Watching Snow Leopards, Red Pandas & Tigers in India

Much is made of India’s tiger reserves and rightfully so. Few experiences in the natural world compare with the spine-tingling alarm call of a chital at dusk, betraying the presence of a tiger nearby. With a supporting cast of leopard, sloth bear, dhole and Asian elephant, these reserves have held our attention for the past 30 years. However, as India’s domestic flight network continues to expand, making remote little-visited areas accessible – a new generation of mammals is slowly coming to the fray.

My wife Dani and I travelled to India in pursuit of three of these species, visiting the eastern and northernmost regions of the country. Our trip commenced in the most unusual of settings, a densely populated village in the floodplains of Southern Bengal. Here, under the cover of darkness and with an auto-rickshaw as our safari vehicle, we headed off to find one of the most bizarre of cat species, the fishing cat – a stocky medium-sized cat that lives exclusively around water. It is an eery experience driving through the villages in the early hours of the morning, scanning the margins of mist-covered ponds for a hint of eyeshine, but well worth the effort and alongside jungle cat, golden jackal (including a melanistic individual) and several brown fish owls, we were fortunate enough to see two individuals over the course of our three-night stay.

Returning to Kolkata we next flew to Bagdogra, arriving midmorning and transferring straight to Habre’s Nest, a simple but comfortable ecolodge in the heart of Singalila National Park. Straddling the Indian and Nepalese border and at an altitude of 3,000 metres, the lodge sits amidst stunning forest-clad hills of fir and deciduous hardwood, with a thick understory of bamboo – the realm of the red panda. As few as 32 individuals are believed to reside in the 200-square kilometre park but, with the aid of a team of spotters, guests staying at the lodge have an excellent chance of seeing what must surely be one of the cutest animals in the animal kingdom. We were extremely fortunate to have sightings on each of the four days that we were at the lodge, enjoying some stunning views and on occasions even from the lodge itself, but success is very dependent on the weather which is notoriously fickle.

The final chapter of our journey took us north to Ladakh, initially to the historic town of Leh for a couple of days of acclimatisation (and ibisbill watching!), and then on to the small village of Ulley, at the head of the Ulley Chhu Valley. November marks the start of the snow leopard season in this region and we were here to try our luck for this most elusive of big cat species. At an altitude of nearly 4,000 metres, the views of the surrounding mountains and valley are nothing short of spectacular and with snow leopards frequently seen from the lodge, there is a constant air of excitement.

With excellent views of ibex, soaring golden eagles and lammergeier, and even a wolf with two pups, our first three days were thoroughly enjoyable but did not bring us any sightings of snow leopard.

It was late on day four and we were wondering if we had exhausted all our luck with the red pandas when things suddenly changed. A tip-off from a villager saw us rush to a neighbouring valley where, after some minutes of scanning our guide located a female snow leopard and her two sub-adult cubs pacing purposely across the mountainside above. The cats were remarkably well camouflaged and in the excitement of the moment, it took us a little time to get on them, but when we did, the joy and relief at seeing them was completely overwhelming and I do not mind admitting that we both shed a tear or two.

Watching them through a scope from a distance of approximately 500 metres, we remained with them until darkness fell. This proved a turning point in our stay and we were able to locate and observe them on each of our remaining four days. On some days we spent the entire day watching them from 500 to 1,000 metres, as they followed a consistent routine of activity in the early morning and late afternoon and resting and playing in between.

Hot food and drinks were brought to us in the field and having spent a lifetime wanting to see a snow leopard, I was more than content just to watch them sleeping. With daytime temperatures hovering around freezing but plummeting to -20˚C overnight the respective lodges do a fantastic job of keeping you comfortable and the food is both wholesome and plentiful.

Having lived in India for a time before university and returned every few years since to visit the tiger reserves, it is incredible to see how much the country has changed. For me, one of the biggest positives is the upcoming movement of young naturalists and a few enterprising individuals who are embracing ecotourism to preserve its wildlife. Coupled with the expansion of the domestic flight network, there now exists the very realistic prospect of being able to see some of the country's rarest and most sought-after mammals on a three-week trip.

Contact us to book your place on our India's Tigers, Snow Leopards & Red Pandas tour.