14 Days Snow Leopard and Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Mammal Watching To

Brief Itinerary:

Day 1,  Arrive in Xining airport.

Day 2,  Xining to Dulan Reserve via Qinghai Lake

Day 3,  Dulan Reserve

Day 4,  Dulan Reserve

Day 5,  Dulan to Yushu (Long driving)

Day 6,  Sanjiangyuan Reserve

Day 7,  Sanjiangyuan Reserve

Day 8,  Sanjiangyuan Reserve

Day 9,  Sanjiangyuan to Qumalai

Day 10, Qumalai to Budongquan

Day 11, Kekexili Reserve

Day 12,  Kekexili to Golmud

Day 13,  Golmud to Xining

Day 14,  Departure from Xining

About Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau:

The Tibetan Plateau is surrounded by massive mountain ranges. The plateau is bordered to the south by the inner Himalayan range, to the north by the Kunlun Range which separates it from the Tarim Basin, and to the northeast by the Qilian Range which separates the plateau from the Hexi Corridor and Gobi Desert. To the east and southeast the plateau gives way to the forested gorge and ridge geography of the mountainous headwaters of the Salween, Mekong, and Yangtze rivers in western Sichuan (the Hengduan Mountains) and southwest Qinghai. In the west the curve of the rugged Karakoram range of northern Kashmir embraces it.

Buddhist stupa and houses outside the town of Aba, on the Tibetan Plateau.

The Tibetan Plateau is bounded on the north by a broad escarpment where the altitude drops from around 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in less than 150 kilometres (93 mi). Along the escarpment is a range of mountains. In the west the Kunlun Mountains separate the plateau from the Tarim Basin. About half way across the Tarim the bounding range becomes the Altyn-Tagh and the Kunluns, by convention, continue somewhat to the south. In the 'V' formed by this split is the western part of the Qaidam Basin. The Altyn-Tagh ends near the Dangjin pass on the Dunhuang-Golmud road. To the west are short ranges called the Danghe, Yema, Shule and Tulai Nanshans. The easternmost range is the Qilian Mountains. The line of mountains continues east of the plateau as the Qin Mountains which separate the Ordos Region from Sichuan. North of the mountains runs the Gansu or Hexi Corridor which was the main silk-road route from China proper to the west.

The plateau is a high-altitude arid steppe interspersed with mountain ranges and large brackish lakes. Annual precipitation ranges from 100 to 300 millimetres (3.9 to 11.8 in) and falls mainly as hailstorms. The southern and eastern edges of the steppe have grasslands which can sustainably support populations of nomadic herdsmen, although frost occurs for six months of the year. Permafrost occurs over extensive parts of the plateau. Proceeding to the north and northwest, the plateau becomes progressively higher, colder and drier, until reaching the remote Changthang region in the northwestern part of the plateau. Here the average altitude exceeds 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) and winter temperatures can drop to −40 °C (−40 °F). As a result of this extremely inhospitable environment, the Changthang region (together with the adjoining Kekexili region) is the least populous region in Asia, and the third least populous area in the world after Antarctica and northern Greenland.

Day by day itinerary

Day 1   

We’ll meet you at Xining Airport (2200M),

Overnight in Xining, comfortable hotel.

Day 2   

Morning leave for Qinghai lake, we’ll look for the Przewalski’s Gazelle and some of the birds around the Lake, then drive to Dulan Reserve(3500m)   (580km mostly highway, 7hrs)

Overnight in the town(3000m), comfortable hotel

Day 3   

Full day explore the reserve in Dulan, hope to see: Wolves, Blue Sheep, Pallas’s Cat, Lynx, Agarli, Tibetan Fox, Red Deer and even a chance of Snow Leopard(chance is low here),

Overnight in Dulan, Homestay

Day 4

Another full day in Dulan Reserve.

Overnight in Dulan, Homestay.

Day 5 

Long drive from Dulan to Yushu for overnight. (570km Highway 9 hrs)

Overnight in Yushu(3700m), comfortable hotel.

Day 6

Today we’ll drive to the Sanjiangyuan Reserve in the early morning, our most important target here will be the Snow Leopard, according to the statistics by the local NGO, the chance to SEE the snow leopard here are 80% in 4 days. To PHOTOGRAPH them in a close range, we do need some good luck.  Here in this valley, we’ll have local Tibetan Yak family as our host as well as our guide, they of course know every part of this valley and where are the hot spots to witness the snow leopard.  The accommodation can be extremely basic as we live in the yak herders family, and there’s no other option available nearby. But it is very meaningful to support the local community by tourism, meanwhile that’s also a sustainable way to protect the local wildlife.

The other mammals we may see here are:  White-lipped Deer, Wolf, Lynx, Blue Sheep, Musked Deer, Red Fox，Red Deer

 Day 7 to Day 8

Full day in the Snow Leopard valleys.

Overnight in the Tibetan host family rooms.  

Day 9,

After full morning exploration in Sanjiangyuan Reserve for the Snow Leopard, we’ll then head to Qumalai, we hope to see the Agarli and Pallas’s cat on the way.

Day 10,  

Today we’ll drive up to the higher elevation of Tibetan Plateau, Explore part of the KeKeXiLi Reserve along Mt.Kunlun, and Chumar River. We hope to see Wolves, wild Yak, Tibetan Antelopes, Tibetan Gazelles, Tibetan Brown Bear and Kiangs.  (360km  6hrs)

Overnight in Budongquan (4600m), Extremely poor guesthouse with public toilet,no shower.  

Day 11  

Full day Kekexili Reserve Exploration

Day 12  

Morning exploring in Kekexili, then head to Golmud for overnight (200km  3 hrs)

Overnight in Golmud(2800m),  comfortable hotel.

Day 13

Long drive from Golmud to Xining,  with some limited stop for the Goitred Gazelle and local birds (760km 8hrs)

Day 14

Departure from Xining airport