Hemis National Park Ladakh has a diverse ecosystem, making it one of Ladakh's best tourist places. It is the only national park in the Northern Himalayan region of India, the second-largest contiguous protected area in India, and the largest notified protected area in India. It was founded in 1981, starting from 600 km sq and was later grown to 3350 km sq in 1988 and 4400 km sq in 1990.
Flora in Hemis National Park Ladakh
The Hemis National Park falls in the Rain Show region, which means it needs more precipitation, and thus flora here isn't flourishing much. Nevertheless, the area is covered with woods of juniper, Populus, subalpine dry birch–fir, etc.
Fauna in Hemis National Park
The Hemis High Altitude National Park in Ladakh is home to as many as 200 snow leopards, and this density is among the highest densities of snow leopards found anywhere else in the world. Other than this, Hemis Ladakh National Park is home to Tibetan Wild, Eurasian brown bear, mountain weasel, Himalayan mouse hare, and Himalayan marmot.
Avifauna found in the park consists of brown accentor, Tickell's leaf warbler, robin accentor, streaked rosefinch, Tibetan snow finch, chukar, fork-tailed swift. Moreover, this Ladakh national park allows you to spot rare Himalayan snowcock, red-billed chough, the fire-fronted serin, the lammergeier vulture, the golden eagle, and the Himalayan griffon vulture, etc.
Best Time to Visit Hemis National Park Ladakh
The best time to visit Hemis Altitude National Park depends on your interests. For trekkers, mid-June to October would be ideal. For wildlife enthusiasts, the time between March and September is recommended. The best time for bird-watching is between March and May. However, to spot snow leopards, the best time is late winter. Hemis Festival, which falls in the summer season, is a much-talked-about festival of Leh.
Entry Fee for Hemis National Park
The entry fee for this national park in Ladakh is INR 20 for Indians and INR 100 for foreigners. Moreover, the visiting hours of Hemis National Park are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Attractions in and Around the Park:
The popular 400-year-old pilgrimage spot of Tibetan Buddhists, Hemis Monastery, is nearby. The monastery, in the work of Nicolas Notovitch, has been mentioned as the place where Lord Jesus spent missing years of his life.
Since the national park is located in Leh, you can visit many city attractions, like Spituk Monastery, Shanti Stupa, Numbra Valley, Thikse Monastery, Phyang Monastery, Sankar Monastery, Stok Monastery, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, Magnetic Hill, and Leh Palace.