Pioneering Snow Leopard Safari
Track the Snow Leopards of Ladakh with World Big Cat Safaris and the Snow Leopard Trust, from £2,875 per person sharing
A once in a lifetime chance to join the experts in finding the elusive snow leopards of Ladakh; February 2012
This small group safari joins a member of the The Snow Leopard Trust and our local guides in searching for the snow leopards of the beautiful Ladakh region. Every attempt will be made to track this elusive predator but time will also be spent meeting the local people as we stay in village homes, taste some of the local cuisine, and admire the local cultures, traditions and religions. We also visit the mountainous monasteries and crumbling palaces of Ladakh.
Other wildlife that we hope to see includes, Golden Eagles, Argali, Blue Sheep and Red Fox.
A fantastic educational safari that supports the local communities of Ladakh and critically endangered snow leopards through The Snow Leopard Trust.
Please note that this itinerary spends longer in the field than most other operators in order that you can truly maximise your chances of spotting the elusive snow leopard in the wild.
Our Pioneering trip spotted 3 individual snow leopards in the wild! Join Us Now on this Specialist Adventure…Sightings are not guaranteed and if this elusive leopard is sighted it is often at a distance where a spotting scope is required.
15 Feb
Met upon arrival into Delhi and transfer to your accommodation for a chance to relax after your flight and prior to the adventures of the next couple of weeks. A
chance this evening to meet with your wildlife guide and have a short briefing of what to expect during your adventure.
Overnight: Home stay Guest House – simple but comfortable accommodation
16 Feb
An early start to catch the 0630hrs Jet Airways flight north to Leh. You have the day at leisure to acclimatise and this evening you meet your team of guides, porters and specialists who will be accompanying you for the next couple of weeks. You will also have a short talk on the local beliefs, religions and traditions of the people of this region so you can understand better the daily routines of this society.
Overnight: Grand Dragon-comfortable ensuite rooms with views of the surrounding region (B,L,D)
17 Feb
A relaxing morning prior to exploring Shey, Thikse and Hemis monasteries and also Stok Palace.
You will first visit Shey Palace and Monastery. The palace and adjacent fort are in ruins but the monastery is in use to this day. Inside is a 39-foot statue made of gilded copper of the Sakyamuni Buddha. Thikse Gompa is an impressive imitation of Lhasa’s Potala Palace – dramatically perched on a slope overlooking the Indus Valley. Within one of the newly built structures lies a three-story statue of the Maitreya Buddha, one of the most beautiful pieces of religious art in Ladakh. Founded in the 1630s by Stags-Tsang-Ras-Pa under the royal patronage of the great ruler of Ladakh, Sengge Namgyal, Hemis is the largest and richest Monastery in Ladakh. In the evening you can explore at your leisure the Leh markets and visit the Lamayuru monastery
Overnight: The Grand Dragon, Deluxe - Altitude: 3500 meters (B,L,D)
18 Feb
Drive from Leh to Zingchen (approx 2 hours drive) and then trek to Husing (approx 2 hour 30 minutes) where your camp will be setup. Husing is at the intersection of three prominent valleys well known for sightings of Snow Leopard and known globally as “the Snow Leopard World Capital”. We make Husing campsite our base camp as we venture out for the next 5 days towards the many bye-valleys that dissipate out of the Husing pastureland.
Overnight: Tented Camp - Altitude: 3500 - 3800 meters (B,L,D)
19 Feb
Today your local expert will take you on an early morning excursi
on to the trails frequented by the ever elusive Snow leopard. Throughout the day you will learn how to interpret the movements of the leopard through local art and techniques of smelling of rock spray (smell of urine of the leopard), reading of pug marks, scrape (digging of ground by the animal), scat (stool) and rock-face rubbing of the snow leopard. Your trip leader and expert will also share local traditional knowledge on how to identify the hunt patterns and kill spots of the snow leopard.
Overnight: Tented Camp – Altitude: 3800-4000 metres (B,L,D)
20 Feb
We will continue or search and identify “hot spots” (machans) and vantage points through mapping and tracking; we also work closely with the local villagers so that they can alert and relay instant information of any signs and actual sightings of any snow leopards in the nearby vicinity.
Overnight: Tented Camp – Altitude: 3800-4000 metres (B,L,D)
21, 22 Feb
For these two days we work our way along the snow leopard mapping grid and keep our ears and eyes open; we operate within the nearby 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 explore in order to check out the various trails and haunts of the elusive snow leopard.
Overnight: Tented Camp – Altitude: 3800-4000 metres (B,L,D)
23 Feb
Today we break camp and shift towards the upper Rumbak Valley towards a place locally known as “Rumbak Doh” where we stay in local village houses and continue our search for the elusive Cat (approx 1 hour trek). Home-stays offer you a unique opportunity to stay with and share the culture of the Ladakhi people in remote villages during the night and explore the rugged habitat of the endangered snow leopard during the day. By staying with the local people of Ladakh
you help generate an income for the villagers through tourism and also in promoting the benefits of “snow leopard tourism”. Rumbak Doh also offers excellent vistas into the higher ridges where the snow leopards hunt, so we can maximise our chances of spotting snow leopards at every opportunity.
Overnight: Village Houses – basic but clean and comfortable accommodation with dry composting toilets. Solar light or candlelight makes for an atmospheric stay! - Altitude: 4000-4200 metres (B,L,D)
24 Feb
Today we make our way up towards the higher grounds of Husing Ridge. Panoramic views of the Phyang village and that of Stok Kangri. This location also offers the possibility of seeing other wildlife such as baral (blue sheep), red fox, lammergeyer, golden eagle, yellow beaked chough and the Tibetan magpie. This evening we return to the Village for a rest and to reminisce on the day’s activities.
Overnight: Village Houses - Altitude: 4000-4200 metres (B,L,D)
25, 26 Feb
Our last couple of days are spent following the faint village trail towards the base of Ganda La, where we come across the quaint village of Yurutse (a single housed village). This valley offers great chances to come across the globally threatened Tibetan argali, a small population of which colonized this part in the 1970’s. Argali is a magnificent wild sheep and the males grow enormous horns. Late in the afternoon we return back to base camp established at Rumbak Doh.
Overnight: Village Houses - Altitude: 4000-4200 metres (B,L,D)
27 Feb
This morning we trek back from Rumbak Doh to Zinchen (Approx 3 hour 30 minutes) where you board our vehicles to be driven back to Leh (approx 2 hours
drive). The rest of the day is at your disposal to relax and enjoy your surroundings. This evening we can also enjoy a cultural show and relax back at the hotel.
Overnight: The Grand Dragon – Deluxe - Altitude: 3800 mts-3600mtrs -3500 meters (B,L,D)
28 Feb
Early this morning you will be collected from your hotel and taken to the airport to board your return flight to Delhi (9W-610; departing Leh at 0825; arriving Delhi at 0940 hours). The flight provides spectacular views of the Zanskar Range to the west, including the two peaks of Nun and Kun, while to the north you easily spot K2, the second highest peak on Earth. Towards the east is the spectacular Chang Thang plateau whose landscape is dominated by vast turquoise lakes and rolling mountains. Upon arrival in Delhi, you are met at the airport and transferred to your Guest House where you have a chance to relax and reminisce over the adventures of the last couple of weeks.
Overnight: Home-stay Guest House (B)
29 Feb
This morning you depart your guest house and transfer to the airport in time for your international flight back home (B)
