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Itineraries  /  gobi-altai
MN06 · Mongolia · Desert & Mountains

gobi-altai

altai · south-gobi · ulaanbaatar
Duration
12 Days · 11 Nights
The route
altai · south-gobi · ulaanbaatar
Style
The great desert and the snow-leopard range
Best season
May – September · best
What you're tracking

What you'll see

Saker falcon
Saker falcon
Over the surrounding steppe.
Daurian jackdaw
Daurian jackdaw
Around the city.
Wild Bactrian camel
Wild Bactrian camel
On the gravel plains.
Siberian ibex
Siberian ibex
In the Yolyn Am gorge.
Day by day

The journey, one day at a time

01Arrive Ulaanbaatar

Arrive Ulaanbaatar

The journey begins.

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, met and transferred to your accommodation. Ulaanbaatar is the one city in a vast empty land — the staging point for the steppe, Gobi and Altai.

02Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar

A full day in the field.

A city day before the steppe and the Gobi.

03Ulaanbaatar → South Gobi Desert

To South Gobi Desert

On to the next.

Transfer to South Gobi Desert. The singing dunes, ice gorge and desert wildlife. Wild camels, ibex and the Flaming Cliffs.

04South Gobi Desert

South Gobi Desert

A full day in the field.

Wild camels, ibex and the Flaming Cliffs. A full day across the Gobi's dunes and plains. The Gobi's Flaming Cliffs, where the first dinosaur eggs were unearthed, are among the most storied fossil sites on earth.

05South Gobi Desert

South Gobi Desert

A full day in the field.

A full day across the Gobi's dunes and plains. Desert wildlife and dinosaur cliffs by 4x4.

06South Gobi Desert

South Gobi Desert

A full day in the field.

Desert wildlife and dinosaur cliffs by 4x4.

07South Gobi Desert

South Gobi Desert

A full day in the field.

The singing dunes, ice gorge and desert wildlife.

08South Gobi Desert → Altai Mountains

To Altai Mountains

On to the next.

Transfer to Altai Mountains. Tracker-led searches for snow leopard in the high valleys. High-mountain wildlife — argali, ibex and golden eagles.

09Altai Mountains

Altai Mountains

A full day in the field.

High-mountain wildlife — argali, ibex and golden eagles. A full day in the snow-leopard mountains. The Altai is one of the only places on earth to seek a wild snow leopard — the elusive 'ghost of the mountains'.

10Altai Mountains

Altai Mountains

A full day in the field.

A full day in the snow-leopard mountains. The Kazakh eagle hunters and their golden eagles.

11Altai Mountains

Altai Mountains

A full day in the field.

The Kazakh eagle hunters and their golden eagles.

12Depart Altai Mountains

Departure

The journey ends.

A final morning in Altai Mountains — a last outing or a slow start as time allows — before the transfer onward and the journey home.

When to travel

The season changes what you see.

May – September

Peak season

The mild season — the time to head into the wilderness.

Year-round

Good season

A year-round gateway; winters are brutally cold.

Destinations

Where this journey goes

Wildlife you may see
Leopard Snow Leopard

Make it yours.

Add nights, swap a park, extend to the coast — this route is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Tell us how you travel and we'll route the rest.

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

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