Beyond Wild :: Travel and Resorts

Overview

Going to Ladakh for the snow leopard expedition involves flying to Leh, acclimatizing for a couple of days and then driving the breathtakingly beautiful road to the Hemis National Park. The Hemis NP is this humongous smorgasbord of gargantuan peaks, deep valleys, vast ravines carved by millennia of glacial melt-off, sparkling streams and icy glaciers! It is an idyll, magnificent and immense. As we enter this fabled land, the scenes are dramatic. As we walk through the gorges carpeted by frozen rivers, through mighty mountains and into the heart of the snow Leopard's kingdom, we are in the real wild.

One of the best places to see a wild snow leopard, the Hemis NP has a few local Ladakhi spotters who follow the trail of these most elusive of cats and track them. These locals are as good a climber that you would ever come across. They are India's answer to the Nepali Sherpa. Off they bound over steep ravines and jagged cliffs for that wishful better view in their eternal quest to find the Phantom of the mountains. And, over the last few years, we have developed a wonderful team comprising of these local spotters, trackers and trekkers!

We pitch camp in the heart of the mountains and undertake daily treks in search of the Snow Leopard! Along the hikes and daily excursions, a great variety of high altitude Himalayan fauna would keep us enthralled as the Bharal, Red Fox, Tibetan Wolf, Golden Eagle, Lammergeier are some of the 'star' attractions here!

The snow leopards are difficult to find, for where they live is almost impossible to access and their camouflage is almost perfect! Yet, Nature always leaves behind signs! We make use of these, our past experience and great spotting scopes to find these big cats! On mountain ridges and in warm crannies is where we look, for that is where they are!

We might also visit Ulley, depending on the snow leopard's movements, for there is superb activity of a female with two cubs that side!

Over the course of these twelve days, we shall be experiencing extremely tough conditions, physically as well as mentally but in return complete one of the most fabled and cherished wildlife expeditions on the planet! This is an experience that will make you richer and happier, and a story that you can narrate to your starstruck grandchildren!

Important: Being a demanding expedition, both physically and mentally, basic physical fitness and a full body checkup before the expedition is essential.

(Fun fact: We have sighted at least 1 snow leopard on all 21 of our previous Snow Leopard expeditions, making the success rate 100%!)

Day 1

Departure from Delhi and arrival at Leh.

We spend the entire day acclimatizing to the high altitude of Leh and the sub zero trans Himalayan temperatures.

Day 2

Drive to Zingchen and set camp up in the mountains of the Hemis NP.

We drive the gorgeous 1-hour route cutting through the Ladakhi mountains, overlooking the mighty Indus and enveloped by glaciers and the Ladakhi dream! We hike up to Rumbak and pitch camp at a location from where we think the sightings would be the best!

Overnight at the camp.

Day 3 To 7

Spend five days tracking the Snow Leopard and other high altitude fauna.

Camped up in Zingchen, we set off on our quest at the break of dawn. Early morning and late evening hikes are optimum for spotting the elusive creature, for this is when they move and tracking them is possible. Our trained guides and spotters, equipped with state of the art scopes, shall leave no stone (literally) unturned in their endeavor to spot the snow leopard! We will make use of the scat marks, mating calls, bharal movement patterns and the knowledge of the past few days' sightings to maximize our chances (our trackers are always on relay with other trackers by walkies, for in those never ending mountains, communication is of paramount importance)! We shall put our best foot forward= while you support us, for here, in these mighty mountains, team work makes the dream work! Hot meals, a generator on camp, a dry compost toilet and our legendary service and camp hospitality shall slightly elevate the stresses of the high altitude and the intense cold!

Overnight at the camp

Here's how a typical day goes by:

a. Leave early morning (at daybreak) in search of the Snow Leopard. We make use of known scanning sites, pug marks, scat remains as also the tell-tale signs of the blue sheep and other prey of the Snow Leopard.

b. We come back for breakfast and some rest. In the meantime our spotters would be busy spotting the leopard (in case of any sighting in the morning, we stay put at the location while our camp helpers get us hot lunch).

c. After lunch, we resume our tracking once again. The locals’ knowledge, the Snow Leopard’s usual tracks and a lot of other things would come handy.

d. Return to the campsite/homestay around dusk and relive the day’s moments around a heater sipping local Ladakhi soup.

e. Sleep.

Day 8 & 9

We drive to Ulley and Saspoche to track the Snow Leopards there

We drive to Ulley, a village 2 hours from Hemis and track a female with 2 cubs which has been very active off late! Here in Ulley, as we track the cats and ibexes, a wonderful and cozy homestay (with local heaters!) will make us feel at home

Day 10

After a morning session, drive to Leh

Today would be our last day of tracking the snow leopard. Post lunch, we drive back to Leh, concluding our Snow Leopard quest.

Day 11

Departure from Leh and arrival at Delhi

Journey ends.

Highlights

This is the world’s most elusive big cat and also the most cherished. You need a thoroughly professional outfit which is well experienced regarding the terrain and the difficulties of the expedition

We have been lucky to spot/photograph at least 1 snow leopard on all of our previous 16 quests from 2012-2019.

We employ some of the best snow leopard trackers in the world which greatly increases the chances of a successful quest

We understand the importance of a spotting scope and thus we use the 60X Swarovski/Leica scope which is the best in the world.

Our camp team is extremely experienced and thus you will get brilliant food on the expedition. Also, the porters and the other staff would be of great help to you.

We will ensure that you get good images (if a sighting happens) while maintaining safety standards

Oxygen cylinder and other basic First-Aid on camp.

We love what we do and the passion and the energy would be contagious!

Costs

5% GST extra.

Please note:

1. Above costs are for Indian nationals. There would be a 5% hike for non Indian nationals (due to differential pricing from the Forest Department).

Inclusions

Airport assistance in Leh - pick up and drop.
Accommodation for 2 nights in double sharing rooms in Leh at a centrally heated hotel.
All meals ex-Leh (daily morning tea, breakfast, lunch, evening tea and dinner) for the entire duration of our stay.
8 Nights of camping in alpine-grade tents (single-member tents) or at deluxe homestays (locally heated).
Local transfers in Ladakh by Innova.
Expert guide, cooks, helpers and ponies for luggage transport.
Kitchen tent, dining tent, warm HOLOFIL-POLOFIL sleeping bags, kitchen paraphernalia and all other camping equipment.
Services of one of the best ‘Snow Leopard tracker’ in the world.
Hemis National Park and Ulley village entrance fees for all days.
1 Swarovski spotting scope and 1 binocular for the entire group.
Porters for all camping days to carry tripods, camera bags, etc.
Camera fees.
A Beyond Wild wildlife tour mentor cum expedition expert on tour.

Exclusions

Any airfare.
Personal expenses like Medical bills, laundry, telephone, any beverages, insurance tips, etc.
Expenses that are incurred due to reasons beyond the control of organizers such as route change, airline change, flight cancellation, landslides, etc.
Anything not mentioned in the 'Inclusions' section.

Travel to and fro Leh:

While the travel upto Leh on Day 1 and travel back from Leh on Day 11 is extra, we can assist you to book the flights or book it for you. Please contact our head office at info@beyondwild.in for further details regarding the arrangements and we shall be more than happy to help you.

Booking Procedure

50% of the tour cost.

Balance can be paid upto a month before departure.

Cancellation - Refund (On Tour Cost)

If cancellation is communicated 10 days (or less) before departure OR No Show - No Refund.
If cancellation is communicated 20 to 11 days before departure - 20% of tour cost refunded.
If cancellation is communicated 30 to 21 days before departure - 40% of tour cost refunded.
If cancellation is communicated 30 to 59 days before departure - 60% of tour cost refunded.
If cancellation is communicated 60 days (or more) before departure - 80% of tour cost refunded.
If cancellation is communicated 120 days (or more) before departure - Full Refund.