10 Places to See Vulnerable Snow Leopard in India

The elusive snow leopard is native to the mountain ranges of the high Himalayas in India, at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m and listed as Vulnerable.The snow leopard inhabits Himalayan alpine forest in India and also known as gray ghost of Himalaya that live in the mountains of Central Asia.

Indian snow leopards prey upon the Himalayan blue sheep also known as bharal in the Himalayas and also eat Himalayan marmots, woolly hares, mountain wild goat and sheep, Snow leopards inhabit the following protected areas in India and the estimated population in between 200–600.

Hemis National Park, Jammu and Kashmir

Hemis National Park in Ladakh region is famous for its majestic snow leopards, also the largest national park in India. The park is home to one of the largest breeding population of snow leopards in India and the apex predator prey upon Bharal, Shapu, Argali and Asiatic ibex.

Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh

Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary is a high mountain village in Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh and home to unique houses made of stone. The sanctuary is home to around 30 rare and endangered snow leopard in Himachal Pradesh.

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve around the peak of Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers is a World Heritage Site. The park is home to a wide variety of flora and rare species of fauna such as Himalayan black bear, snow leopard, Himalayan tahr and Mainland serow.

Valley of Flowers National Park is part of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve along with Nanda Devi National Park, The high altitude Himalayan valley host high density of Himalayan wild animals such as Himalayan goral, Himalayan tahr, bharal and also the presence of snow leopard.

Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh

Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary of Arunachal Pradesh is located around the Dibang Valley and home to rarest snow tiger in India. The valley is rich in wildlife for mammals including red goral, Mishmi takin, Gongshan muntjac, red panda, snow tiger and elusive snow leopard.

Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim

Khangchendzonga National Park is the highest mountain and Mixed Heritage site of India, known for 550 species of birds including Himalayan Forest Thrush and mammal species including Tibetan wild ass, blue sheep, serow, goral and the apex predator snow leopard.

Gangotri National Park, Uttarakhand

Gangotri National Park in Garhwal range is home to the snow leopard, ibex, tahr and 150 bird species. The most rare and charismatic species of the park are snow leopard, black bear and brown bear of the Himalaya.

Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh

Great Himalayan National Park supports a great diversity of high altitude wildlife and home 30 faunal species and high altitude animals such as Himalayan brown bear, blue sheep and gray ghost snow leopard.

Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh

Namdapha National Park is a biodiversity hotspot largest protected area in East India, also the fourth largest national park in India. The lowland evergreen rainforest is also a Tiger Reserve and home to four big cat species found in India including snow leopard and clouded leopard.

Pin Valley National Park, Himachal Pradesh

Pin Valley National Park around the desert habitat of the Spiti Valley is one of the unexplored natural habitat of endangered snow leopard as well as rare and endangered medicinal plant.

Govind Pashu Vihar National Park, Uttarakhand

Govind Pashu Vihar National Park and wildlife Sanctuary is situated high in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarkashi district and part of the Snow Leopard Project in India. The park and sanctuary known for high altitude trekking, valley of wild flowers and healthy population of endangered predator the snow leopard along with Himalayan black bear and brown bear.