Search for Snow Leopards with Valerie Parkinson

The adventure begins in Delhi. You are free today to explore this buzzing city or rest after your flight; rooms may not be available until noon but it is often earlier than this. There is usually a welcome briefing in the hotel lobby this evening. Stay: Hotel Regent Grand (or similar).

Usually, we have an early start for the flight to Leh. We may have to leave the hotel around 3am and drive to the airport for the very early morning (but highly spectacular) flight over the snow-capped peaks of the Himalaya, which are incredibly beautiful in winter. Landing in Leh, the temperature drops dramatically and we need our down jackets at the airport. If the weather is good and the flight goes on time, we should be in Leh for breakfast.

The rest of the day is free to relax and acclimatise to the altitude (11,485ft\/3,500m). In the morning, we rest and catch up on sleep. In the afternoon, we have a gentle orientation walk around Leh and its bazaars. Stay: Mahey Retreat (or similar) (B/L/D).

The activities for this day depend on your departure date. Each year, the timing of the monastic festivals change and so the itinerary is flexible to ensure you can attend this time-honoured tradition. You either attend the festival or visit the monasteries on Day 3. Please note, the arrangements below are for 2024 departures. Once a year, every monastery in Ladakh has a festival where the monks dress in elaborate brocade and silk costumes and re-enact century-old stories of the Tibetan Buddhist religion.

People come from all over Ladakh to the festivals and these are a great social as well as religious occasion. The whole day is spent at the festival and, in the evening, we return to our hotel in Leh. If not attending a festival on this day, we visit the most important monasteries in the Indus Valley. First, we drive just over 30 minutes to Shey, once the residence of the Ladakhi royal family.

Below the old palace ruins is a small temple containing a two-storey gilded statue of Buddha. From Shey, we walk across the fields to Tikse, spotting birds en route. Set on a hill, it is one of the most impressive gompas in Ladakh. It has several temples, one of which contains a superb statue of the Future Buddha. We then drive to Stakna, a small but friendly monastery perched atop a huge rock. In the late afternoon, we return to Leh. Festival attendance – land only start dates 19-20 February 2024: Stok Festival on Day 3 Stay: Mahey Retreat (or similar) (B/L/D).

Today we leave Leh and drive across the Indus towards Jinchen. We follow the road past Phe to the entrance of the impressive Rumbak Gorge. We leave the cars near a bridge and our trail takes us up into the narrow gorge and we start our search for evidence of snow leopards and blue sheep. We camp tonight at our base camp at Rumbak Sumdo (12,470ft/3,800m). Stay: Full-service camping (B/L/D).

The next five days are dedicated to searching for snow leopards. The itineraries are flexible and set by our expert wildlife guides. They are in touch with other local spotters, who share recent sightings and maximise our chances of seeing a snow leopard. We usually spend most of the time at our base camp at Rumbak Sumdo, while walks take us into the Rumbak Valley and further towards Yurutse and the Ganda La.

We can also explore the Husing and Tarbuns valleys, all well-known haunts of the snow leopard. In 2023, we had six good snow leopard sightings in this area, plus fox, wolf and blue sheep sightings. In 2024, we saw six snow leopards, two wolf packs, foxes and blue sheep. Bring a good pair of binoculars to scan the slopes, though we also have wildlife spotters (one per five group members), who carry spotting scopes, which they set up at camp and on ridges on the walks.

They also go out in the early mornings and late evenings to search for evidence of any animal movement. We also have a full trekking crew with us, including guides, assistant guides, cook, kitchen assistants and porters. Lunch and hot drinks are brought to us by our camp crew. If you have a heavy camera bag, it is possible to hire a private porter to carry this for you.

We camp every night, except for one, which is spent in a traditional Ladakhi homestay. Food at the homestay is traditional local fare and you get the chance to interact with the villagers. Stay: Full-service camping and one night in a homestay (B/L/D).

Today we trek back to Jinchen, where we meet our transport and drive back to the relative comforts of our hotel in Leh. Stay: Mahey Retreat (or similar) (B/L/D).

See Day 3 for full details of activities and festival dates. This information includes which day your departure attends the monastic festival. Stay: Standard hotel (B/L/D).

We have an early start for the flight back to Delhi. The rest of the day is free in Delhi for individual shopping or sightseeing. Stay: Hotel Regent Grand (or similar) (B).

We have a free day in Delhi in case of any delays in the flight from Leh. If we fly to Delhi on schedule, today is free for individual sightseeing. You may want to visit Old Delhi with the magnificent Red Fort and Jami Masjid. Humayun's Tomb (a forerunner to the Taj Mahal) is worth a visit. In New Delhi, there is India Gate and Parliament House. Delhi also has a wealth of interesting shops and markets.

An optional day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal can be arranged by your leader who will provide details and prices (not available on Fridays, as the Taj Mahal is closed). Stay: Hotel Regent Grand (or similar) (B).

The tour ends after breakfast today and we begin our return journeys home. Alternatively, if you'd like a little more adventure, consider joining our five-day Golden Triangle extension. Encompassing Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, the trip is a whirlwind of culture, taking in the Taj Mahal, Red Fort of Akbar and much more (B).