgrouse and many more. We will be hoping for a few exciting mammals too, such as Saiga Antelope and Pallas’s Cat, probably the most grumpy-looking feline in the world! 

We begin our holiday with a flight to Ulaanbaatar and, after one night in the capital, we head to Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve to the south-east of the city, home to, amongst others, Isabelline Shrike, Pied and Isabelline Wheatears and the magnificent White-naped Crane. Two nights in the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park follow, where our focus will switch to finding the rare Black-billed Capercaillie which are regularly seen in the early morning hours, along with a host of other woodland and forest edge species such as Siberian Rubythroat, Red-flanked Bluetail, Pine Bunting and Red-throated Thrush.

Since there are no hotels whatsoever in most of the areas we will be exploring, this tour has been designed to utilise simple, yet comfortable, ‘ger camps’. The comfortable twin-bedded yurts (there is no camping on this holiday) are set in the most stunning of locations and run by a friendly team of local staff who will deal with all the chores and provide us with three delicious meals each day.

Moving on, we next fly west to the town of Bayankhongor in central Mongolia from where we transfer to Khukh Lake for two nights. Here, amongst the dramatic landscape of mountains, steppe and forest that surround the lake, we will search for a variety of high-altitude species such as Güldenstädt’s Redstart, Alpine, Altai and Brown Accentors, Pere David’s Snowfinch and Altai Snowcock. One of our main targets here, however, will be the rare White-throated (Hodgson’s) Bushchat, a bird that very few people have seen on its breeding grounds! Mammals to keep an eye open for include Siberian Chipmunk, Tarbagan Marmot, Corsac Fox, Wolf, Saiga Antelope and Asian Wapiti.

 After single nights in Otgontenger and Uliastai – where we hope to find Pallas’s Rosefinch and Asian Rosy-finch – we will move to the magnificent Bayan Lake and Margats Mountains, two of the finest wildlife sites in all of Mongolia. Bar-headed Goose, Swan Goose and Stejneger's Scoter can be found bobbing on the lake, whilst Red-necked and Long-toed Stints, Greater Sandplover, Brown-cheeked Rail and large flocks of Demoiselle Cranes can be seen feeding at the water’s edge. Asian Dowitcher, Pallas’s Fish Eagle and Pallas’s Sandgrouse are likely here too, along with Paddyfield Warblers singing from the patches of reedbed and Mongolian Larks out in the surrounding grasslands. The rocky outcrops nearby also offer our best chance of finding the enigmatic Pallas’s Cat! We will also look for the beautiful Oriental Plover, which breeds out on the vast stony steppe on the fringes of the Gobi Desert, plus Mongolian Ground Jay and the rare Relict Gull.  

Our time in Mongolia draws to a close in the spectacular Altai Mountains in the far west of the country, where we spend two nights exploring the Kharkhiraa-Turgen Mountains (part of the Altai range). Here, at an altitude of between 2,000 and 3,000 metres, amongst the rocky peaks and alpine meadows, we will search for Altai Snowcock, Wallcreeper, Pine, Godlewski's, Meadow and Grey-necked Buntings, Great, Beautiful and Red-mantled Rosefinches, and Brandt’s Mountain-finch, as well as various accentors and redstarts. Snow Leopards roam these mountains too but are rare, very elusive and unlikely to be seen on this tour (although our 2024 group did strike lucky!).

After a night in Khovd we fly back to Ulaanbaatar for a final night in the capital before we must return to the city’s international airport for our flight back home (via Istanbul).