There are few travel experiences as humbling and captivating as tracking the elusive snow leopard across the snowy folds of Ladakh. For Valerie Parkinson – legendary trek leader and Himalayan expert – this March’s Searching for Snow Leopards expedition brought a fresh wave of awe and once-in-a-lifetime sightings. When it comes to experts, there’s simply no one better to guide you through this region; Valerie has been leading treks in the Himalaya since the 1980s and brings with her not only decades of experience, but a deep-rooted connection to the region and its people. Among the 14 travellers who set out with her this year was our Customer Operations Executive, Max Bickerstaffe, who joined the departure to experience her expertise first-hand.
Valerie shared her account of the adventure, starting with the group’s arrival in Delhi: “Although tired from the long flights, everyone was excited about flying to Leh early the following day to begin the search for the elusive snow leopard.” The timing of their arrival coincided with a late winter snowstorm, which complicated travel plans. “Our flights were rescheduled at the last minute. Fortunately, the weather had cleared up and by midday we were all in our comfortable hotel in Leh.”
In a region that all but shuts down during winter, Valerie described how the Mahey Retreat Hotel in Leh is the ideal starting base. “The rooms are warm and the food is great.” After a brief rest, she took the group for a short orientation walk, preparing them for the acclimatisation days to follow. The timing of the trip is no accident either – it coincides with the first Tibetan month, a deeply spiritual period in Ladakh. “At Shey, a Rinpoche had arrived and the hall was full of Ladakhis, dressed in warm homespun woollen robes, spinning prayer wheels and chanting prayers.”
The real magic began on the journey to their base camp in Rumbak. Armed with expert local spotters – Wangyal, Jigmet, and Tamchos – the group ventured into the snow-covered Shang Valley. “It wasn’t long before the radio came to life – Wangyal had spotted a snow leopard”, Valerie said. Within hours, scopes were up and guests were staring at their first wild snow leopard – a dream fulfilled, and it was only day one.
“We saw it through the scope and then just stood there,” Max recalled. “No one moved, we were all just in awe. Then someone joked, ‘Well, we’ve done that now, we can go home!’ It felt surreal – we’d only just arrived.”
“We met an Italian group up there who were with another company,” Max said. “They’d been in the same area the week before, and they didn’t see a single snow leopard. That’s the difference with Valerie. She’s lived and worked in these mountains for over forty years and told the local teams and Exodus office to only plan these trips for late February and March — that’s when you get the best possible chance of sightings. And clearly, she was right.”
The days that followed unfolded like a David Attenborough documentary come to life. “Everyone was woken by the shout of ‘snow leopard!’” Valerie said. Early morning cold, sub-zero temperatures, and altitude fatigue were no match for the thrill of seeing not one, but seven different snow leopards during their time in the mountains. But it wasn’t just snow leopard sightings, Valerie explained, “We saw golden eagles, griffon vultures, lammergeyers, and more blue sheep than we could count…at one point, we even got a glimpse of a rare lynx.”
A particularly memorable sighting involved a mother and cub sharing a blue sheep carcass. Valerie continues, “Suddenly there was excitement as one of the spotters zoomed the scope in on a mother and cub curled up asleep on a patch of earth… the cub ran across the open patch of snow and was finally reunited with its mother and enjoyed a hearty meal.”
The experience was enhanced further by everyone in the camp team. “Johnny, our fantastic cook, who hails from South India, travelled for five days to get to Ladakh in winter… to prepare hot drinks and food for us all. Wonderful dishes appeared out of his small tent – tasty curries, rice and chapatis… and one night apple crumble and custard.”
Max described the food as a highlight in its own right. “Johnny is a mystery. One night I was surprised with a birthday cake. Even now, I still don’t know how he managed to bake it in those conditions.”
“The only real challenge was the temperature,” Max said. “It hit minus 25°C some nights. But with hot water bottles, proper layering, and a great crew, we all coped. Some days it felt like a true expedition — but in the best possible way.”
Midway through the trip, half the group attended a masked dance festival at Stok monastery, while the others stayed behind and were treated to an extraordinary display of snow leopard hunting behaviour. As fate would have it, the festival-goers later saw the same leopard cross the road in front of their jeep at dusk. “If they hadn’t had to stop to move some rocks… they would have missed this amazing sight.”
Max was among the group that visited the festival. “It was packed – the whole village had turned out. There were dancers in incredible masks, blessings being handed out – it was really atmospheric. But the best part? On the way back, our driver slammed on the brakes and shouted ‘Snow leopard!’ It was right there. About ten feet from the car. No one said a word – we stepped gingerly out of the car and just stood and watched. You could hear a pin drop. We didn’t even think to reach for our cameras, phones or anything. Our guide, Jigmet, said that it was the closest sighting he’d ever had.”
Staying in a traditional homestay in Rumbak village gave the group the opportunity to interact with the locals. With Valerie’s close ties to the community, the group were welcomed like familiar faces, allowing for more meaningful conversations and a genuine insight into daily life in the village. She explained, “As we sat round a wonderful warm fire, we swapped exciting stories of our day. Our homestay hostesses had cooked various Ladakhi dishes such as momos and chutagi. Felted snow leopards, meticulously hand-crafted by the local ladies, were for sale after dinner.”
When the time came to leave the mountains, there was a shared sense of gratitude. “We had been extremely lucky with our sightings… what a trip it had been”, Valerie commented. After the return to Leh, the group spent the day exploring more of the region’s cultural gems – including the remarkable ice stupas and an animal sanctuary in Nang.
With a buffer day built into the itinerary to allow for possible flight delays from Leh due to weather conditions, there’s time to explore India’s capital, Delhi, before the journey home. Max said, “It’s crazy the temperature difference, suddenly you’re in 32°C heat, having just come from -24°C in the mountains.” Some travellers, including Max, opted to visit the Taj Mahal and Red Fort in Agra. “It was amazing,” he said. “We went inside the Taj Mahal, which I wasn’t expecting — the scale of it is something else.”
Others joined Valerie on an Old Delhi city walk run by the Salaam Baalak Trust and Street Connections — NGOs that train former street children as city guides. “Khursheed was our guide,” Valerie shared. “He showed us around the labyrinth of Old Delhi and shared his personal story. It was inspiring.” Afterwards, the group headed to the Imperial Hotel for a relaxed lunch at the 1911 Coffee Shop — a peaceful pause after the bustle of Old Delhi.
For those still in Delhi on the final day, there was one last surprise. Their visit coincided with Holi, ‘The Festival of Colours’. A few travellers joined the festivities and returned to the hotel streaked with bright powders —a fitting celebration to round off the adventure. “India is a country filled with huge contrasts and an assault on the mind and senses,” Valerie said. “The last couple of weeks had certainly shown us this.”
“It’s hard to describe just how special this trip is,” Max said. “You don’t just see snow leopards — you experience where they live, you embrace the elements like they do and meet the people who share the landscape with them. Travelling with someone like Valerie, who has spent decades building trust and knowledge here – it makes all the difference.”
If you’d like to follow in Max’s footsteps and join Valerie on an incredible expedition, tracking for one of the world’s most elusive big cats, check out our Searching For Snow Leopard trip.
