A recent travel photo has left Twitter users scratching their heads.
At first, it just looks like a rocky incline with a bit of snow. Nothing crazy, right? But wait till you read the caption:
Phantom cat….!They are called ghost of the mountains.
If you can locate. @ryancragun pic.twitter.com/sG5nMyqM0S— Ramesh Pandey (@rameshpandeyifs) July 13, 2021
Yes, there’s an actual snow leopard hiding in this picture! Can you see it?
The photo, captured by Utah native Ryan Cragun, shows the big cat sneaking down the slope in the centre-right, its brownish-grey coat giving it perfect camouflage.
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Book FlightsWe don’t know about you, but it took us a good 10 minutes to spot the animal—and this certainly lives up to its reputation as an elusive ‘phantom cat’.
A snow leopard, up close
Even if you go with seasoned guides, the snow leopard is one of the hardest animals to find on wildlife expeditions. The animal enjoys tough terrain, prowling remote areas in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. An estimated 450–500 of them are left in the wild in India.
Crossing paths with a snow leopard is rare. It requires a lot of patience (and faith) to sit through freezing temperatures. But that first sighting? It’s the memory of a lifetime!
Where to see snow leopards in India
Ladakh’s Rumbak Valley is known as the best place to spot a snow leopard. Summer is a comfortable time to visit, but the big cat is more likely to come out between December to March, when the mountains are blanketed with snow.
Fun fact–snow leopards can’t roar! Image credit: @aon/CC BY 2.0/Flickr
The high-altitude areas the snow leopard inhabits also holds animals you won’t find in your average national park, such as ibex, bharal (blue sheep), chukar partridges, the Tibetan wolf, red foxes, Argali sheep, marmots, bearded vultures and the Himalayan brown bear.
A proper snow leopard tour with local operators usually includes a lot of these animal sightings. These tours last around 8–12 days and also cover food, homestays/camping, local sightseeing and cultural immersion.
Now that you know the basics, here are 8 places where you can spot a snow leopard in India:
- Hemis National Park, Ladakh
Nearest airport: Leh - Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh
Nearest airport: Bhuntar, in Kullu–Manali - Pin Valley National Park, Himachal Pradesh
Nearest airport: Bhuntar, in Kullu–Manali
Aerial view of Pin Valley National Park
- Gangotri National Park, Uttarakhand
Nearest airport: Dehradun - Govind Pashu Vihar National Park, Uttarakhand
Nearest airport: Dehradun - Nanda Devi National Park, Uttarakhand
Nearest airport: Dehradun - Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh
Nearest airport: Dibrugarh - Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim
Nearest airport: Bagdogra
All of these national parks go into tough terrain, and we recommend taking guided tours for the best experience.
To keep your trip hassle-free, make sure to check each state’s current travel rules before booking any tickets. Good luck in finding the big cats!
