Hemis National Park Jammu and Kashmir

Ladakh, the land of splendid passes can be an ideal holiday destination. As you walk along the rugged land, the splendor of the snow covered peaks reaching the azure sky, the sunlight on the barren mountain ranges and the rivers that cut deep ravines can be a heavenly experience for you. The Hemis Altitude National Park named after a Buddhist monastery, the Hemis Gompa extends over 4,100 sq km in the trans Himalayan region of Ladakh. The National Park encompasses the Markha and Rumbak Valleys and the Zanskar River runs deep along the hills.

The cold Hemis landscape is home to the endangered snow leopards. It is an elusive
but beautiful sight to catch a glimpse of the leopard with a thick coat of grey fur fading
to white on its underbelly, an ideal camouflage amidst an arid expanse of snow.
There are about 30 to 50 snow leopards in Hemis Altitude National Park. Wolves
and Red foxes are also found there.

There are about 4,000 Bharals or Blue Sheep that graze on the higher levels of Hemis High Altitude National Park during summers. Some of the other endangered animals are Ibex, mountain goats with long horns, the small Ladakh Urial (sheep) with wrinkled horns and the Tibetan Argali. Rodents, such as mice and voles and tailless mouse-hares, can be seen on the barren landscape. There are 50 species of birds in the higher altitudes along the trekking route. However spotting wildlife in Hemis National Park is very rare and its terrain and climate the park has very short visiting season.

Wild Dogs, Pallas's Cat, Long tailed Marmot, Himalayan Mouse-hare can also be spotted in the Hemis National Park. Bird watchers can catch 200 unique species of birds some of them being Little Owl, Himalayan Griffon, Golden Eagle, Lammergeier and Common Kestrel.