Snow Leopard Expedition in Ladakh

Voygr has maintained a 100 percent guest sighting success rate across every scheduled expedition since formal records began in 2017. That record is held by the tracking team: full-time Ladakhi trackers who live in the region year-round, monitor snow leopard movements across every season, and operate simultaneously across multiple valleys coordinated by radio.

No responsible operator guarantees sightings with wild animals. What Voygr controls is the infrastructure that maximizes probability: year-round presence in prime habitat, the largest and most advanced optics fleet in snow leopard tracking anywhere in the world, and a camp inside Hemis National Park rather than an hour away. Most guests see multiple cats across a standard departure.

Ladakh is the only place on earth where snow leopards live within one hour of an airport. You fly into Leh, acclimatize at a comfortable hotel with central heating and room service, and drive to camp the next day. There is no multi-day trek to base camp, no roughing it in a tent village, and no days lost to remote logistics.

The landscape itself is ideal for tracking: steep, open terrain where snow leopards must cross exposed ridgelines to move between valleys, allowing trackers with high-powered scopes to detect cats at distances impossible in flatter or more forested habitats. A 2025 study (Raina et al., PLOS ONE) recorded a density of roughly 2 snow leopards per 100 square kilometers inside Hemis National Park, the highest documented anywhere in the species' range.

And then there is the camp. LUNGMĀR is arguably the finest snow leopard property on the planet: centrally heated accommodations, chefs from Nepal's Everest region, a dedicated tracking team, and service that belongs in a lodge, not on an expedition. Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan offer none of this. We know, because we have operated in all of those countries. Our tracking teams have searched for snow leopards across Central and High Asia. Ladakh is where we choose to build our flagship program, and the reasons are visible from the moment you arrive.

Ladakh also sits at a cultural crossroads on the ancient Silk Road, with Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, historic trading towns, and communities that have coexisted with snow leopards for centuries.

The team uses two primary methods. The first is systematic scope scanning: trackers position themselves at vantage points selected over years of experience and scan ridgelines, drainage channels, and cliff faces with Swarovski BTX-95 spotting scopes. Multiple teams work simultaneously across different valleys, coordinated by radio. When one team locates a cat, the others reposition.

The second method is foot-tracking: reading the landscape for physical signs of recent snow leopard activity. Scrape marks on ridgelines, scat deposits, urine spray on marking rocks, and pug marks in snow or soft ground all indicate direction, recency, and territory use. The trackers combine these ground-level signals with scope work to narrow the search area systematically.

Snow leopards are also tracked through their prey. Monitoring blue sheep herd movements across the valleys sometimes leads to a cat that is following the same herd.

The rhythm is different. On an African safari, you move through the landscape and encounters happen around the vehicle. On a snow leopard tour, you observe from elevated vantage points using high-powered spotting scopes, and the cat may be anywhere from 200 meters to two kilometers away on the opposite slope. The experience is more immersive, more contemplative, and shaped entirely by what the trackers find each day.

Many Voygr guests come to Ladakh after years of travel across Africa's forests, grasslands, wetlands, and deserts, drawn by the rarity of the encounter and a landscape unlike any ecosystem they have experienced before. The comfort level at camp is comparable to a high-end African lodge: heated accommodations, three-course dinners, and attentive service. The terrain and the cold are the variables that make it a fundamentally different kind of wildlife watching experience.

The Signature Trip (12 days) starts at $8,790 per person in a Kurkhang Tent on a twin-share basis. Predator Suite upgrades start at $11,950 twin-share. Single occupancy is available at a supplement. The President's Trip (14 days, led by founder and CEO Behzad Larry, with two additional tracking days) starts at $10,990 per person.

The price includes all accommodations (Delhi, Leh, and LUNGMĀR Remote Camp), all meals at camp and in Leh, domestic flights, ground transfers, full-time tracking crew, expedition leadership, and group use of Swarovski BTX-95 spotting scopes. It excludes international airfare, Indian visa, travel insurance, gratuities, and personal expenses. Full pricing and departure dates are listed in the Rates and Dates section above.

Scheduled group departures are capped at 10 to 12 guests. Each group has a dedicated expedition leader who meets the group in Delhi or Leh, depending on the departure schedule, and stays with them through the expedition. In the field, the tracking teams locate the cats and your expedition leader brings you to the sighting positions.

Private tours are available from November through April. Your group gets its own expedition leader, its own schedule, and the flexibility to shape each day around what interests you. When a snow leopard is sighted, tracking teams call it in for all guests at camp, private and group alike, so nothing is missed. The difference is how you spend the hours in between. Full camp buyouts are also available, reserving the entire property for your party. Inquire for dates and pricing.

Most of our guests are in their 60s or older. We have hosted guests with a prosthetic leg, with hip replacements, with knee replacements, and with limited mobility. We have also hosted avid hikers who want to be out from dawn to dark. The tour accommodates the full range.

Camp is reached entirely by vehicle. Tracking days involve driving to observation points followed by short walks of 10 to 30 minutes over uneven, rocky terrain to reach vantage positions. Most of the day is spent comfortably at observation points while the tracking teams scan with spotting scopes. Anyone who can walk on uneven ground for 30 minutes at a moderate pace will enjoy the experience fully.

The trip can be adapted to your needs within a group setting. If you need extra time acclimatizing to the altitude, the team adjusts. If you want to be out longer, your expedition leader can arrange it. For guests who want a fully customized schedule, a private expedition offers complete flexibility around your pace and interests.

Camp sits at 12,500 feet (3,800 meters). Two nights of acclimatization in Leh at 11,500 feet (3,500 meters) precede the drive to camp. The itinerary is designed to allow gradual altitude adjustment before tracking begins.

Oxygen is on hand at camp, in vehicles, and at the hotel in Leh. A Gamow bag is available at camp for altitude emergencies. All staff are trained in first aid and altitude response. Leh, with its hospital and military medical facilities, is accessible within one hour by road. Guests with concerns about altitude are encouraged to consult their physician before booking. Pre-trip altitude briefings are included with every departure.

Every tour is led by a dedicated expedition leader: experienced naturalists, wildlife photographers, and conservationists who have guided across multiple continents. Several are accomplished photographers who can advise on equipment and technique throughout the trip.

The tracking team is led by senior trackers with more than twenty years of experience each inside Hemis National Park. They are widely regarded as the foremost snow leopard trackers in the world. The wider roster extends across multiple villages inside the park, combining veteran and next-generation trackers. Collectively, the team contributes more than a hundred cumulative years of experience. The trackers also travel internationally to train national park rangers and advise on ecotourism and human-wildlife conflict programs.

Voygr operates its snow leopard tours directly. There is no intermediary, no outsourced ground handler, and no gap between what is described on this page and what is delivered in the field. The guest deals with the same team from inquiry through departure.

The tracking system is the most extensive and the most heavily invested in the world. No other snow leopard operation fields this number of dedicated trackers, this number of spotting scopes, or this depth of experience at this scale. Eleven Swarovski BTX-95 scopes currently serve the LUNGMĀR property, with six more allocated to the second camp. The camp introduced central heating, running hot water, and 24-hour power to this operating environment. A fixed conservation fee from every guest and 20 percent of annual profits fund the High Asia Habitat Fund.

Snow leopards are typically observed at distances ranging from 200 meters to two kilometers. A telephoto lens in the 600mm range (or a 200-400mm with a teleconverter) is recommended for strong images. A sturdy tripod with a gimbal head is essential for stability at these focal lengths in cold and wind. A mid-range zoom (70-200mm) is useful for landscape and environmental shots. Bring extra batteries; they drain significantly faster in extreme cold. Keep spares warm inside your jacket layers.

Voygr's expedition leaders include accomplished wildlife photographers who advise on positioning, light, and settings throughout the trip. A porter service ($595) is available for guests carrying heavy equipment to observation points. An optional lens rental service is also offered.

Layer for extremes. Temperatures at camp can reach minus four Fahrenheit (minus twenty Celsius) at night, with daytime highs around 37 Fahrenheit (3 Celsius). A detailed packing list is provided after booking.

The essentials are quality thermal base layers, a high-performance down jacket, insulated waterproof boots with good ankle support, multiple glove layers, a balaclava or neck gaiter, quality sunglasses for high-altitude glare, and high-SPF sunscreen. For a detailed breakdown with specific recommendations, read our comprehensive snow leopard tour packing list.

Peak-season nights can reach minus four Fahrenheit (minus twenty Celsius). Daytime highs sit around 37 Fahrenheit (3 Celsius). The cold is the enabling condition for the expedition: it drives blue sheep to lower slopes, which brings the cats into trackable terrain. Without winter, there is no snow leopard watching season.

LUNGMĀR Remote Camp was the first snow leopard camp in Ladakh to run central heating, round-the-clock hot water, and continuous power across every guest unit. Interior temperatures hold between 64 and 72 Fahrenheit (18 to 22 Celsius). In the field, thermoses with hot drinks, snacks, and water travel with every team. Guests can return to camp at any point during the day.

Every guest contributes through a fixed conservation fee transferred to the High Asia Habitat Fund, alongside 20 percent of annual profits from the snow leopard program. The fund operates year-round, independent of the tour season.

The primary initiative is building predator-proof corrals in villages surrounding Hemis National Park. These corrals protect livestock from snow leopard predation and remove the single largest source of conflict between communities and cats. On most departures, guests visit the corrals and meet the families who use them. The fund also supports education: scholarships for local students and sponsored tutors in villages during the two-month winter school break. Snow leopards survive in Ladakh because the communities around Hemis have chosen tolerance over retaliation. The expedition, the conservation funding, and the community economy are structurally linked.

All foreign nationals require a Protected Area Permit for Ladakh. Voygr arranges this for you. An Indian tourist visa is required and must be obtained before travel. It is not included in the tour cost.

Passport holders from China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka require separate Ministry of Home Affairs clearance, which can take a month or longer with no guarantee of approval. Confirm your passport nationality at the time of booking.

Many guests extend rather than fly straight home. Voygr and its sister company Tiger Safari Co. build these extensions end to end, connecting seamlessly from Delhi. Popular options include Ranthambhore or Bandhavgarh for Bengal tigers, Jawai for Indian leopards, Kaziranga for Indian one-horned rhinos, and Kanha for a quieter central Indian forest. Pallas's cat extensions to the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan brown bear expeditions in Ladakh are also available seasonally. All extensions are detailed in the Trip Extensions section above.

Most departures book six to twelve months ahead. Peak-season dates (January through March) and the President's Trip sell out fastest. Early-season (November, December) and late-season (April) departures tend to have more availability. A 25 percent deposit confirms your booking. Full payment is due 90 days before departure.