Snow leopard trek

The Snow Leopard evokes all that is most wild, mysterious and elusive in nature.

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.

To go looking for the snow leopard would appear to be the most forlorn of quests and yet it is in the nature of such quests that the rewards lie as much in the journeying and the search as in the stated objective. The chances of actually seeing a snow leopard, especially in a relatively short period, are slim indeed.

The reclusive 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 diverse and rare assemblage of fauna includes the blue sheep or bharal, the staple of snow leopard diet, ibex, kiang or wild ass, long-tailed and Himalayan marmots, Tibetan hare, the pika or mouse hare, wolf, wild dog and fox. The skies are patrolled by golden eagle, bearded vultures, hobbys and kestrels while on sunny hill-slopes plump Tibetan and Himalayan snow cocks and chukor partridge feed warily.

Not only will you have the chance to meet the amazingly hardy mountain people with their gentle and cheerful nature but understand a little of the Buddhism that they practice by visiting some of their great monasteries and picturesque villages.

Highlights include:

This trek is a journey with the objective of searching for the snow leopard therefore the itinerary remains flexible according to the cats movements.

A specialist snow leopard expert and skilled local trackers accompany you.

By joining you help fund the Snow Leopard conservancy who have been crucial in delineating the area for conservation.

You won’t want to do a conventional trek again!

Field Expertise: Rinchen Wangchuk serves as India Field Program Director, based in Leh, Ladakh. He oversees Snow Leopard Conservancy projects in local livestock herding communities, and provides necessary input for developing the ongoing program. His commitment to working for the welfare of both the wildlife and the rural people of Ladakh has grown out of his own Ladakhi village upbringing, and from his experiences as a skilled mountaineer. With fellow Indian climbers, he summited the 24,660 foot Saser Kangri II, in Ladakh’s Nubra region. He received special training in community-based tourism from The Mountain Institute (Nepal) and RECROFT (Thailand). Rinchen has also assisted researchers in developing the Earth Watch program, 'Land of the Snow Leopard'. He has served as a naturalist and assistant on several documentaries filmed in Hemis National Park including the recent BBC Wildlife on One programme. Most recently he has made a ground breaking discovery with fellow researchers in spotting a new species, the Tibetan Sand Fox, a smaller carnivore than the red fox of Ladakh, previously never seen in the Indian trans-himalaya.

Price includes return scheduled international flights, all meals excluding lunch and dinner in Delhi, all domestic flights, transportation, all accommodation and tentage, arrangements as per the itinerary, a US $250 contribution to Snow Leopard Conservancy of India, expert tour leader, local guides, porterage and services. The expertise of Rinchen Wangchuk or one of the other snow leopard researchers who heads up the Snow Leopard Conservancy in Ladakh, is guaranteed.