MOUNTAIN GHOSTS: PROTECTING SNOW LEOPARDS AND OTHER ANIMALS OF THE TIEN SHAN MOUNTAINS OF KYRGYZSTAN
SNOW LEOPARD VOLUNTEERING KYRGYZSTAN

Expedition in cooperation withNABU

 

EXPEDITION SUMMARY

This snow leopard conservation volunteer expedition to the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan will take you to remote, spectacular and beautiful mountains to survey snow leopards, as well as their prey animals such as the argali mountain sheep, the Central Asian ibex, marmots and others. You will be working as part of a small international team from a mobile tented base camp set at various locations and altitudes of around 2000 m (where altitude sickness is not an issue). You will be covering ground in the expedition vehicles and on foot, looking for tracks, kills, scats and the animals themselves, and setting camera traps. True expedition-style base camp conditions, testing but satisfying mountain surveying, off-road driving and the breathtaking high mountains make this a challenging, but very rewarding expedition. Join us on this Kyrgyzstan snow leopard volunteer project!

“After 40 years experience in the mountains and 20 years of nature conservation volunteering, we have just had two perfect weeks of merging these two and enriching our lives. We have seen breathtaking landscapes, learnt a lot and met like-minded people. Biosphere Expeditions is an extraordinary organisation and our days in the Tien Shan will stay with us forever.”  more testimonials

Expedition contribution
€2990 (ca. £2506 | US$3379 | AU$5253)

The above excludes flights and is per dates as shown. A €300 deposit is required and the balance is due four weeks before the expedition starts. Base currency is Euro. Other currencies as per ECB FX reference rates.

More about this contribution and where the money goes is in the FAQ section.
Dates
7 - 19 Jul 2025 | 21 Jul - 2 Aug 2025 | 4 - 16 Aug 2025 (13 days)

You can join for multiple slots as shown and there are no other dates available apart from the above. Participants have to organise their own travel to the in-country assembly point (see "Key Details" below for where this is).

More details on all this can be found in the expedition briefing.
Availability
Status: Amber

Expeditions of status amber have few spaces avaiable (or are currently in the field). To join them you need to decide soon.

7 - 19 July 2025 (3 places left)
21 July - 2 August 2025 (no places left)
4 - 16 August 2025 (1 place left)

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Expedition Photos

Tien Shan Key Details

Terrain
Open steppe and high mountains.

Weather expected during expedition
High mountain summer weather usually means hot sunshine during the day, but it can turn cold at any time of the year, including brief snow showers.

Expedition base for Tien Shan volunteers
Tent camp of yurts, dome, mess and kitchen, as well as shower and toilet tents. Each citizen scientist has their own dome tent to sleep in (and there are also two- person tents for couples).

Team size
Up to 12 team members + 1 local scientist + 1 expedition leader. What kind of people will be on this snow leopard conservation volunteer team?

Skills & prerequisites required for this Kyrgyzstan volunteering expedition
None. You don't need to be a scientist or have any special qualifications - everyone can take part and there are no age limits whatsoever.

Team assembly point
Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Full details on how to get to the snow leopard volunteer assembly point are in the expedition briefing

Fitness level required to be a snow leopard conservation volunteer
Ability to walk about 5-15 km per day in high mountain terrain and up to 3800 m altitude. Those who feel able to, can also take part in overnight surveys in remoter locations. Those of lower fitness level can monitor wildlife near base camp or do vehicle-based work. Please note that medical evidence shows that altitude sickness is not usually a problem at altitudes below 3500 m.

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