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Bird watching tour to far eastern Mongolian steppe

The land of vista and scenery

Summary

Eastern Mongolia is the planet’s largest and most intact expanse of temperate grassland and one of the last true wildernesses left on earth.

If you are fascinated by East Asian avifauna and looking for a getaway holiday from your fast-paced daily urban life of the western world and travel to completely inhabited land where you can traverse through the scenic vast grassland freely and make camp under the stars every night, this tour is FOR YOU!!

In this remote grassland, rarely visited by tourists, we can find a remarkable assemblage of birds and mammals.

Situated along the East-Asian and Australian flyway the region offers an opportunity to see a great number of bird species during their migration at some key stop over and staging sites. Out of almost 1000 bird species recorded in East Asia, 360 species are found in Eastern Mongolia. Of which 44 are waders.

Bird watching tour in Eastern Mongolia is not well known to the European birdwatchers and you will be amongst the first tourists to come to our designated sites.

  • Tour dates: 16 - 31 May (spring migration) or 18 Aug - 02 Sep (autumn migration) (16 days)
  • Group size: 6 - 8 participants
  • Price: €2800
  • Availability: Available

Key target species

Lake and wetland:  Black Stork, Swan Goose, Falcated Duck, Stejneger’s Scoter, Pied Harrier, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Siberian crane, White-naped Crane, Hooded crane, White-winged Tern, Relict Gull, Brown-cheecked rail, Swinhoe’s Snipe, Pin-tailed Snipe, Far-eastern Curlew, Little Curlew, Asian Dowitcher, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, Long-toed Stint, Red-necked Stint, Buff-bellied Pipit, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler, Chinese Grasshopper Warbler and Lanceolated warbler. 

Riparian forest: Daurian Partridge, Amur Falcon, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Daurian Jackdaw, Azure-winged Magpie, Grey Nightjar, Oriental Turtle Dove, Siberian Blue Robin, Siberian Rubythroat, Taiga Flycatcher, Dark-sided Flycatcher, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Azure Tit, Long-tailed Rosefinch, Isabelline Shrike, Brown Shrike, Chinese Grey Shrike and Dusky, Two-barred, Pallas's leaf, Arctic and Radde's Warblers

Little, Black-faced, Chestnut-eared, Chestnut, Tristram’s, Yellow-breasted, Yellow-browed, Yellow-throated, Pallas's and Jankowski's Buntings.


Dusky, Naumann's, Eye-browed, Red-throated, White's and Siberian Thrushes.

Steppe: Japenese Quail, Steppe Eagle, Upland Buzzard, Saker Falcon, Eastern Great Bustard, Demoiselle Crane, Oriental Plover, Mongolian Lark, Asian short-toed Lark, Mongolian short-toed Lark, Pere David’s Snowfinch, Siberian Stonechat, Richard's and Blyth's Pipit, Oriental Greenfinch, Pallas’s reed Bunting and Lapland Longspur

ITINERARY

This itinerary comprises of few key destinations in far eastern Mongolia near the Chinese border. 

We will visit Buir lake, an important wetland sites for migratory waterbirds. It is included in the Flyway site network of East Asian-Australasian Flyway, an initiative that promotes collaborative effort to safeguard migratory waterbirds. Besides the wetlands, we will visit riparian woodland, dry steppe and elm forest. 


Accommodation: Eastern Mongolia is a highly underdeveloped region. So our only lodgings option is the tent. Mongolia is generally a great place for camping as we are allowed to wander and set up our own camp wherever we want. Tents are also the most suitable accommodation for a birdwatching tour because we are able to spend the night nearby, or exactly on the birdwatching hot spots. Therefore, we can start birding early the following morning, without wasting time on travel. It is a genuine natural experience that allows people to connect with the environment.

We provide our clients high quality, spacious 3 person North Face Summit series tents, warm sleeping bags and self-inflatable sleeping mattresses.

A spacious traditional Mongolian marquee style tent is set up for dining. It provides good insulation against the summer heat and protection from the cold spring wind. Tables and chairs are set up in the tent.

Climate: May in Mongolia is predominantly dry and sunny with some overcast occasionally. The winds are regular. Earlier in the trip nights, mornings and evenings will be chilly. So advised to bring warm clothes. Towards the end of the trip, the temperature will rise and hot and dry days are to be expected. 

Autumn has pleasantly warm and stable weather.

Transport: Transport options are usually 4WD Toyota Land Cruiser jeep or Russian UAZ 2206 minivan depending on the client’s choice.


TOUR REPORTS

Group and dates  Read the report
Big mammals and birds of Eastern Mongolia. 06 - 16 Sep 2020                                          TOUR REPORT
Autumn birding trip to Eastern Mongolia - Jankowski's bunting and more. 21 Sep - 06 Oct 2021  TOUR REPORT
Spring migration observation trip to Eastern Mongolia. 08 - 27 May 2022 TOUR REPORT
Ornis Birding Expeditions. 22 Aug - 08 Sep 2023.  TOUR REPORT

TOUR DATES

2025
Tour dates  Duration   Availability     
11 - 26 May 2025   16 days   FULL BOOK TOUR SHOW DETAILS
24 Aug - 09 Sep 2025 (dates are flexible)                    17 days   4 SPACES BOOK TOUR SHOW DETAILS

 

2026
Tour dates  Duration   Availability     
14 May - 04 June 2026 (dates are flexible)          22 days  FULL BOOK TOUR SHOW DETAILS
23 Aug - 09 Sep 2026 (dates are flexible)        18 days  Open Spaces! BOOK TOUR SHOW DETAILS

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