Wild Snow Leopard Expedition - Kyrgyzstan
Journey off-grid in the Tian Shan range to spot snow leopards in this ultimate Kyrgyz experience.
The Journey
Venture by 4x4, horseback and on foot in a remote region to track and spot one of the planet’s most elusive and beautiful animals: the snow leopard.
Expedition highlights
Exclusive access to a permit-only Reserve.
Learn to track and spot endangered snow leopards, wolves and bear.
Live side-by-side with Reserve rangers in our off-grid camp and cabins.
Horse trekking on Central Asian ponies through ancient glacial valleys.
Enjoy a small group experience of no more than 6 guests.
On our specially tailored 10-day expedition, you’ll work with local park rangers to travel between remote camp locations in Sarychat-Ertash Nature Reserve. As you explore, you’ll experience the vastness of this isolated and rarely visited part of the world by trekking, horse riding and driving off-road.
You’ll learn to track and spot iconic wildlife like snow leopards, bears and wolves as you venture deep into the park. We work closely with the Snow Leopard Trust and you’ll get to meet conservation champions from organisations to individuals who have dedicated their lives to protecting the species.
This is our most remote expedition yet. You’ll be far from the luxuries of city life, journeying by horseback over tough terrain and experiencing altitude and cool alpine temperatures. No previous experience is required, but a mindset to adventure and explore is recommended. You’ll be well looked after by our expert team who have years of experience in the region.
Bringing together conservation and expeditions.
Itinerary
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Day 01
Arrive in Bishkek. Settle into your hotel in central Bishkek where you’ll meet everyone on the expedition and get briefed on the journey ahead.
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Day 02
In the morning we’ll meet the Snow Leopard Trust in Bishkek. You will meet some of the most important snow leopard conservation figures in Kyrgyzstan and learn more about the protected area you’ll be visiting.
After lunch we will travel to Barskoon at the foothills of the Tian-Shan range. You’ll experience Kyrgyz hospitality at its best and stay overnight.
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Day 03
You’ll travel deep into the Tian-Shan range by 4x4, meandering through ancient glacial valleys and over 4,000m mountain passes.
You’ll arrive at our isolated base camp around midday and settle into your new home. You’ll have the opportunity to place your own camera traps in the area.
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Day 4
Now you’ve met the full expedition team, you’ll be trained in how to use specialist spotting equipment and get to grips with riding your Kyrgyz mountain pony.
You'll be working in teams with rangers to track, spot and identify wildlife. You’re in prime snow leopard territory here.
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Day 5 - 6
You’ll experience all the Reserve has to offer. Riding by horseback down ancient glacial valleys, hiking up to isolated mountainous ridges and spotting snow leopards with park rangers who have spent their lives in the mountains. Our itineraries remain flexible so whatever you’re here for, you can get the most out of it.
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Day 7 - 9
You’re a pro by this point, and you’re putting all your spotting, photographing, tracking and riding skills into action. We’ll depart on a two-night excursion on horseback to a ranger cabin deep in the Reserve. This is a challenging, but very rewarding part of the expedition. We will be extremely remote and exploring areas very few others have ever seen.
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Day 10
After an adventure to remember, we'll head to Bishkek, arriving early evening. You'll have one night in a hotel and dinner provided.
What to Expect
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Wildlife
Our guests are always surprised by the amount of wildlife that can survive in such a harsh environment. You have a very high chance of seeing wolves, Himalayan vultures, golden eagles, argali and ibex. You have a good chance of seeing the Tian Shan brown bear and snow leopards (more on snow leopards specifically in our FAQs).
You are more likely to see a snow leopard later in the season when the weather cools, but more likely to see bears earlier in the season before they go into hibernation.
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Accommodation
In Bishkek you can expect a comfortable room in a hotel, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city.
In Barskoon we will be hosted by Kyrgyz-run hotels in a truly frontier community. You will be provided with delicious Kyrgyz food and may need to share space with other participants.
In the Reserve you’ll be sleeping on mats, and depending on our location, either in expedition-grade tents or old ranger cabins deep in the park. At our main camp, you will have access to a communal heated yurt as well.
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Food
Food will be provided by local chefs for the duration of the expedition. They will cook a mixture of delicious Kyrgyz, Central Asian, and Western dishes. Veggies and vegans catered for, however, meat is an essential part of Central Asian cuisine. If you are a flexible veggie or vegan, we recommend you take this approach to make the most of the food on offer. Vegans in particular can expect a lack of variety on the expedition itself, but also in major cities and towns.
Nonetheless, whatever your preferences, you’ll be well fed!
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Solo-travellers
Many of our guests travel with us solo and often find they meet wonderful like-minded people on our expeditions.
If you’re travelling solo, please take note of the accommodation info. We always endeavour to provide you with your own space, but on occasion you may need to share a hotel room with another guest - but this is rare.
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Transport
You’ll be in a mixture of transport from regular taxis to rugged 4x4s, as well as on horseback. Horse riding experience is not necessary and those less confident on horseback can be tethered to a ranger’s horse for additional safety. Roads in the region vary, but a lot of driving will be done on poorly marked single track roads.
We provide regular breaks on our journeys and often find loads of interesting sights along the way!
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Hygiene
There is no running water in the Reserve, but you will have access to a hand washing station to maintain hand hygiene at the main camp.
The main camp also has a ‘toilet tent’, which is essentially a simple hole with a western-style toilet.
Wet wipes are how most people keep themselves clean, with a dunk in the alpine stream towards the end of the trip to fully freshen up.
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LGBTQ+
We want everyone to enjoy our expeditions no matter who you are and how you identify yourself.
There are a number of up-to-date resources on LGBTQ+ rights and lived experiences in Kyrgyzstan for information. We don’t want anyone feeling like their enjoyment will be affected by how they identify. We’d be happy to have a discussion if you have any concerns, just get in touch.
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Fitness
You don’t need to be a tough mudder to enjoy our expeditions. You will need to be fit enough and able to trek by foot or ride on horseback for several hours at a time (with breaks). We’ll be at altitude for much of the expedition - around 2,800m. No experience of altitude is necessary, but be prepared to feel a little more breathless than you’re used to. If you have any concerns, please talk to us.
As this expedition is extremely remote, we are unable to accommodate people with existing conditions requiring regular medical attention.
Meet the team
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Becca & Chris
With years of experience between them in the region, Becca and Chris provide guests with extraordinary experiences in this beautiful destination. You can learn more about them here: About Us
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Kuban
With a lifetime of working to protect the natural world, and over 10 years working directly for the Snow Leopard Trust, Kuban has become an important figure for snow leopard conservation in Kyrgyzstan. Kuban’s advocacy work and relationships with local leaders has transformed snow leopard conservation in the region.
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Ulan
From a family of local herders, Ulan has decades of hardened experience in the region, both as a herder, local villager and as a park ranger. His ability to spot signs of wildlife from bears to small rodents is incomparable.
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Ulan (Jr)
Born locally, Ulan has spent much of his life exploring the remote reaches of the Tian Shan range. An expert horseman, a competent wildlife spotter and a family man, he’s spent much of his life working in Sarychat-Ertash Nature Reserve.
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Askat
Askat has lived his life in a village local to Sary-Chat reserve. His passion for protecting wild spaces has led him to train as an expedition chef, providing delicious meals to our guests and our hard working rangers.
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Tinshtik
A man of many talents, Tinshtik doubles excellent horsemanship with attentive camp craft to provide guests with a comfortable stay despite the extreme conditions of the region.
Departure Dates & Prices
We’ve been working hard to reduce our back office and compliance costs and are now able to hand this saving over to our guests. Please note the increase in minimum numbers to 4.
30th Sept - 9th Oct 2024
£3,750 per person
1 place left.
14th - 23rd Oct 2024
£3,750 per person
5 places left.
Payment in other currencies available at checkout.
20% deposit required to secure booking. Full payment required no less than 60 days before departure.
The price excludes flights, travel insurance, personal expenses, tips for staff and any costs outside the expedition dates.
Minimum number of guests: 4. Maximum number of guests: 6.
6th Oct - 15th Oct 2025
£3,750 per person
6 places left.
20th - 29th Oct 2025
£3,750 per person
6 places left.
Collaborating with the Snow Leopard Trust
The Snow Leopard Trust aims to protect this endangered cat through community-based conservation projects that are based on an improved scientific understanding of snow leopard behaviour, needs, habitats and threats.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Your chances of seeing a snow leopard are good, but we do not have a 100% success rate. The wildlife in the Reserve are completely unhabituated and wild - this is very different to other snow leopard destinations where the wildlife has become habituated to vehicles and the presence of humans. This makes our location completely unique and special, and previous guests are always blown away by how remote and wild we actually are.
In places like Spiti in India, operators can pretty much guarantee snow leopard sightings (several a day in many cases), you will be housed in a luxury villa and driven by 4x4 once rangers have located the leopard for you. There will be many other tourists there, and sometimes even queues to look through the scopes.
On our expeditions, you will be an integral part of the spotting team, working hard to spot wildlife and track snow leopards wherever we encounter tracks with a maximum of 5 other guests. There's minimal luxury, you'll be camping in tents and dining in a yurt. There's no running water, but a pristine alpine river to wash in instead. And you'll be on horseback far more than you'll be in a 4x4. The wildlife you'll see are truly wild.
As with any snow leopard trip, you should expect to view a snow leopard predominantly through scopes or high-powered focal lenses as sightings can easily be 1km away. This is also true of snow leopards trips to habituated groups in India, for example. You will be provided with top-end scoping equipment during the expedition.
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For our Kyrgyzstan expeditions, you’ll be able to check into your hotel by around 2pm on the first day of the expedition. We’ll aim to have dinner as a team that evening and go over kit and safety briefs.
You can depart anytime after 11pm on the last day of the expedition. However, a single night in a hotel is provided for you in Bishkek, so most people will fly the following morning in case of delays.
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You will be provided with all accommodation, food and transport from dinner on the first day of the expedition, until dinner on day 10. Airport transfers from Manas Airport to your hotel in Bishkek are included.
Exclusions: visa costs, flights, personal expenses like drinks other than water, tips for local staff, any costs outside the expedition dates.
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Kyrgyzstan offers free visas on arrival for most passports. However, you must check the requirements yourself before departure. If you require a visa before arrival, we can recommend an agent to process this for you.
Please ensure you also check vaccination and COVID-19 information carefully before departure as these can be subject to change.
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You are required to have travel insurance covering you for the duration of the expedition and for all the activities you will be undertaking. This includes horse trekking and trekking/hiking up to 4,000m, as well as helicopter medical evacuation.
You will be asked to provide your insurance information closer to departure.
Previous guests have noted World Nomad, BMC and Endsleigh as providing sufficient cover.
We strongly recommend that you take out cancellation and curtailment insurance (including Covid-19 cancellation) as part of your cover as soon as you have booked one of our expeditions to protect against cancellations.
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Our expeditions are remote so we need to make sure the trip is appropriate for you.
Upon booking, you will receive a medical form from us which needs to be completed fully and honestly. We review all medical forms thoroughly. Please ensure you're completely honest when completing the form. It doesn't necessarily follow that you cannot join us if you have a medical issue, but it may mean adapting elements of the expedition, or ensuring we have appropriate medical supplies on site.
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Yes. No matter your experience or background riding horses, it is required that you wear a helmet at all times while riding during the expedition.
You will be provided with a British safety standard-riding helmet.
In order for us to meet our obligations under our company insurance, you will also be required to sign a helmet disclaimer form. This is required by all guests.
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You can take a look at the full expedition kit list here:
www.wildexpeditions.info/kyrgyzstan-kit-list
We’re always happy to provide further advice and recommendations.
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You don’t need to be super fit to join our expeditions!
You will need to be comfortable in 4x4 transport for long periods of time as our locations are very remote.
You will need to be comfortable riding on horse back for up to 4 hours (with breaks).
You do not need to be able to ride at speed, or be able to hike long distances at altitude.
Due to the expedition’s remoteness, you will need to be free of any medical concerns that require regular medical attention.
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Tips for local staff are completely at your discretion. All our staff are paid fairly for their work. Tips are welcomed in either Kyrgyz SOM or USD.
Giving tips at the end of your trip is a wonderful way of showing your gratitude for their hard work. If you plan to give tips, we can provide guidance on this, just get in touch.
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We have a wealth of experience photographing and filming in our destinations. We’re currently developing a blog to give advice specific to Kyrgyzstan - check back here soon for more info!
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You will be offline for the majority of the expedition. You will have wifi in your hotel in Bishkek, but it may be slow. You can buy a sim card and data in the airport just after passport security. This will provide some connection on the way to the park, but in the Reserve you will not be able to get signal.
We will hold a sat phone for the duration of the expedition. This is strictly for emergency use only.
If you have any further questions, please contact us
Enquire Now
Drop us a line, we’re happy to answer any questions you have.