Field Journal: India Snow Leopard Tour 2015
Posted by Giovanna Fasanelli
in Asia & Pacific and Expeditions
The Grey Ghost of the Himalayas… ooooooh! How deliciously tantalizing for the mammal-obsessed, cat-loving documentary-philes out there. I know because I’m one of those people and seeing a Snow Leopard was indeed a dream come true for me. In fact, it was so dream-like I am not sure it actually happened, although my photos say otherwise! Should your venturesome voice be whispering in your head making you wonder whether this is a trip for you… here is a little recap from our previous odyssey.
Let me begin by saying that it is unlikely you will embark upon an expedition of this nature more than a handful of times in your life. When people say “it will be an adventure” this is the trip to live up to that promise. It commands a healthy scoop of stoicism, a penchant for the game of animal tracking, a bucket-load of patience and persistence and an overwhelming sense of intrepid wanderlust. This is a mission. A mission with many incidental highlights and one with immense bragging rights should it be successful! But should it not, it’s highly unlikely you will regret signing on. And that is the winning magic of the Snow Leopard expedition.
The adventure began when we arrived in New Delhi, India. What a chaotic, entertaining, catastrophic assault on the measured, Western senses! I love India! The next morning’s flight to Leh, the capital of Ladakh in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, flew us over a breathtaking expanse of pure white Himalayan peaks. The scenery immediately inspired a sense of poetry from within me, but alas, there was no capturing its immeasurable perfection in mere words. To think that this is where we were headed was unspeakably exciting. The two days spent in Leh were a welcomed way to acclimatize to the altitude of 11,500 feet. Aside from the Islamic culture present here, the town is also shrouded in a richly exotic Tibetan Buddhist atmosphere with incredible palaces and monasteries to visit, set against stunning mountainous landscapes. Long strings of prayer flags crisscrossed the streets, relentlessly whipped by the clean mountain breeze. I often found myself taking in deep breaths and smiling with delight at the far-flung feel of this place and the promise of adventure ahead. After exploring these foreign surrounds and eating many bowls of warm soup it was soon time to head to the home of the grey ghost and its quarry.
Our destination, Husing, in the beautiful Hemis National Park, is situated at the intersection of three valleys known as the ‘Snow Leopard Capital of the World’ where chances of spotting this highly illusive beast are the highest. The jeeps could only take us in so far and soon we were hiking up a frozen river to camp. It was not long before one of us had spotted a small group of Blue Sheep, Bharal, grazing on the slopes. This is a favored meal of the Snow Leopard and over the next few days we got to know their habits very well as we watched every movement with careful concentration.
The campsite was a fantastic sight to behold for it immediately spelled out EPIC SNOW LEOPARD ADVENTURE. Nestled in between two enormous snow-covered peaks, at an altitude of around 13,000 feet, down river from a frozen waterfall… this was our home for the next five nights and the camp staff did everything possible to make it feel that way. Now allow me to address the elephant in the room: just how cold was it? I can confirm that it was VERY cold. But this only seemed to be noticeable in the early morning when blood was still making its way to the extremities, in the middle of the night when the ablutions were required; and changing from hiking gear into bed clothes. There was very little washing of the naked body, although jugs of warm water were available upon request. The ablutions… I won’t beat around the snow: a basic square canvas tent with a brick seat over a hole was our toilet. But with night-time temperatures dropping to minus 20 degrees C, everything was taken care of, if you get my drift! The greatest joys of the camp site were: the amazing staff who worked tirelessly to provide us with delicious, hearty meals; the heated eating/social tent where the day’s stories were shared over hot drinks, games of cards and nips of whiskey and bars of chocolate; the hot water bottles for bed time; waking up in the morning to the view of the mountains above us bathed in warming sunshine; hearing the bells of the oncoming village ponies as they stopped off at our camp for refreshments en route to and from town many miles below; and hearing Snow Leopards grunting around the campsite almost every night!
Now to the business of finding a Snow Leopard: Essentially the days were spent sitting and scanning with telescopes and binoculars. We were looking for Blue Sheep and/or movement of any kind. When you find yourself spotting Himalayan Snowcocks on distant slopes you feel confident you will spot a great big leopard! But their camouflage is impeccable and we were urged to stay alert as much as possible. It definitely grew monotonous at times but when I had had enough, I lay back and enjoyed the sunshine, the peace and the breathtaking scenery. A significant part of the game plan involved the local trackers who were out before us every morning and the last back to camp at night. We were in expert hands and with camera traps located strategically around the valleys it was known that at least 11 cats regularly moved through this area.
We struck gold early on, in fact, it was our first full day in the valley and we had just returned for lunch after a morning of scanning the eastern slope and noticing lots of footprints and scat along the way. Our guide passed us on his way down the river. Just as we had arrived back at camp, I heard a faint shout. I waited until I heard it again and then yelled to the group. We quickly gathered together and scampered back to where we had just been sitting for four hours! Being careful not to fall over on the icy river, we speedily made our way to the valley junction and listened for calls. We were soon heading towards our guide who was a good 800 yards away pointing at the opposite ridge-line. Still adjusting to the altitude, I had to take repeated rests to catch my breath. Jonathan was the first to get into position with the scope and soon, one by one we fell upon it, terrified we would miss the sighting. But there it was… backlit by the sun that made a halo around its plush coat. Its tail was so long, I couldn’t believe it! Like a feather boa, touching the ground behind it as it slowly padded up the ridge in chest-deep snow. It was eyeing out a group of Blue Sheep above but then stopped at a large rock to mark its territory. It climbed a little further before deciding to rest and stare at our bumbling group below! We watched this god-like creature for over an hour, some of us in tears with sheer joy and feelings of deep privilege. This was a remarkable moment in all our lives and we drank merrily in the tent that night.
The rest of the days were spent hoping for another sighting but we left contented with our single experience. There were so many other animals to see (16 different mammals and 73 bird species have been recorded in the park) and the hiking was just spectacular, but I loved the nights spent with a local family in their rural mountain village. As part of an incentive program to protect the leopards from vengeful farmers who suffer livestock losses, these families gain from accommodating small groups of tourists in their cozy little homes. They offered such a touching experience to the culture of this part of the Himalayas and left us feeling deeply humbled by their sweet-natured hospitality.
The take-home message is that your chances of success are reasonable, if not good to great. In 2013 one group tallied two sightings in three days. This is by far the best place to attempt this quest and one has to be prepared for some rugged-outdoor discomfort, but you are to be richly rewarded with truly once-in-a-lifetime memories. What’s that thing Nike says…?
Join Apex Expeditions on our India Snow Leopard Tour.
