Hemis National Park

Hemis covers around 4,400 square kilometres of high, dry, treeless mountain south of the Indus, and it holds one of the densest snow leopard populations known, along with blue sheep, urial, ibex, Ladakhi urial, wolf and lynx. In winter the leopards follow blue sheep down into the valleys, which brings them within range of spotting scopes from the valley floor, and a system of village homestays at Rumbak and elsewhere supports searches led by local spotters. Sightings are still a matter of days of scanning ridgelines in extreme cold, but the odds here are better than anywhere else.

History

The park was founded in 1981 to protect the catchments of the Rumbak and Markha rivers, about 600 km2, and it grew to around 3,350 km2 in 1988 and to 4,400 km2 in 1990, making it the largest national park in South Asia (Wikipedia, Hemis National Park).

What you'll find

• The snow leopard - searched for with scopes from valley floors in winter.
• The blue sheep - the main prey, in herds on the slopes.
• The village homestays - Ladakhi houses at Rumbak and Ulley taking guests.
• The bare high valleys - treeless mountain terrain above 3,500 metres.

When to go

January to March for snow leopards, when they come lower; summer offers trekking and other wildlife but virtually no chance of a cat. Winter temperatures drop far below freezing.

Practical notes

Winter here is severe, often below minus twenty at night in unheated homestays. Sightings usually come after days of waiting and sometimes not at all. Trips are expensive and physically demanding at altitude.

Nearby

Hemis monastery lies below; Leh is north.

Key facts