Specialty Category: Mongolian Bird watching , Ecotourism, Wildlife tours, Wildlife National Park visits, Active Adventures, Experiencing Mongolia's of life, Expedition, Nature, Hiking, the great rivers and lakes of Mongolia. The lakes in the Khov and in the Far Western of Mongolia (both salt and fresh water) are equally rich in waterfowl.

Escorted Tour in Mongolia: Only with a Minimum Group of 2 participants or more an ornithologist professor will lead the tour to remote wilderness areas of Mongolia. This Expedition requires flexibility, tolerance and spirit of adventure of every journey participant due to the remote wilderness areas. Cars have a hard time. Anyhow the tourism infrastructure has somewhat developed.

Trip summary:
Tour Code: SMT-BWH-13D
Meeting Point: Ulaanbataar, Mongolia
Departure Point: Ulaanbataar, Mongolia
Group size: Minimum 2 adults or more participants-This tour operates on a minimum of 02 and a maximum of 16 participants.
Length: 13 days/12 nights
Difficulty level: Easy to moderate.

2010/2011/2012 Regular Tour Calendar: Daily departures, from very late May, June-September
Block your seats. Names due at 90 days!

Important Note: Please, make your reservations at your earliest convenience, 180-90 days prior to departure. Especially flights to the Far Western of Mongolia are fully booked at this time. Seats can be difficult to get in Spring, Summer and in Autumn seasonal. The internal flight schedule sometimes means we have an extra day at the tourist camp or at hotel in Ulaanbaatar city, the ground agents and leader will adjust the itinerary accordingly when the flight schedule becomes available.

Introduction: Khovd province is situated in the Far Wild West of Mongolia. On the West and South-West Khovd province borders with the Peoples Republic of China. The Highest point of the territory is the Munkhkhairkhan peak. Its altitude is 13,793 feet (4204 m) above sea level, and the lowest point is Altain Bor tsonj, its altitude being 3694 feet (1,126 m) above sea level. About 20 percent of the territory is semi-desert and steppe.
Khovd Population: 35,000.
Elevation: 1406m. It was one of the last cities to be liberated from the Chinese, in 1912 (and again in 1921), by the forces of the Mongolian commanders Dambijantsan, Magsarjav and Damdinsiiren.

Khar Us Nuur National Park (850,272 hectares). Protects the breeding grounds for antelopes and rare species of migratory pelicans, falcons and bustards. There are varies species of birds in the province such as condors, eagles, bearded vultures, upband burrards, hawks, snowcocks and kites. Khar Us Lake National Park was established in 1997 on WWF recommendation.

Number of species of birds in Mongolia: Mongolia's 246 species of birds include 108 species of passage migrants, seventy-four species of residents, 231 species of summer visitors and thirteen species of winter visitors that breed in Siberia. The bird fauna is particularly rich in waterfowl and shorebirds which, including gulls and terns, number 120 species, and birds of prey (thirty-eight species). They are thirty-four species of warblers, fifty-four species of butings, finches and sparrows, and six species of accentors. All species that occur in Mongolia, even if they are migratory and spend only short periods in the country, are covered by Mongolian Laws on Hunting and Environmental Protection. Since many of the bird species of Mongolian and some of the mammals are migratory, collaboration with the neighboring states of the Russian Federation and China is essential to give adequate protection to Mongolia's wildlife. On the steppes, you will certainly see many White-naped crane (Grus vipio-see the picture on the left side), Grey Demoiselle Cranes-the most common bird in Mongolia. Other steppe species include the upland Buzzard, Steppe Eagle, Black Kite and some assorted owls and hawks. In the mountain, you may be lucky to spot species of ptarmigan, finch, woodpecker and owl. The avifauna includes some Central Asian endemic species, the Altai Snowcock (Tetraogallus altaica) and Kozlov's Accentor (Prunella kozlovi), and a number of world and regionally endangered species such as White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus), Hooded Crane (Grus monacha), Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos), Great Bustard (Otus tarda), Eurasian Black or Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus), Dalmation Pelican (Pelicanus crispus), Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), Relict Gull (Larus relictus), Swan Goose (Cygnopsis cygnoides), and Bearded Vulture or Lammergeyer (Gypaetus barbatus).

Places to Watch Birds:
Tuul River Sacred Nomad's Valley and Terelj National Park- The broadleafed and coniferous forests around Terelj, which is situated at 1600 m in the Hentii Mountains northwest of Ulaan Baatar support a fine selection of Siberian and eastern Palearctic Birds.

Khar Us Nuur Natural Park: About 40km (20miles) to the East of Khovd city is Khar Us Nuur (Black Water Lake), the second largest freshwater lake (15,800 sq km) in Mongolia . Khovd river flows into this lake, creating a giant marsh delta. Khar Us Nuur is the perfect habitat for wild ducks, geese, wood grouse, partridges and seagulls, including the rare relict gull and herring gull. The best time to see the birdlife is in May and late August. The outflow from Khar Us Nuur goes into a short river called Chono Kharaikh, which flows into another freshwater lake, Khar Nuur (Black Lake), home to some migratory pelicans.

Minimum group	2010/2011 Tour Costs per person
2 adults in private tour	$ US 4,259.00 or 2,999.00 Euro
3 persons	$ US 3,502.00 or 2,466.00 Euro
4-5 persons	$ US 3,289.00 or 2,316.00 Euro
6-9 persons	$ US 3,005.00 or 2,116.00 Euro
+10 persons	$ US 2,721.00 or 1,916.00 Euro
Single Supplement:	$ US 429.00 or 302.00 Euro
	Tour Code: SMT-BWH-13D

BIRDWATCHING EXOTIC EXPEDITION TO KHOVD IN THE FAR WESTERN OF MONGOLIA