Wintertime Quest for the Snow Leopard in Ladakh, India --- Trip Dates: February 6 to 22, 2013.

KarmaQuest Ecotourism and Adventure Travel is proud to collaborate with the Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC) on this special winter snow leopard tracking trip to Ladakh, India. The snow leopards’ winter mating season offers the best chance of seeing these elusive creatures in the wild. Trip members will join the SLC-India staff on their winter monitoring activities, studying the snow leopard when it descends from the snowy mountaintops in search of food or a mate.

Wintertime Quest clients have seen a snow leopard on every trip! Join the 2013 Quest and hope to see one too!

A tax-deductible donation to the Snow Leopard Conservancy goes directly to support snow leopard conservation in Ladakh and the ecotourism development programs that benefit and inspire the Ladakhi people to protect it.

KarmaQuest’s award winning trip “Wintertime Quest for the Snow Leopard in Ladakh” soared to new heights in February 2012 with a dramatic snow leopard sighting -- the fifth in as many of these annual trips. On this Outside Magazine Trip of a Lifetime, the 2012 group of seven members accompanied by Jigmet Dadul, Snow Leopard Conservancy-India's Field Program Coordinator observed the snow leopard for several hours and got some great photographs.

Here’s what trip members say about the trip:

“The sighting of a snow leopard... was a huge success and an experience that none of us will ever forget .”
Thomas Bauer, Travel Journalist, Germany

“I looked up at the rocks across the valley and saw the most beautiful cat in the world and immediately burst into tears…. Jigmet said it’s a female, about 7 to 8 years old. The scope made her look as if she was about 50m away... At times she was asleep and her front paws would push up into the air and make little running movements as if she was chasing Blue Sheep in her sleep. Then she’d open her eyes and peer at us... She could see us but it was obvious she felt no fear... Altogether we watched her for 8 hours..”
Sibylle Noras, Saving Snow Leopards" blog/website, Australia

Trip Highlights:

A trained snow leopard naturalist guide will lead the field visit, directing the viewing outings and tracking the snow leopards' movements with the help of local villagers who have vowed to help protect this magnificent cat. All have been trained through a program assisted by Dr. Rodney Jackson of the Snow Leopard Conservancy, in collaboration with international and local partners. Dr. Jackson has studied these cats in their natural habitat and documented their travel patterns with camera traps in Ladakh for over a decade.

You’ll stay with a Ladakhi family in a traditional Ladakhi home: a Himalayan Homestay. Homestays provide clean and comfortable accommodations that reflect local lifestyle while giving visitors a taste of home life. Homestay operators are farmers and herders who are working with the Snow Leopard Conservancy to develop community-based conservation and ecotourism programs to help protect the snow leopard and its prey species, as well as their natural habitats. Communities commit to not harming rare wildlife in exchange for receiving training from the Conservancy in setting up homestays and in nature guiding, both of which have turned their innate knowledge and hospitality into income-generating livelihoods through ecotourism.

Trip members speak of the homestay experience as a high point of the trip!

“We crouched on the mats around the stove… chatting and trying out a few newly-acquired Ladakhi phrases. We watched them assemble a fine meal of homemade pasta, cooked with some greens and peas. We had so much fun talking with them, showing photos and looking at their family albums. We tried their home made beer, or chang, and Dee tried spinning some sheep’s wool. With Tsering Dorje’s knowledge of English, we made some good headway in understanding a bit of their way of life. Around 9 PM, we headed off to our room, a delightful space on the top floor, with floor to ceiling windows on two walls, giving us an excellent view.”
Brian & Dee Keating, Director, Calgary Zoo

You will also attend a Buddhist ritual dance festival (Domochey): a colorful and lively event.

Deadline for joining this trip: November 30, 2012

Itinerary

NOTE: Due to the nature of this trip, and the uncertainty of what path a snow leopard may choose on any particular day, the day to day itinerary must remain flexible, responding to information that the naturalist and the local community informants gather regarding where snow leopards have been sighted. Weather conditions may also affect the placement of camp and daily movement. The following itinerary remains subject to alteration in the field as information and opportunities become available. The number of trek days will remain the same, barring weather or other unusual circumstances that require a change.

Day 1 Arrive in Delhi, Transfer to hotel. Rest, or explore your own.

Day 2 Fly to Leh (11,500 ft), explore Leh and acclimatize. A trip briefing and welcome dinner with the Snow Leopard Conservancy staff. Hotel accommodations.

Day 3 Attend Domochey festival: Today you'll attend Domochey festival at Leh Palace, an all-day Buddhist dance ritual performed by masked and silk robed monks. The dance marks the end of the old year and the coming of the new year in the Tibetan calendar. The purpose of the dances is to get rid of evil and sins, to welcome goodness, good health, and prosperity, and to guard against natural disaster. It is indeed a rare privilege to witness such an authentic demonstration of religious celebration, as few Westerners do. All who are present gain the blessings of the dances as well. Overnight in the hotel.

Day 4 Walking Tour of Leh: A guided walking tour of Leh Palace, Victory Peak, the old quarter, LEDeG gift shop and offices (a local conservation organization). Hotel accommodations.

Day 5 Leh to Phey, Trek to Camp: Leh to Phey, trek to camp. Hike along the Indus River gorge, a dramatic entry to Hemis National Park. Camp at wildlife study camp, 12,400’.

Day 6 Wildlife Viewing: A full day of tracking snow leopard and its wildlife prey. Hemis National Park is home to blue sheep, argali (a large horned sheep), numerous mountain and migratory birds, as well as an occasional Tibetan wolf. You are likely to see sign of snow leopard as winter is the time that they descend to lower elevations. Camp.

Day 7 Wildlife Viewing: Spend another day with the SLC staff and local naturalists on the look-out for snow leopard and its prey. The views of this stark landscape, the sky pierced by upward tilted strata and – on snow-free days -- the ground adorned with hardy alpine plants, provides constant fascination. Camp.

Days 8 to 13: Wildlife Viewing, Visit Villages and Homestays: Trek to nearby sites where snow leopard may have been sighted recently. Visit neighboring villages, and experience a home-stay. Homestay hosts have been trained in hospitality and are members of a community conservation effort to conserve the endangered snow leopard. Spend one night in a traditional home and otherwise camp. Village elevation: 13,500’

Day 14: Trek to Zingchen, and Return to Leh: Free time to explore Leh and do some souvenir shopping for handicrafts. Hotel accommodations.

Day 15 Leh: Full day at your leisure to explore Leh Market: Leh is full of small lanes with hidden treasures – take the time to explore and shop for colorful souvenirs. A Farewell dinner. Overnight in a hotel

Day 16: Leh to Delhi: Early morning transfer to airport for flight to Delhi. Arrive in Delhi transfer to hotel. Rest or explore your own in Delhi.

Extra day (17th day) in case of flight cancellation: Due to mountain weather conditions, flights to and from Leh are occasionally cancelled. For this reason, we have built one extra day into the trip. If the Leh-Delhi flight on Day 16 is cancelled, the extra day will be spent in Leh and clients will have to bear the additional expenses of the hotel and meals in Leh. If the flight goes as planned, clients will spend this day in Delhi. Airport transfers to/from hotel) and hotel charges in Delhi on February 21 until noon on Feb 22 are included in package price. We suggest that you book your homeward bound international flight no earlier than the afternoon or evening of February 22.

Trip Cost:

4-7 persons US $4,350/ person

8-10 persons US $4,150/ person

Single supplement US $500 / person

For more information about snow leopard conservation and ecotourism development in Ladakh, please see the Snow Leopard Conservancy website.

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