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A wild snow leopard framed against the frozen mountains of Ladakh, captured during a three-year project by celebrated German wildlife photographer Sascha Fonseca. Image: @sascha.fonseca/Instagram
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Firstpost•23-09-2026, 15:37
Ladakh Snow Leopard Safaris Rank 4th Globally, Boosting Conservation Efforts
  • •Ladakh's snow leopard tracking experience has been named the fourth-best wildlife experience globally on Bailey Robinson's Wildlife Experience Index, scoring 85.5 out of 100.
  • •The ranking evaluated 30 global encounters using a multi-factor methodology, assessing rarity, remoteness, conservation importance, exclusivity, accessibility, and encounter potential.
  • •Hemis National Park is India's snow leopard capital, with high population densities, and expeditions concentrate around the Rumbak Valley; other areas like Uley, Chushul, and Rong valleys also offer tracking routes.
  • •India's first systematic scientific census, the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI), identified 718 snow leopards in the country, with Ladakh home to 477 individuals.
  • •The global recognition supports conservation by promoting community-based tourism, employing former hunters as spotters, and safeguarding mountain ecosystems that supply fresh water to millions.

Key Questions Answered

Snow leopard tracking in Ladakh was named the fourth-best wildlife experience globally on Bailey Robinson's Wildlife Experience Index, scoring an impressive 85.5 out of 100 points.

The index evaluated 30 encounters across six criteria: rarity, remoteness, conservation importance, exclusivity, accessibility, and encounter potential.

Under the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India census, Ladakh claims the lion's share of India's population with 477 individual snow leopards.