Included:

• Local guides, lodging, transportation and meals beginning with dinner on Aug. 17 through lunch on Aug 30 are included.

• Your round trip internal flights from Ulaanbaatar to Ulgii in the Altai Mountains, and Dalanzadgad in the South Gobi Province are included.

• Activities like horseback riding and camel riding; entrance fees to museums, performances and national parks are also included.

• Optics – I will have a Kowa 99mm scope available throughout the tour.

NOT Included:

• Your international flights into and out of Ulaanbaatar.

• Personal items such as alcohol with meals, laundry, etc.

The tour begins in Ulaanbaatar on Aug. 8 and concludes in Ulaanbaatar on Aug. 22, 2025. We will visit some very remote locations with changes in elevation from near sea level to approximately 5,000 feet (1,500 meters). There will be occasional hiking on uneven ground and on sand. Weather is always an unknown, but we can expect warm temperatures during the daytime, with cooler evenings, particularly in the mountains and deserts.

Day 1 – Arrival

Arrive Chinggis Khaan Int’ll Airport

Night at Novotel Ulaanbaatar, a top hotel. 

Day 2 – Ulaanbaatar

Tour the city including the Chinggis Khaan Museum and the Choijin Lama Temple Museum

Night at Novotel Ulaanbaatar.

Day 3 – Altai Mountains

Fly to Ulgii with time for birding at Tolbo Lake

Night at Makhsum Hotel.

Day 4 – Kazakh Eagle Hunting

Observe nomadic falconry

Night at Makhsum Hotel.

Day 5 – Bronze Age Petroglyphs

As we access this remote valley, we’ll look for Masked Wagtail, Northern Lapwing, Steppe Eagle and other Altai birdlife.

Night at Makhsum Hotel.

Day 6 – The Steppe

After our return flight to Ulaanbaatar, we’ll drive onto the vast Mongolian steppe and visit the Mongul Nomadic Cultural Heritage Center. Take part in local games with food, music and demonstrations of traditional dance.

Night in a ger at the Heritage Center.

Day 7 – Elsen Tasarhai Sand Dunes

Explore Hustai National Park and search for Przewalski’s horses. We’ll have dinner with a nomadic family near Mt. Hugnu Khan in the Hugnu-Tarna National Park. We’ll have the option to ride horses here and even help prepare the food.

Night in a ger overlooking the Orkhon River.

Day 8 – Orkhon Valley

Deep in the steppe is the remote UNESCO World Heritage site and visit Harhorin where Karakorum, the 13th century capital of the Mongol Empire. Tour Erdene Zuu, the oldest monastery in Mongolia dating to the 16th century.

Night in a ger overlooking the Orkhon River.

Day 9 – Birding the Orkhon Valley

Bird along the Orkhon River where Demoiselle Cranes breed. Eurasian Magpie, Daurian Partridge, Black Kite, Cinereous Vulture, Sakar Falcon, Upland Buzzzard and Whooper Swan are all possible.

Night in a ger overlooking the Orkhon River.

Day 10 – Return to Ulaanbaatar

In the evening we’ll attend a performance of folk music, dance and throat singing by the Tumen Ekh Ensemble.

Night at Novotel Ulaanbaatar.

Day 11 – Enter the Gobi

Fly to Dalanzadgad in the South Gobi and tour Three Beauties National Park. Hike in the Yolyn Am Canyon where Siberian Ibex and Lammergeier Bearded Vultures are found. Birds we hope to find along the roadside include Demoiselle Crane, Mongolian Lark, Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Steppe Eagle and Cinereous Vulture.

Night at Gobi Mirage Lodge, a fabulous desert resort with great food and nice gers.

Day 12 – Flaming Cliffs

We’ll have the chance to ride the local two-humped Bactrian camels through the desert. In the evening we’ll visit the famous Flaming Cliffs – deep red sandstone known for containing many fossils and for reflecting the setting sun.

Night at Gobi Mirage Lodge, a fabulous desert resort with great food and nice gers.

Day 13 – Final night in Ulaanbaatar

After our flights, visit the Gandantegchenlin Monastery and enjoy our farewell dinner.

Night at Novotel Ulaanbaatar.

Day 14 – Departures

Target Birds by region

Gobi
Altai's Snowcock (if we're very lucky)
Desert Wheatear
Great Grey Shrike
Lammergeier
Mongolian Finch
Mongolian Ground Jay
Saxaul Sparrow

Steppe
Black Kite
Cinereous Vulture
Daurian Partridge
Demoiselle Crane
Eurasian Magpie (maybe even in Ulaanbaatar)
Horned Lark
Saker Falcon
Upland Buzzard
Whooper Swan

Altai
Bar-Headed Goose
Common Goldeneye
Great Cormorant
Masked Wagtail
Northern Lapwing
Ruddy Shelduck
Steppe Eagle

Please read through Rocky Mountain Birding terms and conditions here.