Place: Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir
Best time to visit: June to October
Nearest town: Ladakh
Main attraction: Shapu, Bharal, Snow Leopard
Named after the famous monastery Hemis Gompa, the national park spread out over 600 sq.
Km, is situated at
Ladakh in J&K. The park known as the Snow leopard capital of India has an
altitudinal range of 3,300 to 
6,000 m, and hosts a remarkable
variety of wildlife. Hemis was established as a national park on 4th February
1981. This national park offers the tourists an abundant treasure of
natural beauty with mountains of various shapes and sizes, mixed with vast flatlands,
deserts and bordered by the fast flowing river Indus.
Hemis occupies much of the catchments of the lower
Zanskar River, from its confluence with the Markha river to its meeting with the
Indus. The smaller northern sector consists of Sumdah Valley which runs
south-east until it meets the main Zanskar Valley. In the southern sector is the
beautiful Markha Valley, also a tributary of the Zanskar Valley, and the
Rumbak Valley which runs eastwards directly into the Indus Valley.
The area of this cold desert is
rocky and the thin soil cover supports a poor vegetative growth. Grass growth is relatively rapid during the
summer season after the melting of the snow. The
Markha and Rumbak valleys are high altitude deserts charecterised by sparse
grasslands and herbaceous vegetation on mountain slopes. These areas consists of trees and plants like
Junipers, Myricaria, Poplar, Salix, Birch, Astragalus, Taraxacum, Leortopodium,
Ephedra and many sparse grasslands.
The National park is famous for its population of the
rare Snow Leopards and the Ibex. The other main species recorded in the National park are Palla's cat,
srapu, bharal, red fox, rhesus macaque,
Hanuman languor, wolf, marmot, Tibetan argali and Ladakh urial etc. The bharal and urial
are seen in large numbers. The park has been earmarked as one of the snow
leopard reserves under a central government project to conserve the
species.
Over 70 varieties of birds are seen in this area. The common birds are snow cock, chukor,
magpie, Himalayan whistling 
thrush, snow partridge, golden oriole etc. Some of
the less commonly seen birds are 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.
The climatic conditions vary from sub-arctic to arctic. Summers
are short and mild, rainfall is low and it snows most of the time. In winter, the
temperature drops to far below the freezing point and the area receives very heavy
snowfall, which remains on the ground for several months at a stretch.
It is advisable to only venture
into the park with a good guide and also a rugged vehicle, preferably a 4-wheel drive or
a motor
cycle. Camping and trekking are allowed within the park
boundaries. The trek through the beautiful Markha valley with its numerous small
villages, shepherds, camps and passes overshadowed by Kanyatse and other groups
of Peaks is an experience to cherish. Trekkers must be prepared for extremely cold
conditions at all times of the year. It is sensible not to spend too much time
at the mountain passes as excess altitude can cause
medical problems to some people because of lack of oxygen. In winter, the area is quite inaccessible as
the temperature drops down to below zero. Vehicles are available on hire from
local operators in Leh and Manali. Due to lack of proper infrastructure being prevalent in the park, it is necessary to make all
required arrangements regarding food, water etc. beforehand.
Foreign tourist must check about the latest government regulations
before setting out on this journey.
Accommodation
Medium and lower Budget hotels are available at Leh, 30kms drive from the
park. There are home stay facilities available in the park in the villages
of Chilling, Rumbak, Kaya, Sku etc along the Markha trekking route which provide
clean rooms and traditional Ladakhi meals. It was developed by the Snow Leopard Conservancy
with support from the Mountain Institute and the Unesco. Camping is
permitted within the park.
For booking home stays Contact
-
Overland Escape,
Raku Complex, Fort Road, Leh, 194101, Ladakh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Ph: +91-1982-250858 Telefax: +91-1982-255881
Email : Contact
Us
-
Snow Leopard Trails,
Hotel Khanglachen Complex,
Leh, 194101, Ladakh
Ph: +91-1982-252074 or 252355
Email :
Contact
Us
How to get there
Air: Indian Airlines and Jet airways operates direct flights from Delhi
to Leh (1047 km) regularly. Indian Airlines operates flights at regular
intervals from Srinagar, Jammu and Chandigarh.
Rail: The nearest railway station is Jammu-Tawi in Jammu fa
Road: Leh is well connected with all the major cities within the state.
The J & K State Road Transport Corporation (J&K SRTC) operates regular
Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Srinagar and Leh (434 km) via Kargil.
However this route will remain open for traffic only from early June to
November. Another approach road is from Manali to Leh (473 km-19hrs) which is
open for traffic from around mid-June to early October. Himachal Pradesh Tourism
(HRTC) and J & K SRTC operate daily Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between
Manali and Leh. Cars and jeeps are also available for hire. There are buses
available from Leh towards the Hemis national park which is around 30km
away.
Contacts
