China Ultimate Snow Leopard Expedition

Suggested Length

12 days

€4288 euros per person

Price From

LIMITED TO 10 GUESTS

Group Size

October - May

Season

  In the remote highlands of the Tibetan Plateau, near the border of Tibet, lies the Sanjiangyuan region, this sacred land is one of the world’s most snow leopard–dense regions, a true wildlife wonderland. Guided by our local specialists featured in National Geographic and Frozen Planet, you will find snow leopards, Pallas’s cats, blue sheep, white-lipped deer, wild yaks, Tibetan foxes, Tibetan antelopes, wolves, and bearded vultures.

  Beyond the wildlife, the region is also rich in Tibetan culture, stroll through peaceful Tibetan towns, visit surreal Monastery, and share a cup of butter tea in a local herder’s home.

This 12-day snow leopard expedition maximizes your chances of seeing wild snow leopards in China, while also giving you the opportunity to encounter nearly all the key species of the Tibetan Plateau and immerse yourself in one of the best-preserved Tibetan cultural regions in the country.

Highlights of the Journey

Daily wildlife tracking powered by our three observation zones and herder monitoring network

Home to the world’s largest snow leopard population

Experience the purest Buddhist faith and authentic Tibetan lifestyle in this hidden gem

Your Guide:

Your Wildlife Guide Renqing

Renqing is a Kham Tibetan wildlife expert with over 10 years of experience tracking animals across the Sanjiangyuan region. He has encountered snow leopards more than 100 times and knows their every footprint and behaviour. His deep connection with these elusive creatures holds stories waiting to be uncovered. He was mentored by Xi Zhinong, one of China’s most renowned wildlife conservationists.

Renqing has served as the local producer and chief consultant for major documentaries by National Geographic, Disney, and others. With him, you'll step into the wild habitats featured in Frozen Planet and The Snow Leopard Queen.

Fluent in Chinese, English, French, and Tibetan, Renqing’s rich life experiences shape his calm, reliable, and professional guiding style—ensuring not only safety but also a truly unforgettable journey.

Your Wildlife Guide Dongzhou

Fluent in Tibetan, Chinese, and English, Dongzhou has more than 20 years of experience in translation and guiding. After working as a trilingual translator for NGOs, he joined Gesaer Travel in 2015 as a cultural and wildlife guide.

He has since collaborated on internationally acclaimed documentaries such as Born in China, Frozen Planet II, The Third Pole, and Animal Kingdom, where he specialized in wildlife tracking, field assistance, and cross-cultural communication. With a deep knowledge of the Tibetan Plateau’s wildlife and culture, Dongzhou is dedicated to leading travelers and film crews into some of the region’s most remote and remarkable landscapes.

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  • Begin in Yushu, the cultural heart of the Tibetan Plateau and gateway to Sanjiangyuan National Park. Meet your trip leader in the hotel lobby for a visit to the Yushu Prefecture Museum, where you’ll be introduced to the region’s wildlife and Khampa heritage, followed by a detailed introduction to the upcoming expedition before gathering for a welcome dinner with fellow travelers.

    Dinner included
    Elevation: 3689m

  • Spend a full day exploring Yushu’s cultural treasures. Start at Jiegu Monastery, perched on a hillside with sweeping views of the valley below. Continue to Xinzhai Mani Stone City, where you can carve your own Mani stone and place it on the world’s largest pile. In the afternoon, head to Leba Valley to visit the ancient Wencheng Princess Temple and Yushu’s largest sky-burial platform, a powerful window into Tibetan beliefs about life and death. Return to your hotel by early evening to rest before the wildlife adventures ahead.

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
    Elevation: 3689m

  • Spend the day immersing yourself in the wild ecology of the high-altitude grasslands. Set out early for Jiatang Grassland, the “Land of Rainbows,” where Tibetan foxes, gazelles, and pika roam across endless open plains. Watch foxes hunting and learn how small carnivores shape this fragile alpine ecosystem.

    After lunch, continue to Batang Grassland in search of highland pheasants like the blood pheasant and white eared-pheasant. As evening approaches, visit Xianggu Monastery to hear stories of the Tibetan blue bear and how local communities navigate life alongside wildlife.

    Return to your hotel in Yushu for dinner and rest.

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
    Elevation: 3689m

  • From today onward, your snow leopard expedition follows real-time updates from our Snow Leopard Information Network. Routes may change as we move toward the best wildlife activity of the day.

    Begin with a supply stop in Yushu before driving into true snow leopard country. By afternoon, settle into the high valleys and start scanning for snow leopards, wolves, blue sheep, and soaring Himalayan vultures. As night approaches, get familiar with the terrain and the slow, patient rhythm of wildlife observation.

    You’ll stay at herders' home alongside local herders, with basic facilities but unmatched access to the heart of the plateau’s wilderness.

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
    Elevation: 4500m

  • Spend the next three days deep in snow leopard country, exploring highland valleys, shrub forests, and open grasslands. Drive through prime habitat in search of snow leopards, wolves, Tibetan foxes, white-lipped deer, argali, and alpine musk deer, while raptors like golden eagles and bearded vultures circle overhead.

    With real-time updates from our local spotters, each day’s route adapts to wherever wildlife is most active, ensuring the best possible viewing experience.

    You’ll stay at herders' home alongside local herders, eating warm Tibetan meals and waking each day surrounded by the silence of the high plateau.

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
    Elevation: 4500m

  • Start before sunrise for another morning of wildlife watching, scanning the valleys for snow leopards, wolves, Tibetan foxes, and high-altitude ungulates as the first light reaches the mountains.

    By afternoon, continue to Longbao Wetland, one of the plateau’s most important bird sanctuaries and the famed “hometown of the black-necked crane.” Here, bar-headed geese, ruddy shelducks, and countless migratory birds gather across glittering wetlands.

    After five days in the wild, return to Yushu in the evening to enjoy a hot shower, warm food, and the comfort of city life once more.

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
    Elevation: 3689m

  • Spend the day exploring Nangqian, one of the richest wildlife regions on the Tibetan Plateau and a key stronghold for snow leopards. As you drive toward the high valleys, keep an eye out for blue sheep, musk deer, and soaring vultures.

    By midday, enjoy a quiet break in the open wilderness before continuing deeper into Nangqian. Spend the afternoon searching for Eurasian lynx and Pallas’s cat—two of the plateau’s most elusive predators—until nightfall. You’ll overnight at Juela Camp, surrounded by the wild silence of the mountains.

    Real-time updates from our local spotters guide the day’s route, ensuring the best chances of sightings.

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
    Elevation: 4000m

  • Spend the day in Haxiu’s high mountain valleys tracking some of the plateau’s most elusive predators. Today’s focus is the Eurasian lynx and Pallas’s cat—masters of camouflage that blend perfectly into rocky slopes and earthen mounds. Stay alert and patient as you scan the terrain, with blue sheep, musk deer, and circling vultures adding to the day’s wildlife encounters.

    You’ll return to Juela Camp for a simple, warm meal and a night surrounded by the quiet of the highlands.

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
    Elevation: 4000m

  • After breakfast, make one last outing into the high-altitude valleys to search for snow leopards, Tibetan foxes, and gazelles, your final chance to spot the wildlife of the plateau.

    In the afternoon, follow the Lancang River back to Yushu. After a well-earned rest, enjoy a farewell dinner and look back on the unforgettable encounters of your journey.

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
    Elevation: 4000m

  • The guide will bid you farewell at the hotel and see you off to your vehicle for the transfer to the airport, marking the end of our unforgettable wildlife journey.

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Featured Stays

Accommodation options in this area are limited, but we’ve selected the best local hotel for your comfort.

Most hotels are equipped with oxygen machines to help you acclimate and reduce symptoms of altitude sickness.

Please note that during the snow leopard observation at the herder’s home, the accommodation is quite basic. Private rooms cannot be guaranteed, and the toilet facilities are simple pit toilets.

Day 1-3, Day 8, Day 11: Vienna International Hotel in Yushu. The best hotel in Yushu city, with in-room oxygen supply and laundry facilities.
Day 4-7, Day 9-10: Herder's Home. Stay with warm and hospitable Tibetan nomads and experience authentic local traditions. However, accommodation is basic, private rooms cannot be guaranteed, and toilet facilities are simple pit toilets.

Vienna International Hotel

Herder's Home

Vienna International Hotel

Species you might spot

What’s Included:

  • Accommodation: The trip includes 7 nights of accommodation as described in the itinerary.

  • Meals: 11 breakfasts, 10 lunches, and 11 dinners as specified in the itinerary.

  • Outdoor Highlights: Includes all the outdoor activities and wildlife observation experiences described in the itinerary.

  • Airport drop-off service

  • Guiding service:

    • For 2–3 participants: a driver-guide will be arranged

    • For groups of 4 or more: a full-time outdoor expedition leader will accompany the group throughout the trip

What’s Excluded:

  • Airport pick-up service

  • Transportation to Yushu

  • Entrance fees to attractions or sites not explicitly mentioned in the itinerary (including any minor or optional entrance tickets).

  • All alcoholic beverages and drinks, except those specifically included by certain restaurants, guesthouses, or provided during picnics.

  • All personal expenses incurred during free activity periods.

  • Any items not specifically listed as included, such as 2 lunches, 1 dinner, and other miscellaneous personal expenses.

Priced from: €4,288 euros / $4,949 USD per person
Single room supplement for the whole journey: EUR 246 / USD 284
Group tour with fewer than 10 people. Private tour available upon request.

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Begin Your Unique Journey Through China.

FAQ

  • There’s never a 100% guarantee when observing wildlife. Snow leopards are wild animals, and are used to traversing freely in the highland environment. However, we’ve selected multiple high-probability locations, scheduled multiple attempts, and coordinated with local villagers who scout in advance to maximise your chances of seeing a snow leopard.

  • Typically, the viewing distance ranges from 50 to 200 meters. In very lucky situations, a snow leopard may appear just 10 meters away by the roadside. In other cases, they may be seen on a distant ridge, about 500 meters away. We will prepare binoculars for every person, adapting to the diverse observation ranges. If observing over a longer duration, you may consider purchasing your own pair of binoculars. Recommended dimensions are 10×42, 8×32.

  • Use a camera model you are comfortable with. Bring extra batteries. Common lenses are 500mm or 600mm:

    • 500mm is heavier and suited for photographers.

    • If you’re an experienced photographer and want to capture high-quality wildlife photos, we recommend bringing a 600mm or 800mm lens.

  • Snow leopards are highly sensitive to heat. During colder months, they descend to lower elevations, making sightings more likely. In warmer seasons, they retreat to higher altitudes, which makes observation much more difficult. The highest probability of sightings occurs in late January and February, during their mating season. However, this also coincides with the harshest conditions—temperatures can drop below -30°C, and oxygen levels are significantly lower, which increases the risk of altitude sickness. As an alternative, we recommend November or as early as April, when the probability of sightings still ranges from 60–80%. For most travelers and wildlife photographers, we suggest October and November as the ideal months. The climate is more stable, snow leopards are active at more accessible altitudes, and conditions are generally more comfortable for travel and observation.

  • Hiking Made Easy Don’t worry if you’re new to hiking — our journey is designed to be comfortable and beginner-friendly. Each day’s walk is no more than 4 hours, along a mix of roads, trails, and gentle mountain paths. With just basic outdoor gear, you’ll be ready to go. And rest assured, our experienced guides are by your side the whole way, ensuring a safe and enjoyable adventure at high altitude.

  • The journey ranges from 3,700 to 4,500 meters above sea level. We will arrange two days in Yushu (3,700m) for acclimatization. If time allows, you may adapt at 2,500m (e.g. Xining) for 1–2 days before arriving. Our team is experienced in handling altitude sickness. Please inform your guide of any discomfort during the journey—safety is our top priority. In case of serious symptoms, we may adjust the route or cut short the trip.

    • Snow leopard – Best observed in January–February during mating season.

    • Marmot & Tibetan blue bear – Hibernate in winter, visible again in warmer months about May-September.

    • Bearded & Himalayan vultures – Widely distributed, easy to spot year-round.

    • Wolf – Harder to see in summer (often hidden in valleys), more visible in spring, autumn, and winter on grasslands or roadsides.

    • Blue sheep, White-lipped deer & Tibetan gazelle – High probability of sightings in every season.

  • In the Yushu area, it is strictly forbidden to use drones to film animals. However, using drones to capture the natural landscapes of the Sanjiangyuan region from the roadside is allowed.

  • Please bring shoes that are comfortable for walking outdoors and also waterproof. While staying at the camp, the catering will provide bedsheet and blankets. We recommend you to bring personal sleeping bags as well. We’re always happy to provide further advice and recommendations.

  • For safety and comfort considerations at high altitude, the recommended age range is 10 to 70 years old. Participants outside this range may still join, but a doctor’s certificate of good health and prior approval from the organizer are required.

  • Please check your country's visa requirements for travelling to China. If you are from a visa-exempt country, you will have a 15/30-day visa-free stay. Our trip lasts no more than 13 days, leaving plenty of time for departure. If you wish to stay longer than 15 days, please apply for a visa in advance.