snow leopard trek in ladakh
snow leopard trek in ladakh
The Snow Leopards, unlike the other big cats like tigers, lions and common leopards, cannot roar. In India, snow leopards can be largely found in the high altitude cold, arid and rugged terrains of Union Territory of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Despite its large distributional range, the population of snow leopards across the world is dwindling, making it one of the most endangered cats in the world. The global population of snow leopard is estimated between 3500 and 7000 individuals. There are about 500 individuals in the higher reaches of Indian Himalaya.
Snow leopards are highly threatened in India due to poaching for its pelt and body parts, a decline in prey base (mostly Blue Sheep and Asiatic Ibex) due to increasing domestic livestock who tend to quickly deplete the high altitude pasture lands ; and retaliatory killings by village communities whose livestock, sometimes 50 at one time, are killed for food by these predators. More recent threats include Hydro – electric projects, Mining and Climate change.
The breeding pattern of the animal itself also makes it a highly vulnerable species, as a female snow leopard generally gives birth to only one or two cubs once in two years. So any change affecting their ecology makes it very difficult for these animals to improve their population base quickly. Known to be an Umbrella or Keystone species, the survival of these animals as the top predator hence becomes critical for the survival of other species in the ecosystem. It is endangered and in list of IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport Leh (Check Leh Weather Forcast)
2 Hours Before Flight Time
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On your arrival at Leh Airport you will be received by our representative from Golden Age Ladakh Tour and transferred to the Hotel. Check in to the hotel for a complete day of rest wherein welcome tea and coffee will be served by the Hotel. Lunch will be served at 2.00 PM, after lunch visit Leh Market, Leh Palace known as “Lachen Palkhar” which was built at the beginning of 17th century AD, you will also visit Shanti Stupa at Changspa, built by Japanese monk Bhikshu, Gyomyo Nakamura in 1991, located on the hilltop giving you the bird eye view of entire Leh town.
For the night you will stay in a Hotel.
After finishing your breakfast, you’ll be driven for a full day sightseeing of different destinations. The first stop will be Shey Palace, “Shel/Shey” literally translates to ‘looking glass’ and it got its name due to the reflection of the palace in the pond situated below the palace. Next you’ll be visiting the Thiksey monastery situated 17kms south of Leh, it is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Leh and you will also visit Hemis monastery since it is the largest monastery of Ladakh situated 45kms south of Leh. You will also visit Stok Palace museum and Sindhu Ghat. Expand your knowledge on Buddhism whilst visiting those monasteries and local livelihoods by interacting with a monk or local people. Packed or hot lunches will be provided. You will drive back to your hotel.
After breakfast drive to Zingchen and on the enroute one can see signs of snow leopard along the bottom of the side valleys if you are trekking during winter or early spring/fall. You will reach Rumbak by the evening. Spend your night at a cozy homestay at Rumbak, there you will get the opportunity to know more and get closer glimpses of their livestock herding practices and winter pastimes activities such as (spinning, weaving and turning a tale).
Proceed for a full day of tracking Snow Leopard and its wildlife prey. Hemis National Park is home to blue sheep, argali (a large horned sheep), numerous mountain and migratory birds, as well as an occasional Tibetan wolf. You are likely to see signs of Snow Leopard as winter is the time that they descend to lower elevations. If lucky, you’ll actually see one perched high in the rocks or balanced on a near vertical ridge. Return to camp for some hot servings of tea and share tales of the day. Overnight stay at the Camp / Homestay.
Bid your farewell to your hosts and hike down the valley past familiar Snow Leopard haunts and piles of carved Tibetan prayer stones to the road head at Zingchen; 5 hrs. Drive to Leh, and check into your hotel. Enjoy your last night at the hotel.
Early in the morning you’ll be dropped at the Bakula Rinpoche airport of Leh, from there you’ll catch your flight back to Delhi with Sweet Memories of Ladakh.
Your Exclusive Tour Ends
