Snow Leopard Tour India – A Private Journey from the Himalayas to India’s Tiger Country

Arrive in Delhi, clear immigration and meet your representative for a private transfer to your hotel. The remainder of the day is left free so you can recover from the flight, adjust to the climate and enjoy a first glimpse of India at your own pace. You might take a short walk nearby or simply relax with a quiet meal. An early night is recommended, as tomorrow’s spectacular Himalayan flight to Leh begins your ascent toward Ladakh and the remote snow leopard valleys of the north. This gentle start sets the tone for a well-paced, comfortable journey.

A spectacular morning flight carries you over snow-capped peaks and deep Himalayan valleys before descending into Leh at around 3,500 metres. After a private transfer to your lodge, the day unfolds at a deliberately slow, altitude-friendly pace. Enjoy tea on the terrace, short strolls around the property or a gentle wander through the bazaar if you feel comfortable. Your guide briefs you on Ladakh, its culture and the days ahead. An early night supports acclimatisation and prepares you for more exploration tomorrow. This first glimpse of the Trans-Himalaya sets the visual tone for the entire expedition.

Today is dedicated to gentle acclimatisation while you discover Leh’s character. Visit key monasteries such as Thiksey or Shey, where white-washed stupas, prayer wheels and murals frame sweeping views of the Indus Valley. Explore the old bazaar at an easy pace, pausing for tea in small cafés as your guide explains Ladakh’s blend of Tibetan, Central Asian and Indian influences. The afternoon is left open for rest back at the lodge. Hydration, light meals and a quiet evening all support a smooth transition to higher valleys. By nightfall you should feel noticeably more comfortable at altitude and ready for Ulley.

Leave Leh after breakfast and drive west along the Indus Valley before turning into the side valleys that lead toward Ulley. The scenery quickly shifts from populated slopes to wilder, more dramatic contours where snow lies in sheltered folds. Stop for photographs and short walks as you gain altitude gradually. On arrival, settle into your lodge and meet the local tracking team for a detailed briefing. A short acclimatisation stroll nearby introduces you to Ulley’s scale, quiet and potential for snow leopard encounters. Evening is relaxed, allowing you to organise layers, optics and camera gear for tomorrow.

Your first full day of snow leopard tracking begins with the stillness of dawn as spotters scan surrounding ridgelines for movement, tracks or fresh scrapes. You move between carefully chosen vantage points, using scopes and binoculars to search slopes where blue sheep and ibex feed. Patience is key; long periods of watching are punctuated by bursts of purposeful activity whenever signs appear. Along the way you may encounter fox, woolly hare and raptors circling overhead, revealing the richness of Ulley’s high-altitude ecosystem. As daylight fades, return to the lodge to warm up, review sightings and refine plans.

Today you may explore deeper sections of Ulley or neighbouring side valleys, depending on recent activity. Your guides interpret subtle signs — pugmarks in snow, scent marks on rocks, disturbed scree slopes — to decide where to focus. The walking is tailored to your fitness and the conditions, with plenty of pauses to rest and scan. Even when the snow leopard remains elusive, the sense of immersion is profound: vast silence, shifting light and the daily life of blue sheep, vultures and other mountain wildlife. By evening you will understand the valley’s patterns in far greater depth.

With several days of observations behind you, the team now follows emerging patterns in movement and behaviour. You might return to a ridge where fresh tracks were seen, stake out a promising valley, or position yourself above a favoured feeding slope. The search is a collaboration between trackers, guides and guests, each scanning different sectors. Between focused periods you have time to absorb the landscape’s texture and silence. As night falls, the lodge’s warmth feels especially welcome after hours in the cold air. Conversations this evening often centre on strategy, recent signs and the next day’s priorities.

Your final full day in Ulley brings a heightened sense of focus and quiet anticipation. Drawing on observations from previous days, your trackers refine the search, selecting vantage points that offer the strongest chances for meaningful encounters. You continue scanning ridgelines, rocky outcrops and known travel corridors, pausing whenever fresh signs appear. Even without a sighting, the privilege of time spent in this rarefied landscape remains deeply rewarding. The stillness, scale and resilience of the mountains leave a lasting impression. Back at the lodge, a final shared dinner marks the close of this remarkable chapter in snow leopard country.

After breakfast, depart Ulley and begin the journey back toward Leh, retracing mountain roads that gradually open into wider valleys and the Indus basin. Short stops along the way allow time to absorb final views of Ladakh’s stark beauty and high-altitude villages. On arrival in Leh, check in to your hotel and enjoy a restful afternoon. You may take a gentle walk through town, revisit a favourite café or simply relax after days in the field. This return to altitude comfort provides a natural pause, allowing body and mind to reset before continuing south.

This morning you fly from Leh to Delhi, leaving the high Himalayas behind as the landscape gives way to the plains of northern India. On arrival in the capital, transfer to your hotel and enjoy a restful afternoon and evening at leisure. After days shaped by patience, cold air and silence, Delhi’s warmth and energy feel like a distinct shift in pace. This overnight stay allows for a comfortable and well-timed continuation of your journey tomorrow, ensuring a smooth transition toward central India and the forests of tiger country ahead.

Fly from Leh or Delhi to Jabalpur, then continue by road through rural Madhya Pradesh toward Bandhavgarh National Park. The drive reveals everyday village life, roadside markets and pockets of forest that hint at the wildlife still thriving in this region. Your guide outlines tiger conservation efforts and the park’s history as a former hunting reserve turned stronghold for big cats. Arrive at your lodge by late afternoon, in time to refresh and absorb the jungle ambience before tomorrow’s first safari into the park. An unhurried evening helps you adjust to the warmer climate and lower altitude.

Your first tiger safari introduces the sounds, light and texture of Bandhavgarh at dawn. Enter the park as mist lifts from meadows and the sun touches rocky outcrops and forest edges. Your naturalist reads fresh pugmarks, alarm calls and scents on the breeze to decide which tracks to follow. While tigers are the main focus, you also watch for sambar, chital, gaur, jackal and an impressive variety of birds. Between drives, return to the lodge for breakfast, rest and time to reflect on the morning. An afternoon safari offers a different mood as golden light returns and activity builds again.

Today you explore different zones of Bandhavgarh, increasing your understanding of how tigers use the landscape. You might focus on quieter tracks, secluded waterholes or territories known for mothers with cubs. Patience and repetition are vital; returning to the same area can suddenly yield an unforgettable sighting. Along the way, your guide points out trees scarred by claw marks, favourite scent posts and subtle changes in alarm calls. By evening, you will recognise individual viewpoints, routes and forest clearings as familiar ground. The feeling of being part of an unfolding story grows stronger with each drive.

Your final day in Bandhavgarh blends focused tracking with time to simply enjoy the forest. You and your naturalist may revisit promising routes at dawn, hoping to intersect fresh tracks or follow a sequence of alarm calls to their source. Even without a close encounter, watching light change over meadows, ruins and rocky hillsides is deeply rewarding. After your last safari, return to the lodge for lunch and a relaxed afternoon, before preparing to travel onward to Kanha or Pench tomorrow. Leaving this park often feels like saying goodbye to a particularly charismatic character.

Depart Bandhavgarh after breakfast and drive through the rolling countryside of Madhya Pradesh toward Kanha. The journey reveals fields, villages and forest corridors that help link these protected areas into a wider landscape. Arrive at your lodge in time for lunch and a short rest. Depending on timings and park regulations, you may enjoy an afternoon safari or a guided walk near the property. The change in scenery and sounds underlines how varied India’s wild places can be. It feels like a fresh yet familiar stage in your continuing big-cat journey.

Your final safari offers one more chance to seek tigers, wild dogs and the many deer, birds and smaller creatures that animate these forests. Morning light filters through tall trees as you follow jungle tracks for the last time, absorbing details you might previously have missed. After breakfast back at the lodge, there is time to pack and take a final look around before driving to Raipur / Jabalpur Airport. Fly to Delhi and connect with your onward flight, carrying home vivid memories of India’s great cats. The contrasts between Himalayas and jungles, leopards and tigers, linger long after you return.