MTT Safaris
SPECIAL TOUR

Snow Leopards of India

Jan 31 – Feb 10, 2025 (2 Places Remaining)

The 2023 Snow Leopard Tour was a huge success. We were very fortunate to have eight sightings of these rare and beautiful cats!

The next Snow Leopard Tour will be February 18 – 22, 2025. It begins and ends in Delhi.

Email for more information and to learn why this is a one-of-a-kind wildlife and cultural experience that you should not miss.

Lying north of the Indus River at the head of the Ulley Valley, the small village of Ulley in Ladakh, India stands at almost 4,000 metres above sea level. The Ulley Valley has only recently been developed for snow leopard tracking, but it has quickly gained a reputation for observation of the cats. That being said, snow leopards are a difficult sighting. According to the Snow Leopard Lodge, Ulley village’s only homestay, and our accommodation on this safari, there is a 60 % chance of seeing a leopard between November and April, which is when snow leopards and their prey descend to lower elevations. Ulley’s population of snow leopard is estimated around 10 individuals. We remain six days in Ulley to maximize our chances of spotting one. There is other wildlife to see in this Himalayan paradise: Siberian (or Asiatic) ibex; Ladakh urial (a native wild sheep with long legs and relatively small horns); and Himalayan fox and wolf. Among the bird highlights are Chukors (a ground-dweller and national bird of the Kurdish people); Tibetan partridges; Red-billed choughs; Golden eagles; Lammergeiers; Bearded vultures; and Himalayan griffon vultures.

The Snow Leopard Conservation Trust

The trust works in five of the 12 countries where snow leopards are found – China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Pakistan. Collectively, these 5 countries contain over 75% of the world’s population of wild snow leopards. Ulley, Ladakh, India is one of the Snow Leopard Conservation Trust’s bases. The Snow Leopard Trust works through a local partner organization led by local staff members. They conduct snow leopard research, lead community conservation programs, and negotiate policy decisions with local authorities.relatively small horns); and Himalayan fox and wolf. Among the bird highlights are Chukors (a ground-dweller and national bird of the Kurdish people); Tibetan partridges; Red-billed choughs; Golden eagles; Lammergeiers; Bearded vultures; and Himalayan griffon vultures.

Culture

Ladakh belongs to the Jammu and Kashmir region of Northern India. Leh is its capital and largest town. It is the historical capital of the Himalayan Kingdom of Ladakh. The Leh Palace, the former mansion of the royal family of Ladakh, was built in the same style and about the same time as the Potala Palace in Tibet. Ladakh is Buddhist country with brightly coloured prayer flags fluttering in the wind and long ‘Mani walls’ covered in carved prayer stones, stupas and chortens. There are many Buddhis monasteries called gompas.