Snow Leopard Camera Trap Expedition with Tashi Ghale
3300 person/sharing
11 Days
Hiking
Mountain Wildlife
Overland Drive
Max 8 Trekkers
Overview
In January/February, we’re offering a rare opportunity to join Tashi Ghale, a local citizen scientist with Third Pole Conservancy (TPC), on a snow leopard camera trap expedition in Nepal’s Manang Valley, located in the Annapurna District. This immersive experience will take you deep into snow leopard territory, where you’ll actively contribute to scientific research aimed at monitoring and protecting these endangered big cats.
What to Expect on the Expedition
📷 Camera Trap Surveys – Travel to up to six remote camera trap sites, where you’ll help recover memory cards containing rare footage of snow leopards and their prey. These images are crucial for tracking population density and movement patterns.
🔬 Wildlife Research & Identification – Learn how researchers use spot patterns to identify individual snow leopards and track their travel routes. This method provides key data for long-term conservation efforts.
🏔 Trekking Through the Himalayas – Over 10 days in Nepal, including 5 days in the field, you’ll trek through altitudes ranging from 3,500 to 4,500 meters, experiencing the breathtaking Annapurna region while actively contributing to conservation.
🐾 Support a Critical Mission – This expedition is designed with two key goals:
1️⃣ Provide a hands-on opportunity for participants to engage in real-world conservation research.
2️⃣ Help fund TPC’s ongoing work to protect snow leopards through scientific studies and community outreach programs.
Why Join This Expedition?
✅ Become a local citizen scientist and play an active role in snow leopard conservation
✅ Work alongside a local expert conducting real wildlife research
✅ Experience the thrill of tracking one of the most elusive big cats in its natural habitat
✅ Trek through Nepal’s stunning high-altitude landscapes
This isn’t just a trek—it’s a conservation experience where you help protect one of the world’s rarest predators.
📍 Join us and be part of the effort to safeguard Nepal’s snow leopards!
Major Highlights on Snow Leopard Camera Trap Expedition with Tashi Ghale
Third Pole Conservancy
Third Pole Conservancy
Third Pole Conservancy (TPC), formerly known as Global Primate Network (GPN)-Nepal, is a non-governmental, and non-profit organization established by a team of young wildlife researchers and conservationists from Nepal with the aim of promoting science-based conservation of wildlife and its habitat in Nepal Himalaya.
Guide Tashi Ghale
Guide Tashi Ghale
Tashi Ghale today manages 30 different camera traps in the Manang area, across a dozen sites located along mountain ridges, at elevations ranging from 3,800 to 5,500 meters. Tashi started his snow leopard camera trap research in 2006, working with a self-customized analog camera. Today his digital cameras are capable of capturing photo and video data, day and night. He estimates that there are currently 25-30 snow leopards population living in the area around Manang and 300-500 throughout the mountains of Nepal.
Itinerary
Expand AllDay 01: Arrival in Kathmandu.
Guests will be welcomed at Tribhuvan Airport then transferred to the Marshyangdi Hotel, located in the Thamel district in central Kathmandu. Over dinner, we will discuss highlights of our upcoming journey.
Day 02: Overland from Kathmandu to Chame (approx. 10 hours).
Early morning, we start our overland journey to Manang. We will cover the initial Kathmandu to Chame segment of the voyage, driving along well-traveled highways and secondary roads. Dinner and overnight at Chame.
Day 03: Jeep transport from Chame to Manang (approx. 5 hours).
Throughout most of the day, our jeep convoy will climb the twisting, arduous mountain trail ascending from Chame (2,650 meters) to Manang (3,500 meters). We will arrive in Manang in mid-afternoon, after a lunch break along the road. Our home in Manang will be the Mountain Lake Lodge where in the evenings, around the warm wood-stove, Tashi will share with us his unique experience and insight as well as the many fascinating photos and videos he has captured of the legendary snow leopard.
Day 04-08: Tracking the snow leopard.
Over the next five days we will accompany Tashi Ghale on a series of trekking excursions to collect data from up to six of his camera traps set along ridge-lines in the Manang area. Sites we will visit include Khangsar (3,800 meters), Yak Kharka (4,000 meters) and Ledar (4,200 meters). We will overnight at least once along the trail as Tashi seeks interaction with communities of migrant yak herders who today represent the most frequent point of conflict between humans and snow leopards. A large part of Tashi’s (and GPN’s) work today involves the creation of viable alternatives – to the killing of snow leopards – for the benefit of the yak herders to safeguard their livestock. Such alternatives include the construction of portable ‘safe’ corrals for young livestock as well as the supply and use of ‘fox-lights’ to discourage snow leopards from approaching herders’ encampments.
Much of the funding provided by our expeditions will be allocated to the acquisition of such tools – ‘safe’ corrals and ‘fox-lights’ – to assist GPN is its efforts to reverse the trend of snow leopard retaliatory killings. As we make our way along the trail, it will be difficult not to be amazed by the collage of crystal-clear alpine rivers, jagged snow covered Himalayan peaks, Buddhist monasteries and monuments and ancient stone villages. Surrounded by the Annapurna mountain range – which includes one peak over 8,000 meters and thirteen peaks over 7,000 meters – we are reminded that we truly are on the roof of the world.
Day 09: Return journey from Manang to Besisahar (approx. 8 hours).
Our jeep descent of the storied mountain road will be somewhat more comfortable and rapid than the ascent. At the base of the trail we will have dinner and will overnight at the Gateway Himalaya Resort in Besisahar.
Day 10: Overland from Besisahar to Kathmandu (approx. 6 hours).
The Nepalese highway system will feel like 5-star comfort after our mountain ‘off-road’ experience! Closing group dinner in Kathmandu followed by overnight at the Marshyangdi Hotel.
Day 11: Optional trip extension to visit sites in the Kathmandu valley or transfer to and departure from Tribhuvan Airport.
Pricing
What’s included?
Price Includes
- 2 nights at Hotel Marshyangdi Deluxe Room with breakfast
- Transfer within the country on private vehicle
- Welcome Dinner & Farewell Dinner with drinks
- Entrance Fee & Guide Fee for Tours in the city
- Hotel Mountain Lake and Restaurant in Manang – owned by Tashi Ghale
- Good Condition Tea Houses/Lodges for accommodation on research trek
- Guest orders all 3 meals from the lodge menu (no restrictions)
- All meals breakfast, lunch, and dinner included
- Boiled Water, Tea, Coffee, Hot Lemon, Ginger Tea included
- Trekking Guide and Porters fee, accommodation, and meals
- Last Frontiers duffel bag for trek portion to use & take home
- Trekking Permit and National Park Fee
- Trekking Guide/Porter insurance covered
- % of the sales goes to support the Primate Network project
Cost Excludes
- International Airfare
- Visa Fees
- Travel Insurance
- Items of a Personal Nature
- Tips to city Guide & Drivers
- Emergency Evacuation
- Bottled liquid like water, Juice,
- Any soda or alcoholic drinks
- Any Meals not mentioned
- Gifts, Souvenirs, Donations
- Gratitude to trek guide & porter
Cancellation Policy
- Deposit 20% of the total invoice to book 60 days prior to arrival date
- Final 80% Payment to be made 30 days prior to arrival date
- If canceled before 30 days then 20% is refunded.
- No refund if canceled after full payment is received.
Departure Dates
Why take this trip with us?
Explore the culture and landscape
Explore the culture and landscape
As you drive from the lower part of the Manang, you’ll pass through rich forests, with birds and the occasional monkey. The trip passes through pinewoods and on to the high valley with yak pastures, open skies and glaciers, and the homes of the Manang people. Explore the history, culture and heritage of the Manang region.
Support the local economy
Support the local economy
Manang Valley is a well-trekked region where the famous Annapurna Circuit trek goes through. But on this trek, we will be supporting the local citizen scientist and their work to conserve the mountain big cat.
Easy access trek
Easy access trek
This trek starts from the rugged road from Besisahar to Manang. A 4WD on a speed less than 5km per hour, we drive about 10 hours from Besisahar to Manang. A road that has a high cliff, one vehicle road access in most of the places, an adventurous drive, we have to take to reach our destination.
What to Expect
Expand AllNote On Itinerary
Although we generally stick to the schedule date, the itinerary is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control, including weather and terrain conditions, lodging availability, and the group’s general timing.
Qualification
This trek is considered moderate, but due to the rough long drive, it can also be considered strenuous. This trip takes you as high as 4500 meters in elevation and symptoms of high altitude sickness can happen.
Air Travel
Please check with your travel agent for a better route to fly into the arriving to Kathmandu. We advise you to check with us before purchasing your airline tickets to ensure your trip has the necessary minimum number of participants required to operate.
Weather
The two best seasons for the Everest trek are spring (March to May) and autumn (mid-Sept to mid-Dec). The winter months are also possible, however, you will have to prepare yourself for some cold nights!
Distance of the Trek
The drive from Besisahar to Manang is approximately 90 kilometres. The hiking will be approximately 5 – 6km per day, depending on where we go.