IN SEARCH OF THE ELUSIVE SNOW LEOPARD 1-10 FEB, 2024
with Jeremy Woodhouse & Abhishek Hajela
(10 days – 11 nights), maximum group size 6
The Snow Leopard. The mere mention of its name invokes everything that is most wild, mysterious, and elusive in nature. This animal is cloaked, not only in the subtle beauty of its own coat, but also in all the high drama of the harsh and magnificent environment that it dominates.
A captivating juxtaposition exists between the tough and resilient mountain dwellers of the region and their serene and joyful practice of Buddhism. During your visit, you'll have the opportunity to explore their magnificent monasteries and charming villages.
Please Note: Over time, there has been a rise in sightings of the rare Snow Leopard in various regions of Ladakh. The Rumbak valley has been the main region for these sightings due to its vast expanse and an increase in habitat. Additionally, all documentary shoots have taken place within this region. In case of sightings elsewhere, our supporting staff will keep us informed, and we will have a car at our disposal to ensure we don't miss any opportunity.
Itinerary
Day 1—Feb 1: Arrive in Delhi
On your arrival in Delhi, you will be met by our representative who will escort you to your hotel and assist in checking-in. After a long flight, the day is free to walk around or relax at the hotel.
Overnight at Pride Plaza
Day 02—Feb 2: New Delhi – Leh
Early this morning after a quick cup of tea/coffee you will be taken to the airport for your one-hour flight to Leh. Assistance on arrival and transferred to your hotel. There will be no activity on your first day of arrival as it is recommend for tourists to relax and undergo minimal exertion to enable them to get acclimatized to rarefied oxygen level in this high-altitude region ensconced in the high Himalayan plateau (approximately 12,500ft).
Overnight at the Hotel The Grand Dragon
Day 03—Feb 3: Visit Hemis & Thiksey Monasteries
After a leisurely breakfast, we drive to visit Hemis Monastery situated 45 kilometers west of Leh, after passing through the Chortens and Mani walls to enter the complex through the East Gate. Hemis is the largest and the wealthiest monastery in Ladakh.
From Hemis, you are driven back taking the same route to visit Thiksey Monastery, located on a hill top with formidable views of the Indus valley. Thiksey is especially noteworthy for its gigantic seated statue of the Maitreya and is also known for its (Dukhang) assembly hall which houses hundreds of rectangular prayer books, stacked between wooden covers and bound in silk. After that we continue to drive through series of chortens to visit Shey Palace the former summer palace of the King of Ladakh.
Overnight at the Hotel The Grand Dragon
Day 4 - 10—Feb 4-10: Drive to Rumbak Valley (3,850m) Approx 1 hour
Early morning, transfer to Rumbak Village. We pass through Zingchan Village, continuing on to the often unmanned Wildlife Dept. Crossing a small bridge adorned with buddhist prayer flags, we finally reach our base camp just below Rumbak village, The cottages are situated on a plateau overlooking 360º view of the snow-capped glacier mountains.
Later in the afternoon, we ascend up to the spotting ground where we will see the view of the surrounding mountains, and we get our first chance to look for a snow leopard through our spotting scopes, with the help of our spotters.
Please Note: There are NO fixed itineraries, for Snow Leopard sighteeing, every day will be a new beginning. With a help of our local guides getting information on the Snow Leopard movement accordingly we will decide our movement every day, and you will be well briefed by your Naturalist.
Seven Nights at Rumbak Valley in a comfortable Cottages with heating
Our Comfortable Cottages in the Rumbak Valley (Architectural rendering of the accommodation)
Day 11—Feb 11: Rumbak to Leh by Car
After breakfast we will have a final opportunity to get a glimpse of a snow leopard from the view point before returning to Leh after lunch.
Overnight at the Hotel The Grand Dragon
Day 12—Feb 12: Flight from Leh - New Delhi
Today you will be woken up early in the morning, after a hot cup of tea/coffee you will be driven to the airport to connect your flight to New Delhi. This will be your last opportunity catch the spectacular view of the Himalayan ranges if you are lucky enough to have a window seat.
On arrival you will be assisted to your hotel where your room is blocked till your departure. Later our representative will pick you up from the hotel to transfer you to the airport and assist you to board your international flight back home.
Overnight at Pride Plaza
END OF TOUR
Trip Notes
Arrival & Departure
Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. You will be transferred to the Holiday Inn at Aerocity, just 15 minutes from the airport.
Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi
Weather in Ladakh
At Ladakh’s altitude of 3,000 metres and above, the high degree of radiation due to the rarefied air makes for generally low temperatures even at these sub-tropical latitudes. On the other hand, the thinness of the atmosphere makes the heat of the sun actually greater than on the Indian plains. Thus there is a saying that only in Ladakh can a person who has his head in the sun and his feet in the shade endure both sunstroke and frostbite at the same time.
The altitude range causes wide variations in climate even within Ladakh, but in general summer is short and mild and winter long and bitter. The cold weather begins in September/October and lasts till May. The hottest and the coldest months are July and January respectively.
There is little precipitation, which gives Ladakh its characteristically barren landscape. Summer rainfall is irregular and depends on occasional incursions of the Indian monsoon over the Himalayas. Of recent years there seems to have been much more rain than usual in the summers. Most of the precipitation (about two thirds) is in the form of winter snow.
Leh gets little snowfall, which being very dry and powdery does not usually lie for long, therefore there is not much scope for winter sports. Dras, although situated on the leeward side of the Great
Himalaya, receives heavy snowfall and is said to be the second coldest inhabited area in Asia, the daily minimum averaging –2ºC in January and February, and the lowest recorded value being – 45ºC in 1904.
Water boils at a lower temperature at high altitude because of the lower atmospheric pressure, at 3050 metres it boils at 90 degree Celsius while at 4575 metres it boils at 85 Celsius.
6 SPOTS OPEN
$TBA
DEPOSIT: $1,000 (NON-REFUNDABLE)
SINGLE: $TBA
Tour Price Includes
- Accommodation; Includes on twin sharing basis using The Grand Dragon Hotel (or similar) in Leh Using The Premier Heritage Room While in Rumbak using comfortable, well-heated cottages with private bath/toilet for (7 Nights).
- Meals; Inclusive of Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner in Leh & while in Rumbak valley.
- Transportation; Using Cresta as per the itinerary; the car will be at disposal upon arrival/ departure
- Naturelist: Inclusive of wildlife Naturalist and on the ground spotters
- Spotters; Includes Spotters while in Rumbak
- Water; Includes bottled mineral water in rooms & during sightseeing;
- Boiled filtered water while trek
- First Aid; Includes first aid kit with oxygen cylinders
- Spotting Scope: Includes a spotting Scope
- Taxes; Includes all the Taxes at hotels
Tour Fee Does not Include
- Airfare charges / Extra baggage charges.
- Accommodation, meals & transportation while in Delhi.
- Insurance of any kind, Camera fee, and laundry charges, alcoholic
- Beverages, please note: we don’t encourage bottled water during trek, you will be provided with stainless steel bottles with boiled filtered water).
- Items of personal nature, tips and gratuities.
- Cost incidental to any change in the itinerary/ stay on account of
- Flight cancellation due to bad weather, ill health, roadblocks and/or
- Any factors beyond control.
- Anything not mentioned in the inclusion
Paying by check
If you would like to pay your deposit and/or balance with a check, please make the check payable to: Pixelchrome, Inc and mail it to:
Nicole Woodhouse
Pixelchrome, Inc,
605 Rouen Drive,
McKinney TX 75072
Paying by Wire Transfer
If you would like to pay by Wire Transfer please contact nicole@pixelchrome.com for bank account details.
Packing List
- Thermal base layer
- Heavy Fleece jacket
- Thick down jacket
- Breathable waterproof jacket and lowers
- Hiking trousers (down or padded)
- Socks (thick and thin to make two layers)
- Ankle-length waterproof shoes with thick soles
- Working gloves and woolen gloves on top or synthetic waterproof gloves
- Hand and toe warmers—these also act as good camera battery and phone battery warmers as batteries tend to die out quickly in colder weather
- Dark wrap-around shades with full coverage
- Smaller waterproof daypack and water bottle for the day trips
- Sunscreen (SPF 50+) and a good moisturizer
- Warm nightwear
- Caps or Ski Caps—ones that cover the ears
- Head torch with extra batteries
- Walking Pole (optional)
- Medication as required or prescribed by your doctor
Camera Equipment Checklist
- Bring you own laptop computer and storage media
- Camera body(s)
- Lenses, 24-105mm zoom and 70-200mm zoom or similar lenses are very good. For photographing the snow leopards you will need a lens of at least 500mm in length and if possible a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter. There are budget, fixed aperture 800mm lenses available from companies like Canon for under $1,000
- Light bag for easy hiking with camera bodies and accessories
- Cleaning kit for cameras and lenses
- Rain/dust covers for cameras and lenses
- Charger for batteries
- Spare batteries
- Spare Memory cards
- Memory card reader
- USB key to exchange images
Also good to have
- Tripod
- Good quality polarizing filter