ladakh three elusive
cats expedition (snow leopard, lynx & pallas’s cat)

Upon arrival at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, you will be greeted by our airport representative, who will be waiting in the arrival hall holding a placard with your name. After a warm welcome, you will be transferred to your hotel, conveniently located near the airport for your onward flight to Leh the following day. Our representative will provide a brief introduction to Delhi, explain the arrangements for your upcoming journey and confirm your flight details and pick-up time for the next morning. He will also assist you with hotel check-in and check-out procedures to ensure a smooth and comfortable start to your adventure. Overnight in hotel with breakfast basis.

After breakfast, our airport representative will assist you with check-out from the hotel and transfer you to Delhi Airport for your flight to Leh. If a tour escort is accompanying the group, they will assist with all airport formalities and ensure a smooth journey. The flight to Leh takes approximately one hour and offers spectacular views of the Himalayan mountain range with countless snow-capped peaks visible along the way. We always try our best to arrange window seats so guests can enjoy these incredible views.

Upon arrival in Leh (3,500 metres / 11,500 feet above sea level), please put on a warm jacket and cover your head before leaving the aircraft. Inside the arrival hall, you may be required to complete a simple tourism registration form with details such as your name, passport number, visa number, address, country of origin, duration of stay, and local reference.

After collecting your luggage, you will be welcomed by your local guide outside the airport and transferred to your hotel in Leh, just a 10-minute drive away. Your guide will assist with check-in and provide a briefing on acclimatisation, expedition plans, important dos and don’ts, and the schedule for the coming days. All meals are included during your stay in Leh.

The remainder of the day is reserved for complete rest to help your body acclimatise to the high altitude. Please scroll down to learn more about acclimatisation and staying healthy at altitude.

Today begins with an early morning wake-up call, followed by tea or coffee before departing for a 30-minute drive to the famous Thiksey Monastery. Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Indus Valley, Thiksey is one of Ladakh's largest and most beautiful monasteries, known for its impressive architecture and magnificent 15-metre-high Maitreya Buddha statue.

We will attend the morning prayer ceremony, offering a unique opportunity to experience monastic life, observe the monks' daily rituals, and enjoy excellent photography opportunities. During our visit, we will explore the main prayer hall, the giant Buddha statue, protector chapels, the Dolma (Tara) temple, and rooftop areas where monks often perform traditional conch shell blowing ceremonies. After approximately two hours at the monastery, we return to the hotel for breakfast. The remainder of the morning is free for relaxation and acclimatisation until lunch.

In the afternoon, your guide will take you on a walk through Leh's historic old town where you can experience local daily life and purchase any last-minute items needed for the upcoming snow leopard expedition. As this day is also kept flexible for wildlife opportunities, all guests should keep their cameras, warm clothing, and personal gear ready at all times, even while visiting Thiksey Monastery. If we receive reliable information about a snow leopard sighting or a recent kill in the surrounding region, your guide may organise an immediate excursion to the area before returning to the hotel in the evening.

After breakfast drive an hour to snow leopard territory and checkin into wildlife lodge. After lunch set out with spotters to look for snow leopard.

This is how snow leopard tracking works.

Early Morning (6.30 AM): Expert spotters go out at sunrise to look for wildlife, like wild sheep, on the mountain slopes using high-powered scopes and binoculars.

Morning (7:00 AM): Guests wake up to hot coffee and tea. Guides share the morning's tracking news. If a Leopard is Found: You go straight to the spot to see it. Staff will even bring your breakfast to you so you don't miss anything.

Afternoon: Depending on where the animals are, you might also visit local villages. You can try traditional butter tea, hear local stories, and see how villagers protect their farm animals.

Evening: Return to base for drinks and a three-course dinner. You can relax and listen to stories about past expeditions under the stars.

Click to know about Snow Leopard
Click to know about how everyday Snow Leopard tracking works.

Morning last session for snow leopard sighting. After breakfast drive back to Leh. Reach Leh hotel by lunch. After lunch rest for preparation for next part of the tour. Overnight in hotel with all meals.

Here we will make a base in Leh for another 4 nights and drive everyday for about an hour to Prime Lynx habitat known as Warila. We will spend whole day around warila, Changla and Shanglung. Evening back to hotel. Overnight in hotel with all meals.

Our spotters will be stationed nearby village around Warila which is a prime habitat for the Eurasian lynx, Tibetan wolf and Argali -The largest wild sheep in the world and various birds of prey. Each day, the spotter team will scout different valleys to scan the mountains. If there is a sighting, they will immediately inform us, and we must reach the location as quickly as possible. Our support staff will provide lunch, tea, and snacks in the field, and we will drive back to Leh in the evening. The area is also famous for its stunning monasteries and one of the highest motor-able pass Warila 5,312 meters (17,428 feet), so if no wildlife is spotted, we can always visit these cultural and scenic landmarks instead.

Click to know about Eurasian Lynx

The drive will be about 6 hours from Leh including lunch and tea stops. Will stop 40 kms before handle to scan for Pallas cat. Later evening will continue drive to Hanle for Overnight in guesthouse.

Welcome to the Hanle basin - one of the most remarkable high-altitude cold deserts in the world. Over the next four days, we will explore the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, a sanctuary for rare and endemic species that have adapted to survive at altitudes above 4,300 meters. Our journey focuses on the elusive 'ghost of the steppe,' the Pallas's cat, but the landscape is teeming with other incredible predators and grazers.

Pallas’s Cat (Manul): Our primary target. Known locally as Ribilik, this small, stocky cat is famous for its thick, frosty fur and 'grumpy' expression. They are master camouflagers that live in rock crevices and abandoned marmot burrows. We will look for them primarily at dawn and dusk when they are most active.

Tibetan Wolf (Shangku): A powerful apex predator of the plateau. We may see them trotting across the plains in small packs or alone, often on the hunt for gazelles or young livestock.

Tibetan Sand Fox: Distinct from the Red Fox by its square-shaped face and greyish-tan coat, these foxes are often found near pika colonies, their main source of food.

Tibetan Gazelle (Goa): One of India's rarest mammals, with only a small population remaining. They are extremely shy and usually found on the high, windswept plateaus above 4,800 meters a place called Kalak Tar Tar.

Eurasian Eagle-Owl: One of the largest owls in the world. We will scan the rocky cliffs where they roost during the day and hunt at night.

Click to know about Pallas's Cat

Morning after breakfast we drive back about 6 hrs to Leh. Overnight in Hotel.

Morning after breakfast transfer to airport for your flight back to Delhi. On arrival in Delhi our airport representative you take you to hotel near airport. As per your international flight we will take you to internal airport for your flight back home.

Flight from Delhi to your onward destination. Tour concludes with unforgettable memories of Ladakh—its breathtaking landscapes and rare wildlife encounters including snow leopard, Pallas’s cat, and lynx.