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TRACKING THE ELUSIVE SNOW LEOPARD

 

Trip duration : 9 Days

  Best period: last week of June to end of July 
Trip Cost

• On Request

 

About Trip

SNOW LEOPARD, the very name evokes all that is most wild, mysterious and elusive in nature - for this is an animal that comes cloaked not just in the subtle beauty of its own coat but also in all the high drama of the harsh and magnificent environment that it dominates.

The chances of actually seeing a snow leopard, especially in a relatively short period, are slim indeed. The reclusive and shy nature of the animal, the inhuman scale and vertical topography of the habitat, the relative sparseness of snow leopards on the ground all combine to frustrate the seeker. But the snow leopard does not occupy this environment alone, it sits at the apex of a rich and diverse pyramid and in searching for this master predator you will be exploring its environment and all that live in it in some detail.

The snow leopard feeds mostly on blue sheep or Bharal, Ibex, Marmots, Tibetan hare, the Pika or mouse hare, wolf, wild dog and fox.

We take you on the trail of tracking the elusive Snow Leopard in the Rumbak area of the Hemis National high altitude park considered to be the “World capital of Snow Leopard” where according to the latest census only 9 of these rare and endangered animals are alive.

Please note that the best time to spot the Snow Leopard is in the winter months of December to February as during this time it comes down to the lower reaches in search of food and is also the mating season of the animal.
 

Hotel Envisaged

(We will arrange the accommodation that best suits your budget)

TRACKING THE ELUSIVE SNOW LEOPARD

Guidelines to remember:

  • Warm and weather proof clothing.
  • Camping, equipment and clothing not to be bright and loud color.
  • Perfumes, deodorants, after shave lotions etc should be avoided.
  • Carry good spotting scopes and binoculars and some reading material.
  • Follow the instructions of the guide and experts to maximize spotting percentage

TRACKING THE ELUSIVE SNOW LEOPARD

Day 01 :
 Arrival and transfer to the Hotel.
Basic orientation to socio-political, economical and religious perspective of Ladakh.Introduction with local guide and camping crew.O/N in Hotel or village House

Day 02 :
Morning at Leisure.Monastic tour of Shey,Thikey and Hemis.
O/N in Hotel.

Day 03 :

Drive from Leh (3,500 mtrs) to Zingchen (3,600 mtrs) to Housing(3,800 mtrs): Drive time from Leh to Zingchen is approx. 2 hrs.Trek time from Zingchen to Housing is approx 2.1/2 hrs.O/N in tented camps

Husing is the epicenter of three prominent valleys well known for sighting of Snow Leopard also known globally as “the world capital of Snow Leopard.” We make Husing campsite as our base camp as we venture out for the next 5 days towards the many bye-valleys that vein out of the Housing pastureland. O/N in tented camp.

Day 04 :

Today the local expert will take you on a early morning excursion to the trails frequented by the ever elusive Snow leopard and will teach you how to interpret through local art and techniques of smelling of rock sand (smell of urine of the leopard), reading of pug mark, scrape (digging of ground by the animal), scate (stool) and rock-face rubbing of the snow leopard.

The expert will also share local traditional knowledge on how to identify the hunt patterns and kill spots of the snow leopard.O/N in tented camps

Some prime examples are as below:
(a) Alert calls of deer, blue sheep or barals.
(b) Hovering of the golden eagle over kill spots.
(c) Excited screaming of magpies indicating kills.
(d) Nervous movement of the red fox in the nearby vicinity of the kill.

Day 05 :
Identify “hot spots” (machans) vantage points through mapping and tracking; also, techniques in gaining confidence of the villagers so that they can alert and relay instant information of any signs and actual sightings of the snow leopard. O/N in tented camps

Day 06 : 

We go along the snow leopard mapping grid and keeping our ears and eyes open; we operate within the nearby valleys in the nearby bye-valleys of the main valley of Ranjon behind Husing and Rumbak.

The other 2 prominent valleys where snow leopard sightings are frequent are that of Tarbung and Kharlung where we will also make day excursions to check out their habitats and trails.

O/N in tented camps

Day 07 :

We break camp and shift towards the upper Rumbak Valley towards a campsite locally known as “Rumbak Doh.”

Runbak Doh offers excellent vistas into the higher ridges where the snow leopards hunt so we can avail of a better sighting percentage.

O/N in tented camps

Day 08 :
Walk from Rumbak Doh to Zinchen where the vehicles are waiting to take you back to Leh city. O/N in Hotel in Leh

Day 09 :
Early morning transfer to airport to proceed on your onward journey.

Tour Ends

NOTE: Please bear in mind that this is a tentative itinerary for we will certainly be changing the set date activities as per the findings and daily information updates of the movement of the snow leopard in the local area.

TRACKING THE ELUSIVE SNOW LEOPARD