HEMIS NATIONAL PARK
(Elevation 10,000ft - 20,000ft)
Hemis High Altitude National Park, in the eastern Ladakh area of the state of Jammu & Kashmir in India, is known to be one of the best places to see the magnificent but very elusive Snow Leopard. Over a period of seven days we were extremely fortunate to have a number of sightings, including a mating pair. It was only possible to take photographs from quite a distance and in some cases only after a difficult and precarious ascent to the viewing spot. The fact that they were so well camouflaged against the rocky terrain made the task all the more difficult.
Spectacular views of the snow-capped Himalayas looking towards Hemis where we spent a week looking for Snow Leopards. Stok Kangri (20,182ft) is in the centre of the picture.
The Mahey Retreat Hotel in Leh where we spent our first week acclimatising to the high altitude before our Snow Leopard trip.
Gurmet, our guide and ace spotter for the Snow Leopard tour.
On arrival at the small village of Zingchen, Gurmet informed us that there had been a sighting of a pair of Snow Leopards the previous day and they were still in the area and he suggested we go quickly! We transferred our luggage to the mules and set off on our trek. Walking quickly at altitude is not easy but we were excited and the adrenaline helped us on our way.
Crossing a frozen river and walking along rubble-strewn paths, we steadily made our way up the valley.
Gurmet patiently waited for us to catch up!
After a 2-hour trek up the valley and a steep climb up to the viewing spot we had our first amazing sighting of a mating pair of Snow Leopards. They were too far away to photograph but we had an amazing view through the scope. We couldn't believe how lucky we'd been - our first day in the park and we hadn't even reached camp yet! WOW!!
Himalayan Blue Sheep (Bharal), the preferred prey for the Snow Leopard - if they can catch them! Their coats have a bluish sheen giving them excellent camouflage and their agility on the sheer rock face is amazing.
The campsite at Rumbak where we spent seven nights in the little orange tent!
On our second day the Snow Leopards were in the same spot but to get photographs Gurmet suggested we needed to try to get closer, which meant climbing up a very steep, death-defying gulley! We survived the climb but the pair were still a long way off (as you can see from the above image).
We perched on the steep slope for the next six hours, hardly daring to move. But we had the most amazing sighting through the scope and this time, even managed to get some decent (but still distant) shots on camera.
Spot the Snow Leopards! The mating pair, relaxing in the sunshine, were extremely well-camouflaged against the colourful rocks.
Snow Leopards are perfectly adapted to the cold, barren landscape of their high altitude habitat. Dense fur provides excellent insulation, wide fur covered feet act as snow shoes and their powerful legs enable them to leap up to 50ft. Their thick long tails assist with balance and act as a blanket to protect their body parts from the extreme cold.
The mating season is between January and March when the Snow Leopards make their way down to below the snow line.
After the mating, which took place over three days, the cats went their separate ways. Above, the male rests on a rocky crag.
A large domestic yak grazing in the barren Hemis landscape.
The local farmer herds his dzos (yak-cattle hybrid) to pasture.
Anne spots a Snow Leopard's pugmark (footprint)!
Gurmet scans the area.
David 'Baz' Jenkins and Nwang also spot a pug mark. The cat was going in the opposite direction so we went back to look for more signs.
Despite an extensive search of the area we didn't manage to see a Snow Leopard on this outing.
Local farmers from Rumbak Village.
Rumbak Village
The only cat sighting we had that day!
Following reports of a sighting further up the valley from Rumbak, we joined another group and waited with anticipation for further news.
A brief sighting of a Snow Leopard high on a ridge.
A distant view of Rumbak Village
Silhouettes of a Snow Leopard.
View towards Rumbak Valley and campsite.
During an amazing week in Hemis we were extremely lucky and privileged to see the magnificent and beautiful Snow Leopard on five separate occasions. Some sightings were for a few hours whilst others were only brief glimpses. Most of them involved a difficult ascent to the viewing point and all were from a great distance. Photographing them was a real challenge and in most cases the best view was through a scope. But none of the sightings would have been possible without the amazing knowledge and dedication of the teams of spotters and assistants.
Our Team
Hemis National Park
3rd - 10th March 2016
