Snow Leopard Trek - Ladakh

Leh serves as the main base for the trek and is home to some of the most known and unknown high-altitude peaks towering at 6,000M and 7,000M such as Stok Kangri, Kang Yatse I and II, Dzo Jongo, Mt. Nun, etc. Also, its magnificent terrain has some beautiful trekking trails like Markha Valley, Chadar Trek, etc. To add to this, it has all the conveniences of a city with plenty options to just kick back and relax.

After landing at Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh, you can directly reach our assigned hotel or if you choose our transport, we will pick you up and drop you at the designated hotel. After reaching the hotel, the first day is solely reserved for rest.

The high altitude and low oxygen level might give you a headache and make you feel tired. The best remedy for acclimatization is to drink a lot of water and travel to the local market. A walk in the lanes of Leh will introduce you to the magic word Juley (Hello).

For sightseeing, you can visit the famous Leh palace and other monasteries nearby. The local market of Leh has some novel cafes and authentic flea markets as well. If you are looking to buy some souvenirs and trekking gear, that's the right spot for you.

On this day, we start from our hotel around 10 AM and drive to Rumbak Valley. The drive of close to 20 kms should take us around 45 minutes to cover. When you come out of Leh and go through the highway, you can see the marvelous Stok Range on the left and rugged military camps on the right. This continues for the next 10kms until you enter a vast metal bridge where you can spot the ancient Spituk monastery and the olive green Indus River. The road continues towards the picturesque Phey village from here and then ends at the Hemis National Park. Vehicles are not allowed inside the park. So we walk for the remaining 2 kilometers till we reach our campsite.

Our expert spotter will have an early scouting session and take us to the first viewing point. Tarbung valley is around 1 km from our campsite and it's the first point where we will wait for the entire day. In case of fresh marks, we will ascend towards the viewpoint (50-degree slope) and set up a spot for viewing. If there are no fresh tracks, we will wait at a flat section beneath the viewpoint and keep an eye on the ridges to look for signs of movement. Our team will communicate via walkie-talkies to keep each other updated. Lunch and refreshments for the day will reach us on our location directly.

On this day, we will focus on the second point of the trek. Husing point is around 500 meters away and, with a 60-degree gradient, has one of the steepest ascents on the trail. It is not a hard climb, especially under the local guide’s guidance. So, there is nothing to worry about. Once on top, we will witness a stunning array of snow-capped mountains standing tall. After scouting the region for signs and movement of the gray ghost, we head back to our campsite by early evening.

The distance from our campsite to Rumbak viewpoint is around 3 km and it takes around 2 hours to reach. On the way, watch out for some beautiful Himalayan birds like the golden eagle and Eurasian magpie which are fairly common in the region. From this viewpoint, we take a small detour inside the Rumbak village. Notice the vibrant colors and the life of the humble villagers who live here. The Rumbak viewpoint gives a 360-degree view of the Stok range, and the many conjunction points of the many high mountains in Ladakh.  This spot is also famous for blue sheep. If we are lucky, it will present us with herds of these spry mountain sheep sprinting effortlessly around these high-gradient slopes. After spending the entire day here, we return to our campsite by early evening.

The itinerary might alter according to weather conditions and track marks. The next course of action will be planned according to our guide after thoroughly calculating the scenarios. He will go for an early tracking and scouting session and update us regarding the plan. Depending upon the tracks or marks, we will switch between valleys or even stay at a single viewpoint for a long time. On Day 9, we will wait for viewing till evening and drive back to our hotel in Leh.

You can check out of the hotel at 10 AM and start your return journey. If you are planning to stay for a few more days and explore the wonders of Ladakh, then check this article – Places that you must visit in Leh Ladakh.

Note – This itinerary is structured according to recent information from our experts. The day wise plan might change according to the activity of the animals and weather conditions in the area.