9 - to -15 Days
Snow Leopard Trail, Hemis National Park
Track a snow leopard trail in Hemis National Park, the 'Snow Leopard capital of the world'. Spotting the grey ghost in its own realm is a priceless moment for any wildlife enthusiast. You can track a snow leopard throughout the year in the deserted mountains of Ladakh, but the winter offers more sighting in the lesser altitude. Experience the life at the farthest villages of trans himalaya during one of the hardest winters of the world and wait for the call of the wild. Check the calendar to add a winter festival in your rest days.
Day 01: Arrival Day. Today is the rest and acclimatization day. One needs to get used to in the thin air and sub-zero temperature of high Himalaya. Later half of noon we will pay a visit to Leh Palace and Shanti Stupa. Day 02: Acclimatization Day Today will be another acclimatization day. We will spend the 1st half of the day on birdwatching nearby Indus river. In case your itinerary match a date with the festival, we can enjoy photographing the colorful culture of Buddhist Ladakh.
Event Itinerary
Max Altitude:4000 m
Tracking Snow Leopard & other wildlife – 06 to 12 days:
Based on time available in your itinerary we will move to one or 2 destinations inside Hemis National Park for tracking snow leopard. The destinations are majorly villages inside the national park, within a distance of 60-80 km from Leh. Stok, Husing; Rumbak Valley; Ulley; Likir; Yangthang; Hemis Shukpachan and Phyang are the hot spots. We will stay in village homestay or will set up camp based on the availability of accommodation and team size. 6-12 days are good time work on the spot. On daily bases, multiple spotter /guide will help you to spot wildlife using telescopes.
Departure Day:
Say goodbye to Leh. Start for your next destination.
Area and Topography: Hemis National Park (or Hemis High Altitude National Park) is a high altitude national park in the eastern Ladakh region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. World famous for being the best place to see the snow leopard in the wild, it is believed to have the highest density of snow leopards of any protected area in the world.The park is bounded on the north by the banks of the Indus River, and includes the catchments of Markha, Sang Sumdah and Rumbak, and parts of the Zanskar Range.The park lies within the Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe ecoregion, and contains pine forests, alpine shrublands and meadows, and alpine tundra.The park was founded in 1981 by protecting the Rumbak and Markha catchments, an area of about 600 km2 (230 sq mi). It grew in 1990 to 4,400 km2 (1,700 sq mi) and is the largest national park in South Asia. Fauna: Flora:
Hemis National Park
The park is home to a viable breeding population of about 200 snow leopards, especially in the Rumbak catchment area. The prey base for the apex predator in the Central Asian Highlands is primarily supported in Hemis by Argali (Great Tibetan Sheep), Bharal (Blue Sheep), Shapu (Ladakhi Urial), and livestock. A small population of the Asiatic Ibex, is also present in Hemis. Hemis is the only refuge in India containing the Urial or Shapu.
The Pallas’ cat, Tibetan wolf, the Eurasian brown bear (endangered in India), and the red fox are also present in Hemis.Small mammals include the Himalayan marmot, mountain weasel, and the Himalayan Hare.
The park is a good place to study Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan birds of prey. Among birds of prey noted here are the golden eagle, the lammergeier or bearded vulture, and Himalayan griffon vulture.
The Rumbak Valley offers good opportunities for birdwatching, including several Tibetan species not common in other parts of India. Birds present here include brown accentor, robin accentor, Tickell’s leaf warbler, streaked rosefinch, black-winged Snowfinch, chukar, Blyth’s swift, red-billed chough, Himalayan snowcock, and the Fire-fronted serin.
16 mammal species and 73 bird species have been recorded in the park so far.
This region is in the rain shadow of the Himalayas and does not receive much precipitation. Hence, dry forests of juniper, Populus – Salix forests, subalpine dry birch – fir are present at lower altitudes. You will find alpine and steppe trees predominantly at Hemis High National Park. These trees and shrubs are spread across the valley bottoms. Since the upper mountain slopes are moist, this area is characterized by alpine vegetation including: Anemone, Gentiana, Thallctrwn, Lloydia, Veronica, Delphinum, Care.x and Kobresia. The other parts of the park support steppe vegetation which is dominated by Caragana, Artemisia, Stachys, and Ephedra, present along the lower river courses. A study conducted by CP Kala reports 15 rare and endangered medicinal plants growing in the Hemis National Park, which include Acantholimon lycopodiodes, Arnebia euchroma, Artimisia maritima, Bergenia stracheyi, Ephedra gerardiana, Ferula jaeschkeana, and Hyoscyamus niger.
Weather
The climate is extreme and shows high fluctuations both on a daily and seasonal basis. Precipitation is quite low, averaging at 160.5 mm. In winter, temperatures are close to freezing point during the day. The Zanskar River and its tributaries are frozen and temperatures drop to as low as -150C to -200C at night. Since the winters are very harsh, so it’s best to plan a trip during the summer. April to June and September to December are the best seasons for bird-watching. For animal viewing, September to June is suitable. Check below , the weather now at Leh.
Gallery
Flights are there from Delhi,Simla and Srinagar To Kushok Bakula Rimpoche Airport in Leh. Flight tickets can be cheap if booked well in advance. Road at this time of the year is closed till Leh. Flight is the only option to reach Leh from the nearest Airports. Delhi is the nearest Railway Station if you are planning to catch a flight from Dehli. Otherway Jammu, Katra, (KEA), Jammu Tawi ( JAT) are the available options from Srinagar side if your flight is from Jammu or Srinagar to Leh.
How To Reach Leh
Flight
Road
Train
Terms & Conditions
Fees Include:
- Stay at Leh on 2-3 sharing basis in Guest House or Home stay.
- Stay at the campsite on 2-3 sharing basis in tent or local homestay.
- Breakfast and Dinner at the campsite and packed lunch during activities. Veg/Non-Veg as per preference.
- Wildlife and Forest Fees based on your Nationality
- Off-Loading of backpack up to 10kg
- Sleeping bag, sleeping mat, telescope. All gears with pro-quality standards.
- All Transportation by SUV including Pickup and drop on arrival and departure of Leh.
- Back up oxygen cylinder to support emergency health hazards due to thin air.
Exclusions:
- Food at Leh.
- Any other personal equipment or gear.
- Any charges for a camera, if included.
- Any insurance.
- Anything is not mentioned into above inclusions.
Cancellation:
- Cancellation prior to 30 days from the start of the event– full refund.
- Cancellation between 30 days and 15 days to the start of the event– 50% refund.
- Cancellation less than 15 days to the start of the event– No refund, but if you want to do the same or any other itinerary sometime later within a year, you can avail 50% of the cost paid as a discount on new Itinerary Fee.
- There will be a deduction of 3.09% as bank processing charges on all refunds.
- To cancel the registration, an email intimation needs to be sent to explore@rockyfeet.com
What to Pack
Fitness
Safety & Medical
Responsible Traveller
Giving Back
Thermal screening shall be done for all passengers. Negative RT-PCR report on arrival (not earlier than 96 hours prior to arrival) is required for all passengers arriving into Leh. RT-PCR timeline starts from the swab collection time. Quarantine: If passengers are not carrying negative RT-PCR report, then mandatory 7 days of home quarantine. COVID test may be conducted at the end of quarantine period. Passengers may have to be tested for COVID & if tested positive, passengers will be transferred to COVID facility for further processing. If test report is negative then the passengers shall be released from mandatory quarantine. Exception: Personal of Defense & Central Armed Police are exempted from above provisions. Passenger Obligation: All passengers must download Aarogya Setu App COVID negative report (not earlier than 72 hours of arrival) are MANDATORY for entry into Ladakh.FAQ
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