In the Realm of the Snow Leopard | Mongolia small group tour| Oct 30 – Nov 7 2025
Join us for an immersive journey into the rugged wilderness of Western Mongolia, where local trackers and conservation efforts offer a rare chance to connect with the elusive snow leopard and the untamed beauty of this remote region.
Join us for an immersive experience in Western Mongolia, where the rugged landscapes provide a home to one of the world’s most elusive creatures: the snow leopard. Known as the “ghosts of the mountains,” this iconic predator symbolises the raw wildness of the region.
To protect their fragile population, we maintain strict confidentiality about the location of this experience. Our approach centers on collaboration with a local conservation project that trains herders to work as citizen scientists and trackers. This partnership not only bolsters snow leopard conservation but also empowers local communities by supporting their livelihoods. Please note, this is not a high-end luxury tour but an opportunity to connect with Mongolia’s wild spaces, requiring patience, adaptability, and an appreciation for the untamed.
This experience isn’t for those looking to check a species off a list; it’s for those willing to slow down, connect with nature on its own terms and embrace the silence, epic views, and immense spaces that define Mongolia. Whether or not the “ghost” reveals itself, this is a journey that will leave you with a connection to Mongolia’s raw and untamed beauty.
Interested? Please email or send a message through WhatsApp for the full itinerary details. Price details are below.
- Start Date – October 30th 2025
- Duration – 9 Days
- Maximum Group Size 6
- Accommodation – Local hotel, Simple ger camp
- This is a small group trip. However, our maximum is group size is six – which is refreshingly small for the travel industry. Our small group sizes mean that our trips are more respectful for your host families that we work in long-term local community partnerships with. It also means you’ll be one of few rather than one of many and this leads to a more genuine experience as well as a more personal and real insight for you as our guest. It also means that no two trips are ever the same as we can keep things flexible. All images used throughout our website were taken either by EL guests or members of the EL team. This is the Mongolia that you will also experience.
- Book With Confidence (see below)
The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) roams the high, rugged mountain landscapes of northern Asia, spanning 12 countries, though its population is sparsely distributed. Thriving at elevations above 3,000 meters, these elusive cats are expertly adapted to their environment with a thick, spotted coat that provides insulation against the cold and wide, fur-covered feet that distribute their weight across snow. Yet, snow leopards face growing threats: habitat degradation, loss of prey, retaliatory killings from human-wildlife conflict, poaching, and the far-reaching impacts of climate change.
Mongolia is home to approximately 20% of the global snow leopard population, with two-thirds of these majestic creatures residing in the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion—a vast and biodiverse area that encompasses the location of this trip.
Snow leopards are solitary and skillful predators, often called “ghosts of the mountains” due to their elusive nature. Their survival is intricately tied to the attitudes and support of local communities in these remote areas. To address this, WWF-Mongolia has partnered with local herders, training them as citizen scientists to monitor snow leopards and their prey. Using tools like automated camera traps, herders conduct surveys and collect critical data. These efforts not only benefit snow leopard conservation but also provide herders with strategies to mitigate livestock losses, creating a balance between wildlife and traditional pastoral lifestyles.
This region endures some of the harshest winters on Earth, where survival is a delicate balance for both humans and wildlife. Climate change has exacerbated the frequency and severity of “dzud” events—catastrophic winter disasters that decimate livestock and disrupt ecosystems, threatening the nomadic pastoral way of life. These challenges underscore the critical need for conservation efforts. Through initiatives like training herders to monitor snow leopards and providing them with tools to adapt to changing conditions, WWF is working to safeguard both the snow leopards and one of the planet’s last remaining nomadic cultures, ensuring their mutual resilience for generations to come.
For local herders, these efforts inspire deeper connections with wildlife, fostering a shared commitment to protect Mongolia’s unique natural heritage.
- A group size of a maximum of six has been set in order to limit negative impacts on wildlife and its habitat.
- It is very important to consider the needs and difficulties of the local population that share the same habitat as the wildlife and to involve the population ensures the long term success of a conservation program. The itinerary has been created and designed by Association Goviin Khulan – making sure to create local benefits for Mongolia’s wildlife and people such as contributing to community development in the areas where the project is conducted. For example, in the training of local guides and rangers supported by the Association Goviin Khulan.
- A financial donation per person will be made by Eternal Landscapes to Association Goviin Khulan. This financial donation will help Association Goviin Khulan to conduct new research field trips, buy additional technical equipment for their research team and local partners (park rangers and citizen conservationists who work with them) and print new educational materials.
- Each guest will receive a copy of Anne-Camille’s conservation book The Lost Khulan of The Gobi with its beautiful illustrations by the Mongolian artist Zolbootulguldur O. The funds of this book go back into conservation education carried out by AGK in Mongolia.
- Data collected will be used in the continued protection of Gobi wildlife. This range of data will include use of water sources by Mongolian khulans/wild asses and by other species (wild and domestic), the watering behaviour of the Mongolian Khulan, nature of interactions between khulans/wild asses, wild and domestic fauna and human activities at and in the surroundings of water sources, illegal activities occurring in our study area and the biodiversity of our study area.
- We are in the process of measuring the carbon footprint of each experience we offer and balancing the footprint through the Mongolian Nomad Carbon Project. We wanted a high-standard project local to Mongolia where the local community had a positive say in the scheme and its impact. It’s the first project of its kind in Mongolia – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/climate-action-plan/
Explore More: Connected Stories On Our Blog
Learn more about nature positive travel in Mongolia
Read our guidelines on how you can help to protect Mongolia’s wildlife and wild spaces.
Discover what Mongolia’s Great Gobi Six are and their importance for the health of the Gobi
In The Realm Of The Snow Leopards | The Small Details
For all of our small group trips we offer a sliding price scale. We appreciate your holiday funds are precious and so the more people that book so the price comes down and everyone benefits.
Group Size – Minimum of two or pay a surcharge | We prefer a maximum group size of 6 as it helps manage our impact but we will increase it for private trips
- Final group size of 2 guests: USD 6795 pp + domestic flight of approx USD 285
- Final group size of 3 guests: USD 4985 pp + domestic flight of approx USD 285
- Final group size of 4 guests: USD 4845 pp + domestic flight of approx USD 285
- Final group size of 5 guests: USD 4250 pp + domestic flight of approx USD 285
- Final group size of 6 guests: USD 3750 pp + domestic flight of approx USD 285
Where Does Your Payment Go?
We understand that budget is a personal consideration, and everyone has different preferences. Our rates may be higher compared to some other agencies, not because we position ourselves as a luxury tour operator, but due to our commitment to a form of tourism that is fair and equitable. By limiting our operations to around 150-200 travelers annually, we focus on delivering personalized and meaningful journeys rather than generic tick-list experiences.
- Commitment to Mongolia: We are a registered Mongolian business, contributing to the local economy through taxes, employment, and social security payments. Your tour payment stays within Mongolia, supporting local initiatives and fostering economic growth.
- Empowering Employment Opportunities: We offer long-term employment to individuals often overlooked by other tour companies. Our team includes female Mongolian trip assistants who break barriers in the tourism industry, paving the way for other women to flourish in tourism-related roles. Similarly, we employ older, traditional male drivers, addressing high unemployment rates and supporting extended families within Mongolia. Learn more about our initiatives: Empowering Mongolian Women and Supporting Male Drivers.
- Community and Herding Family Support: Our trips are designed to benefit Mongolian herding families and local communities that we have formed long-term local community partnerships with without disrupting their lives or work. Our sustained support helps these families face the challenges posed by climate change. Discover more: About Us.
- Climate Emergency Advocacy: As members of Tourism Declares A Climate Emergency and signatories of the Glasgow Declaration, we are committed to finding solutions to the climate crisis. We pioneer regenerative tourism practices that minimize our carbon footprint and contribute positively to our planet’s well-being. Learn about our climate initiatives: Climate Emergency.
- All meals outside of the city of Ulaanbaatar. Mainly prepared and cooked by your local team so they are fresh and it means we offer more flexibility for any dietary requirements. We also provide filtered drinking water (not bottled), tea, and coffee.
- In Ulaanbaatar: local lunch and welcome drink on city walking tour
- Local team of English-speaking female Mongolian trip assistant and Mongolian male driver
- All overland transportation throughout the trip (+ fuel)
- Each vehicle has a charger for cameras and phones
- Free (informal and relaxed) city walking tour of Ulaanbaatar
- Transportation to and from the airport on arrival and departure days
- All activities mentioned PLUS any activities offered including
- Camel or horseback rides
- Entrance fees to monasteries, temples, and museums (when with local team) – excludes camera tickets
- Festival tickets if a festival is highlighted in the itinerary
- International airfare to and from Mongolia
- Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar
* Our trip pricing excludes the price of accommodation in UB though. Why? Everyone is different is the standard of accommodation they prefer at the start and end of a trip. As there is now such a variety of hotels in UB it is easier to exclude this cost. I provide a list of ideas covering varying standards and budgets and I can also help with booking. There’s everything from a homestay through to Airbnb, US$10 guesthouses and the Shangri-La!
- Domestic flight where/if applicable
*If you are travelling by domestic flight, the schedule and cost of the domestic flights have not yet been determined by the Mongolian airlines. Once you have booked this trip, you will be notified directly by us as soon as that info becomes available. Reservations and payment arrangements for any domestic flight will be coordinated by us.
- Passport and visa fees
Let us know your nationality at the time of booking and we’ll confirm whether you need to apply for a Mongolian visa. It is a relatively easy process depending on your nationality and we can help with some of the formalities.
- Travel insurance (mandatory)
- Gratuities
*Each member of the local team receives a responsible but fair salary and none have to rely on receiving gratuities to supplement their income. In addition, we make sure that everyone who works with us or helps us is fairly rewarded for their work and the service they provide. At the end of the tour, if you wish to make a gratuity to the local team then thank you – it is not compulsory but it is appreciated when given. If you would like to provide a tip, a tip for the drivers would be roughly equal to what you would give to the tour guides – anything from $20 (USD) per member of staff (driver & tour guide) is a good minimum guide.
Take a look at our comprehensive FAQ section – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/mongolia-faqs/
We are members of Tourism Declares A Climate Emergency and a signatory of The Glasgow Declaration which requires us to publish an annual Climate Action Plan. It also means we have essentially signed up to work towards halving our emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050. We must report publicly on an annual basis on progress against our interim and long-term targets, as well as on actions being taken. We do this in our Climate Action Plan linked above.
One of the five pathways defined in the Glasgow Declaration is ‘measure’ and we have started the process of measuring the carbon footprint of our tours.
- We wanted an accurate footprint analysis whilst also keeping the process manageable and achievable. Of the limited carbon calculators available to small tourism companies with a restricted budget we have signed up with the carbon calculator tool Carmacal – specifically designed for tour operators and the 2017 winner of the UNWTO Award for Innovation in Research and Technology.
- However, there are limitations with this online tool in the fact that – like most online carbon calculators – you can only measure transport and accommodation and a few very specific activities. But, the main contributors to carbon footprints are food, consumption, transportation, and energy, and all are heavily utilised during a tourism experience.
- As a result, Jess has been working with postgraduate student Kelly Hirschbuehler from the Responsible Tourism Management Postgraduate Course of Leeds Beckett University in the UK – the only responsible tourism management MSc certified by the UNWTO – looking at how we can measure the carbon emissions of meals on tour as well as the carbon footprint of our office as well as certain tour activities.
- Using the calculations provided by Kelly in her research project we can now better calculate – not perfectly but still better – the overall carbon footprint of each trip we run.
We then balance the footprint for each tour by purchasing Plan Vivo Foundation carbon certificates which are used to support the Plan Vivo Mongolian Nomad Project – working in partnership with the Mongolian Society of Range Management.
It’s not perfect, but it is a start. After all, you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and the way we measure the carbon footprint of our tours is manageable and achievable for us – a very small business with limited finance and resources.
We will be publishing the carbon footprint for each tour on each specific tour page but this will take a little time.