The Leopard In Winter

Tracking the most elusive of the big cats in the frigid wilds of Ladakh.

- Amit Dixit

In a way, the snow leopard was simply an excuse. Of course, I wanted to see one in the wild, but, in retrospect, the trip was more about me: about challenging myself, pushing my limits, and finding out if I had it in me to head into a Ladakh winter and live to tell the tale.

You’re reading this, so I guess I did. It began comfortably enough, with the party meeting at the well-appointed Grand Dragon in Ladakh, where the joys of central heating had reduced me to shorts and tees. The group included an extroverted old Ladakh hand and an introverted retired IT professional whose idea of fun was diving in mountain lakes in winter (but who could not handle any spices in her food). Both hailed from Switzerland. There was Puneet, our photographer, who has the agility—and chutzpah—of a tree-dwelling ape. There was Aly Rashid, Bhopal royal, passionate naturalist and leader of the expedition. There was a crew of seasoned trackers and guides. And there was me, the weakest link in the chain.

Snow leopards are best seen in winter, when they follow their prey down to slightly lower altitudes. The plan was simple. Although the leopards are just about everywhere in Ladakh, two villages have emerged as front runners in the viewing stakes: Ulley, north of the Indus in West Ladakh, which was developed by the Snow Leopard Conservancy for community-based leopard tourism, and Rumbak, deep inside the Hemis National Park and accessible only on foot from the roadhead. Both were reasonable drives from Leh. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, we would visit both. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi was set to swoop into Leh for some pre-election campaigning the next morning, so we headed out early to avoid any traffic snarls. Destination: Ulley.