Snow Leopard Expedition Ladakh

Snow Leopard Expedition Ladakh (08 Nights / 09 Days)

Ladakh

Snow Leopards are some of the most elusive animals on earth. Spotting them is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, the terrain they live in is high, harsh, and difficult. Participants on our Snow Leopard Tour must be relatively fit, have medical clearance from their physician to be at high altitudes (above 10,000 feet), and should be able to walk 3-6Km (2 – 4 miles) per day in sometimes rough, mountainous terrain. There are always plenty of staff around to help you. We promise you, the sight of a Snow Leopard in the wild is something you will never forget. Our itineraries are built with acclimatization in mind and our staff is well trained to always monitor guests’ well-being. Together, our team is well equipped to handle any emergency that pops up. Tourism Scouts’s guests always have access to oxygen (in the hotel in Leh, in camp, in the car), in case they should need it along with pulse oxymeters to easily measure their blood oxygen content.

Starting point // Endpoint	Leh
Destination Covered	Leh, Ulley
Altitude	3500+ mtrs
Difficulty Level	The difficulty level of this trek is from moderate to difficult. The trail will be challenging enough for experienced travellers to get exhausted.
Weather	The temperature can drop to -1° and the maximum temperature hardly goes up to 18°c
What to Pack	Base Layers: We recommend bringing two sets of base layers or thermal underwear, which include both a top and a bottom. Socks: Guests on snow leopard expeditions do a decent bit of walking. Socks that keep you warm and comfortable are essential. Shoes: Shoes are an important part of any trip to the mountains. Keeping the cold weather in mind, we recommend that you bring an insulated pair of hiking boots for your main pair for use during the day (We recommend boots with at least 400 milligrams of insulation). A lot of our expedition leaders wear boots with a lot more insulation, up to 1600 grams. It’s important that your boot + warm sock combination fits well. We also recommend bringing a 2nd pair of shoes for wear in camp in the evenings. Many guests prefer to let their heavy day-use boots air out during the evening while they switch to a more comfortable pair of shoes or down booties while they are in camp. Mid Layers: We define mid-layers as what goes on above your base layer. This could be a thin zipper, a flannel shirt, or a thin sweatshirt or a sweater. Pants / Trousers: Good pants are essential. We recommend partly wind-proof fleece lined pants. You can also go for double layered snow pants with an water / wind proof outer layer. Heavy Outer Layer: This layer is just as important as your base layer on your snow leopard tour packing list. A heavy down parka is the ideal outer layer. Lots of insulation. A lighter one for when you’re moving around and active and a heavier parka that can go over when you’re standing around waiting.
Luggage & Bags	Main Luggage Rugged duffel bags are our recommendation for expedition style travel. Depending on where you’re going, your luggage may be transported in the back of a pick-up, on a roof-rack, on a horse, or by porters. Suitcases are bulk and problematic for many of these options. A strong duffel bag is ideal. Carry-on and Day pack Our recommendations for a day pack, something you have on you at all times, are simple. It should be able to hold water bottles, a few layers, and whatever you tend to carry with you everywhere while traveling. Any adventure style pack between 30 and 50 liters is good enough for most people. If you’re a photographer, an adventure style camera pack is recommended. Sling and shoulder bags are not recommended. If you’re a photographer with a huge lens, like a 500mm, 600mm, or 800mm, + tripod your pack is probably going to be entirely consumed by your lens. In this case, we highly recommend hiring a porter to carry your camera bag and carrying a day pack yourself. You’ll be glad to not be carrying a heavy load at altitude, and some of our porters are trained to set up and deploy your kit while you catch up to them. Hats & Caps Most guests switch between baseball style caps or sun hats and warm beanies, watch caps, or bomber style hats, depending on whether they are being active or inactive. A warm head helps you stay comfortable when outside for extended periods. Bring something that covers your ears and keeps them out of the wind. Several companies also make down hats. The sun is strong at high altitudes, so keeping it out of your eyes is important. Sunglasses Sunglasses that protect you from UV are highly recommended, especially at high elevations. Guests with prescriptions often wear contact lenses during the day with sunglasses. Others bring along prescription sunglasses. Do whatever suits your comfort, but ensure that you’re bringing some form of protection for your eyes. Scarves & Balaclavas Many guests prefer to have a scarf around their neck. Many also bring balaclavas / ski masks that they can wear when they are sitting around waiting for a snow leopard to stop napping and start moving.
Accessories	Water bottle Personal first aid / medical kit. While all our expedition leaders have heavy duty first aid kits, it’s always good to bring a little one of your own as part of your toiletries, remember to bring any medication you regularly take. If you’re bringing prescription meds, it’s good to also have a printed copy of your prescription, especially if you take any meds that are considered “controlled substances.” Sunscreen: We recommend 50+ SPF for the high-altitude sun. Head torch/ head lamp and some extra batteries. Gaiters: May or may not be necessary depending on snow conditions. Trekking poles – highly recommended! Almost everyone ends up using theirs if they brought them or regretting that they didn’t bring them. Binoculars/ Spotting Scope. We have a limited supply and usually provide 2 or 3 per group.

Upon Arrival at Leh Airport you are met and transferred to your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure to acclimatize to the high altitude and rarefied air. Leh is at 11400 feet and the flight up from the plains means that you have to acclimatize gently without pushing yourself. The 2 ½ days scheduled here is the minimum required as you will be going to a higher altitude and will be doing a fair amount of walking. At some point over the next few days in Leh, meet with staff from the Snow Leopard Conservancy for a briefing on the history of snow leopard conservation in Ladakh with insight given into the current threats to snow leopards and the strategy adopted to combat these threats. Overnight at hotel.

Today 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 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 Partidge and the more common Chukor partridge. Overnight at Hotel.

Drive west today on the road to Kargil and Srinagar, generally following the Indus River. You 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. Ulley village, west of Leh is an area that is only recently being developed for Snow Leopard watching. Overnight at Lodge.

Settle in on arrival and acclimatize to the higher altitude of Ulley. You will be based here over 5 nights and the advantage of Ulley is that it is relatively free of tourism and the chaos that has enveloped some other popular areas. The other advantage is that from here you explore 3 valleys, which, apart from snow leopards, are great for finding urial, Ibex, wolf and Himalayan fox. Over the next few days you explore the area on foot and SUV’s with our spotters tracking the snow leopard. You will be amazed at the sheer dedication and commitment they bring to this trade and the effort they take to ensure that the guests leave happy. They interact closely with the local people and uses 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 at Lodge.

Morning Breakfast and drive to Leh enroute visiting Alchi Monastery. Afternoon free for shopping and to spend time and in Leh Market. Overnight at Hotel. Full board.

Breakfast at hotel. As per time schedule transfer to airport for boarding flight to your onward destination.

HOTEL ENVISAGED

CITY NAME	OPTION 1	OPTION 2	TOTAL 08 NIGHTS
Leh	Tsokar Retreat	Grand Dragon	02
Ulley	Snow Leopard Lodge	Snow Leopard Lodge	05
Leh	Tsokar Retreat	Grand Dragon	01

Inclusions	A. HOTEL / LODGE 08 Nights hotel / Lodge as mentioned above. B. MEALS & BEVERAGES Accommodation based on full board basis in Leh. Accommodation based on full board basis in Ulley. Tea / Coffee all day in Ulley. C. TRANSPORT Transport as per programme using Innova Crysta (Maximum 03 pax per Car). Day 01: Arrival transfer from airport to hotel. Day 02: Full day sightseeing of Leh. Day 03: Transfer from Grand Dragon to Snow Leopard Lodge. Day 04 – Day 07: Vehicle will remain on disposal and will be used wildlife spotting. Day 08: Transfer from Snow Leopard Lodge to Hotel in Leh. Day 09: Departure transfer from hotel to airport. D. LOCAL GUIDE / NATURALIST / SPOTTERS / TRACKERS Services of English-speaking local guide for full day sightseeing of Leh on Day 02. Services of resident naturalist at the lodge. Services of professional / local spotters and trackers. E. OTHERS Government wildlife permit and Environmental fee (Subject to change without any prior notice). Community charges (Subject to change without any prior notice). Oxygen Cylinders. Oximeter.
Exclusions	Any taxes / GST. Personal Expenses such as laundry bills, telephone bills, drinks (mineral water, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks), any tips to waiters, porters, drivers, guides. Any photography equipment. Any Airfare. Any entrance fee. Porters. Travel & Health Insurance to be arranged and paid for directly by the clients. Any meals other than the ones mentioned above. Any early Check-in or late check-out. Cost arises from road blockage, cancellation of flight and other reasons beyond our control such as any kind of natural calamities. Any emergency evacuation. Anything not mentioned in the “Cost Includes” column.

Inclusions

A. HOTEL / LODGE

08 Nights hotel / Lodge as mentioned above.

B. MEALS & BEVERAGES

Accommodation based on full board basis in Leh.
Accommodation based on full board basis in Ulley.
Tea / Coffee all day in Ulley.

C. TRANSPORT

Transport as per programme using Innova Crysta (Maximum 03 pax per Car).

Day 01: Arrival transfer from airport to hotel.
Day 02: Full day sightseeing of Leh.
Day 03: Transfer from Grand Dragon to Snow Leopard Lodge.
Day 04 – Day 07: Vehicle will remain on disposal and will be used wildlife spotting.
Day 08: Transfer from Snow Leopard Lodge to Hotel in Leh.
Day 09: Departure transfer from hotel to airport.

D. LOCAL GUIDE / NATURALIST / SPOTTERS / TRACKERS

Services of English-speaking local guide for full day sightseeing of Leh on Day 02.
Services of resident naturalist at the lodge.
Services of professional / local spotters and trackers.

E. OTHERS

Government wildlife permit and Environmental fee (Subject to change without any prior notice).
Community charges (Subject to change without any prior notice).
Oxygen Cylinders.
Oximeter.

Exclusions

Any taxes / GST.
Personal Expenses such as laundry bills, telephone bills, drinks (mineral water, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks), any tips to waiters, porters, drivers, guides.
Any photography equipment.
Any Airfare.
Any entrance fee.
Porters.
Travel & Health Insurance to be arranged and paid for directly by the clients.
Any meals other than the ones mentioned above.
Any early Check-in or late check-out.
Cost arises from road blockage, cancellation of flight and other reasons beyond our control such as any kind of natural calamities.
Any emergency evacuation.
Anything not mentioned in the “Cost Includes” column.