In Search of the Snow Leopard
In Search of the Snow Leopard
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14 Days |
From
$4207
$4207
$4007
In Search of the Snow Leopard
14 Days Starting and ending in Delhi
Visiting:
Delhi
,Himalayas
,Leh
,Ladakh
,Shey
,Thiksay monastry
,Stakna
,Rumbak
,Yurutse
,Hemis National Park
Tour operator:
Physical rating:
Moderate
Special diets catered:
Please inform Exodus of specific dietary requirements
Trip Styles:
Activities:
Tour code:
TGL
Group size:
4 - 16
Age range:
16 to 99
Tour operated in:
English
Interests:
Recommended For:
From:
$4007 (USD)
including Flights from the UK
EXTRA tourhub discount: $200
Tour Overview
Snow leopards are one of the world's most elusive mammals but in winter they descend from the high Himalaya in search of food. Inhabiting some of the most remote and mountainous regions of Central Asia, the mission to see this enigmatic cat is really more of a pilgrimage. Other rare high altitude wildlife and isolated Himalayan Buddhist communities only add to this quest's allure. The itinerary varies slightly by departure date to fit in the different festivals. 18 February & 6 March 2022 departures (Flight inclusive) led by Valerie Parkinson
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Start Delhi.
Location:
Delhi
Accommodation:
Hotel
Meals Included:
No Meals
The group flight will arrive into Delhi in the morning and we will transfer
to our hotel. Those who have made their own flight arrangements will join us
at the hotel during the day. You are free today to explore Delhi or rest
after your flight; rooms may not be available until noon but it is often
earlier than this. There is usually a welcome briefing in the hotel lobby
this evening.
*Standard Hotel*
Day 2 : Fly across the Himalaya to Leh (3500m).
Location:
Himalayas, Leh
Accommodation:
Hotel
Meals Included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Usually we have a very early start today for the flight to Leh. We may have
to leave the hotel at around 2am and drive to the airport for the very early
morning but highly spectacular flight over the Himalaya to Leh. Incredibly
beautiful in winter we fly over the huge expanse of snow-capped peaks.
Landing in Leh the temperature will drop dramatically and we will need our
down jackets at the airport. If the weather is good and the flight goes on
time we should be in Leh for breakfast. The rest of the day is free to relax
and acclimatise to the altitude (3,500m). In the morning we rest and catch up
on some sleep and in the afternoon there will be a gentle orientation walk of
Leh and its bazaars.
*Standard Hotel*
Day 3 : Full day at a monastic festival.
Location:
Ladakh
Accommodation:
Hotel
Meals Included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Once a year every monastery in Ladakh has a festival where the monks dress in
elaborate brocade and silk costumes and re-enact century old stories of the
Tibetan Buddhist religion. People come from all over Ladakh to the festivals
and these are a great social as well as religious occasion. We are still
waiting for advice from monasteries on festival dates for 2021
The whole day will be spent at the festival and in the evening we return to
our hotel in Leh.
*Standard Hotel*
Day 4 : Visit Shey, Thikse and Stakna Monasteries.
Location:
Shey, Thiksay monastry, Stakna
Accommodation:
Hotel
Meals Included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we visit some of the most important monasteries in the Indus Valley.
First we drive just over half an hour to Shey, once the residence of the
Ladakhi royal family. Below the old palace ruins is a small temple containing
a two-storey gilded statue of Buddha. From Shey we walk across the fields to
Tikse, spotting for birds en route. Set on a hill it is one of the most
impressive gompas in Ladakh, It has several temples, one of which contains a
superb statue of the Future Buddha. We then drive on to Stakna, a small but
friendly monastery perched atop a huge rock. In the late afternoon we return
to Leh.
*Standard Hotel*
Day 5 : Drive to Jinchen; trek to Rumbak Sumdo (3800m)
Location:
Rumbak
Accommodation:
Camp
Meals Included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we leave Leh and we drive across the Indus towards Jinchen. We follow
the road past Phe to the entrance of the impressive Rumbak Gorge. We leave
the cars near a bridge and our trail takes us up into the narrow gorge and we
start our search for evidence of Snow leopard and Blue Sheep. We camp tonight
at our base camp at Rumbak Sumdo (3,800m)
*Full-service Camping*
Day 6 - 10 : Five days wildlife spotting in and around the Rumbak, Yurutse, Husing and Tarbuns Valleys in the Hemis National Park searching for Snow leopards and other mammals and birds.
Location:
Yurutse, Hemis National Park
Accommodation:
Camp
Meals Included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The next five days will usually be spent in and around the Rumbak, Yurutse,
Husing and Tarbuns Valleys in the Hemis National Park. There will be no fixed
itinerary and our days will be decided on by our expert wildlife guides -
this is to maximise the chances of seeing a Snow leopard. Our days will be
spent searching for Snow leopard and other animals which inhabit this area.
The extreme cold of winter forces the Snow leopard and other animals down
from the high altitudes they normally inhabit. Ladakh is situated at an
altitude range of 3,300m - 6,000m and hosts an incredible amount of wildlife.
It is full of endangered species including Snow leopard, Tibetan Ibex, Bharal
(Blue Sheep), Wolf, Red Fox, Ladakhi Urial and Lynx. We usually spend most of
the time at our base camp at Rumbak Sumdo, and day walks will take us into
the Rumbak Valley and further towards Yurutse and the Ganda La. We can also
explore the Husing and Tarbuns Valleys, all well-known haunts of the Snow
leopard. In 2018 the group had five good sightings of Snow leopards in this
area and in 2019 the group saw 2 Snow Leopards together from the camp at
Rumbak Sumdo. A good pair of binoculars is recommended to scan the slopes in
and around camp. We have experienced wildlife spotters (1 per 5 clients), who
will carry spotting scopes, which they will set up at camp and on ridges on
the day walks. They will also go out in the early mornings and late evenings
to search for evidence of any animal movement.
Overnight we will use a mixture of camping and home stays. Five nights will
be spent camping. We will have a full trekking crew with us including guides,
assistant guides, cook, kitchen assistants and porters. At our base camp we
have two person tents with foam mattress, dining tent with tables and chairs,
solar lights and gas heaters. There are local long drop toilet facilities. At
night hot water bottles are provided. You just need to carry your daypack
whilst out spotting. Lunch and hot drinks will be brought to us by our camp
crew. If you have a heavy camera bag it is possible to hire a private porter
to carry this for you. One night will be spent in Rumbak village, where we
will stay in a Ladakhi home stays. These are basic but comfortable local
houses. The bedrooms have thick mattresses and you can take your sleeping bag
from the camp. The dining room and bedrooms have small wood burning stoves.
The houses have a local long drop toilet. Food at the home stay will be
traditional local food and you will get chance to interact with the villagers
in their day to day life.
Our guides will be in touch with other guides and if Snow leopards have been
spotted in other areas of Ladakh we will need to be flexible and move the
camp.
*Full-service Camping*
Day 11 : Return to Leh.
Location:
Leh
Accommodation:
Hotel
Meals Included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we trek back to Jinchen, where we will meet our transport and drive
back to the relative comforts of our hotel in Leh.
*Standard Hotel*
Day 12 : Fly to Delhi.
Location:
Delhi
Accommodation:
Hotel
Meals Included:
Breakfast
An early start for the flight back to Delhi. The rest of the day is free in
Delhi for individual shopping or sightseeing.
*Standard Hotel*
Day 13 : Free day in Delhi for individual sightseeing.
Location:
Delhi
Accommodation:
Hotel
Meals Included:
Breakfast
A free day in Delhi in case of any delays in the flight from Leh. If we fly
to Delhi on schedule then today is free for individual sightseeing. You may
want to visit Old Delhi with the magnificent Red Fort and Jami Masjid.
Humayun's Tomb (a forerunner to the Taj Mahal) is worth a visit. In New Delhi
there is India Gate and Parliament House to see; and of course Delhi has a
wealth of interesting shops and markets. An optional day trip to Agra to
see the Taj Mahal can be arranged by your leader who will provide details and
prices. (not available on Fridays as the Taj Mahal is closed)
*Standard Hotel*
Day 14 : End Delhi.
Location:
Delhi
Meals Included:
Breakfast
The tour ends after breakfast today. Those travelling on the group flights
will be transferred to the airport for the daytime flight back to London. The
group flights depart around lunchtime and will arrive in the UK the same day.
**
What's Included
-
Specialist wildlife guide
-
All breakfasts, 10 lunches and 10 dinners
-
All transport and listed activities
-
All accommodation
-
Arrival and departure transfers
-
Flights from London (if booking incl. flights)
-
Tour leader throughout
-
Meals
9 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 6 dinners.
What's Not Included
-
Single accommodation (available on request)
-
Visas or vaccinations
-
Travel insurance
Food
All breakfasts are included and in Ladakh all food is included. In Leh the food will be a mix of Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and Continental. On trek we provide a full breakfast including porridge, cereals, eggs and toast and a choice of hot drinks. Lunch will be a packed hot lunch consisting of rice and chapattis, vegetables, tuna and cheese, which will be carried for us. Dinners will be mostly pasta, rice or potato based and a mixture of Indian, Continental and Chinese style. In the afternoon hot drinks and biscuits are served and in the daytime our camp staff will bring us hot drinks whilst we are out spotting.
Accommodation
In Delhi we use a good standard hotel, which has en suite air-conditioned rooms. In Leh the hotel is simple but all rooms have en suite bathrooms. Please note that in Ladakh in winter the water pipes in the hotel may be frozen and water (hot and cold) is usually provided by bucket. Electricity in Leh can also be temperamental, although many hotels now have back-up generators and lanterns and candles are provided in case of power cuts. The trek itself is on a full-service camping basis, meaning that our camp staff will erect and dismantle the tents for you, cook, and do all of the camp chores for you. You need only carry your day pack. We use two-person tents which have enough room inside for your kitbags. We also have a dining tent complete with table and folding chairs, and at least one toilet tent (usually two) for use during the evenings. No running water is available whilst camping. The camp staff will collect stream water or melt snow to provide bowls of warm water (to wash with). We spend one night in a traditional Ladakhi house. The house will be basic and you may well be sleeping in a sleeping bag on a mattress on the floor. There will be a basic local toilet and dining room. If you require a single room whilst in Delhi and Leh and a single tent whilst camping there is a supplement, From £400 payable at the time of booking. Please note that single rooms will not be available in the homestay.
Check out our Q&As
Are airport transfers included in this tour?
Arrival and departure transfers
Are children permitted to take part in the tour?
16+ age people can go on this tour.
Are children permitted to take part in the tour?
16+ age people can go on
What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
If you wish to make any changes to your booking, particularly if you need to alter any flights booked through us, please let us know as soon as possible. There is a booking or flight amendment fee of £40 per change and flight amendments often incur extra airline costs depending on the changes to be made and if the ticket has been issued or not.
How long has the tour company been trading?
Exodus has been trading since 1974
What documents will I receive before I travel?
Your final joining instructions and flight details, if booked with us, will then be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before departure. If you would like a hard copy posted, or if you require these any earlier, please contact the customer operations team. We advise that if you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time.
Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Travellers are welcome to opt to share a room with a tour member of the same gender for no additional charge. If you'd like your own room, we can request a single supplement so that you will have your own room throughout.
Can I join the tour once it has departed?
You are welcome to meet the group after the tour has departed however there is no reduction in rate for joining a tour after the departure date.
Reviews
Dates & Availability
Saturday
Feb 18, 2023Friday
Mar 03, 2023$4207
$4007 (USD)
$4207
$4007 (USD)
Sunday
Feb 19, 2023Saturday
Mar 04, 2023$4349
$4142 (USD)
$4349
$4142 (USD)
Friday
Feb 16, 2024Thursday
Feb 29, 2024$4387
$4179 (USD)
$4387
$4179 (USD)
Saturday
Feb 17, 2024Friday
Mar 01, 2024$4479
$4266 (USD)
$4479
$4266 (USD)
Friday
Mar 01, 2024Thursday
Mar 14, 2024$4387
$4179 (USD)
$4387
$4179 (USD)
Saturday
Mar 02, 2024Friday
Mar 15, 2024$4479
$4266 (USD)
$4479
$4266 (USD)
Book with Confidence
-
Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Exodus allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform exodus, 43 days before departure.
-
Low Deposit
Exodus requires a minimum deposit of 25% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
-
Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of exodus charges.
Up to 42 days before tour starts: 100% of deposit.
At 20 days before tour starts: 100% of booking price.
In Search of the Snow Leopard
14 Days Starting and ending in Delhi
Visiting:
Delhi
,Himalayas
,Leh
,Ladakh
,Shey
,Thiksay monastry
,Stakna
,Rumbak
,Yurutse
,Hemis National Park
Tour operator:
Physical rating:
Moderate
Special diets catered:
Please inform Exodus of specific dietary requirements
Trip Styles:
Activities:
Tour code:
TGL
Group size:
4 - 16
Age range:
16 to 99
Tour operated in:
English
Interests:
Recommended For:
From:
$4007 (USD)
including Flights from the UK
EXTRA tourhub discount: $200
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