How to reach Leh — flights, and the Manali and Srinagar roads
How to reach Leh: flights all year, the seasonal Manali and Srinagar highways, bus options, measured road distances, and why there is no railway.
ArticleVerified 2026-10-23
Hemis National Park — the snow leopard country south of Leh, and what a visit involves
Hemis National Park, Ladakh: about 4,400 km² south of Leh, about 200 snow leopards by Wikipedia's account, the Rumbak and Markha valleys, and permission.
South of Leh, across the Indus, lies the snow leopard's best-known home in India. Here is what is published about Hemis National Park, and what a visit involves.
Photos: Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi (CC BY-SA 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
The park
Hemis National Park lies near Hemis in Leh district, about 50 km from Leh by Wikipedia's figure. It began in 1981 as about 600 km² around the Rumbak and Markha rivers, grew to about 3,350 km² in 1988 and to about 4,400 km² in 1990. By Wikipedia's account no other national park in India lies north of the Himalayas. Its northern edge is the bank of the Indus, and it takes in part of the Zanskar Range, with peaks such as Kang Yatze at about 6,400 m and Stok Kangri at about 6,153 m nearby.
The snow leopards
By Wikipedia's count about 200 snow leopards breed in the park, many of them around the Rumbak valley, and no protected area anywhere has them more densely. They live on bharal, argali and the Ladakh urial, or shapu, which is found in no other refuge in India. Tibetan wolves, Eurasian brown bears and red foxes share the park, and 16 mammal and 73 bird species have been recorded, among them golden eagles and lammergeiers. The cats are shy and few people see one; no page and no guide can promise it.
The best time to see snow leopards
Late winter. Wikipedia names it as the best season for spotting the cats in Hemis, and the reasons are in their year: they mate in late winter, when marking and calling rise sharply, and in winter they come down from the highest slopes. It is also Leh's coldest stretch, with January lows of about minus 13.1 °C, the roads closed and flights the only way in; see Leh in winter.
The people inside it
More than 1,600 people live within the park, mostly herders, and snow leopards sometimes take their animals. Ladakh's Department of Wildlife Protection keeps the park and runs projects with the villages.
Walking in the park
Few treks in Ladakh are walked as often as the Markha valley. Wikipedia says it usually starts over the Ganda La near Spituk and ends over the Gongmaru La near Hemis, through the villages of Rumbak, Skyu, Markha and Hankar. We give no walking times or stages: we have no source we can rely on for them.
Permission
Wikipedia says any activity in the park needs special permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden. Ask the department in Leh what applies to your plans before you set out.
From Leh
The Hemis Monastery, on the park's edge, is the usual day out from Leh; the Shey, Thiksey and Hemis day goes there. Read the best time to go and things to do in Leh.
Places around Leh
The Leh guide →
Leh Palace — the nine-storey royal palace above the old town
Shanti Stupa — the white stupa on the ridge above Leh
Spituk Monastery — the hilltop gompa near Leh's airport
Shey Palace — the old royal hill complex and its great Buddha
Stok Palace — the royal summer home across the Indus
Phyang Monastery, Ladakh — the Drikung gompa on the blue hill west of Leh
Thiksey Monastery — the hilltop Gelug monastery with the great Maitreya
Magnetic Hill — the roadside illusion on the Leh–Srinagar highway
More stories to read
All stories →
Best time to visit Leh — season, roads and temperatures
When to visit Leh: roads open from June to October, summer days are warm and dry, and winter is very cold. Month-by-month temperatures from Wikipedia's table.
Things to do in Leh — the palace, the monasteries and the passes
Things to do in Leh: Leh Palace and the Shanti Stupa, the monasteries along the Indus, Alchi and the Zanskar confluence, Khardung La and the war museum.
The Kheerganga trek, honestly — the path, the night, the pool, and when not to go
Kheerganga from Barshaini: the path through Nakthan and Rudranag, five to six hours up and three to four down, the camps, the pool, the months and the costs.
Hidden places near Kullu and Manali — 10 beyond the usual list
Ten places near Kullu and Manali that the usual circuit skips: old temples, a ridge walk, a gorge village and a river camp, each with measured drive times.
How to reach Chopta — distances and drive times
How to reach Chopta from Delhi, Dehradun, Rishikesh and Rudraprayag by road, with measured distances and times, and where the regular buses stop.
Nearby destinations
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Questions people ask
Where is Hemis National Park?
South of the Indus near Hemis in Leh district, about 50 km from Leh by Wikipedia's figure. It takes in the catchments of the Markha and Rumbak rivers and part of the Zanskar Range. It is a large park, about 4,400 km², and no other national park in India lies north of the Himalayas.
Can you see snow leopards in Hemis National Park?
By Wikipedia's count about 200 snow leopards breed in the park, many of them around the Rumbak valley, and no protected area anywhere has them more densely. They are shy and hard to see; nobody can promise a sighting, and we do not.
Do I need permission to enter Hemis National Park?
Wikipedia says any activity in the park is prohibited without special permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden of Ladakh's Department of Wildlife Protection. Check the current rule with the department in Leh before you plan a trek or a wildlife trip, since we cannot verify how it is applied.
When is the best time to see snow leopards in Ladakh?
Late winter, by Wikipedia's account of Hemis National Park. That is when the cats mate, and the snow leopard article says they mark and call far more then; in winter they also come lower down the slopes. It is also the hardest season, with January lows near minus 13 °C in Leh, so go with a registered local guide.