India’s Tigers, Snow Leopards & Red Pandas

Suggested Itinerary

1. Day 1: Depart UK

   Fly from London via Doha to Kathmandu, Nepal.

2. Day 2: Arrive Kathmandu, Nepal

   Once you've collected your bags and cleared immigration, there'll be a driver expecting you at arrivals, ready to transport you to your hotel. The evening is spent at leisure as you prepare for your first adventure into the Himalayas.

   Accommodation: Fairfield By Marriott Kathmandu, 1-night

3. Day 3: Fly to Bhadrapur, transfer to Singalila National Park

   Today, you return to the airport in Kathmandu before boarding a short domestic flight to Bhadrapur.

   On arrival in Bhadrapur you're met by the team from Habre’s Nest and transferred first to Singalila National Park Headquarters, where you'll be asked to complete the relevant paperwork, before continuing into the park in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. The journey is likely to take much of the day, but there are opportunities to stop for toilet breaks and for lunch.

   Accommodation: Habre’s Nest, 5-nights

4. Days 4-7 : Red panda tracking in Singalila National Park

   Restricted to temperate mid-elevation mountain forests where bamboo (the core constituent of their diet) flourishes, the park is a stronghold for the red panda and in recent years it has become a reliable location to see this charming creature. Each day at Habre’s Nest is likely to follow a similar pattern. After breakfast, you set out on foot with a dedicated team of trackers in search of red panda. As the lodge is located on the Indo-Nepalese border, you have an opportunity to explore key locations on both sides.

   Although most of your time is spent exploring the trails that lead from the lodge on foot, if red pandas are located further afield, Land Rovers are at your disposal to transfer you to the site. The locations you visit vary depending on the trackers’ sightings.

   Depending on the nature of the sighting, the duration that you're able to spend with the red panda may be restricted - this is largely dependent on the distance in which it's possible to observe the individual. Every effort will be made to find a suitable vantage point that allows you to observe the animal without causing any disturbance to its natural behaviour.

   When not searching for red pandas, there's the option to enjoy the area’s rich birdlife in the bird hide located on site. The hide attracts a wealth of species including spotted, chestnut-crowned, black-faced and scaly laughing thrush, yellow-billed magpie, blue whistling thrush and white-browed fulvetta. With the weather notoriously fickle in this region, it's also wise to have a good book to hand in the event of low cloud and reduced visibility!

5. Day 8: Fly to Delhi via Kathmandu

   This morning, you leave Habre’s Nest and return to Bhadrapur, where you catch an onward flight to Delhi via Kathmandu.

   On arrival in Delhi, you're met and transferred to your airport hotel.

   Accommodation: Pullman New Delhi Aerocity, 1-night

6. Day 9: Fly to Leh for acclimatisation

   After an early morning rise, a transfer collects and returns you to Delhi airport to take a domestic flight to Leh.

   After a short scenic flight from Delhi, you're met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Depending on the impact of altitude, you may choose to take a gentle stroll around Leh or alternatively spend the day relaxing in the comfortable confines of the hotel. Adjusting responsibly to altitude is paramount before leaving Leh for the higher altitude of Ulley.

   Accommodation: The Grand Dragon, 2-nights

7. Day 10: Half-day sightseeing tour of Leh

   It's important to take things slowly during your time in Leh and to allow your body to adjust to the altitude. A private half-day sightseeing tour to the ancient monasteries of Shey, Thiksey and Hemis allows you to stretch your legs at your own pace and provide a fascinating insight to this historic city.

   Should you be interested in seeing some of the region’s birdlife, including a good chance of ibisbill at a site just outside Leh, this can be incorporated into your programme to make a full-day trip.

8. Day 11: Transfer to Snow Leopard Lodge

   Today, after your period of acclimatisation, you begin the 77-kilometre drive west (around two to three hours), following the Indus River on the road that eventually leads to Kargil and Srinagar in Kashmir.

   You pass through the small town of Nimmu - one of the most important in Ladakh - where the Zanskar River meets the Indus before turning north onto a road towards Likir Gompa, one of Ladakh’s famous Buddhist monasteries.

   Eventually, you turn off onto a dirt road that winds up a narrow valley, following a stream called the Ulley Chhu. Several smaller valleys intersect with the main one, making for some magnificient views. The terrain is very good for Asiatic ibex, and there are few more evocative sights than a magnificently horned male poised on an impossibly narrow outcrop hundreds of metres above.

   On arrival, you can settle in and start acclimatising to the higher altitude of Ulley. You have four full days to enjoy the wildlife and habitats of the high Ulley Valley and surrounding area - with your exact programme dictated by the latest sightings.

   Accommodation: Snow Leopard Lodge, 5-nights

9. Days 12-15 : Snow leopard watching in Ulley Valley

   Over the course of the next four days, you explore the surrounding valleys through a mix of slow-paced walks and drives. The lodge employs an expert team of spotters and trackers who venture out every morning at first light and report back on any sightings or evidence of snow leopard movements.

   Depending on what they find, a plan is formulated and relayed to you at breakfast. If a snow leopard has been sighted, you will likely travel to the nearest accessible point by vehicle and then walk a short distance to view it through a scope. Snow leopards are typically active at dusk, through the night and in the early morning, resting up in the middle of the day. Therefore, if a snow leopard has been located, you have a very good chance of seeing it.

   If the initial scouting proves unsuccessful, the lodge guides will likely propose a visit to a neighbouring valley, where it's possible to see a range of birds and mammals including urial (red sheep), Asiatic ibex, Tibetan wolf and red fox. However, you'll remain in contact with the lodge and should any sightings be reported, you'll be in a position to respond. It's no mean feat to locate a snow leopard in the vast wilderness of Ladakh and inevitably there are always periods of low activity, but things can change very quickly, and the key is to remain patient and to keep looking.

   Over the years numerous Wildlife Worldwide clients have been fortunate enough to see snow leopards in Ulley Valley and indeed on occasions wildlife viewing has been possible directly from the lodge. You can be assured that the lodge guides will work tirelessly to find you a snow leopard and there's always plenty to keep you entertained around the property, with chukar, white-winged redstart, red-fronted serin and great rosefinch all possible in the lodge grounds and golden eagle and lammergeier often seen overhead.

   Long regarded as a near-mythical creature living unseen among the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, the snow leopard is astonishingly well-adapted to their rugged and mountainous wilderness, making it understandably rewarding to see this seldom seen evocative cat.

10. Day 16: Return to Leh and fly to Delhi

    This morning it's sadly time to bid farewell to your hosts and drive back to Leh for a midday flight to Delhi where you're met and transferred to a nearby airport hotel. The afternoon is free to spend at leisure and to prepare for the next leg of the trip.

    Accommodation: Pullman New Delhi Aerocity, 1-night

11. Day 17: Fly to Raipur and transfer to Kanha National Park

    After an early morning wake up, a transfer returns you to the airport in Delhi to catch your flight to Raipur.

    Once you've arrived, you're transferred to Kanha National Park. The journey is around 205 kilometres, taking about four to five hours, plus stops. The plan is to arrive in time for lunch, with enough time to head out on your first vehicle safari in Kanha National Park later that afternoon.

    Accommodation: Singinawa Jungle Lodge, 4-nights

12. Days 18-20 : Tiger safaris in Kanha National Park

    You have three full days to explore Kanha National Park, typically following a programme of morning and afternoon game drives, with the principal aim of spotting tigers, the largest and most striking of the world’s felines. The drives usually last around three and half hours, with a brief refreshment stop.

    Whilst you survey the park for tigers, you're likely to encounter a plethora of other species, and interpreting their behaviour well is key to understanding the movement of both tiger and leopard. Chital (spotted deer) are common in the park and frequently found in small herds. Notoriously skittish, they're easily spooked and quick to call out in alarm. This may well be down to something as harmless as a peacock moving through the undergrowth, but a more persistent call is an indication that a predator is in the vicinity - most likely a leopard or tiger. Sambar deer are a favourite prey of the tiger and also make an alarm call when threatened. Their deep calls resonate through the forests and are a far more reliable indicator of danger.

    In addition to these ungulates, grey langurs are also likely to play a key role in your safaris. Predated by both tiger and leopard, grey langurs are able to differentiate between the two species and produce an alarm call unique for each. Tigers are reluctant climbers, confined largely to the ground, so an alarm call for this species sees the langurs taking to the trees for safety. Leopards on the other hand are very competent climbers, therefore seeking refuge in the trees is no guarantee of safety. The langurs’ response is understandably somewhat more panicked in the face of a leopard.

    Tigers are often at their most active in the late afternoon and early morning, these times are when you are most likely to experience the drama of a forest alive with alarm calls and hopefully catch a glimpse of this magnificent animal.

    In the time between game drives you have a chance to enjoy the fabulous grounds of the lodge, watch the varied birdlife on show or relax around the pool or in the shade of a tree with a good book.

13. Day 21: Return to Raipur and fly to Delhi

    This morning, you enjoy a final safari drive before your transfer to Raipur airport in time for an evening domestic flight back to Delhi where you're met and transferred back to an airport hotel.

    Accommodation: Pullman New Delhi Aerocity, 1-night

14. Day 22: Fly back to the UK

    This morning, you transfer the short distance back to Delhi airport for your international flight home.