Many people visit the Himalayas only to see its towering mountains. But in fact, the region is also home to numerous conservation areas with rare and fascinating wildlife worth visiting. From the elusive Snow Leopard and the grumpy Pallas’s Cat to Nepal’s national bird and the Red Panda — they all live here.
Take Hemis National Park, for example, which spans an area of 4,400 square kilometers. This conservation area is a vast stretch of rugged desert terrain sitting between 3,000 and 6,000 meters above sea level in Ladakh, India.
The park has stable populations of Argali, Urial, and Bharal — all species of wild sheep. These animals are wonderful to observe, but for most visitors, there is one creature that stands out above the rest: the Snow Leopard. The abundance of wild sheep provides ample prey for around 200 Snow Leopards in Hemis, which is thought to be the highest density of this species in any protected area in the world.
To spot a Snow Leopard there, it’s said that visitors must spend several days exploring ridgelines and cliffs during dawn and dusk. It’s not an easy task — the cold temperatures are extreme — but the chance to capture a rare sighting makes the effort worthwhile for photographers and wildlife enthusiasts alike.
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Eagle’s Nest, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Foreign visitors need a special permit to enter Eagle’s Nest in Arunachal Pradesh, which makes it a rather expensive trip. However, the area continues to attract adventurous wildlife lovers, as it has built a strong reputation for rare and unusual animal sightings.
Though it has long been a well-known birdwatching destination, it has recently begun to draw attention from mammal watchers too. The road between the two main campsites has revealed several nocturnal species that are notoriously hard to spot — including the rare Clouded Leopard and the Golden Cat.
Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal
More than just Everest, Sagarmatha National Park is also alive with wildlife. Despite the heavy foot traffic during trekking and climbing seasons, visitors can still spot a variety of pheasants, ducks, and Nepal’s national bird — the Himalayan Monal.
Humans wiped out many Snow Leopards here in the 1970s through excessive hunting — targeting both the cats and their prey. A small number have since returned over the past half-century as their prey populations recovered, though sightings remain extremely rare.
Langtang National Park, Nepal
Established in 1976, Langtang was the first Himalayan National Park. Its proximity to Kathmandu — just 30 km from the capital and extending to the China-Tibet border — makes it one of the most accessible parks in the region.
It has a reputation as one of the best places to spot the Red Panda and is home to 373 recorded bird species, thanks in part to the presence of lakes such as Gosainkunda. Commonly seen mammals include the Himalayan Tahr, Himalayan Musk Deer, Assamese Macaque, and Nepal Grey Langur.
Hengduan Mountains and the Tibetan/Himalayan Plateau, China
This region is often regarded as one of the best places in the world to observe various species of wild cats. Pallas’s Cat (Manul), Eurasian Lynx, Snow Leopard, and Chinese Mountain Cat can all be found here. Asian Brown Bears and Wolves are also frequently sighted. Excitingly, this is also one of the few areas where one might possibly encounter a wild panda.
However, spotting a wild panda here is extremely difficult, and those lucky enough to do so rarely disclose the exact location. Researchers estimate that there are around 39 pandas within this reserve.
Other charismatic megafauna found here include the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey and the Tibetan Takin — a species of goat-antelope. (Sulung Prasetyo)
