Mongolia - the hidden heart of Asia
Lying right at the heart of the vast continent of Asia is Mongolia, the land where nomadic horsemen still ride across windswept steppes, where Shamanism and ancient Tibetan Buddhism still flourish and where, according to legend, lies the last resting place of Genghis Khan, leader of the once great Mongol empire. This exotic country is full of natural wonders. The vast Gobi Desert, which covers one third of Mongolia, the endless steppes strewn with thousands of lakes, the towering Altai mountains and the rich taiga forest - all remote, beautiful, fascinating and full of birds. One Western ornithologist who has spent perhaps more time than anyone studying these birds is Axel Bräunlich. He has not only devised this tour for us but will also be co-leading it.
Our trip here will be more than just another birding tour - it will be a true adventure. From the capital city of Ulaanbaatar we will travel out into a forgotten land, much of it unchanged for centuries and, as befits a culture famous for its nomadic way of life, we shall camp as we go. We will gaze on stunning landscapes seen by few westerners, and on birds most western birdwatchers can only dream about: Upland Buzzard, Amur Falcon, Altai Snowcock, Pallas's Fish Eagle, Oriental Plover, Relict Gull, Pallas's Sandgrouse, Mongolian Lark, Blyth's Pipit, Kozlov's Accentor... the list goes on.
Our agents are skilled at showing this wonderful country to groups. We will travel in vehicles admirably suited to the terrain and stay in superb camps that are testament to their nomadic heritage. We will mingle with locals tending their flocks of sheep and cattle, much as they have done for centuries, and we shall walk along pathways few have trodden.
Sunday 1 June to Thursday 19 June
with James Lidster and Axel Bräunlich as leaders.
Mongolia bird list
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Day 1: As you can imagine, Mongolia is not the easiest place to get to. The tour will start in London with a flight to Moscow. Here we will connect with a Mongolian Airlines overnight flight to Ulaanbaatar. The aircraft used for this route is a modern Airbus leased from and maintained by Lufthansa.
Day 2: We will arrive in Ulaanbaatar in the early morning and after checking into our hotel and some breakfast, we will drive a short way out of town to the willow-fringed Tuul River and adjacent grass covered Zaisan valley. Our eastern location will immediately become obvious with birds such as Black-eared Kite, Hill Pigeon, Fork-tailed Swift, and Red-billed Chough around the town. Once out into open country we will begin to get a taste of what birding in the heart of Asia is all about, with Richard's and Blyth's Pipits, Brown Shrike, Isabelline Wheatear, Daurian Redstart, Azure Tit, White-crowned Penduline Tit, Long-tailed Rosefinch, and Meadow, Black-faced, and Yellow-breasted Buntings, all possible. Scarcer birds could include late winter visitors such as Siberian and Brown Accentors, or perhaps Black Vulture, Golden and Booted Eagles, Black Stork, or Daurian Partridge. Night in Ulaanbaatar.
Day 3: Today we begin our journey through this epic landscape. At a small lake near Bayannuur we will search for White-naped Crane, occurring here at the westernmost edge of its global range, and as the vast steppe opens out before us we can expect to see some birds typical of this habitat including our first Demoiselle Crane, Ruddy Shelduck, Steppe Eagle, Amur Falcon, Saker, Upland Buzzard, Mongolian Gull, Shore Lark, and Père David's Snowfinch. After a long drive we will reach the lake at Ogii Nuur where we will camp for two nights.
Day 4: Ogii Nuur is a classic steppe lake, set in a sea of grassland and swarming with birds. We will spend all day in this region, exploring the lake for a variety of species including Slavonian Grebe, Whooper Swan, Swan Goose, Red-crested Pochard, Asiatic White-winged Scoter, White-winged Black Tern, and White-tailed Eagle. There should be good numbers of waders present with many species still on migration. Almost anything is possible, but we can certainly expect to find Ruff in handsome breeding dress, small groups of which will break off from feeding to indulge in impromptu leks. The distinctive calls of Black-tailed Godwit and Marsh Sandpiper will drift on the wind as the perform their display flights, and perhaps a Long-toed Stint or two will feed diligently along the lake shore, pausing en route to breeding grounds still far away. Overnight camping.
Days 5-7: For the next three days we travel on towards and eventually pass through the varied habitats of the central Khangai Mountains. We will spend our first night in a yurt camp by the River Tamir Gol, and the following two nights we shall camp wherever we feel appropriate. The variety of habitats we will encounter - grasslands, rocky areas, riparian woodland, stands of Siberian Larch, small lakes and ponds - will mean a variety of birds. We can expect to come across such species as Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Nightjar, Wryneck, Oriental Turtle Dove, Red-rumped Swallow, Mongolian and Asian Short-toed Larks, Pied Wheatear, Siberian Stonechat, Citrine Wagtail, Arctic, Greenish and Thick-billed Warblers, Rock Sparrow, and Ortolan Bunting.
As we descend from the Khangai mountains we enter a different world where we will have our first chance of seeing such sought-after birds as Henderson's Ground Jay and Pallas's Sandgrouse. Nights camping.
Days 8-9: Today we enter the Valley of the Lakes, and set our sights in particular on the fabled lake of Boon Tsaagan Nuur. Amidst truly wonderful scenery, this jewel of a lake is home to one of Asia's most enigmatic birds, the striking Relict Gull. We will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy this rare gull as we spend two days in this remote wilderness. Of course there will be other birds, migrants and residents alike, to distract us. Brown-headed Gulls can occur here along with Bar-headed Goose, Falcated Duck, Ferruginous Duck, Pallas's Fish Eagle, Great Black-headed Gull, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns, Great White Egret, Whooper and Mute Swans, Eurasian Spoonbills, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler, and Pallas's Reed Bunting.
A variety of rarities such as Chinese Pond Heron have been seen here in the past, and the list of waders could include Greater and Lesser Sandplovers, Grey-tailed Tattler, Asiatic Dowitcher, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Temminck's and Red-necked Stints, and Terek Sandpiper. Nights camping.
Day 10: Driving east through the desert we reach another lake, Orog Nuur, where we may find some species not seen at Boon Tsaagan Nuur. We shall camp here for the night.
Day 11: Today's drive takes us through some fantastic scenery as we pass under the shadow of the mountain massif of Ikh Bogd Uul which dominates the landscape. Our destination is Khongoryn Els in the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park, home to some of the world's largest sand dunes, some of which are 60 miles long, 7 miles wide and over 2000 feet high. This dry desert habitat will present us with some new species including Saxaul Sparrow, Steppe Grey Shrike, Desert Wheatear, and Desert Warbler. The elusive McQueen's Bustard is a real possibility, as is Goitered Gazelle. Night camping.
Day 12: Continue through Khongoryn Els desert. Overnight in yurt camp.
Day 13: As we continue east we will reach the famous Flaming Cliffs, a spectacular sandstone gorge where we should find Lesser Kestrel, Isabelline Shrike, Desert Warbler, and Rock Sparrow, before we end the day at the South Gobi Yurt Camp. Poplar trees planted several decades ago surround this camp. Today they not only provide shelter for the camp but also act as an oasis for passing migrants. Almost anything can turn up here from Common Kestrel, and Hawfinch, to Japanese Sparrowhawk, Taiga Flycatcher, and a variety of warblers and buntings. In the past, some new species for Mongolia such as Forest Wagtail and Black Drongo have been found here. Night in yurt camp.
Day 14: We will take a day trip to Yolyn Am, the Valley of the Lammergeier, in Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. The wide open spaces that lead to the valley are where we should find Oriental Plover, a beautiful and seldom seen wader, as well as Great Bustard and Greater Sand Plover. The lofty ridges of the valley are indeed patrolled by Lammergeier, as well as Eurasian and possibly Himalayan Griffons, Black Vulture, and Golden Eagle. Other species we shall search for in this rocky habitat include Wallcreeper, Crag Martin, Sulphur-bellied Warbler, Water Pipit, the rare Kozlov's Accentor, G?ldenstadt's and Black Redstarts, White-winged Snowfinch, Great, Common, Beautiful, and Red-mantled Rosefinches, and Godlewski's Bunting. We will scan the higher slopes for Altai Snowcock and in doing so we may also see an Ibex or Argali, the largest wild sheep in the world. There may also be other eyes gazing upon these creatures, as here we are in the territory of Snow Leopard. Although visitors have seen them in the past, the chances of doing so are obviously very remote. Night in yurt camp.
Day 15: Today we drive 24 miles to Dalanzadgad, and connect with a flight back to Ulaanbaatar where we spend the night.
Days 16-17: As our tour draws to a close we will travel north east of the capital to Tereldsh, a vast area of mixed forest that is essentially the southern edge of the mighty Siberian taiga, and in marked contrast to much of the habitats we have seen so far. Birds here will be typical of that habitat and could include such Siberian delights as Swinhoe's Snipe, Oriental Cuckoo, White-backed Woodpecker, Siberian Rubythroat, Siberian Blue Robin, Dark-sided Flyctacher, Two-barred Greenish and Pallas's Warblers, Long-tailed Rosefinch, and Pine and Siberian Meadow Bunting, to name a few. With luck some rarely encountered species like Crested Honey Buzzard, Hawk Owl, and Black-billed Capercaillie can be found here as well. Our stay at a comfortable yurt camp set in beautiful forest scenery will be a pleasant and enjoyable end to our tour.
Day 18: After some final birding around Tereldsh we will drive back to Ulaanbaatar for one night.
Day 19: We will connect with a flight back to London via Moscow, arriving the same day.
Please note that this tour involves some long drives on roads of varying quality. Away from Ulaanbaatar we shall either stay in camps erected by our ground agents, or in yurt camps which are permanent lodge-type accommodation using the traditional large round tents typical of the region, or in camps erected by our agents. Please note that single room accommodation at the yurt camps cannot be guaranteed.
Cost £3290
Single Room Supplement £80
Maximum group size: 14 participants and 2 leaders.
Mongolia bird list
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