Search for Snow Leopards with Valerie Parkinson
- Best price guaranteed
- No booking fees
- COVID-19protected
- Trekking and Hiking
- Safari
- Adventure
- Wildlife
- Family
- Customizable
- 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
- 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
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.
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Day 1: Start Delhi
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Day 2: Fly across the Himalaya to Leh
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Day 3: Full day at a monastic festival or visit Shey, Thikse and Stakna monasteries
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Day 4: Drive to Jinchen; trek to Rumbak Sumdo
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Day 5 - 9: Five days of wildlife spotting in Hemis National Park
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Day 10: Return to Leh
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Day 11: Full day at a monastic festival or visit Shey, Thikse and Stakna monasteries
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Day 12: Fly to Delhi
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Day 13: Free day in Delhi for individual sightseeing
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Day 14: End Delhi
- All accommodation
- All breakfasts, 10 lunches and 10 dinners
- All transport and listed activities
- Free arrival and departure transfers for everyone (in Delhi)
- Tour leader throughout,Specialist wildlife guide
- Travel insurance
- Single accommodation (available on request)
- Visas or vaccinations
- 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.
- Earn US$ 158+ in travel credits.
- Best price guaranteed.
- No credit card or booking fees.
- 100% financial protection.
- Carbon neutral tours.
- 25,000+ trip reviews, with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.
- Read more reasons to book with Bookmundiless
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.
PaymentFor any tour departures within 29 June 2024, full payment is required. For tours that depart later than 29 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 InsuranceSearch 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.
VisaFor 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 MeasuresThis 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.