A Story of Monks and Snow Leopards

The city of Leh slowly materialises beneath the descending aircraft, the runway coated in a thin layer of frozen frost that crunches beneath our boots and under the wheels of the transfer bus. As the cold starts to hug all my body and the car turns clockwise around a stupa, the Buddhist monument, I realise that this is it. I am here, in the high-altitude desert that I visited many times in summer, now appearing in its winter clothing, like a book to be read starting from the end.

The main road of the main city of Ladakh is lit by two rows of streetlamps: they may be there to warm up the atmosphere, but one of the many coffee places surely works better. That’s where I meet Firdous, sitting in front of a slice of apricot cake and a mug full of butter tea. This pink-ish fluid is the most common drink in Ladakhi houses, serving both purposes of giving energy and re-heating the body.

The Mongolian features of Ladakhi people suggest the crossroads between Central and South Asia. This is the last place where a little bit of Tibetan culture survives, after the Chinese occupation in the main Tibet region. India hosted most of the Buddhist refugees, and Leh is now the summer capital of the Buddhist community in exile, with the Dalai Lama visiting every year.

“Until a few years ago, Ladakh remained isolated for many months during winter” says Firdous, a local guide working with the agency Ladakh Nomad Expedition. “Zoji La, the mountain pass that allows access to Ladakh from Kashmir, was impossible to cross due to snow and ice, just like many of the passes needed to reach the region from the south, along the Manali–Leh highway.

During the cold season, the inhabitants had to survive with everything they harvested throughout the summer. Much of the food was preserved by drying beneath the mountain sun: fruit, vegetables, potatoes, meat. Even today, the rooftops of Ladakhi houses are covered with freshly picked apricots, waiting for the water to evaporate so they can provide nourishment during winter” adds Firdous.

For the inhabitants of the smaller villages, such as those along the Zanskar Valley, cut off from drivable roads during the winter months, winter was one of the best periods for travel. In the coldest months, the Zanskar River froze completely, offering a natural highway for sleds loaded with salt, butter, and other goods. It was necessary to walk eight to twelve days along the river, camping outdoors in icy conditions, until reaching Leh, where salt and butter could be traded for goods that were not produced in Zanskar. Nowadays, the most adventurous visitors can embark on what is called Chadar trek, to retrace the path of the inhabitants of Zanskar.

“In recent years, however, Ladakh is no longer as isolated: beneath some of the mountain passes, such as the one at Zoji La, tunnels are being built, with the main excavation breakthrough expected in June 2026 and full opening anticipated around 2028. Moreover, even in winter it is no longer as cold as it once was. Roads that a few decades ago were impossible to cross for the entire winter season now remain closed for only a couple of months each year” he concludes.

I listen carefully, ready to embark on this winter journey in a totally different landscape than the one I have seen in summer. The number of tourists is reduced to the minimum, and starting from 2017 a few agencies started to offer wildlife watching tours in the villages, where people still live in mud houses and families have preserved the old ways of breeding animals, making dairy products and conducting their daily life. Moreover, winter is the season in which most of the monastic festivals are held. Tibetan Buddhism is a pillar of Ladakhi society, which is pretty much influenced by the values of humility, kindness, hospitality and coexistence between different ethnicities and religions. Like in every simple society, people are used to helping each other, to work hard and to avoid wasting goods.

 

Watching wildlife

In the pristine nature of Ladakh mountains, traces appear across the snow. At the beginning they look like roundish slight depressions into the thick white layer, as big as my hand, then they become so sharp that I can distinguish the claws and the fingertips of an animal. The tracks move across frozen streams and mountain ridges, weaving between rocks and steep slopes. The group of visitors remains hidden behind one of the rare trees that adapted to the harsh conditions of this environment, waiting. A long echo runs through the valley, making air vibrate and suggesting to us that the animals may be close. And then here it is. The snow leopard crosses the open field in front of us, slowly, his muscles tense for the effort of hunting for food. The white fur is dotted with brown and black points, the long tail waves following the movement. And then the leopard looks in our direction, and I see his eyes, big, round, black. And somehow, I understand all at once the extraordinary strength of this animal.

“The snow leopard population in Ladakh is quite numerous: most of them live in Hemis National Park and in Marka Valley. We think it’s around 200-300 specimens, but it could reach 600. It’s very difficult to survey them. During the warm season they live at the highest altitudes, around 5000 meters above sea level, looking for fresh temperatures. During winter they descend at low altitudes to look for food: the main prey are foxes and blue sheep. They hunt in small groups of 4-5 individuals; while trekking in the valleys you can hear them calling to one another” explains Rinchen, from Snow Leopard Trails agency based in Leh.

In a normal snow leopard tour the guests go out in the wilderness with the jeep, reaching the most remote valleys. Then you can expect walking around one hour, until you arrive in the spot where it’s mostly probable to see the animal. “The success rate is quite high: if you spend about a week in Ladakh during winter times, you normally see it. They always follow the same trails, so it becomes easier to track where they’re headed, now it’s even easier because the internet has arrived in almost all villages, so we have a network of guides that can spot the animals and communicate their location with the others”.

And the snow leopard is not the only species here, there are also brown bears, lynx, ibex. In mid seasons and summer, you can even see the Pallas cat with his kittens. “Sadly, global warming is leaving its mark here too: we are losing our glaciers so fast, winters are not the same as before and the ecology is being disturbed by these factors. This affects the animals, but we still have a great population” concludes Rinchen.

Monastic festivals

While going up the stairs that lead into Spituk monastery, I can feel the air enriching with the perfumes of the festival. The scent of butter sculptures permeates the air, as well as the smell of ancient wood and wax candles. The main courtyard is already crowded with people that came to attend the Gustor, the ritual that means ‘Sacrifice of the 29th day’ referring to the 11th month of the Tibetan calendar. Meanwhile, the monks prepare to perform the Cham: a sacred mask dance that has the scope of driving away evil spirits.

As the drums begin their melody, one monk sits behind a six meters long trumpet and starts playing the Buddhist mantra litany, another one blows into a shell horn. At the same time, a handful of monks come out of the monastery’s door and climb down the stairway, wearing giant yellow hats and carrying the representation of the monastery’s past rinpoches, supreme guides of the monastic community. Then the Cham starts: the monks dance in circles, wearing colourful silk and brocade vests and the terrifying masks that symbolise evil in tantric rituals. The characters represent the guardian divinities of Gelug-pa Buddhist order, which Spituk monastery belongs to.

The festival, dedicated to Mahakala deity, protector of faith, culminates with the burning of a torma, the ritual sculpture made from tsampa (toasted barley flour) and butter. This represents the burn of evil.

This goes on for a while, I feel myself lulled by the crowd, the smell, the chants. I let my mind sink into this, without any tie to the present time nor to the freezing cold, navigating without direction in Buddhist spirituality. Gradually reality comes back, taking me back to the courtyard and to Ladakh. I look at the darchor, the Tibetan flag that marks the centre of the stage, covered in mantras, as the masked monks start to parade back into the buildings. The monks wear their masks only once a year, during the festival. In the rest of the time, the masks are hung up the chambers of the monasteries, veiled with a cloth as they can only be seen during the ritual.

Many festivals take place in Ladakh during the winter season and throughout all year. Some of these are Dosmochey, Leh’s festival of purification that happens in February, Yargon Tungshak in Nubra Valley in February or beginning of March, Shey Doo Lhoo that takes place in Shey in March and marks the beginning of the sowing season, with monks and villagers that gather to pray for a good harvest.

Backcountry skiing and winter sports

Ski touring in Ladakh is a totally different game in comparison with Europe, and it’s slowly becoming more popular in the areas around Leh, Sham, Zanskar and Nubra Valley. “Unlike Europe, skiing here is very raw and exploratory, with accommodation in homestays and villages rather than ski resorts. January to June is usually the best season. It’s mostly untouched terrain with dry powder snow, high-altitude touring, and a mix of adventure and local culture” explains Rigzin from Ladakh Nomad Expedition.

For those who prefer more structured resorts, they can explore the skiing in the near Kashmir. Gulmarg is a ski resort where people can experience skiing in the Himalayas, and even backcountry skiing in one of the finest powders of the planet. The town is located at 2600 meters of altitude in the Pir Panjal subrange, and it was one of the favourite destinations for Mughal emperors’ winter vacations.

Moreover, in Kashmir and Himachal national championships of Ice Hockey take place, in which the Ladakh team is very good and almost always wins a medal. Why lose the chance to watch a play?

Getting there and when to go

In winter, the only way to reach Ladakh is by plane, flying to Leh via Delhi or other major Indian cities. In Leh, visitors can find accommodation for all budgets, from 5-star hotels to local guesthouses. Here you can get wildlife jeep tours that will take you to the most remote regions of Ladakh: there, some spirit of adaptation will be needed: villages are still intact, tours usually offer accommodation in local guesthouses managed by families.

The best time to visit Ladakh for the wildlife tours and monastic festivals is mid-January to February. The dates of the festivals change every year, so remember to check those before planning your trip.

What to bring

It’s essential to bring extra-warm clothing, as temperatures can reach -20°C and the wildlife spotting tours will require waiting for long times in the wilderness