Snow Leopards & Brown Bears
This experience takes you to the north Indian state of Ladakh. Ladakh was once part of Jammu & Kashmir and is home to exceptional wildlife. This diversity is a result of the unique landscape and the weather conditions in the region. The fauna of Ladakh has much in common with that of Central Asia in general and that of the Tibetan Plateau in particular.
Exceptions to this are the birds, many of which migrate from the warmer parts of India to spend the summer in Ladakh. For such an arid area, Ladakh has a great diversity of birds — a total of 225 species have been recorded. Many species of finches, robins, redstarts, and hoopoe are common in summer. The brown-headed gull is seen in summer on the river Indus and on some lakes of the Changthang. Resident waterbirds include the Brahminy duck and the bar-headed goose. The black-necked crane, a rare species found scattered in the Tibetan plateau, is also found in parts of Ladakh. Other birds include the raven, Eurasian magpie, red-billed chough, Tibetan snowcock, and chukar. The lammergeyer and the golden eagle are common raptors here. However, the focus of this expedition will be to seek out Brown Bears and Snow Leopards.
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Suggested Sample Itinerary
Day 1
Day 2 & 3
Day 4
Day 5,6 & 7
Day 8
Day 9, 10, 11 & 12
Day 13
Arrive in Delhi. You will be received by our team at the airport and shall be transferred to your hotel. Based on your time of arrival a short city sightseeing can be organized based on your area of interest.
Overnight will be in Delhi.
This morning you fly to Leh. The flight is short and in 1 hr. you should arrive in Leh. Leh is situated at an altitude of about 11500 ft. above sea level. The region is a high-altitude desert and there is little oxygen in the air. This is why you will need to acclimatize for these two days in Leh. On day 3 we can organize an interaction with snow leopard conservancy and you can learn about the terrain, people and their lifestyle, and challenges and conflicts that are part of
Overnight will be in Leh.
On this day you travel far west from Leh to Dras. The journey will be covered by road and it should take about 6hr. The landscape and scenery on the way is spellbinding and we are sure that you will want to make multiple stops to photograph. The evening is at leisure.
Overnight will be in Dras.
These three days are dedicated to searching for the Brown Bears. The Himalayan Brown Bear is similar to the other brown bears found across the world and is found at altitudes of 11000 ft. or higher. They go into hibernation around mid-November and would come out of hibernation towards the last week of March. These periods are best if you would like to seek out the snow leopard as well as the brown bear.
Overnight will be in Dras.
Much of this day is spent travelling from Dras to Ulley. The valleys surrounding Ulley are a hotspot for wildlife - largely because the region has a very small population of people thus there is no disturbance. You should arrive at Snow Leopard Lodge by late afternoon.
Overnight will be in Ulley.
These four days are spent searching the valley for wildlife. Besides the snow leopard, one can find Tibetan wolves, red fox, ibex, bharal (blue sheep), woolly hare, golden eagle and the lammergeier. On the 12th day, you shall drive back to Leh in the afternoon. Overnight on this day will be in Leh.
Overnight will be in Ulley.
This morning you will catch a morning flight back to Delhi. The remainder of the day in Delhi is at leisure. City sightseeing can be organized should you be keen. Later in the evening transfer to the airport and connect on to your international flight back home.
End Of The Tour