LEH: Ladakh has launched India’s first high-altitude wildlife safari, with Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena flagging off six vehicles for the Ladakh Snow Leopard Safari during Wildlife Week 2026 celebrations at Choglamsar Protected Forest.
The initiative, aimed at promoting responsible wildlife tourism and community-based conservation, is also designed to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for local youth and communities. The decision to introduce wildlife safaris in Ladakh was announced on August 5 and has been implemented within two months.
The safari is being conducted by the Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature Conservation (SHAN) Society in collaboration with the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, UT Ladakh.
Initially, the safari vehicles will operate in Rumbak, Shang and Uley, areas known for frequent snow leopard sightings. Specially designed open-back vehicles, trained local drivers and wildlife guides will be deployed, with routes being identified across Hemis National Park, Changthang and Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, besides Nubra, Zanskar, Sham, Kargil and Drass.
The administration said the guided safari model is intended to curb illegal off-roading and minimise disturbance to wildlife while promoting sustainable and eco-friendly tourism. The initiative seeks to make local communities active partners in conservation and create livelihood opportunities linked to wildlife protection.
“Wildlife should not be protected at the cost of people, nor should development come at the cost of wildlife. We must create a model in which both can thrive together,” L-G Saxena said.
According to the administration, Ladakh is home to 477 snow leopards, out of an estimated national population of around 718. The region also supports more than 38 mammal species, over 340 bird species and around 1,800 vascular plant species.
Saxena stressed that tourism promotion and environmental protection must go hand in hand, with carrying capacity, visitor numbers, wildlife disturbance, waste management and plastic pollution strictly regulated.
As part of Wildlife Week, the administration also highlighted initiatives to build a conservation-based economy. Twenty local youth are being trained in bird identification, birdwatching and spotting and will be provided binoculars, while bird-watching hides will be developed at major hotspots.
A Wild Animal Felting Programme, involving 50 women from Turtuk, Photoksar, Sangrah, Chushul and Shargole, was also showcased as an example of linking traditional skills and local wool with conservation-linked enterprises.
During the event, cheques were handed over to the Chief Education Officers of Leh and Kargil for distribution to 50 schools for conservation education through Eco Clubs supported by SHAN Society.
The Lieutenant Governor also inaugurated an AI-based Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Device developed by the Wildlife Division, Kargil, in technical collaboration with the University of Ladakh, Kargil Campus. A documentary on the Himalayan Brown Bear and a brochure on wildlife tourism packages offered by SHAN Society were also released, while the second edition of the Ladakh Black-necked Crane Festival was announced.
The initiative, aimed at promoting responsible wildlife tourism and community-based conservation, is also designed to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for local youth and communities. The decision to introduce wildlife safaris in Ladakh was announced on August 5 and has been implemented within two months.
The safari is being conducted by the Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature Conservation (SHAN) Society in collaboration with the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, UT Ladakh.
Initially, the safari vehicles will operate in Rumbak, Shang and Uley, areas known for frequent snow leopard sightings. Specially designed open-back vehicles, trained local drivers and wildlife guides will be deployed, with routes being identified across Hemis National Park, Changthang and Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, besides Nubra, Zanskar, Sham, Kargil and Drass.
The administration said the guided safari model is intended to curb illegal off-roading and minimise disturbance to wildlife while promoting sustainable and eco-friendly tourism. The initiative seeks to make local communities active partners in conservation and create livelihood opportunities linked to wildlife protection.
“Wildlife should not be protected at the cost of people, nor should development come at the cost of wildlife. We must create a model in which both can thrive together,” L-G Saxena said.
According to the administration, Ladakh is home to 477 snow leopards, out of an estimated national population of around 718. The region also supports more than 38 mammal species, over 340 bird species and around 1,800 vascular plant species.
Saxena stressed that tourism promotion and environmental protection must go hand in hand, with carrying capacity, visitor numbers, wildlife disturbance, waste management and plastic pollution strictly regulated.
As part of Wildlife Week, the administration also highlighted initiatives to build a conservation-based economy. Twenty local youth are being trained in bird identification, birdwatching and spotting and will be provided binoculars, while bird-watching hides will be developed at major hotspots.
A Wild Animal Felting Programme, involving 50 women from Turtuk, Photoksar, Sangrah, Chushul and Shargole, was also showcased as an example of linking traditional skills and local wool with conservation-linked enterprises.
During the event, cheques were handed over to the Chief Education Officers of Leh and Kargil for distribution to 50 schools for conservation education through Eco Clubs supported by SHAN Society.
The Lieutenant Governor also inaugurated an AI-based Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Device developed by the Wildlife Division, Kargil, in technical collaboration with the University of Ladakh, Kargil Campus. A documentary on the Himalayan Brown Bear and a brochure on wildlife tourism packages offered by SHAN Society were also released, while the second edition of the Ladakh Black-necked Crane Festival was announced.
The Wildlife Week celebrations are being held under the theme “Connecting Habitats, Thriving Wildlife.”
