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Search for Snow Leopards with Valerie Parkinson

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  • No booking fees
4.5 Based on 4 Reviews
  • duration 14 days
  • tour type Small group Request as private
  • age requirement 16-95 yrs
  • max group size 16
  • guiding method Fully guided
  • Tour Code BM-7857
  • Footprint Carbonneutral CO2 emissions resulting from all trips on Bookmundi will be offset via investments in carbon reduction projects.
  • Operated in English
map
  • Starts New Delhi, India
  • Ends New Delhi, India
  • +2
HIGHLIGHTS Download trip notes
  • Chance to see the rare, elusive snow leopard
  • Wonderful winter walking in mountainous Ladakh, when it is cut off from the rest of the world
  • Visit ancient monasteries and attend a colourful monastic festival with masked dancers
  • Enjoy a homestay night and traditional meal with a friendly Ladakhi family
  • Look for lynxes, blue sheep, wolves, bearded vultures, red foxes, Himalayan griffin vultures and golden eagles
The trip "Search For Snow Leopards With Valerie Parkinson" starts and ends in New Delhi. It is a wildlife trip that takes 14 days taking you through Leh Ladakh, New Delhi and Rumbak in India. "Search For Snow Leopards With Valerie Parkinson" is a guided small group trip that includes accommodation, transport, meals and others.

Snow leopards are one of the most elusive mammals in the world but in winter they descend from the High Himalaya in search of food. As they inhabit some of the most remote and mountainous regions of Central Asia, the mission to see this enigmatic cat is really more of a pilgrimage. Other rare high-altitude wildlife and isolated Himalayan Buddhist communities only add to this quest’s allure. The itinerary varies slightly by departure date to fit in the different festivals. All departures are led by specialist Himalaya trekking guide Valerie Parkinson.

Valerie won Best Tour Leader 2021 in the prestigious Wanderlust World Guide Awards.

Valerie was born by the seaside in Blackpool, UK, and spent much of her younger days walking with her parents in the Lake District. After finishing her studies, Valerie worked in Germany and Switzerland, until 1984 when she took a break that would change her life forever. She travelled to India for a three-week trek through Kashmir and Ladakh and found her spiritual home in the High Himalaya. She has spent the rest of her life leading treks (and bike trips) in the Himalayan region and her knowledge of the local culture, religion, art and wildlife is second to none. Her enthusiasm for trekking developed into climbing. In 2008, she became the first British woman to summit the 26,781ft (8,163m) tall Mount Manaslu without the use of supplementary oxygen and she attempted Everest in 2009. Over the years, Valerie has been instrumental in setting up and running Himalayan Community Projects, which now operates through the Exodus Travels Foundation.
ITINERARY Expand All
  • Day 1: Start Delhi
  • Day 2: Fly across the Himalaya to Leh
  • Day 3: Full day at a monastic festival or visit Shey, Thikse and Stakna monasteries
  • Day 4: Drive to Jinchen; trek to Rumbak Sumdo
  • Day 5 - 9: Five days of wildlife spotting in Hemis National Park
  • Day 10: Return to Leh
  • Day 11: Full day at a monastic festival or visit Shey, Thikse and Stakna monasteries
  • Day 12: Fly to Delhi
  • Day 13: Free day in Delhi for individual sightseeing
  • Day 14: End Delhi
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Accommodation
  • All accommodation
Meals
  • All breakfasts, 10 lunches and 10 dinners
Transport
  • All transport and listed activities
  • Free arrival and departure transfers for everyone (in Delhi)
Guide
  • Tour leader throughout,Specialist wildlife guide
WHAT'S EXCLUDED
  • Travel insurance
  • Single accommodation (available on request)
  • Visas or vaccinations
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
4.5 - Excellent
Based on 4 reviews
  • Anonymous
  • On Jun 15 2020
5 - Excellent
Wildlife Documentary in Real Time
Watching snow leopards on a TV in the comfort of your living room may get you close but you cannot feel the environment. By simply being there you can start to feel, appreciate and understand the very essence of the environment... Read more
  • Anonymous
  • On Apr 22 2020
5 - Excellent
6 Snow Leopards, two Oracles and a Woolly Rabbit!
Ladakh is a beautiful region of Northern India. Add to that the friendly welcome and the variety of wildlife and culture and you have a destination that it would be hard to find fault with. This was my second visit and this time... Read more
  • Anonymous
  • On Apr 16 2017
4 - Very Good
Cold Ladakh
In spite of the temperature of Ladakh (very cold) we were well looked after by our leader Valerie and the trekking team.
  • Anonymous
  • On Apr 16 2017
4 - Very Good
IN SEARCH OF THE SNOW LEOPARD
My overall rating would have been a 5 'starrer', if we had seen a snow leopard. However, despite recent signs (pug marks, scrape areas and scats) all round our camp, we did not see one of these secretive cats. Anyway I had a... Read more
REQUEST A PRIVATE, CUSTOMIZABLE DEPARTURE By design, this is a group tour. You can however request a private, customized version of this tour for yourself or your private group of people. Private departures are usually more expensive, but come with these benefits:
  • Personal Itinerary can be tweaked and customized.
  • Protected Travel within your own bubble.
  • Professional Access our Travel Specialists' insider knowledge.
  • Privacy Enjoy a tour focused solely on you or your travel group.
Request a private and/or personalized departure To design a private tour, we'll ask you some more information in the following steps.
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What are customers saying about Bookmundi
Excellent
4.65 Average 671 Reviews
GOOD TO KNOW Download trip notes
CANCELLATION

No additional cancellation fees apply for this Search for Snow Leopards with Valerie Parkinson tour. You can cancel the tour up to 93 days prior departure and avoid paying the full amount, but your deposit paid is non-refundable. No refund applies for cancellations within 92 days of departure.

Payment

For any tour departures within 19 June 2024, full payment is required. For tours that depart later than 19 June 2024, a deposit of 25% is required to confirm this tour, and the remaining balance will be charged 92 days before trip departure.

Travel Insurance

Search for Snow Leopards with Valerie Parkinson tour requires that you have adequate and valid travel insurance covering medical and personal accidents, including repatriation costs and emergency evacuation. World Nomads offers travel insurance for independent travelers and intrepid families.

Visa

For this Search for Snow Leopards with Valerie Parkinson tour getting the required visa(s) is the responsibility for each individual traveller, as visa requirements vary depending on your nationality. We recommend to check with your local embassies representing the countries that you are traveling to, as part of this itinerary.

COVID-19 Safety Measures

This trip incorporates the following COVID-19 measures:

  • This tour has received the World Travel and Tourism Council’s ‘Safe Travels’ stamp, which provides travellers with assurance that COVID-19 health and hygiene protocols have been adhered to.
  • Group sizes are kept small to maintain a low risk ‘small group bubble’, with an average of 10 guests in each group.
  • Hygiene safety measures and distancing will be followed in transportation, accommodation and meal venues.
  • Several COVID-19 distancing measures have been adopted on this package tour to keep travellers safe.
  • All travellers will be required to be fully vaccinated no less than two weeks prior to travel.
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