Search for Snow Leopards with Valerie Parkinson

• Accommodation: 7 Classic nights (hotels), 6 Simple nights (5 full-service camping, 1 homestay)
• Seven days of wildlife spotting on foot, led by Valerie Parkinson
• Travel on foot, by jeep and two internal flights
• Group normally 5 to 14, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
• Masked dance festival visited on most departures

All breakfasts are included and all food is included in Ladakh. In Leh, the food is a mix of Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and Continental. On trek, we provide a full breakfast including porridge, cereals, eggs and toast and a choice of hot drinks. Lunch is a packed hot lunch consisting of rice and chapattis, vegetables, tuna and cheese, which is carried for us. Dinners are mostly pasta, rice or potato based and a mixture of Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisines. In the afternoon, hot drinks and biscuits are served and, in the daytime, camp staff bring us hot drinks while we are out spotting. Drinking water Staying hydrated is important when undertaking any physical activity. However, we strongly encourage you not to buy bottled water as this contributes to the growing problem of plastic pollution in India On trek, the cooks collect and boil drinking water from the mountain streams and fill up your water bottles for you, but you may need to collect water during the day and may wish to use your own water purification treatment as well. Purification tablets can be an economical way to treat your water, most taking between 30 minutes to one hour to purify one litre of water and are easy to used in water bladders/hydration packs. Purification tablets which contain chlorine dioxide are reported not to leave an obvious taste as other tablets may. We suggest you may like to bring a reusable bottle with a wide opening and use a Steripen to treat any non-boiled water. A Steripen is a handheld UV water purifier – small, lightweight and battery powered, so easy to pack. It’s quick to use, far more effective than purification tablets, and the water is ready immediately. It’s fine to use a Steripen on non-boiled water so long as it isn’t cloudy or full of sediment (which is uncommon in these regions). Steripens are widely stocked on Amazon, outdoor shops and other online retailers; look for the latest models but avoid USB charging ones. Models that take lithium batteries are best as they last longer, especially in cold conditions.

Ladakh in winter is very cold. From January to March, the days can be sunny but there is a chill in the air. January is the coldest month. By March, the days can be up to 7C (45F). The early mornings, evenings and nights are extremely cold. You must be prepared for temperatures well below freezing. Daytime temperatures in Leh and on trek are approximately -10C to 6C (14F to 43F). It is a very dry cold in Ladakh and we can expect sunny weather with a windchill. Nightly temperatures can be -10C to -25C (14F to -13F).

There is usually snow around from January to March. You must be adequately equipped and prepared to deal with the cold on this trip. Please read the equipment section thoroughly.

In Delhi, the weather is mild and pleasant in February with daytime temperatures up to 25C (77F), rising to 30C (86F) in March.

This trip is rated Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Trek essentials: This is an adventurous tour, which takes place in winter, when Ladakh is cut off from the rest of the world by road and temperatures drop well below freezing point. The walking distances each day are moderate. Most of the walking is optional dependent on your enthusiasm for tracking animals each day. While out spotting, we have professional wildlife spotters to guide us and one spotting scope for every five clients.

Maximum altitude: 14,930ft (4,550m)

Average altitude: 12,470ft (3,800m)

Maximum sleeping altitude: 12,795ft (3,900m)

Flexibility: The tour is designed to maximise your chances of spotting a snow leopard and means you need to be flexible. We may need to adjust or change the itinerary at short notice should snow conditions or other adverse conditions deem it wise to do so.

Accommodation: The hotel in Leh is simple but comfortable and has central heating. Out of Leh, conditions are more basic. Five nights are spent at a base camp, which consists of two-person tents, a dining tent with tables, chairs, lights and heaters, and long-drop toilets. There is a full camp crew and cooks, who look after us. One night is spent in a Ladakhi house, which is heated with a wood-burning stove.

Flights: Internal flights to Leh are operated throughout winter when the weather is clear. Delays and cancellations cannot be ruled out.

Connecting to the internet: Ladakh is ideal if you want to be present and enjoy a digital detox, as there is no coverage across the region. Therefore, we do not recommend that you purchase e-sims or local sims for use during the trek.