LADAKH SNOW LEOPARD

Rise early and transfer to the Delhi domestic airport for a flight to Leh, capital of Ladakh at 11,500 ft. The dramatic views of this high altitude desert are punctuated by sharp snowy peaks. Reach Leh & transfer to your hotel where you'll receive welcome tea. Rest till noon. After lunch, join our local crew and the Snow Leopard Conservancy staff for a briefing, then free time to explore Leh on your own. It is important to rest on first few days at high altitude. Overnight in the hotel.

Leh is full of small lanes with hidden treasures. Take time to explore or rest as you are still acclimatizing to the elevation. Overnight in the hotel.

After a hearty pre-trek breakfast, drive to Phey bridge and start walking along the Indus River towards Zingchen Gorge. Continue up the gorge, a dramatic entry to the Snow Leopard's high altitude home in Hemis National Park. Enroute watch amidst the cliffs and at the base of rocks where they mark their turf for sign of Snow Leopard and other wildlife. Camp at wildlife study camp. Trekking time: approx 5-6 hrs. Elevation: 12,400m.

Proceed for fullday 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 warming tea and share tales of the day. Overnight camp.

Spend another day with guide and trained naturalists on the look-out for Snow Leopard and its prey. The views of this stark landscape, the sky pierced by upward tilted strata and on snow-free days the ground adorned with hardy alpine plants provides constant fascination. Overnight in a home-stay or a camp.

Trek to nearby sites where Snow Leopard may have been sighted recently. Visit and stay overnight in a neighboring village, Rumbak and experience a homestay. Homestay hosts have been trained in hospitality and are members of a community conservation effort to conserve the endangered Snow Leopard. Learn about their livestock herding practices and try your hand at their winter pastimes (spinning, weaving and turning a tale). Spend the days tracking Snow Leopard and other wildlife. Overnight in a home-stay or a camp. Elevation 13,500 ft.

Say goodbye to your hosts and hike down-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 a hotel for your first real bed in a week! Overnight in a hotel.

Early morning transfer to Leh airport and fly to Delhi. Transfer to your hotel.