My expedition to Spiti to photograph the elusive Snow Leopard

March 7, 2025

We were a team of six, and this trip was an absolute test to our physical and mental strength.

BHPIA GRAAGE recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

In Search of the Himalayan Ghost – Snow Leopard Expedition to Kibber, Spiti

Recently, I completed a photography expedition to Kibber in Spiti to photograph the elusive Snow Leopard, also known as the Himalayan Ghost. Mr. Vipul of Wild Ark. organized the expedition. This was a 10-day trip that started and ended in Chandigarh – 2 days of travel from Chandigarh to Kibbar, 6 days in Kibber photographing the wildlife, and 2 days of travel back to Chandigarh.

TL; Dr:

The snow leopards are called ghosts for a reason. They are elusive and excellently camouflaged in the rocky and snowy terrain of the Himalayas. They stay far from humans and can be spotted mostly at high altitudes. We were a team of six, and this trip was an absolute test to our physical and mental strength. We faced extreme weather, with typical temperatures ranging from -15 degrees in the daytime to -28 degrees at night. We trekked in high altitudes (as high as 15,500 feet) at low oxygen levels, and after such arduous treks, we found the snow leopards too far to reach with even the biggest of the telephoto lenses. But with all this hardship, we also had a wonderful time. We experienced the grand landscapes of the mighty Himalayas, the harsh life the locals lead in these remote parts, and the great hospitality of the people in Kibber. We ate simple yet tasty food and spent the evenings around the warm stove sipping hot soup and having humourous conversations.

To me, this trip was 20% photography and 80% experience. I returned with average (or even below average) pictures of the snow leopards but with a lifetime of memories! So this report will have more pictures of the landscape and the life we experienced than of wildlife.

As this will be a very long report that can get heavy and even boring, I am providing a link to various parts of the thread below. Please skip to the topics of interest.

Preparation:

The Snow Leopard Expedition has been on my wish list for a long time. When I saw the announcement from Wild Ark of one in February, I signed up for this sometime in December. I received a detailed document about preparations. Some of the key points are listed below:

Not a Tour: It was clearly mentioned in the document that this is not a tour with luxuries but an expedition with lots of hiking in challenging weather and living it rough for the 6 days in Kibber.
Fitness: This is a very important part of preparation. As we expected to do many hikes at high altitudes, cardiovascular fitness is very important to deal with the exertion at those low oxygen levels. I had already started running and continued with the training. I did 3 or 4 runs a week with distances between 15 to 20km a week. And this preparation was a life saver. I was able to manage all the treks and did not face any AMS symptoms.
Gear: As the snow leopards and other animals like Ibexes are expected to be quite far, we were told the minimum focal length needed would be 500mm. I had a Canon RF 100-500 zoom lens, and decided to go with this. A good tripod and gimbal mount were recommended if I planned to shoot videos. As I did not have a Gimbal mount, I purchased one. As we expected to shoot at very low temperatures, the batteries will have less life. I already had two batteries for the camera. I bought a third one with a spare charger to be on the safe side.
Warm clothes: To deal with the very low temperatures below -20 degrees, we must wear multiple layers of warm clothes – anywhere between 2 to 4 layers, depending on the temperature. I have made some trips to Hanle in similar weather conditions (much warmer compared to Kibber, though), so I already had all the warm clothes required.

Journey from Chandigarh to Kibber:

The starting point of the expedition was Chandigarh. All of us reached Chandigarh one day before the start of the trip. We visited the famous Pal Dhaba in Chandigarh in the evening for a tasty dinner of butter roti, butter chicken, and kulfi falooda.

A Tempo traveler had been arranged for the journey. We covered the distance between Chandigarh and Kibber in 2.5 days. We stayed at Rampur Bushahr the first day, in Kaza the second day, and reached Kibber by about 11:30AM on the third day. We could have directly gone to Kibber on the 2nd day, but stopped at Kaza for some acclimatization to the altitude and temperature. The last bath we had was in Rampur on Day #2, and the next bath would be again in Rampur on Day#9. For me, this was one of the two toughest parts of the tour – the other being the use of chemical toilet and wet wipes in Kibber

The first day was a sort of boring drive from Chandigarh to Rampur via Shimla. The drive from Rampur to Kaza was through some scenic routes, and we enjoyed the grand Himalayan landscape with snow-capped mountains during this part of the journey. We stayed in Kaza in a homestay. We had cozy rooms with electric blankets, and had some tasty homemade food. We left Kaza the next day after breakfast and reached Kibber after an hour’s drive. We unloaded our luggage, had some tea and snacks and were ready for our first photography session of the Snow Leopard.

A few pictures from this part of the trip.

The famous Pal Dhaba. There are two hotels in the same complex – The Old Pal Dhaba and The New Pal Dhaba. We had dinner at The Old Pal Dhaba, as this was the original one.

Butter roti and butter chicken with some kulfi falooda to finish. The butter rotis were literally dripping butter!

The journey begins. We left Chandigarh at 5:30 in the morning in a Tempo Traveler.

We stopped for breakfast at the outskirts of Shimla, in a hotel called Sher-E-Punjab. This hotel had an open terrace with a view of the grand mountain ranges. We had some tasty breakfast and resumed our journey.