Hemis National Park Adding to the thrill

If wildlife attracts you, the state of Jammu and Kashmir is a fantastic place to get closer to the some fascinating animals. The Hemis National Park is one such fantastic place to take your thrill quotient to another level. Let as know more about this national park.

The Hemis National Park is situated in the eastern part of the Ladakh region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The national park is considered to be one of the best places to spot snow leopards in the wild. With an area of more than 4.400 sq. km. spread in the Markha, Rumbak, Zanskar and Sumdah valleys, it is supposed to be one of the largest national parks in the country. In fact some parts of the park also falls within the northern part of the Himalayan region.

If you like exploring the wildlife, you can ask your travel operators to include a trip to this national park in your Jammu and Kashmir tour packages. The Hemis National Park falls within the West Karakoram Tibetan Plateau, which is characterized by alpine shrubs, coniferous forests and sprawling meadows. The park is also bordered by river Indus in the north. The Hemis National Park is also country's only notified area inside the Palearctic ecological zone. It was first notified in 1981 under which the Rumbak and Markha catchments of 600 sq.km. were protected. In 1988, neighboring areas were added, increasing its size to about 3,350 sq.km. By 1990, the total area under the park was declared at about 4,400 sq. km.

You find a 400 year old Hemis Buddhist Monastery within the park which attracts a large number of tourists and devotees from all corners of the country. The annual Hemis Tsechu Festival is another celebrated affair to explore the local culture of the region. As per historians, before the park was established, the Hemis area served as an important trade point in the famous Silk route. The locals earn their livelihood rearing cattles and selling mats, carpets made from their hides and milk.

The main attraction of the park is the rare Snow Leopard. With their dwindling number, Sighting one of them is a magical experience in itself. Long ago, before the human settlement in the region, this agile cats were one the major predators. Rising human population led to more encounters, leaving the animal at the crucial end of extinction. Today, these rare cats have moved up to the higher mountain ranges but still you can acknowledge incidents where the leopards have preyed on the cattle and livestock from the villages down below. Under the reserve zone, the national park has not only helped in decreasing the man-animal conflict but also providing a better avenue for the snow leopards to increase their count.

Apart from these magnificent felines, the national park is famous for a variety of bird species like the Golden Eagle, Lammergeier Vulture and the Himalayan Griffon Vulture. If you are into birdwatching or like capturing them in your cameras, this is the best place to be in. Even if you are not into photography the mere squeal of these mighty birds will thrill you for sure.

About the author:

Atul Chaudhary is a worldwide famous travel writer about Indian Toursim. I want provide you complete information about Indian tourism like: Indian tourism, 10 famous heritage hotels in india, Restaurant, things to do, Jammu and Kashmir tour packages, PNR prediction and A to B flights information.