Brown Bear Special in Ladakh

Itinerary

Day 1: Leh to Kargil

Having spent yesterday in Leh, this morning we will set off west for Kargil, the westernmost region of Ladakh, a drive of about 220 km (6 hours). We will have time for impromptu stops en route.

If you wish to join this tour directly and not as an extension to our Snow Leopard expedition, you will need to arrive in Leh at least two days previously, to allow sufficient time to acclimatise to the high altitude. We can make appropriate arrangements for flights, transfers and accommodation in this case.

Days 2 – 4: Dras

We will leave on the 65 km (2 hours) journey to Dras, the base for our search for Brown Bears. Each day we will explore the area together with our local guides and trackers. As well as Brown Bears, we can expect to see Tibetan Wolf (the subspecies of the global Grey Wolf found in Nepal and Tibet as well as the Indian Trans-Himalaya region), Red Fox, the mountain sheep Bharal (Blue Sheep) and Urial, and several bird species. This area close to the Kashmir and Ladakh border is not nearly as well as explored as areas further west or east, and we look forward to some interesting discoveries. Raptors here are likely to include Bearded Vulture and Golden Eagle, whilst Ibisbill probably breeds along the Dras River. At this time of year, we may well find some unexpected migrants passing through from their summering grounds of central Asia, China, Mongolia and Siberia to wintering areas further south in the Indian Subcontinent, or on to Africa.

Day 5: Dras to Leh

Today we can have a final morning to hopefully enjoy further sightings of Brown Bears before we return to Leh in the afternoon.

Day 6: Leh to Delhi

Morning departure from Leh for Delhi, and a transfer to the airport for late evening or early morning flights home. If your flight is later the following day, we can provide suitable accommodation.

Checklist

This checklist is the most accurate and useful checklist available for this area! Read more about our eBird-driven checklists.