Hemis National Park

The Hemis High Altitude National Park is positioned within the Ladakh district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated along the west bank of the powerful River Indus. The park got its name from the Hemis Gompa (monastery) located within its boundaries. The park's main area covers 600 square kilometers at an altitude ranging between 3300 to 6400 meters. The park itself has survived for a very long time but was notified as a National Park in 1981. It is most renowned for its resident population of the uncommon snow leopard. Due to it still being in its early years and in an area not very easily accessible, the infrastructure of facilities like accommodation etc is not very well established. This can be used to one's advantage as camping and trekking are therefore allowed within the parks boundaries. It is advisable to go well prepared for an extremely cold and harsh climate at all times. In winters the area is quite unreachable as the temperature drops down to 40 degrees centigrade below zero. Even in the summer months, the nights are very cold and the slightest of rain or even clouds can send the day temperature plunging.

The landscape is a nature lover's vision with mountains of various shapes, sizes
and colors that seem to stretch forever, mixed together by vast flatlands, deserts
and bordered by the fast flowing river Indus. It is advisable not to literally lose yourself in
these beautiful surroundings as it would be a very long time before someone would find
you, if ever at all. The ideal time of the year to visit the park is between May and
September.

Vegetation

The flora at the Hemis High Altitude National Park is mostly alpine forest and sparse high altitude desert vegetation. This consists of trees and plants like Junipers, Myricaria, Poplar, Salix, Birch, Astragalus, Taraxacum, Leortopodium, Ephedra and many sparse types of grassland.

Internal transportation

Due to the unwelcoming topography of the park, it is sensible to only venture in with a rugged vehicle, which should preferably be a 4-wheel drive. For someone with time on your hand, the ideal way to pass through the various beautiful sections of the park is on foot or on cycles. A lot of tourists also tour this area on motorcycles, which are a favorite due to their maneuverability and because they don't require wide roads. Vehicles are also available on hire from local operators in Leh and Manali. These range from 4-wheel drives to motorcycle to cycles. It is sensible to bargain on the rates first stated.

Accommodation facilities

Accommodation facilities are not obtainable within the park but camping is allowable here. It has excellent areas for setting up your tents but it is advisable to go well prepared in terms of equipment as well as knowledge acquired from the local operator. One must be ready for extremely cold conditions at all times of the year.

Other than camping, hotels suiting a variety of taste and budgets are available at Leh, which is a short 30-kilometer drive from the park. If you chart your visit in the summer months, it would be a good idea to book well in advance. Leh also has a lot of local residents who renovate their houses into guesthouses during the main season period. These are much more economical and some of them offer excellent amenities with clean rooms.

Fauna

The Hemis High Altitude National Park is most famous for it's population of the uncommon Snow Leopards and the Ibex. The best area for trying to spot the snow leopard is in the Shang valley area where its density is highest. Other than these two animals, the park also has a healthy population of Bharals, Wolf, Wild Dogs, Marmots, Tibetan Wild Ass, Wooly Hares, Stone Martens and Otters. It is advisable to take along a good guide, as due to the vastness and unwelcoming character of the terrain, it is not an easy task at all to find any of these animals.

Birds

The Hemis High Altitude National Park has a small but pretty sole variety of birds visible within its area. There are approximately 70 varieties seen here. Since the terrain within the parks is quite comparable to that of the surrounding areas, a lot of the birds are visible all over the district of Ladakh.

Some of the less commonly seen birds are the Great Grey Shrike, the Red Mantled Rose Finch, the Black Throated Thrush, the Robin Accentor, the Spotted Flycatcher, various migrant Teal, the Red Flanked Blue Tail and the Great Nose Finch.

Topography

The basic topography of the Hemis High Altitude National Park is mountainous and rugged high altitude desert. The landscape is gigantic and makes you lose your sense of distances very easily. What seems a single kilometer away turns out to be at least 10 kilometers away. There are high cliffs with gigantic rocky outcrops, which are interspersed by belts of sparse high altitude vegetation. For enthusiastic photographers, it is sensible to take along enough rolls of film as one is tempted to take photographs at every bend due to the mixture of the astonishingly beautiful landscape and the brilliant blue sky with it’s milky white rolling clouds.

Trekking Tips

Hemis is one of the few National Parks in the country where trekking and camping is allowed. This is an outstanding opportunity for enthusiastic, and fit, trekkers to lose themselves (not literally though) in one of nature’s most awe-inspiring surroundings. There are some proficiently organized tours, which are prudent if you are new to the area. It is also recommended that you entrust your trip to a reputed company, even though they might charge a little more than the small time local operator. In an environment like this where circumstances could change for the nastier side very suddenly, it is always better to be in the hands of professionals. It is sensible to acclimatize yourself and also get yourself checked for altitude sickness potential before attempting to explore this area. One of the more recommended areas and a very popular trekking route is the Markha - Shang - Rumbath Valleys - trek. The Shang valley also has the highest density of population of Snow Leopards in the park, which clearly adds to the excitement of this trek.