A True Adventure
This is the second time I’ve traveled with Voygr Expeditions, and I’m sure to come back for more. What makes Voygr so special is that they have created adventures that are deeply aligned with and respectful of the land, the people, and the wildlife who live where we travel.
The Snow Leopard tour is a true adventure. You’re a few hours hike in the Himalayas, and you camp surrounded by nothing but ridges and peaks for miles and miles. You have all of the freedom you would want to explore, but they also provide the comforts you would expect from a high end luxury tour. Compared to other companies in the area, we no doubt had the best set up – the best guides, meals, tent (more like giant yurts) set ups (we had in tent heaters turned on at sunrise, and about an hour before we went to bed), and Expert trackers.
Behzad and his team were great with the communications and planning ahead of time, pick up was a breeze, and everything was taken care of from beginning to end. All I had to worry about was being present and enjoying every moment of the trip.
The service was unlike anything I’ve seen. No matter where you were, tea and cookies would find you. Each meal was multi coursed and delicious. It was a great mix of local style food, Indian food, and good old comfort food (pancakes were a treat).
I went into this trip with zero expectations around seeing a snow leopard or any other wildlife. I was excited to just be in the mountains, and meet great people, but I ended up seeing so much more than I could have imagined – tibetan wolves, eurasian lynx, beautiful golden eagles, lammergeiers, and of course the snow leopard. Viewing the snow leopard for hours was truly special, and Behzad’s team and the others on the trip were the perfect people to enjoy it with.
Lastly, the thing I appreciated most about this trip was how much of a positive impact this expedition has on the local community, the national park, and wildlife conservation in general. The entire crew is local, the trackers are local, and so much money is flowing back into the communities and directly towards leopard and wildlife conservation. Behzad and his team care so much about this, and do whatever they can to add value to the communities and lands where they travel.
Thanks Behzad, Rashid, Caitlin and team. See you sometime soon. :)