Snow Leopard Photography Event in 2025

Name: Snow Leopard Photography Event in 2025
Start: 2025-01-10T00:00:00+05:30
End: 2025-01-18T23:59:59+05:30
Location: Kibber

This event is your chance to capture the magnificent, densely furred, revered and rosette-stenciled cat of the Himalayas—Snow Leopard.

It is a 8-day photography tour covering the lesser, greater and trans-Himalayan region of the state of Himachal Pradesh.

A full four days are dedicated to stalking tracking, and photographing the gray ghost in Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary.

Snow leopard walking by a river in Spiti valley

Event Schedule

January 10, 2025 – January 18, 2025

Day 1: Chandigarh–Narkanda (altitude, 2700 m): Distance covered 175 km. Drive (on NH5) duration: 6 hours (Overnight stay at HPTDC hotel).

Day 2: Narkanda–Kalpa (altitude 2900 m). Distance covered 175 km. Drive time on NH5: 5–6 hours (Stay at Hotel Sheetal, Kalpa).

Day 3: Kalpa–Chicham/Kibber Village (altitude, 4270 m): Drive time on NH5 and NH505: 7–8 hours to cover 225 km of distance. Overnight stay at a homestay in Chicham.

Day 4,5,6, and 7: On this once-in-a-lifetime trip, you’ll be hiking through high-altitude snow-covered plateaus to follow the elusive snow leopard in Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary. We’ll reach early to spotting places like the deep Rong Nala gorge and Chicham, where you have a better chance of spotting the elusive snow leopard. Snow leopard scanners, guides, and porters will lead you to the spot. There won’t be any specific routine for these 4 days reserved for spotting snow leopards. We need to move to the spotting places as soon as we hear about the sightings from our spotters and guides.

Day 8: Kibber–Kalpa: 10 hours drive time , covering about 225 km. Stay at Hotel Sheetal.

Day 9: Kalpa to Shimla: 7-8 hours drive on National Highway 5, traversing a road distance of 230km.

Expedition Highlights

Highly experienced team of trackers, guides, and wildlife photography tour organizers.
All staff members are local.
All-inclusive trip.
4WD car for all days as per final itinerary and fixed departure schedule.
Premium Accommodation at Hotels like Hotel Sheetal and Homestays with heating facilities.
Foldable Camping Chairs for seating while waiting for snow leopard sighting.
Opportunity to photograph associated Himalayan wildlife like Ibex, Blue sheep, and Red foxes

Lead Spotter & Guide

Gompo Tsering

Gompo spotting wildlife using binocular on a snowy slope in Spiti valley

All our guides and spotters hail from the Kibber-Chicham-Langza region, with Gompo as the lead. With over 12 years of expertise in wildlife spotting and conservation, Gompo is a seasoned leader in this field. He began his photography journey as an assistant to renowned photographers Naresh Bedi and Rajesh Bedi of Bedi Brothers during the making of the documentary Monarch of the Himalayas.

Gompo is an esteemed member of the Snow Leopard Conservation Committee of Spiti and actively collaborates with the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) on various conservation initiatives. His extensive experience includes working alongside Dr. Rajiv S. Kalsi, a distinguished zoologist and retired professor.

Sighting & Photography Tips

Take local spotters/tour guides with you. These people know the spotting locations and best time to sight the rare Himalayan wildlife.
Check the weather forecast and go for snow leopard photography after snowfall. Sighting snow leopards against snowy backdrop becomes easy.
Patience is the key when it comes to bettering you chances of photographing snow leopard. It can take days to sight the grey ghost of the Himalayas.
Find the places where prey of snow leopards (Ibexes, blue sheep etc) are. You’d often sight snow leopard near their prey.
Understanding behavior of snow leopards is also important if you’re planning to photograph them. Read online resources like Snow Leopard Trust and National Geographic, read books, talk to someone who has a good experience of filming/photographing snow leopards.
Invest in a good tripod. As snow leopards are often sighted (and they are most active) during early mornings or late evenings, taking pictures in low light become inevitable. Take a camera with large aperture lens, higher ISO and faster shutter speed and a good quality tripod.
Shooting a snow leopard chasing an Ibex is a dream for every photographer. To capture such events, shoot in continues shooting mode and faster shutter speed.
Wintertime (from January to early March) is mating time of snow leopards. This is the best time to see and photograph love lives of snow leopard couples.