Wild Snow Leopards

Your chances of seeing a snow leopard in the summer are significantly reduced from our autumn/winter departures. 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.

You will be an integral part of the spotting team, working hard to spot wildlife and track snow leopards wherever we encounter tracks as a small group. The locations you’ll travel to rarely see tourists and the wildlife you'll see are truly wild.

If we do see snow leopards, you should expect to view a snow leopard predominantly through scopes or high-powered focal lenses as sightings can easily be 1km away, likely more in the summer. 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 and we recommend everyone brings a good pair of binoculars.

Photographers should be aware the summer months typically brings heat haze, making the photography of snow leopards during this season challenging, but not impossible.

For more detailed information on sightings you can see our annual trip reports here.

Our campsites are basic, but comfortable. You will sleep privately in tents and have access to either a communal tent, or a small ranger cabin for eating. Our sites have no running water, but there will be a handwashing station to maintain hand hygiene at our main base camp, along with a simple dry toilet. Many guests choose to take a dunk in the alpine streams surrounding us to fully freshen up.

Kyrgyzstan’s summers can get very hot during the day, somewhere around 16 – 30+ °C. UV-exposure is high and precautions should be taken. Nights generally hover around 5°C, so very comfortable in a tent with a standard sleeping bag. Weather in the summer months can be changeable and, rather like the UK, we can experience all the seasons in a single 12-hour period. You should therefore be prepared for mixed conditions throughout the expedition. You can find out more about what kit to bring here.

You can take a look at the full expedition kit list here.

We’re always happy to provide further advice and recommendations.

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!

Individual bookers will have their own room in hotels. In the Reserve everyone will have individual tents. These tents are large enough for two people to share if you wish to do this.

We have included some guidance on what photography equipment you might want to bring on our kit list. You can find that here.

You're free to bring a drone on our expedition, however, we do have strict controls on flying drones near wildlife.

We do not permit guests to fly drones near wildlife, including both predators and prey. You are free to fly drones for landscape photography purposes but take off must be approved by the Expedition Leader.

You will need to be ready to depart Bishkek on the morning of Day 01 of the expedition. Most people will arrive in Bishkek the day before. Please note that a hotel or airport transfers are not provided as part of this expedition. We can provide advice on suitable hotels, through which you can arrange an airport transfer.

You can depart any time after 11pm on the last day of the expedition (Day 10). However, we do advise you fly the following day in case of delays.

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 as part of your cover as soon as you have booked one of our expeditions to protect against cancellations.

You don’t need any horse riding experience to enjoy our expeditions. Many of our guests have never ridden before, some are seasoned polo players. No matter your experience riding horses, we do not allow for riding at speed (cantering or galloping). This is for the safety of guests and the welfare of the horses. You will be provided with a British safety standard riding helmet for the duration of the expedition, which must be worn.

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 and will be sent to you before the expedition begins.

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, with a preference for SOM.

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.

You don’t need to be a tough mudder to enjoy our expeditions. You will need to be fit enough and able to ride on horseback for up to 4-5 hours (with breaks), or trek for up to an hour. We’ll be at altitude for much of the expedition - around 3,000m. No experience of altitude is necessary and serious altitude sickness is very rare at this height. 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.

You will be offline for the majority of the expedition. SIM cards be easily be purchased at the airport and this will provide some connection on the way to the Reserve, but in the Reserve you will not be able to get signal.

We will hold an emergency comms device for the duration of the expedition. This is strictly for emergency use only.

Kyrgyzstan offers free visas for most passports. However, you must check the requirements yourself before departure.

Please ensure you also check vaccination information carefully before departure as these can be subject to change.