Mongolia Snow Leopard Expedition Report 2026

Altai & Hangai Mountains, Mongolia
February 24 - March 10, 2026

*We just got the internet working in camp this evening, so we are behind schedule for our daily trip reports…

But they are coming, so please keep checking back for more updates.

 February 25, 2026. Day One

It’s 4:43am and we are headed to the airport to catch our domestic flight, followed by a 4–5 hour drive to the village where we will be staying for the next few days.

We got to Ulaanbaatar yesterday, got to the hotel ate a nice dinner, and then went straight to bed. We are still on U.S. time, so we are about 15 hours ahead. We were all spent. 

We flew to Ulgii and landed. A quick two hour flight.

Our bags arrived and all was well, until we walked out of the baggage area. 

Yumchin, our guide for the trip, was not there to greet us. I tried calling him, but there was no answer. I called our fixer, Ariuna, who was back in Ulaanbaatar. She tried calling Yumchin as well, but again, no answer. 

She was worried, this was not like him.

She arranged for a friend to pick us up and take us to a local hotel while we waited.

The original plan was for Yumchin to meet us and start the four-hour drive to camp, stopping by the eagle hunters’ village along the way.

But with Yumchin missing, we needed to figure out plan B.

Ariuna booked us into the hotel and organized a friend to pick us up and take us to photograph the eagle hunters while we waited.

A couple of hours later, Yumchin finally contacted us. 

He had been coming in from out of town when his truck got stuck in a sand dune, out of phone range. He had to spend the night in the desert, sleeping in his truck.

Early this morning, he went to get help to free the vehicle.

Thankfully, he was okay and said he would arrive in the evening to pick us up in the morning.

In the meantime, our local guide took us out to see the eagle hunters.

It took about an hour to reach the ger where the eagle riders lived. We met the brothers and their family. The skill of eagle hunting has been passed down from father to son, generation after generation.

We were invited to sit and have milk and tea in their home while they prepared. Their wives had laid out a spread of cookies and baked goods for guests. 

It was warm and welcoming. They are a big family, eleven siblings and thirty grandchildren grace their home and land.

What I love about these remote communities is that people matter. Your neighbor matters. Community matters.

We have lost that in big cities. There, people often feel like they are in the way, you do not know your neighbors, and there is simply too much noise.

Three riders dressed in full traditional attire and rode off with their birds. 

It was an impressive sight. They posed for us with the mountains in the background, it was all just beautiful.

The eagle riders take their birds when they are very young and raise and care for them individually. The birds are deeply attached to their hunters.

We saw that bond during their demonstration.

They tried to get one of the birds to fly to a different hunter, but the bird refused. It took off in another direction and landed by the river bank. The hunters had to walk over to retrieve it.

Then they reversed roles. 

One hunter took the eagle far away, and the rightful owner called the bird. From over 100 yards away, the eagle flew directly to its owner.

It was a beautiful thing to see.

We watched them ride their horses with the birds perched on their arms. I watched them feed and gently handle their eagles. It was a beautiful symbiotic relationship.

I was grateful to witness and experience something so deeply human and so connected to the wild.

Today was definitely an introduction to a very wild, raw, and with a lot of soul Mongolia.

February 26, 2026. Day Two

We are on the road, headed to snow leopard camp. We left the town of Ulgii and are en route. The drive will take about four hours. 

So far, we’ve been driving for an hour through epic landscapes, rocky mountains, endless steppes, frozen rivers, bright blue skies, and freezing temperatures under a blazing sun. Everything feels epic. So damn beautiful. What a privilege it is to see this land with my own eyes.

The first animals we spot are a pair of bearded vultures sitting high on some rocks, one of the rarest vulture species.

We got out of the truck and crept toward them, stopping every so often to snap photos. Eventually, they had enough and flew off, but they turned and did a flyover before leaving. 

Yumchin was happy. It was the closest he’s ever been to them. They are normally very skittish.

Next, we encountered a pair of whooper swans, with mergansers swimming around them. They were in the water, surrounded by a clean white snow backdrop. We slowly approached and got surprisingly close before they finally flew off.

I asked Yumchin if the swans were normally that friendly. He smiled and said, “No wild animal is friendly in Mongolia. They are all super skittish.”

They are in my world.

We then ran into a herd of camels, two-humped Bactrian camels. 

Most of their humps were reduced; they store fat in them to survive the winter when food is scarce.

We continued on and eventually left the desert steppes behind, climbing back into the mountains. We crossed through a beautiful snow-covered valley before finally arriving at camp.

I am completely overwhelmed at how beautiful this place is. The entire area is covered in snow. We are staying in yurts, Mongolian gers. I knew it would be cool… I had no idea how cool.

The yurt is beautiful. The central kitchen, where we eat our meals, exceeded my expectations. 

It’s just so awesome.

The cities of Mongolia I just was not a fan, but I’m not a city person anywhere in the world. I never quite find myself in cities. 

They don’t move right. 

But towns and villages far from the power grid, this is where things feel right. 

And this camp feels perfect.

We had lunch, which was excellent, and now we are waiting an hour before heading into the valley to begin searching for snow leopards.

It has begun.

We are out here scanning a massive valley. 

All our focus this week will be here. This is cat country. 

Snow leopards have been seen here many times. The terrain is rough and rocky, very rocky. The frozen land is picturesque but unforgiving. 

We are at 6,800 feet. The air is incredibly fresh. The sun burns bright with no clouds in the sky.

We visited Yumchin’s favorite hotspot.

The views are spectacular. I do hope we find a cat here. It’s just a matter of time on this trip.

We wrapped up the afternoon and headed back to the yurts.

On the way, we spotted some Pallas’s pikas running around, the main prey item for Pallas’s cats and foxes. Super cute and extremely nervous. 

We managed a few proof-of-life shots, but that’s it. We’ll try again tomorrow.

Can’t wait for tomorrow.

February 27, 2026… Day three.

Day three begins. We headed out at 9am. Our trackers left before dawn this morning. We had a light breakfast and then followed.

As we were driving, we made bets on what time we would see the cats. Charles chose 2pm. Michelle chose 10am. I chose 11am. Yumchin didn’t want to play.

We rounded a corner and a man on a motorbike was coming a bit too fast. He veered off the road to avoid us and crashed his bike. Thankfully, it was just dirt and his pride that were hurt. A slippery, snowy mountain trail. All was well.

He was a herder who lives in the valley. While he was trying to get his bike restarted, he told Yumchin that a cat had taken one of his goats a week ago. Thankfully, the cats are protected here, and they won’t kill them… We hope.

As we continued driving, I suddenly realized I had forgotten my camera back in the room.

Damn it. Charles lent me his extra camera, no long lens, but if we see anything today I will be happy to have something in my hands. 

11am. I lost this morning’s time bet. No cats yet. Not an easy animal to find. Our trackers and the park rangers all have their eyes out, trying to help us locate them. It’s going to take work. 

Nature doesn’t easily give up her gifts.

But when she does, it’s worth it.

We headed out again for the afternoon session. No cats during the morning session, but we did find tracks and a trail leading into the forest at the bottom of the mountain.

 Fresh tracks, possibly from last night, a good sign the cats are around.

This afternoon, we searched a new area. We drove past a few farms. Nomadic herders were scattered across the valley with their cattle, sheep, and goats.

We asked if they had seen any cats. They hadn’t, but they shared stories of how a cat took one of their goats last week.

One of the herders invited us in for tea. We accepted and sat down with him and his lovely wife. Their very young granddaughter was asleep in the corner of the ger. They offered us homemade bread, cookies, tea, and milk.

The old man brought out snuff. Yumchin took some and immediately sneezed. I tried it too, but it didn’t have much effect, I guess I was doing it wrong.

Then he brought out some homemade vodka, fermented from cow’s milk. I’m not entirely sure how that process works. I took a sip.

We thanked our gracious hosts and called it a day.

We didn’t find our cat today…

But we definitely found a lot of magic out here.

February 28, 2026. Day Four

Heading out for our early morning session. 

Today feels good.

 It’s colder, but the vibe feels right, like we’re going to see something new and amazing.

It begins.

The morning search turned up nothing sadly.

We broke for lunch and are now heading out for our second session of the day. We’re going to check another valley that we hope will be more productive. 

The cats are being quite shy.

It could also be the abundance of food right now. 

The nomadic herders have their livestock sheltering along the mountainsides.

Hundreds of sheep and goats are scattered across the slopes, easy pickings for a cat hiding in the rocks. And the young prey is light enough for them to drag up the mountain.

This new area feels promising… fingers crossed.

While en route, we came across a camel herder. 

We jumped out of the truck quickly. I know they’re not wild animals, but it’s still a camel, and camels are awesome. Especially these two-humped Bactrian camels. Just super cool.

During the winter, when food is scarce, they tap into the fat reserves stored in their humps.

March marks the end of winter, so many of the camels’ fat reserves were depleted, but some of the larger ones still had theirs. 

The photos of these animals are just so damn cool.

We left the camels and continued our search.

We need to find a cat.

We searched the valley thoroughly but still found no sign of one.

Tomorrow is our lucky day.

I can feel it.

March 1, 2026. Day Five… Final Day in the Altai Mountains.

We left camp before sunrise to do some blind work today… the rangers had found a cat with a kill.

One of the herdsmen told them a cat had taken one of his goats, so they went on a mad search to help us find it. Thankfully they did. A large gathering of magpies helped them locate the spot.

They set up some pop-up blinds late last night, and this morning before sunrise we headed out. When we arrived in the area, Yumchin spotted the cat.

In the distance, through binoculars, we could see those shiny eyes looking back at us.

We watched it for a bit and then grabbed our gear, snacks, and water, we were planning to be here all day. We also needed pee bottles because once we entered the hide, we couldn’t leave.

As soon as the cat saw us, it ran away, but Yumchin said they almost always come back. It might take all day for it to return, but about 90% of the time they do.

We got into our blinds.

Damn, it was cold.

I prepped my gear as quietly as I could and settled in. 

The winds were howling that morning, which thankfully helped mask any rustling we might make inside the blinds.

We had two small pop-up blinds. Yumchin and Michelle were in one, and Charles and I were in the other. 

Before we zipped in, Yumchin told us the best way to know the cat was approaching was to watch the birds. When they suddenly fly off, the cat is usually close.

Yumchin guessed the cat would return in two to three hours.

So I settled in, watching through the small camera opening in the blind. It faced the area where the birds had been gathering behind a small ridge. My guess was that the kill was somewhere back there.

We were less than thirty minutes into the wait when all the birds suddenly took flight.

I jumped up and whispered to Charles, “Cat, cat, cat!”

I scanned the area and there it was, slowly walking toward the birds. When it got close enough, it sprang at them.

At first I thought the cat was over a hundred yards away.

It wasn’t.

It was more like 60–70 yards.

We were so close.

The cat dropped down behind the ridge and began eating. 

Every once in a while it would lift its head and look directly at us. It absolutely knew we were there, but hunger won out and she took the risk and stayed.

After about an hour, she got up moved up and around repositioning herself. When she did we would fire off a burst of photos, and then she dropped back down again.

Then came the waiting.

And more waiting.

Every once in a while we were rewarded with her moving around, adjusting position around the kill.

After a few hours Michelle wasn’t feeling well. She was freezing and had to leave, so the truck returned to pick her up. Charles and I decided to stay.

When the truck arrived, the cat took off. We were prepared for a long wait again, but it didn’t take long for her to return. We took advantage of it and captured more photos.

This became the rhythm of our day, brief moments of magic followed by long stretches of patience.

We stayed with the cat all morning.

It was brutally cold!

Batteries drained quickly.

We had to keep spare batteries inside our jackets so they wouldn’t freeze. Thankfully it worked, and I managed to keep enough battery life to photograph the entire time.

When the truck finally returned for us, it had been six hours.

We were shivering, but the cat never left her prize. She left when the truck arrived, but I knew she would be back.

Yumchin told us this had never happened before. Snow leopards simply don’t behave this way. They are called the ghost cat for a reason.

We were all filled with gratitude for our good luck and for what we had experienced.

I know I was.

We jumped into the truck and rode happily back to camp, our cameras full and our minds racing, and our hearts were just full.

I will never forget this day.

It is easily one of the greatest wildlife days of my life.

Just wow, wow, wow.

Part 2 of our Adventure…The Hangai Mountains

March 4, 2026. Day 1

Today we are in the Hangai Mountains in search of Pallas’s cats and anything else we can find. Our scouts were already out early this morning trying to locate a cat for us. I’m curious how long it will take before we spot our first one.

Pallas’s cats are here hunting their main prey: gerbils, pikas, and voles. Their prey is diurnal, which is why it’s possible to see these cats during the day.

The mountains here are much smaller than the Altai, which makes tracking cats like snow leopards a bit easier. They are here too, just much shyer.

Our trackers actually found our first Pallas’s cat pretty quickly. It was extremely far away, but they spotted it through their scopes. The cat was sitting just outside its burrow, or hole, I’m not exactly sure what the proper term is. During winter, Pallas’s cats often occupy abandoned marmot burrows.

We can’t approach while the cat is next to its burrow because they are incredibly shy and will immediately drop into the hole and disappear. We have to wait until it begins hunting if we want a chance to move closer and photograph it.

So the waiting game begins.

We watched the cat for a short while and then decided to try to get closer.

Right as we began our approach, a nearby herder came through on his motorbike collecting his horses. The cat instantly ran back into its burrow.

Gone.

So we returned to our observation point. While driving, we spotted a buzzard sitting on a bush. We tried photographing it. Charles got a nice shot, but I kept getting this haze in my images and couldn’t get a crisp photo. The sun was strong and the heat coming off the ground was creating distortion.

I increased my shutter speed to 1/2500, which helped a little, but it still wasn’t tack sharp.

Soon after, the trackers found a second Pallas’s cat. 

They said it was hiding behind a bush, but by the time we arrived it was gone. We got out on foot and searched the area. We found tracks in the snow and followed them straight to the cat’s burrow, tiny footprints everywhere.

The search continues.

It’s a hard cat to track, but we’ve already found two. We tried working both of them, but they are extremely shy. We just have to keep trying and hope they eventually warm up to us.

I also discovered why the cats are in this steppe.

Mongolian Gerbils.

The ground here is gerbil heaven. Hundreds of thousands of them, maybe millions. Everywhere we drive, gerbils are scurrying across the landscape.

I laid down in the snow behind a caragana bush and waited for them to pop out. I managed to get a few fun first attempts at photographing them. I’ll try again later.

I’ve always had a soft spot for rodents. As a kid I kept hamsters, mice, and gerbils as pets. I never dreamed I’d one day be lying in the snow photographing wild gerbils, but here I am.

Eight-year-old me would be proud.

We eventually returned to the area where the first cat had been seen. Our trackers were already there watching the burrow. The cat was out hunting again, so we tried to move closer, but it quickly returned to its hole.

While the trackers focused on the cat, I went back to photographing gerbils. There are so many.

Soon we got the word that the cat was out again. We jumped in the truck and drove over to the area, but once again she ran back into her burrow.

Damn they are fast.

They run so low to the ground it looks like a fluffy grey bathroom carpet being dragged across the floor.

We decided to park the truck about fifty yards from the burrow and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

About an hour and a half later the cat stuck its head out. It carefully scanned the area, and when it felt safe enough, it climbed out and began stalking gerbils.

This gave us a chance to snap a few photos.

Eventually she disappeared from our line of sight. We turned the truck on and were preparing to relocate when suddenly she exploded into view, sprinting toward another burrow.

A backup home, I guess.

Yumchin was happy because now he knows the location of a second burrow. He plans to set up camera traps there.

The photos I captured today weren’t great. The sun was strong and the heat distortion coming off the ground ruined most of my images.

Thankfully we still have four more days to get this right.

Seeing a Pallas’s cat on day one here is a very good sign.

It also makes me happy knowing we promised snow leopards and Pallas’s cats on this expedition, and we’ve already seen both.

The next four days will be a joy as we continue trying to capture images of this elusive little cat.

March 5, 2026. Day Two

Heading back out to try and photograph the Pallas’s cats. They are incredibly skittish animals, but so damn cool.

The sun has been a challenge. It creates heat waves that the camera picks up, making photography difficult. But we’re heading out again to see what we can do.

We got a call from our trackers that the cats hadn’t been spotted yet, but that there was a pair of ibex nearby. Yumchin asked if we wanted to go see them.

I laughed. Yesterday I laid down in a frozen cow pasture for half an hour trying to get a close-up photo of a gerbil… what do you think?

Of course I do. Of course we do.

I have to say this, the landscapes here are just insane.

Everywhere we look, I’m floored. The mountains, the steppes, the rivers, even frozen, they’re just pure magic. Every place has its own look and feel, but they are all beautiful. 

What a blessing it is that we get to experience this.

We found a pair of Ibexs. As soon as they saw us, the ran up the mountain. We photographed them as they climbed up. It was a male and a female Ibex. The males with their horns are so impressive.

After we left the Ibex, we were sitting in the truck while the boys were spotting for Pallas’s cats. It was super windy on the steppes and far too cold to sit outside, so I suggested we go for a drive and scout for other wildlife.

We checked a valley and Yumchin took us to an area where they sometimes see eagle owls. We stopped near a rocky outcrop where he had seen wildlife before. 

As he scanned the rocks, he suddenly spotted a snow leopard cub.

Moments later he found the mother.

He knew this cat. Earlier he had told us about a female in the area with three cubs. It was wild that we had accidentally found them.

Out here, everything is hard to find.

Yumchin decided we should leave them alone for the moment so we wouldn’t spook them. 

His plan was to get the trackers into the area to keep eyes on the cats before we attempted to position ourselves for photographs.

So we broke for lunch and planned to try again later.

We left camp again at 2pm. The trackers had already headed out ahead of us.

They went straight to the area where we had last seen the cats, and after about an hour of searching, we found them again, or at least two of the cubs.

We made a plan and started climbing up the mountain. The terrain was steep and rocky, and Charles and Michelle decided to stay below and photograph from there.

Charles attempted the climb but eventually decided against it. It was pretty steep.

Yumchin and I continued up and found a good hiding spot where we had a decent view of the kittens.

Mom was nowhere in sight.

We stayed low and as quiet as possible.

One of the cubs was very curious, cautious, but curious. It would occasionally pop its head out and look directly at us. I kept hoping the mother would join them, but she never showed up.

We spent about an hour photographing the mischievous little explorer. It was so damn cute.

The cub was so bored, you could tell it wanted to leave its hiding area, but momma told it to stay put. The other cub stayed hidden, our little guy did not, thankfully. 

Up there in those mountains, photographing that cub, I had one of those moments of deep gratitude.

Thanking God and Mother Nature for the gift of being there.

Eventually we climbed back down the mountain.

I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

What a day.

What a lovely, lovely day.

March 6, 2026. Day Three

Today started off nicely. Our trackers found the ibex we photographed the previous day in the same area.

We decided to go photograph them again, hoping for closer images. When we stopped the truck, I saw a flash in the distance to my right, a white fox ran out from behind a rock.

I called out, “Fox, fox!”

It stayed behind the rock until I started walking toward it, then ran up the mountain. It stopped, turned, and looked at me. I fired off a few shots. It was a little far, but I’m hoping at least one image turns out as a decent proof of life photo.

It turned out to be a red fox. They have a lot of white and gray tones in their coats, which definitely helps with camouflage in this landscape.

It was beautiful.

Later we got a call that there was a little owl sitting out on the steppe. We slowly worked our way closer and managed to get a decent look at it. It had just dropped a pellet. We saw one sitting on the rocks when we first drove in on arrival day.

I love owls. Such cool birds.

Right now we are back near the area where we first saw the Pallas’s cat. The trackers had set up a pop-up blind to try and get us closer to the cat. Fingers crossed we can get some decent close-up shots.

The cat was out hunting when we approached in the truck, but it immediately ran back into its burrow.

So now we wait.

Instead of using the blind they set up, we decided to stay in the truck. The winds were strong today and made it feel much colder. 

We sat in the truck for over an hour before the cat finally came back out. We managed to get some photos, but it never started hunting. It mostly just sat there in it’s Garfield pose.

Then we got a call from one of the trackers, another cat had been spotted. We left the first cat and raced over to the new location.

This guy we were going to try and photograph African safari style, where you drive the truck, spot the wildlife and shoot them before they disappear from view. 

We went to the area where trackers last spotted it and as soon as it heard the truck it dropped behind a bush. We slowly motored over to it, it stayed frozen for a few seconds, then it ran off. We followed it. it stopped again, laid flat and tried to pretend it was a rock. We fired some shots.

It got up one more time and tucked next to a bush, this time it stayed long enough for us to inch closer and get a really good look at it. 

This cat was young, so we kept the encounter short. We captured a few images and then left it alone. The whole time it kept its eyes locked on us, hair pricked, its little grumpy face staring our way.

We stayed in the truck, shot a few photos and then moved on quickly.

It was nice seeing the cat close up, but we all would of preferred to get a shot of it, hunting, oblivious to us, with a gerbil in its mouth, but that will have to wait for another day.

To get that kind of shot you really need to work from blinds.

We broke for lunch and then headed back out to try and find a fox. The quick glimpse of the one this morning had all of us wanting a better encounter.

We didn’t find any foxes, but we did come across a dead horse. The carcass was nearly picked clean. Scavengers had done their work, nothing goes to waste out here.

Later we visited an area where we hoped to photograph some Pallas’s pikas. We saw a few running around, but like everything else in this country, they were shy and difficult to photograph.

You need a lot of patience with the animals here.

Thankfully we have that.

But the temperatures make those long waits outside pretty painful sometimes.

We finished the day and went back to camp.

The sky gave us one last bit of magic before it said goodnight.

March 7, 2026. Day Four

Today we’re heading out pretty far and won’t be returning for lunch. 

We have wolves and foxes on the brain and are going to try tracking them down.

The boys know a few good spots where they’ve seen them before, so we’re headed in that direction to see what we can find.

So far we’ve already found a herd of ibex, mostly females with some youngsters.

We also spotted a bearded vulture.

Other than that… it’s been quiet.

We’re still looking for predators.

We drove by a herd of horses standing on the steppe. They looked majestic out there.

This herd had a stallion protecting them. He looked so impressive that we had to stop and take a few photos.

The Mongolian horse is a handsome and powerful breed.

Right now we’re out here scanning the steppe for wolves and foxes. One of the herdsmen told the boys about a badger that’s been hanging around the area, so they’re also trying to locate it for us.

So far, nothing.

We did manage to get fairly close to a cinereous vulture. It was ugly-cute and had a really interesting face. We crept forward slowly, getting closer and closer. 

The sun was strong today though, and most of the images aren’t very sharp because of the heat haze.

That damn haze.

Eventually the bird flew off, and as we continued driving we spotted a lone camel standing in the field with a saddle on it, a herdsmen’s trusty mount.

Later we came across a much larger herd of camels, including a few blond ones.

We drove over to them and I got out of the truck to photograph them on the steppe. Snow was covering the ground everywhere.

The camels became curious about me and started walking toward me. What started as a quick stop turned into an amazing photo session and some images I’m really excited about capturing.

The camels surrounded me. Some were close, others were far away. But it was one of those pinch me moments, where I was surrounded by camels on a Mongolian steppe. 

Just magic. 

March 8, 2026. Day Five

Our final day of searching for wildlife.

Today we are looking for Pallas’s cats and foxes. Fingers crossed we find some of these steppe predators before the trip ends.

We started the morning with a drive to the last place we saw a red fox.

No activity.

So we stopped to check in with the boys who were searching for the corsac fox for us. The Pallas’s cats had been seen again, but no corsac fox yet.

We decided to leave the Pallas’s cats alone today. We had already spent the first couple of days with them, and we didn’t want to disturb their routine or make them uncomfortable around their burrows. Unless a different cat was spotted, we agreed not to visit the two cats we had already worked with.

I went for a short walk to see what else I could find and came across some rock sparrows and a pika. I finally managed to get a few decent pika photos, I think. Super cute little animals, like fat, giant hamsters.

One of them was enjoying the sunshine when suddenly it rushed underneath an overhang. A buzzard was flying overhead and instantly sent the pikas and the rock sparrows into hiding from the predator.

Nature moves fast out here.

We spent the late morning driving around looking for foxes, hoping to get a chance at seeing one before lunch.

Eventually our trackers found a corsac fox den, or burrow. Like Pallas’s cats, they often use old marmot holes as their homes.

This den had a pair living in it.

We positioned the truck nearby and used it as a mobile blind while we waited.

After a few hours of watching and waiting with no fox appearance, we finally called it a day.

And with that, we called it a trip.

Looking back on this expedition, Mongolia gave us far more than we could have hoped for.

We came here searching for snow leopards and Pallas’s cats, knowing that days of patience and empty valleys are simply part of the process when working with elusive animals.

And yet the mountains were generous.

We spent six incredible hours watching a snow leopard return again and again to its kill.

We stumbled upon a mother snow leopard with three cubs tucked high in the rocks.

We tracked Pallas’s cats across the steppe and watched them move quietly through their burrow systems.

Along the way we photographed ibex, vultures, owls, a fox, gerbils, pikas, camels, and the endless wildlife that survives in this harsh but beautiful land.

But Mongolia gave us more than wildlife.

The nomadic herders who welcomed us into their homes, the eagle hunters carrying on traditions passed down through generations, the endless Mountains and wind-swept steppes, all left a deep impression on me.

Mongolia is wild in the purest sense of the word.

There were long days of searching, moments of frustration, and plenty of cold hours waiting in the wind. 

But that’s exactly what makes these rare encounters so meaningful.

Nothing here is easy, and nothing is guaranteed.

And that’s why it is so meaningful when the mountains decided to share something special with us.

A huge thank you to my friends for joining me on this exploratory trip, and to our amazing team who helped us find the wildlife and made this adventure truly magical.

We will definitely be back!