Snow Leopard Expedition Ladakh

After breakfast, you set out for an extraordinary drive East heading towards Taglang La and the villages of Gya, Lhato and Meru. It’s a fantastic drive taking you away from the valley of the Indus up a subsidiary valley to an extraordinary area even by Ladakhi’s standards that marks the line where the Indian mainland collided with and drove under Asian land mass. There is some dramatic scenery here and you have a chance of sighting wildlife including blue sheep, Golden eagles and Bearded vultures. Rafts of Red-billed Choughs perform synchronized aerobatics and in the fallow fields you have the chance of seeing the very beautiful Tibetan Partridge and the more common Chukor partridge. Post visit head back to hotel and lunch will be at hotel. Later visit to local market. Overnight stay in Leh

Today after breakfast proceed west on the road to Kargil and Srinagar, generally following the Indus River. We pass through the small town of Nimmu – one of the most important in Ladakh, where the Zanskar river meets the Indus. After a little over an hour you head north on a road marked to Likir– one of Ladakh’s famous Buddhist monasteries. This is all snow leopard country. The landscape here is even bigger, more expansive and open, until you turn off onto a dirt road, winding up a narrow valley, following a stream called the Ulley Chhu. Smaller valleys intersect and the guides have their heads craned all the time, scanning the hill sides and the skyline for any silhouette. This is excellent Ibex country and there are few more evocative sights than a magnificently horned male Ibex standing vigil on some impossibly narrow outcropping, a few thousand feet over a plunging cliff. Mr. Shyam, Your base is here at Snow Leopard lodge for 6 nights. You will explore 3 valleys, which, apart from snow leopards, are great for finding urial, Ibex, wolf and Himalayan fox
Overnight stay in Ulley.

You will be staying at the Snow Leopard Lodge in Ulley – The home stay consists of 6 bedrooms, built separately from the main house with a dining room and kitchen – all in the same low stone-built building. Add to this the interest of living with a Ladakhi family in the depths of winter and understanding their life-style and you have a very special experience in store - especially sharing the large and warm kitchens that are the heart of a Ladkahi home in winter and resplendent with brass, copper and silver ornaments. Overnight stay in Ulley.

Explore the area on foot and SUVs with your expert guide. Your guide will interact closely with the local people and use the network of local intelligence to narrow down the likely sites. In the process there will also be plenty of opportunity for you to get insights into local folklore, as well as learn about local customs and traditions. Overnight in Ulley.

Snow Leopard Expedition sets out in search of rare and endangered animal species in a setting that features the snow-capped Himalaya Mountains, clear cobalt lakes and ever-changing sand dunes. Overnight in Ulley.

Snow Leopard Lodge we have some of the best in the world by way of the top model Zeiss telescopes and binoculars. But the actual spotting still needs to be done by human eye – and that is where all the skill and almost inhuman levels of focused concentration of our expert spotters comes to the fore. Snow leopards rarely sell themselves cheaply. They make you work for every single sighting! Some of our best sightings have followed only a momentary glimpse of the top of a head or the swish of a tail from behind a rock. And then a game of patience ensues. Overnight in Ulley.

One can also expect to encounter Tibetan antelope, shapo, Tibetan hare and exceptional bird life, with snow partridge, golden oriole, snow cock, golden eagle, horned lark and red billed chuff flying above. Overnight in Ulley.

This morning, after breakfast, we say our goodbyes to our host and proceed to Leh town. En- route we visit the Alchi monastery. Alchi Gompa is located near the small village of Saspol. It is one of the earliest monasteries built in Ladakh, dating from the 11th century. It was built before the invading wars began in the 15th century, Alchi was built on lowlands, rather than on a hilltop as others were, in order to protect them from marauding armies. After the visit, we carry on our journey to Leh. Overnight stay in Leh

Today after breakfast, proceed to Leh Airport to board your flight to your next destination or hometown. Holiday Concludes. Let’s stay in touch on Facebook\email and meet again on another memorable Holiday. See you soon!