Wildlife watching in Mongolia – our highlights

It’s not just stunning scenery that makes a visit to Mongolia so inspiring. The country is home to several large mammals, including a range of endangered species. With this in mind, many parts of the country are wildlife watching hotspots, drawing countless nature lovers every year. As most of Mongolia remains relatively untouched by human development, it’s the ideal place to explore all the pristine wilderness.

In this blog post, we reveal just some of the wildlife you can expect to see when visiting Mongolia, and unveil the best places to catch a glimpse of the most magnificent creatures.

Grey wolf

The grey wolf is generally found in remote areas. A prolific hunter and an extremely sociable animal, grey wolves travel as nuclear families, which descend from a lead, mated pair.

Grey wolves can be seen in China and Mongolia, among other places. Wolf populations in the latter are said to be between 10,000 and 30,000. Thanks to conservation efforts, including various projects to tackle the illegal trade of wolf products, these numbers are increasing.

Grey wolves can be found in all areas of Mongolia, with regions that have large open areas and an abundance of prey the best places to spot this majestic predator.

Bactrian camel

The Bactrian camel differs from its more common, Arabian relative as it has two humps instead of one. As a result, this species has an even greater capacity for carrying water. These camels can take on the harshest desert conditions over long periods of time, using their stored provisions as sustenance.

The majority of Bactrian camels may have been domesticated but there are wild herds roaming the desert. Wild Bactrian camels are the only truly wild camel that exists in the world today. They are critically endangered but you’ll be able to view herds of wild Bactrian camel in the Gobi Desert.

Siberian ibex

Your wildlife watching mission will take you from the deserts of Mongolia to its mountainous regions. Here, you’ll find the Siberian Ibex, a species of ibex that’s native to central Asia. Western Mongolia, more specifically the Altai Mountains, is actually home to a subspecies of Siberian Ibex.

Snow leopard

The elusive snow leopard is a large cat native to Central and South Asia. Mongolia is home to between 13 and 22% of the world’s snow leopard population. Snow leopards have been spotted in the high mountainous regions of the Altai Mountains.

As the distribution of snow leopards is vast, knowing the habitat that’s favoured by this amazing species is the key to spotting one for yourself. WWF explains more about the perfect habitat for snow leopards:

“Suitable habitats of the species include high mountainous rocky, steep, cliffy slopes, narrow passages, ravines, passes, and alpine in Mongol Altai, Gobi Altai, and Hangay mountain range and mountain steppe that are dominant by grass and shrubbery plants. Suitable habitats of the species are overlapped with the habitats of some rare/endangered species e.g. ibex, marmot, Argali, and Altai snowcock that are main preys of the species.”

Gobi bear

As the name suggests, this subspecies of brown bear is native to the Gobi Desert. In fact, the Gobi bear is only found in the desert of Mongolia. Spotting this particular species may prove challenging though. Gobi bears are critically endangered, with just 30 adults recorded in 2009. This desert-dwelling bear, which is considered a gentle giant thanks to its diet of roots and berries, is the world’s rarest bear.

Experience the real Mongolia and discover all the natural wonders of this amazing country by booking a trip with us today.