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Mountain Ghosts of Spiti

Panthera uncia

Hemis, Spiti, and the high cold deserts of the trans-Himalaya.

High-altitude desert at 4200 metres. Frozen valleys, prayer flags, and the discipline of scanning a ridge face for hours through a spotting scope.

The snow leopard anchors an entire trans-Himalayan food web — blue sheep, ibex, wolf, lynx and Pallas's cat share its valleys.

The Species, The Wild Around It

One animal, the whole system behind it

The snow leopard is the apex predator of the trans-Himalaya — a 60-kilogram cat that lives at altitudes where humans can barely breathe.

To track a snow leopard is to enter a landscape where blue sheep, ibex, urial, Tibetan wolf, lynx, and Pallas's cat all share the same alpine valleys.

Where We Travel

Read the landscape

Hemis National Park in Ladakh, the Spiti Valley in Himachal, and select valleys in Uttarakhand. Winter — January to March — is sighting season.

RumbakUlleyKibberN10 KM33.92°N · 77.30°E
Hemis & Spiti
Rumbak

Hemis. The classic spotting valley; scopes from the ridge.

Species Intelligence

Mountain in numbers

Honest data from forest-department logs and our own field records. We do not promise sightings — we tell you exactly what the probability is, and which months it collapses.

Population · India · 2024
718
First national estimate
est.2024now
IUCN Status
LCNTVUENCR
Vulnerable
CITES Appendix I
Range / Habitat
3,000–4,500 m
trans-Himalayan cold desert
Adult Mass
22–55 kg kg
Lifespan 10–12 yrs · 2–3 cubs / 2 yrs
Sighting probability · dawn · Rumbak · Ulley
peak 72% · Jan
Jan
68
Feb
72
Mar
64
Apr
40
May
22
Jun
14
Jul
12
Aug
12
Sep
18
Oct
28
Nov
44
Dec
58
Best months: January – March
Daily Activity
00061218
Most active dawn and dusk on the ridges
Pressures
Prey depletion60
Retaliatory killing55
Habitat / grazing45
Climate shift58

With Whom We Travel

They lead. We follow.

Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust, local homestay families who serve as our hosts and spotters, and the legendary mountain guides of Ulley.

Meet Kibber Homestay Collective

From The Field

Field notebook

Selected entries from our logs — what was seen, what was waited for, who logged it. Shared with every guest before they arrive.

Feb 18 · 2026
32.33°N · 78.01°E
Kibber spotter ridge
wx Clear · −14°C · wind 18 kph

Chhering's scope. 4,400m. A female working a chukar across a rock face. We watched for 47 minutes — she came down 80 metres in that time. We never moved.

SPECIES LOG
Snow leopard (1)
Blue sheep (~30)
Chukar (8)
Chhering · guide-spotter
SNOW LEOPARD · ROCK FACE
Kibber spotter ridge · Feb 18 · 2026

More notes from the field, in your inbox — dispatches like these when there’s a story worth seeing.

Where The Share Goes

Audited. Not branded.

A defined share of every onevaasā experience returns to a published, named, audited fund. This is the program-wide ledger for the last financial year.

Shared with community partners
0
+38%
FY25 · to local guides, drivers, homestays and range concessions
Hectares supported
0 ha
+220 ha
Grassland and habitat restoration grants
Guests on-park
0
small by design
Across 24 experiences · avg 5.9 per group
Days · zero off-road
0%
policy
Every drive logged · zero vehicle violations
MethodA defined share of every experience is allocated to a published, named, audited fund. We name the partners. We name the line items. We name the audit firm.

Experience Formats

How this one is offered

Expedition

Available

Private only — winter is intense; small groups are essential.

Excursion

Not offered

Not offered — altitude and cold are unforgiving.

Exploration

Available

Invite-only research expeditions.

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Plan a Snow Leopard experience

Six days minimum. We do not offer shorter trips.

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