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Snow Leopard trip itinerary:

Day 01 Delhi – Leh Arrival  transfer to Hotel, Full day rest to acclimatize altitude. Overnight Hotel Lotus or Mahe Retreat or similar.

Day 2  All day around Leh. We will have two excursions – involving a little walking. We will visit some marshes along the Indus river valley and a nearby monastery.

Day 3 after breakfast we will drive to the trailhead for our camp. All our bags will be transferred to be carried by pack animals, except anything we wish to carry ourselves, and we will walk up valley to our camp which will have been set up in advance and lunch awaits. Although only a couple of miles or so, we will take a leisurely pace and it will take us around 2 hours with stops. We will already be keeping a keen eye out for Snow Leopards. In 2014 we saw a Snow Leopard right above the transfer spot!  The rest of the day will be spent in the vicinity of camp, looking for Snow Leopards, other mammals and birds. We may offer the option to hike a couple more miles in the afternoon, before returning for dinner.

Day 04 Trek to  Snow Leopard valley Husing or in  Tarbong Valley. Overnight Camp.

Day 05 Trek to  Snow Leopard valley Husing or in  Tarbong Valley. Overnight Camp.

Day 06 Trek to  Snow Leopard valley Husing or in  Tarbong Valley. Overnight Camp.

Day 07 Trek to  Snow Leopard valley Husing or in  Tarbong Valley. Overnight Camp.

Day 08 Trek to  Snow Leopard valley Husing or in  Tarbong Valley. Overnight Camp.

Day 09 Trek to  Snow Leopard valley Husing or in  Tarbong Valley. Overnight Camp.

Day 10 Trek to  Snow Leopard valley Husing or in  Tarbong Valley. Overnight Camp.

Day 11 Trek to  Snow Leopard valley Husing or in  Tarbong Valley. Overnight Camp.

Day 12 Back to Zingchen and drive back to Leh,Overnight Hotel Lotus,Mahe Retreat or similar. 

Day 13 Leh – Delhi, transfer to Leh airport to catch the flight.

Extension trip Itinerary of Uley&Tsokar Lake

DAY 01  Leh to Uley :

For those not taking the extension, you will be transferred to the airport (where your tour concludes) for your morning flight to Delhi. Meanwhile, after breakfast, those of us on the extension will board the minibuses and head off in search of Asiatic Ibex and a three night homestay. En route we will pause occasionally to look for LadakhiUrial (Red Sheep), photograph the magnificent landscape, and spot a few birds such as the spectacular Wall creeper..

Day 02 : 

Two whole days to explore the remote area in the vicinity of our lodging where we will search for Asiatic Ibex, as well as Wolf, and Snow Leopard. Overnight at the home stay..

Day 03 :  

After breakfast we will start our drive back to Leh, pausing to search for wildlife and photographs en-route. We will arrive back at our hotel by late afternoon, and celebrate our trip with a farewell dinner.

Day 04 : 

After breakfast we will transfer to the airport where the tour ends. Morning flight back to Delhi, for onward connections, or if you wish, an overnight stay.

Tsokar lake Trip

Day 01 : Leh to Tsokar 170 km, 5/6 hrs drive.. On the way at Rumtse Village stop for Tibetan Partridge. Walk around Lake to see some birds after our arrival .Overnight Eco - Resort.

Day 02) : We Spend around the Lakes and Barren Mountains. Fair chances of Argali, Upland Buzzard, Golden Eagle, Black necked Crane,TibetanSangross, Ground Tit, Bar Headed Goose, Strip Geese, Ruddy Shelduck, Gadwall, Common Merganser, Red Crested Pochard, Common Kestrel,Brown headed Gull, Rust Geese,etc.Tibetan Wild Ass, Tibetan Argali, Tibetan Wolf and Red Fox. Overnight Eco Resort.

Day 03) :Tsokar to Leh Drive back to Leh on the way stop for Wall Creeper, Golden Eagle etc.

Day 04) :Leh to Delhi

What’s Included

From arrival in Leh, until morning of departure from Leh:
Transfers to/from Leh airport, Hotel in Leh (and shared room in home stay on extension), Camping fees, Wildlife fees, tents (two person or single), 3-inch mattresses, dining tent, toilet tent, carriage of personal baggage to/from camp using horses/mules, excursions as described, three meals per day until breakfast on last day, tea, coffee, potable water, services of camp cook, camp staff, local guides/spotters .

What’s not included?

Any airfares, visa fees, insurance, personal items, tips, laundry, phone calls, all drinks other than tea coffee, potable water, additional excursions, additional meals, sleeping bags. Additional costs incurred due to flight delays/cancellations, road closures or any other factors beyond our control. Personal Porter – see below

Personal porter

You will not need to carry anything from the trailhead up to camp at the beginning of our camp, nor back to the road at the end of the camp. However, on all days whilst we are searching for the Snow Leopards, anything that you want with you, such as your camera, tripod, telescope, small daypack with extra clothing layers, etc, you will have to carry. However, you may, for a small additional fee, opt to hire your own personal porter for the duration of the camp (10days). This will be organized for you on request in Leh, at the start of the trip.

Flights

Exotic Travel can help book your flights. The only way to get to Leh in the winter is to fly from Delhi (to Leh). It is a short (approx one hour) flight on a modern jet. The airstrip in Leh is a large military one, has a good approach and is well maintained.

i) Baggage allowance Delhi-Leh is only 15kg per person, unless you have a through ticket on the same airline internationally. Jet Airways or Air India are the only two airlines that fly to Leh. However, excess baggage charges are only £3 ($5) per kilo, and all decent cold weather gear is very lightweight, plus you’ll want to wear a fair bit of that on the plane to ensure it arrives with you and so as you can wear it as you walk from the plane to the terminal on arrival in Leh.

ii) At the time of writing, both Jet Airways (Jet Konnect) and Air India only fly into Leh (from Delhi) on some days of the week. However, both airlines fly into Leh on day-one of the tour, Fri 27 Feb, and if you go on the extension, both airlines fly out of Leh on the final day, Mon 16 Mar. However, if you are not doing the extension, then only Jet Airlines (Jet Konnect) fly out of Leh on the final day of the main part of the tour. Air India departs Leh the following day (Friday 13th).

Additional Advice

Delays at Leh airport are always possible due to weather (although we experienced none in 2014). However, at the end of the tour, in case of delays flying out of Leh, you may wish to plan an overnight stay in Delhi. Exotic Travel can book you in at our preferred Airport hotel.

Lithium Batteries (eg spare camera batteries) – must be in your checked luggage for the return flight from Leh back to Delhi.

Tips: these are an entirely personal choice. Our guidance is each guest gives a tip of $10 per day, to be shared equally amongst all the local guides, cooks, porters, camp assistants, with a smaller proportion reserved for the hotel staff and drivers in Leh. Your tour leader will assist. If you have hired your own personal porter, then any tip that you wish to give will be in addition to the above, and you should give that directly to the porter. We suggest $25 would be an appropriate tip.

Equipment:

The following three specialist items are particularly noteworthy..
i)Down sleeping bag – get the best 4-season one you can. Add a silk liner for extra warmth.
ii) Down jacket – should be roomy, comfortable, of high quality
iii) Walking boots – stout, winter-rated, walking boots, capable of taking two pairs of quality socks comfortably. Ensure you have walked a few miles in them (at least) before bringing them!

 Plus..
- Gloves, mittens, and hand warmers
- Warm hat, plus a 'peaked hat'/'baseball cap'
- 4+ pairs thin thermal socks
- 4+ pairs thicker thermal socks
- 2x thermal base layer (top and bottom)
- 2x thermal mid layer (top)
- 2 pairs Hiking trousers (usa = pants!)
- Fleece jacket
- Thin down jacket/vest (optional, in addition to the down jacket above)
- Lightweight/micro weight 'windbreaker jacket' eg single skin Gore-tax
- Lightweight/micro weight 'windbreaker over trousers' (usa= rain pants) eg single skin Gore-Tex
- Pillow case – to stuff clothes in overnight
- Small flashlight/torch, with hook/strap to hang from roof of ten
- Spare batteries for anything electrical (Lithium are best in cold temps)
- Binoculars
- Telescope, tripod
- Camera + lenses / dig scoping kit
- Sunscreen, sunglasses
- Essential medications for at least one week longer than the intended duration of the trip
- Personal Toiletries.