The Big Cats of India: A trip Report
The Thickse Monastary, Leh
Kerry just booked it. She made the announcement moments later as if we had won the lottery. We were going to find Snow Leopards, and well, maybe more. It seemed in the moment a rash decision but that was short lived and only a moment later it became an obvious even shrewd decision and we were elated. We live for adventure.
The opportunity came upon us when friend and travel partner Rob Barbour offered a few spaces on one of his ‘Epic Private Journeys’ trips to Ladakh in search of an elusive cat known as the ‘Ghost of the Mountains’ .
Urial Sheep are among the Snow Leopards principle prey in this part of Ladakh
When Kerry and I began in safaris, still images of Snow Leopards were few and far between. Motion picture footage was beyond rare and it was hard to even imagine how a regular mortal might see one. That has all changed in recent years with several operations offering their guests a chance to photograph an animal that was only a few years before more of a mysticality than a reality.
Our strategy for finding cats depended almost completely on a team of ten radioed spotters who with spotting scopes would scour each and every cliff wall, pass and valley looking first for tracks but also possibly for the cats principal meals, the Urial, the Blue sheep and the Ibex. The job feels daunting to say the least when you begin to move binoculars or scope over the vastness of the Himalayas.
The extreme amounts of snow we received before and durring the trip also made the work more tricky, restricting our movement and freezing our feet when stopped and scanning.
And yet, we managed! We managed to see three different cats, two of which were a mated pair performing their brief courtships high on a steep face above the Indus Valley. It was a dream as was all of our stay in Ladakh, from the soaring Lammergeiers, Eagles and Vultures cutting the skies to the small shrines and engraved stones that would decorate the passes or a entrance to a township. All the people we met too were beyond welcoming. The diverse cultures that have met along the spice route felt alive, vibrant and healthy and for nobody’s sake but their own. Who knew Ice Hockey was a big deal in India? One woman completely unrelated to our trip saw us stopped on the side of the road and brought tea and biscuits out from her house. Old school kindness, how refreshing and glorious.
From Leh we flew to Delhi and the Epic part of our trip was over. But now we were off to visit good friend and Tiger Whisperer, Saad Jung whose Bison Lodge at Kabini as well as his home stays at Bhandipur offer a great chance at seeing the big stripey cats as well as so many other incredible and iconic species. Neither Saad nor Bison and Bhandipur would disappoint.
In Nagarahole Tiger Reserve near Kabini as well as the adjacent Bandipur National Park we managed to not only find Tigers but also the ubiquitous Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer, packs of Dhole hunting dogs, Elephants, Sloth bear, three species of Mongoose, Junglefowls, Clown-like Langhurs, Wildhogs and the Worlds largest Squirrel.
The game driving in India is certainly at a higher pace than ours in Kenya with a bit less emphasis for the small items but we eventually found a driver that understood our quirks and our interest in the entire forest. With that said our Tiger sightings always took our breath away. How different they are from our large cats and how hard it was to get our minds around a solitary cat of such power and size. What a surpirse too to witness their love, or need rather, for bathing in the heat of the day. Every cat we found was either in water or on its way to get in some.
Our India safari was, in the final conclusion, one of our best holidays to date and these photos probably tell the story better than these words can. Please enjoy.
