‘We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives. If you contribute to other people’s happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life”
It is day 5 of my journey in Ladakh and I am standing at the entrance gate of Thiksey Monastery in Ladakh and reading these beautiful words by the H.H 14th Dalai Lama and they sink in more than they would have done 5 days previously. I have experienced a real shift within me that I hadn’t totally prepared for, nor predicted. My work over the last 3 years has been in purposeful travel and I have experienced some extraordinary countries and met incredible pioneers in conservation and yet here, in Ladakh, something clicks, and I truly understand on a level I had not previously, how impactful a journey can be.
High in the trans Himalayas, amidst the jagged peaks and prayer-flag-strewn passes of Ladakh, lies a world that feels like it belongs to a different time. The crisp mountain air carries the whispers of ancient prayers as it sweeps across vast, untouched valleys. Here, where snow leopards move like ghosts, wolves howl to each other across snowy tundra passes and golden eagles soar and dive effortlessly through azure skies, I discovered something far greater than just the thrill of spotting a rare predator. This journey became a profound connection – not only to nature but to the resilient communities that thrive in this harsh, beautiful land and how my presence here impacts them.
How This Journey Will Transform You
Our journey started in Leh, a vibrant yet humble city ringed by mountains where the streets are adorned in colourful prayer flags representing earth, wind, fire and water and the smell of baked Indian flat bread permeates the air. After ambling along cobbled streets, our group, led by Behzad J Larry, circumnavigated a Buddhist temple in a clockwise motion, turning the prayer wheels as we went, sending silent wishes into the wind and hoping for a glimpse of the elusive snow leopard. Little did I know that these wishes would soon be answered in the most extraordinary ways.
By the second day, we were deep in the wilderness, settled in an exclusive Lungmār snow leopard camp south of Leh, surrounded by vast, rugged and unforgiving terrain. I’ll never forget the thrill of my first sight of a breeding pair of snow leopards curled up against each other and basking in the morning sun only 200 or so metres from where we stood. The following day, we tracked the female as she began a hunt, only to see her pause, sidetracked by a cow carcass that would sustain her for days. Moments like this are the kind that leave you in awe, a reminder of just how raw and untamed this environment truly is.
Evenings were spent in the warmth of camp, sipping hot ginger, lemon and honey beverages and sharing stories with fellow travellers, guides and trackers. We marveled at the precision of the snow leopard trackers, their intimate knowledge of the land a testament to years of living alongside this apex predator. Their excitement was infectious – each sighting felt like a collective triumph.
This journey doesn’t just immerse you in the natural world; it transforms you. It challenges you to slow down, to listen, watch and wait, to let go of the noise of daily life and to disconnect in order to reconnect. It invites you to witness not only the power of nature but the delicate balance that sustains it, as well as your own purpose in this world.
How You Will Create an Impact
What makes this journey truly special, though, is how your presence here ripples outwards, leaving a tangible legacy. By joining this expedition, you become part of a movement that sustains both the snow leopard and the communities that share its home.
The price of the journey does more than fund your stay – it actively supports conservation and the livelihoods of local families. Ten percent of the journey cost goes directly toward building predator-proof corals for shepherds, protecting their pashmina goats from snow leopards and wolves. This simple yet effective solution safeguards the shepherding families’ economic wellbeing while reducing human- wildlife conflict. Knowing that the same shepherds who benefit from these efforts are the ones tipping off our trackers about snow leopard sightings added a deeply meaningful layer to each encounter.
Beyond the corals, your journey helps train members of the local community as expert snow leopard trackers. These individuals, many of whom have grown up in the mountains, now have a sustainable source of income through eco-tourism. Their skills ensure that visitors like us can witness these incredible animals while fostering a sense of pride and stewardship in their heritage.
During our stay, I learned about another initiative the journey supports: a dog sterilisation program. Without it, wild packs of dogs would harass snow leopards, chasing them from their kills and disrupting the fragile ecosystem. Seeing the direct results of this work reinforced how interconnected every aspect of this region truly is.
The camp itself is a model of thoughtful, community-driven eco-tourism. Employment is shared among neighboring villages, with roles like drivers, housekeeping staff, and cooks rotating every few years to ensure economic opportunities reach as many families as possible. The vibrant and confident group of young women working at the camp were eager to share their culture with us and their hospitality went far and beyond. Their presence was a testament to how tourism, when done right, can uplift entire communities.
Perhaps most moving was hearing how, at the end of each summer trekking season, the local community comes together to clean the valleys, removing truckloads of waste to preserve this pristine wilderness. These efforts are part of a larger ethos that runs through every aspect of life in Ladakh: a deep respect for the land and its inhabitants, human and animal alike.
An Invitation to Join Us
This is more than just a trip to see snow leopards. It’s a chance to immerse yourself in a raw, breathtakingly remote environment, to connect with inspiring people, and to leave an impact on yourself and on the environment that will be felt long after you return home. I came away from this journey with the feeling that I was rewarded ten fold for just being involved – I walked around a prayer wheel at Thiksey monastery wishing for a wolf sighting and later that afternoon we saw 3 wolves and a Eurasian lynx. I wished to see 1 snow leopard during my trip and because of the brilliant shepherds and talented spotters working together, we saw 14. I wanted to have a chance to meet interesting people and I came away with friends. Ladakh gave and gave and gave.
If you’re ready to experience the beauty, challenges, and rewards of Ladakh for yourself, I invite you to join Journeys With Purpose on this transformative journey. Together, we can contribute towards the protection of the snow leopard’s kingdom and uplift the incredible communities who call this land home.
This article was written by Katya Payne
Journeys With Purpose offers immersive conservation and ethical travel experiences. Through private and hosted trips with pioneering conservationists, guests experience rewilding and restoring biodiversity in the wildest corners of the world. Our “Seven Worlds, One Planet” approach is a global curriculum focused on recovering and conserving vibrant landscapes, biodiversity, wildlife and livelihoods across all seven continents.