Snow leopard - Ladakh, India

In March 2017, I visited Ladakh, India. My main goal was: searching for snow leopards in the wild.

The snow leopard is almost a mythical creature, only living in extreme remote areas on very high altitudes. Peter Matthiessen's classic book 'The Snow Leopard' has been an important source of inspiration to me.

I travelled to The Himalayas in northern India, the Tibetan-Buddhist region of Ladakh, bordering Tibet. I did hardly see any other tourist during my visit to Ladakh in March. The Ladakhi people (and Tibetan refugees) I met were extremely kind, open and sincere. I was also impressed by their respect for the fragile nature of Ladakh, including predators like snow leopards and Tibetan wolves.

We (local guides, a Frenchman and me) hiked on 4,000 - 4,500 m, searching for snow leopards. The views were stunning, wildlife was superb and I enjoyed the complete silence. I am very grateful that we were able, after quite some efforts, to spot 4 snow leopards: 1 male and 1 female with 2 cubs. Particularly thanks to the excellent local guides, arranged by Lynx Expeditions in Leh, Ladakh. Without these guides, with their well-trained ears & eyes, I would have missed them all.

It was exciting.

For a more complete impression of my visit to India, searching for snow leopards and tigers, leopards, please check: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5jjij8_india-2017-snow-leopards-tigers-leopards_travel