Expedition Overview
Join photographers Jordan Banks & David Gibbons for an expedition with a difference. Deep in the winter of 2026 we will travel to Mongolia’s Altai Mountains in search of one of nature’s most elusive mammals, the Snow Leopard. This expedition won’t be for the faint of heart, conditions will be harsh butthe rewards will be even greater. Very few people have ever had the privilege to witness these incredible cats in the wild and we are giving ourselves the best possible opportunities.
Yur expedition will be led by world renowned photographer and JRNY Magazine founding editor, Jordan Banks. Jordan has been a part of and lead expeditions to some of the most remote regions of the globe over the past three decades. The images from these expeditions have graced the pages of National Geographic, BBC & Time magazines, documented by Sky Tv and lead to multiple awards from National Geographic for his travel, landscape and wildlife photography.
- When: FEB 2026 (exact dates TBC)
- Photographic Experience: Intermideate/Proffesional
- Photography Oppurtutnites: Wildlife, Landscape & Cultural
- Expedtion Start: Ulaanbaatar
- Expedtion Finish: Ulaanbaatar
- Country: Mongolia
- Region: Altai Mountains
- Fitness level: Good level of fitness required
- Climate: 0°C and below
- Alltitude: 3000m / 10,000 feet
- Trip Leaders: Jordan Banks & David Gibbon
- Expedtion Team: Enlgish speaking guide, trackers, drivers & cooks
- Price: £10,500
What to expect
About Snow Leopards winter expedition
Our time will be focused on both birding and mammal watching with a strong focus on trying to watch Snow leopard. In summer they live generally at altitudes 3000 and 4500 meters. In winter they may migrate to lower elevations of 900 meters, following their preferred prey. The best season for watching the mountain ghost is cold seasons in lower elevation. The trip is one of the special ways to mitigate snow leopard hunting by local people who lost their livestock to the carnivore
Observe the elusive Snow leopard; Mountain camp is in Altai Mountain (1500 km west from Ulaanbaatar). The10-14 days of trip focuses on the elusive life of the snow leopard in Western Mongolia, as well as providing a chance to see mountain mammals’ birds and additionally water birds in a lake. Also possible to watch Siberian ibex, saiga antelope, black-tailed gazelle, Altai snowcock, and various birds, hiking in mountains etc.
Ancient rock paintings; A cave has Palaeolithic art (c 13000 BC) near the mountain camp site. The paintings represent animals including ostriches and mammoths, which testify to their former presence in the region. Traces of smoke in the cave close to 20 meters high seems to attest that it was already a shelter to the Paleolithic population
A unique chance to see and to take pictures of the elusive cat intheir preferred habitat;
- Proximity to a big city and a developed infrastructure.
- We work with sustainable & ethical guides and operators
- A good chance to see the clear night sky and stars with no effect
of light. - witness the Mongolian culture first hand
- Snow leopards are well adapted to the cold, higher mountain environment found in
the Western Mongolia. - An unusual way to have a comfortable rest in a traditional ger.
