HEMIS NATIONAL PARK
(Elevation 10,000ft - 20,000ft)
Hemis High Altitude National Park, in the eastern Ladakh area of the state of Jammu & Kashmir in India, is known to be one of the best places to see the magnificent Snow Leopard.
This was our second visit to Hemis National Park in search of the elusive Snow Leopard. On arrival at the small village of Zingchen, we transferred our luggage to the mules and began our trek to the tented camp at Husing, which is much lower down the valley than last year's camp at Rumbak.
From the start, we noticed there was much more snow than last year.
Ever hopeful, we kept stopping to look through the scope.
The tented camp where we would spend the next six nights.
During the night the temperature dropped to around -15°C. On our first morning we awoke to a light dusting of snow and it was still extremely cold.
We had just left the camp when we heard the good news that a Snow Leopard had been spotted high on a ridge above the camp. To get to a possible viewing area meant a pretty steep climb, and at an altitude of around 13,000 feet with camera gear on your back, it was quite a slog.
We finally arrived at a snow covered ridge, where we set up our gear, and waited in hope that we might get a sighting of the Snow Leopard.
The view from the ridge - the Snow Leopard was centre of the image, on the skyline, and only visible with a good spotting scope.
Even with the camera attached to the spotting scope, it was still extremely difficult to locate the spot where the Snow Leopard was, let alone see the animal.
But I did manage to capture a silhouette of the Snow Leopard against the skyline as it started to descend from the mountain ridge. (Image taken using spotting scope).
On our second day we made our way down to the Tarbung Valley where there had recently been a sighting of a Snow Leopard.
A delicious bowl of hot soup - just what we need to warm up!
Anne on the look-out for a Leopard, but she only spots some Blue Sheep resting!
No Snow Leopard spotted today, so we make our way back down to camp.
Over the next four days we continue to search for the elusive Snow Leopard in the incredibly dramatic landscape.
Bharal or Blue Sheep
Despite their name, Blue Sheep are neither blue nor sheep. They are more slate gray to pale brown and are closely related to goats.
The Blue Sheep is a major food source of the Snow Leopard.
Male Blue Sheep fighting
Blue Sheep walking up the snow covered mountainside.
Anne and Chitta crossing a frozen river.
Blue Sheep running down the steep snow covered slopes - unfortunately there wasn't a Snow Leopard in pursuit!
Looking for a Snow Leopard in this type of rugged terrain is very difficult as they are very well camouflaged.
The Blue Sheep are also well camouflaged and extremely agile and nimble. They are able to move quickly over the steep mountain terrain.
A Golden Eagle soars amongst the jagged peaks of Hemis National Park.
Our Team
8th - 14th March 2017
We left Hemis and drove through some spectacular scenery to Ulley where we were staying at a homestay for two nights.
It seems very strange to see snow in the desert environment.
Prayer flags with piles of stones are seen as offerings to the spirit of the mountains. Traditionally, prayer flags come in five colours symbolising various elements and are arranged from left to right in a specific order - Blue (sky/space), White (air/wind), Red (fire), Green (water), Yellow (earth).
We stopped en-route and our guide, Chitta, spotted a Wolf amongst the rocks in the distance.
I managed to take a quick shot of the wolf, which appeared to be carrying part of a kill, before it disappeared behind the rocks. (Image taken using spotting scope.)
We drove through spectacular scenery on narrow twisting roads.
Giant rocks and boulders, balance precariously over the road.
As there is no running water at the homestay, Stanzin (our driver) and Chitta, collected water from a mountain stream in various plastic containers.
Thayokpa Homestay (Ulley) was in a spectacular location at 14,000 ft.
A great viewing platform from where we had a stunning view of the surrounding landscape. Our highlight was seeing three Wolves chasing each other through the snow - an amazing sight through the spotting scope.
A Buddha statue at the monastery in Hemis Shukpachan village (near Ulley).
