Snow Leopard Expedition - Spiti

Vasav

4 minute read

Introduction

Snow leopard is a big cat living on high altitude mountain range of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Kazakhstan. I got motivation to see snow leopard after hearing stories from Vipulbhai and Catherine who run wildark.

Unlike other photographers, I have taken this challenge without prior knowledge/experience of shooting big cats in wild (Tiger/Lion/Leopards). As a hobbyist wildlife photographer, I have always enjoyed observing new species and photographing them. After carefully considering various challenges, me and my friend Bhavya Joshi decided to take on this challenge to go on this expedition.

** This post is a copy of post which I wrote back in Oct 2020 for another blog which I no longer maintain **

Places to see snow leopard in India

  • Spiti
  • Ladakh

Ladakh

Hemis national park located in Ladakh is considered to be one of the major hotspots for wild snow leopard sightings. Hemis national park is one of the largest parks in India. Due to its large area, sightings are relatively difficult.

Spiti

Spiti valley has become a popular hotspot for snow leopards. Kibber village is the base camp for most snow leopard expeditions conducted in spiti. Kibber wildlife sanctuary offers great sighting opportunities for snow leopards.

After some discussions and looking at recent trends, we decided to finalize kibber as our destination for snow leopards.

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Kibber Village

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Photographers on the other side of the gorge in kibber wildlife sanctuary

Best Time for snow leopard sightings

The best time to visit kibber is from late January to early March. February is usually the peak season for snow leopard sightings and it can be a little crowded.

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Snow Leopard in habitat

Pre-preparation

Snow leopard expedition brings very different challenges as compared to other big cat photography. High altitude and winter make it even more challenging.

The main challenges are

  • Low oxygen levels
  • Walking uphill in snow
  • High altitude walk with photography gears

I started long walks 2 months prior to my trip to spiti valley. I walk regularly outdoors which helped a little in the preparation. I located a steep road near my house where I used to walk to train my leg muscle for the steep walks in spiti. If you have the resources then High altitude training masks can be used to simulate low oxygen levels. This was suggested on several high altitude trek forums and blogs, but this may require medical advice as I am not an expert on its effects on human body.

Another thing I used to do was use stair climbing in my house. I gradually increased the number of floors and intensity to get used to it. Weight training can also be helpful.

Things to carry

Due to pick winter season, the temperature can go as low as -25 degree Celsius. Investment in high-quality gears is essential for this expedition. I list some things that are absolutely vital for a snow leopard expedition with a rough price range:

  1. High quality waterproof jacket (North face/ Decathlon/ Columbia) - 6000 to 12000 INR
  2. High quality thermal (Monte carlo) - 1000 to 3000 INR
  3. Woolen socks (Decathlon) - 350 INR
  4. Waterproof shoes for snow (Decathlon/Columbia) - 2500 to 10000 INR
  5. Toiletries (Include extra Tissue rolls)
  6. Sanitizer
  7. Sunscreen
  8. Cold cream
  9. Good quality sun glasses
  10. Dry packed food/ biscuits/ Chocolates/ Energy bars/ Dates/ Chiki (Good to have energy sources for hikes which are light to carry and have plenty of calories)
  11. Small backpack
  12. Flask/metal water bottle if available (Water freezes in winter so it is recommended to have a good quality bottle. I used 1 contigo and 1 milton flasks)

Things to carry For Photography

  1. Extra memory cards
  2. Extra batteries (The low temperature drains the battery quickly and extra batteries are essential.)
  3. Good tripod
  4. Gimbal head if available (I used ball head)
  5. Lens (at least 400mm). Prime recommended (I borrowed lens from my friend)
  6. Extra camera body if available
  7. Good quality camera bag with rain cover
  8. Power strip
  9. HDDs
  10. Laptop
  11. Power bank if you are using gopro/cell phone for photography

Spiti valley besides wildlife also offers great opportunity to do some Astrophotography. The light pollution in this zone is minimal, therefore ideal to take stars trails during the winter season. The galactic center of the Milky Way may be unavailable during the winter.