Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Ladakh to Get India's First Snow Leopard Safari
Ladakh is a beautiful, cold mountain region in India where a rare big cat called the snow leopard lives.
Soon, Ladakh will get the first snow leopard safari in India.
A safari is a trip where people ride in jeeps to see wild animals in nature.
Instead of driving anywhere they want, visitors will follow special paths so they do not hurt the land.
This keeps the mountains and the animals safe.
People can also watch birds from ten special spots.
Twenty young people from Ladakh will get training to work as wildlife guides.
Ladakh is home to about 477 snow leopards, which is most of the snow leopards in India.
The idea is to let people enjoy nature without disturbing it.
Ladakh will introduce India's first high-altitude snow leopard safari, approved by the newly established Snow Leopard & High-Altitude Nature (SHAN) Conservation Society.
The safari will use designated routes and guided trails instead of allowing tourist vehicles to roam freely across open terrain.
The initiative covers Hemis National Park, Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, and Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, plus corridors in Nubra, Zanskar, Sham, Kargil, and Drass.
Ten fixed birdwatching points and guided wildlife trails are planned to reduce habitat disturbance.
Twenty young local people will receive technical training in bird identification, wildlife tracking, and spotting skills to support the tourism sector.
- Who
- Ladakh's Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena and the Snow Leopard & High-Altitude Nature (SHAN) Conservation Society.
- What
- India's first high-altitude snow leopard safari, featuring designated safari routes, guided trails, and fixed birdwatching points.
- When
- Timing not specified; the plan was approved during the first governing body meeting of the SHAN Conservation Society.
- Where
- Ladakh, India, including Hemis National Park, Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, and corridors in Nubra, Zanskar, Sham, Kargil, and Drass.
- Why
- To reduce habitat disturbance from off-road driving while allowing tourists to experience Ladakh's wildlife.
- Location
- Ladakh, India
- First of its kind
- India's first high-altitude snow leopard safari
- Approved by
- Snow Leopard & High-Altitude Nature (SHAN) Conservation Society
- Key wildlife areas
- Hemis National Park, Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary
- Birdwatching points
- 10 fixed points
- Local trainees
- 20 young people
- Snow leopard population
- About 477 in Ladakh out of India's estimated 718
- Regional biodiversity
- More than 38 mammal species and over 340 bird species