In mid-January of 2023, I led my first expedition with clients to find and photograph the stunningly beautiful and elusive Snow Leopard in the snow-covered north-western region of Mongolia in Winter. This was an expedition that was initially scheduled to run in January of 2022 but was delayed as a result of the COVID pandemic. This was the very last expedition and workshop left for me to catch up on as a result of all the COVID delays.

The snow leopard is one of the most elusive and sought-after animals on the planet by wildlife photographers. It is incredibly difficult to find and photograph in the wild, with the vast majority of attempts failing, or at best, spotting a leopard through a spotting scope at a significant distance. The aim of this expedition was to get close enough to photograph the cat with a long telephoto lens. As it turned out, we were able to get within twenty metres of several Snow Leopard cubs on our very first encounter.

Due to my hectic travel schedule, I have not yet had time to do more than a rudimentary selection of the photographs made during this expedition. I will update this post with more images once I get a chance to process the RAW files.

Our expedition was scheduled to begin with a two-hour plane flight from the capital city of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia to the small town of Khovd in the northwest. From there, it would be a two-hour drive into the wilds to our remote camp, where we would be situated at the base of the Altai mountains for the duration of the expedition. Unfortunately, there was a mechanical issue with our aircraft, and we were delayed two days in the capital while they attempted to repair the plane. With no resolution after two days from the airline, we decided to scramble together three sizeable 4-wheel drive vehicles and local drivers and then drive the eighteen-and-a-half hours across the vast and extensive Mongolian landscape to our snow leopard camp. I had anticipated potential delays and had built in a couple of spare days to the expedition just in case.

With a long drive ahead, we set out from Ulaanbaatar at a very dark and brisk 4am to avoid the worst of the city traffic and began to make our way West. After a long day in the car, we arrived at our camp around 10pm, had a quick hot meal and turned in for the evening. Our minds buzzed with the anticipation of seeing and photographing the snow leopard the following day.

After an early breakfast, our guides and spotters headed into the field to search for Snow Leopard. Less than a couple of hours later, we received the radio call that they had found a mother Snow Leopard with three cubs sleeping high in the mountains on the edge of a rocky outcrop. We grabbed our gear, piled into the 4-wheel drives and drove up to the base of the nearby Altai mountains. From there, we hiked for about an hour up very steep, loose and rugged terrain in the cold to find a mother snow Leopard and her three cubs sleeping high up on a rocky precipice. After some discussion and advice from our guides, we approached from the back side of the outcrop and closed to within twenty metres, where we spent the next two hours photographing these incredible animals. Being so close to genuinely wild Snow Leopards is an experience that leaves one both breathless and emotional.

Over the next week, we hiked and explored the Altai mountain range extensively, following up hot leads from local herders and shepherds on Snow Leopard sightings. Some of these leads resulted in sightings, and for others, we drew the occasional blank. Our last full day in the field saw us have an excellent encounter with a fully grown female leopard in the mountains.

During this expedition, we also photographed the amazing Mongolian Ibex, which we sighted on several occasions. The photograph below will be my photograph of the month for February 2023.

We concluded our expedition with a two-hour return flight from Khovd to the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Thankfully our return flight left on time and we were back in time for airport transfers the following day.

By demand and request, I will be offering this expedition again in the summer of 2024 for a small group of just five photographers. If you are interested in photographing wild Snow Leopards, please email me. Places are extremely limited, and once spoken for, that’s it. Several places are already booked. Please note that a high degree of physical fitness is recommended for this expedition as there is a significant amount of hiking at altitudes up to 10,000 feet.

I have just published Episode #62  of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast.  In this episode, I briefly wrap up my two Mongolia expeditions for the Pallas Cat and Snow Leopard (Full Report on the Pallas Cat already published) and discuss in depth how to get published in magazines. Discussion includes shooting for magazines, giving yourself the best chance at scoring a cover shot, what you may or may not get paid, how to approach any magazine professionally, and why magazines are such a great platform to expand the audience for your work.

Pallas Cat of Eastern Mongolia in Winter – January 2024 – Only a few places remaining before it will be sold out.

Just a friendly reminder, if you want to support the show, you can buy me a coffee to help with the Podcast hosting fees. All contributions are greatly appreciated.

In early January of 2023, I led my first expedition with clients to find and photograph the stunningly beautiful and enigmatic Pallas Cat in the snow-covered steppe region of far-east Mongolia in Winter. This was an expedition that was initially scheduled to run in January of 2022 but was delayed as a result of the COVID pandemic. This expedition was also highly requested as a direct result of the scouting trip I did to this region in the Winter of 2019. I had also been itching to return to Mongolia since my visit there three years ago – it remains one of the most underrated destinations on earth for wildlife.

Day One – 4th January 2023

The Pallas Cat is one of the rarest and hardest-to-find wild cats worldwide. It is most easily found in the extreme far east of Mongolia, a drive approximately ten hours from the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Day one of our expedition saw our transit from the capital to our remote camp in two large 4WD vehicles. 2023 has been a high snow year, and as a result, the roads were slow going with significant snow and ice conditions. Although conditions made for slow going on the roads, it boded exceptionally well for the chance to photograph the Pallas Cat in the snow.

Temperatures for our expedition hovered between -10º Celsius and -30º Celsius, dipping slightly lower with wind chill. Mercifully, there was little to no wind with an absolutely fantastic covering of snow on the expansive steppe region of the vast lunar-like landscape.

Our accommodations for this expedition were coal-heated Gyrs (Yurts) that are equipped with beds, electricity for charging, clean water for washing and brushing teeth, as well as coal and wood-fired heaters. Although I don’t advertise it, the Gyrs also have 4G internet wifi, and there is a rudimentary shower with hot water. Temperatures inside the tents are around 20º Celsius making them an incredibly comfortable refuge from the bitter Mongolian winter. Each Gyr holds between two and three people with plenty of space for equipment and personal effects. There is also a charging station in each tent for batteries and laptops.

Day Two – 5th January 2023

After an early morning pre-sunrise breakfast, we headed out into the field a little after first light and encountered and photographed our first Pallas Cat within thirty minutes. This encounter was a wonderful surprise. After such a long delay and so much anticipation to get onto a wild Pallas Cat in the first thirty minutes was an absolute blessing. Perhaps best of all, the cat had been out hunting all night and was covered in hoar frost, making it highly photogenic.

In the afternoon, we sighted another ten Pallas Cats (a total of twelve for the day), all sitting very close to their burrows. Thus we could not approach close enough to photograph them before they retreated to the safety of their den. Generally speaking, the Pallas Cat is more active in the afternoon when it is warmer. Nevertheless, to see twelve Pallas Cat in a single day is a phenomenal experience not many can ever lay claim to.

We also sighted several Corsak Fox and a great many Upland Buzzards. This region of Mongolia is highly underrated for wildlife, in my experience, with many raptors to be found in addition to the Pallas Cat and Corsak Fox. Some other bird species include the Upland Buzzard, the Saker Falcon, Golden Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Little Owl, and more. We also saw Mongolian Gazelle.

Day Three – 6th January 2023

With good luck, we had another fantastic encounter with Pallas Cat in wonderful early morning light. With the eagle eyes of our local ground operator, we found the Pallas Cat in less than ten minutes and then spent the next thirty minutes photographing the cat as the sun slowly cast its pink glow across the frozen landscape. This was a magical photographic encounter that yielded some stunningly beautiful photographs.

In the afternoon, we photographed two more Pallas Cats roughly twenty minutes drive from our campsite just as the sun was beginning to set. The density of Pallas Cat this year was much higher than in my previous 2019 expedition. The Vol population has increased significantly in recent years, and as such, there is plenty of food to support a higher density of cats.

Day Four – 7th January 2023

Day four saw us up before sunrise again, and after a quick breakfast, we were back out into the field where we encountered and photographed another two Pallas Cat in the snow. The high snow this year made photography much more effortless than in 2019, with much cleaner surroundings for the cat.

In the afternoon, we photographed another two cats, sighting another four along the way that we could not get close to before they retreated to their nearby burrows. With no trees to hide in, burrows are the Pallas cat’s only refuge from predators such as the Steppe Eagle and Golden Eagle.

Day Five – 8th January 2023

On our second last day, we again rose early for a quick breakfast before we headed out into the field on what was probably our coldest morning (temperatures around -30º Celsius). We found and photographed one Pallas Cat in wonderful light before the soft early morning light gave way to a blue sky day, and it was time to retreat back to camp for coffee and downloading.

In the afternoon, we switched gears and made the Corsak fox our target of choice. Typically the Corsak fox is extremely shy in this region of Mongolia, bolting at the first sign of people. Although we encountered half a dozen or so foxes, we could not get very close to photograph them. Even at 1200mm, the fox proved challenging to photograph.

Day Six – 9th January 2023

Today was our last full day in the field before we returned to the capital city. Early in the morning, just at sunrise, we had a fantastic photographic encounter with a Mongolian Gazelle as the sun was cresting the horizon. We spied a Pallas Cat shortly after, which retreated to the safety of a nearby burrow. 

The afternoon saw us have our last photographic encounter with the Pallas Cat before we wrapped our expedition with a final dinner at our remote camp.

Day Seven – 10th January 2023

Our final day saw us safely return to Ulaanbaatar, where we concluded our expedition with a farewell dinner.

By request, I will take a small group of just five photographers with me in January next year to the far east of Mongolia in Winter to photograph the magnificent Pallas Cat. The Pallas cat is one of the rarest and most beautiful wild cats in the world. In winter, the Steppe region of Mongolia is covered in Snow, and there is an opportunity to photograph this elusive cat against a beautiful winter backdrop. Places on this expedition are strictly limited to only five photographers, and places are filled on a first-come, first-served basis (several places have already been spoken for). If you want to photograph this stunningly beautiful wild cat in winter, please email me to register your interest. Please see the video below to get an idea of the accommodations for this expedition. We will have 4G internet for the expedition in the field, and a shower is available in the camp.

The ANZANG/Australian Geographic Nature Photography Competition will soon reach its 20^th anniversary. To celebrate this, ANZANG has curated a collection of hero images as a ‘Best of 20 Years’ collection. The images will be displayed on digital screens in various locations across Australia. These locations range from domestic and international airports to shopping malls, to office buildings, and complexes, all areas with a high flow of pedestrian traffic. I am pleased to report one of my photographs of Emperor Penguins ‘Family Walk’ is being included in the collection.

By request, I will take a small group of just five photographers with me in January next year to the far east of Mongolia in Winter to photograph the magnificent Pallas Cat. The Pallas cat is one of the rarest and most beautiful wild cats in the world. In winter, the Steppe region of Mongolia is covered in Snow, and there is an opportunity to photograph this elusive cat against a beautiful winter backdrop. Places on this expedition are strictly limited to only five photographers, and places are filled on a first-come, first-served basis (several places have already been spoken for). If you want to photograph this stunningly beautiful wild cat in winter, please email me to register your interest. Please see the video below to get an idea of the accommodations for this expedition. We will have 4G internet for the expedition in the field, and a shower is available in the camp.