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India - Ladakh - Land of High Passes

© Ladakh by Adam Riley
India - Ladakh - Land of High Passes 2027

14 Jul 2027 - 26 Jul 2027 (13 days)

INR410,000 SPACES AVAILABLE on this guaranteed departure

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Tour Leader: Amanda Guercio

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Tour Price (Per person): INR410,000 (USD4,437 * GBP3,378 * EUR3,880 * AUD6,353)

Single Supplement: INR45,000 (USD487 * GBP371 * EUR426 * AUD697)

Flight costs: INR28,000 (USD303 * GBP231 * EUR265 * AUD434)

This tour pairs with: India - Leopard & Lesser Florican Extension 2027

India - Ladakh - Land of High Passes 2028

12 Jul 2028 - 24 Jul 2028 (13 days)

INR440,000 SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Erik Forsyth

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Tour Price (Per person): INR440,000 (USD4,762 * GBP3,625 * EUR4,164 * AUD6,818)

This tour pairs with: India - Leopard & Lesser Florican Extension 2028

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*

India - Ladakh - Land of High Passes 2029

11 Jul 2029 - 23 Jul 2029 (13 days)

INR460,000 SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Dušan Brinkhuizen

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Tour Price (Per person): INR460,000 (USD4,978 * GBP3,789 * EUR4,353 * AUD7,127)

This tour pairs with: India - Leopard & Lesser Florican Extension 2029

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*

This bird and wildlife-watching tour takes us through India’s finest highlands and mountain passes, renowned for their rich and diverse high-altitude avifauna. Located on the Tibetan Plateau, Ladakh’s rugged mountain ranges, sparse vegetation, picturesque valleys, and majestic rivers—such as the Indus and Zanskar—create a unique habitat that supports rare wildlife and serves as a crucial breeding ground for migratory birds.

Ladakh, meaning "land of high passes," is a region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, stretching from the Kunlun Mountain range to the Great Himalayas in the south. It is home to people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent and is one of the most sparsely populated areas in the region. Its culture and history are deeply intertwined with that of Tibet. Historically, Ladakh encompassed a vast area, but in modern times it shares its borders with Tibet to the east, the Lahaul and Spiti regions to the south, the Vale of Kashmir, Jammu, and Baltiyul to the west, and the southwestern corner of Xinjiang across the Karakoram Pass in the far north.

Ladakh is celebrated for its breathtaking remote mountain landscapes and rich cultural heritage. Its high-altitude terrain is home to some of the world’s most enticing bird species such as Tibetan and Himalayan Snowcocks, Black-necked Crane, Tibetan Lark, Tibetan Sandgrouse, Great Rosefinch, Ground Tit, Brandt’s Mountain Finch and several mammals including Pallas’s Cat, Tibetan (Gray) Wolf and Tibetan Gazelle.

Top Birds

Tibetan and Himalayan Snowcocks; Chukar Partridge; Black-necked Crane; Ibisbill; Tibetan Lark; Tibetan Sandgrouse; Great Rosefinch; Ground Tit; Brandt’s Mountain Finch; Mongolian Finch; Red-fronted Serin; White-browed Tit-Warbler; Bearded Vulture; Hill Pigeon; Robin Accentor; Siberian Sand Plover; Blanford’s Snowfinch; Saker Falcon.

Top Mammals

Pallas’s Cat; Tibetan (Gray) Wolf; Tibetan Gazelle; Himalayan Marmot; Blue Sheep (Bharal); Tibetan Sand Fox; Tibetan Wild Ass (Kiang); Red Fox;

Habitats Covered

Himalayan scree slopes, grasslands, marshes, riverbanks, saline lakes,

Expected Climate

Temperatures vary considerably in the Himalayas, from a low of 8-10°C at night and in the early morning to a high of 35°C during the day.

Max Group Size

8 with 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

UNDEMANDING: This tour is ideal for birders and wildlife enthusiasts of all experience levels. It’s suitable for most mobility levels and offers a relaxed pace, ensuring an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Moderate to undemanding. Aside from the high altitude, this tour is suitable for all birding / wildlife interest levels. India is an assault on the senses first time around, requiring a little tolerance to begin with.

Accommodation

Comfortable hotels with hot water & western toilets.

Ease of Birding

Undemanding. Most species provide good visuals in open conditions, sightings can be distant due to terrain, a personal scope may be beneficial.

Other Attractions

Himalayan scenery; Khardung La Pass; Chang La Pass; Hunder Sand Dunes; Pangong Lake; Hanle Observatory; Leh Tibetan Market

Photographic Opportunities

Good to good+. See notes below about minimum focal length.

What our clients say about us

Nigel Redman
MC, India 2023

This was the first group birding tour Ive ever taken (meaning, more than myself and either one or two other persons). Rockjumper and Nigel Redman made it a very pleasurable experience, with wonderful birds, beautiful landscapes, and good flexibility and adaptability to the various challenges and obstacles thrown our way on the trip. I heartily recommend both this tour and Nigel Redman as a tour leader! I would happily go on any tour for which Nigel was the leader; his knowledge of ornithology, history, and birding folklore is encycylopedic, and his easy humor and casual nature made for happy hours in our vehicles or over dinner tables (this, in contrast to the group next to us in some of the dining halls, where hardly a word was spoken by any tour member when the trip leader was going through the days list; that was a dictatorship; Nigels tour was a democracy in many ways.)

Dušan Brinkhuizen
MW, India - Western: Desert Specials 2026

Feedback for India – Western Deserts 2026 Overall, this was quite a trip. I had gone on the India – Northern Birds & Tigers just prior to this trip, so the number of new birds for us was low. However, we got most of the birds we were hoping for, a testament to Dušan and the highly-skilled local guides. We were well taken care of during the trip and all the accommodations were first class. The group were all serious birders, and we all got along together well and were able to contribute to the very respectful tally of the birds. The travel was a lot more than I anticipated. Several days were essentially all driving, with a brief stop or two to stretch and check for birds. I strongly recommend adding a day at Mt. Abu. We had only a few hours of birding there, sandwiched between very long drives. Adding a day there will be a great relief from spending so much time in the bus and allow us to catch up a bit on our sleep. I did a survey among our group and all greed that adding a day would be a great relief and would not keep any of us from choosing the trip. The birds were nearby, which helped a lot as we didn’t have a long drive to get to the birds. One location in particular, Desert National Park, was almost two hours. A closer accommodation needs to be scouted out. Dušan did a great job, and his enthusiasm kept us going when sleep depravation was hitting us. The guy never wanted to quit. We got all three mega birds, the Hypocolius, the Indian Spotted Creeper, and the Forest Owlet, quite well. All three were a great experience, especially the Hypocolius, as most of the group were family listers. We even had one of our group finish off the families during the trip! Thanks for offering and recommending this trip.

David Hoddinott
CH, India 2018

David Hoddinott is simply outstanding: Calm, focused, truly excellent knowledge of the birds, their calls and habits. He has a wonderful sense of humour, too.

Glen Valentine
MW, India - Northern: Birds & Tigers (Small Group) 2026

Another excellent tour with Glen. He is amazing. The local guides and ground support were also excellent. The accommodations were quite luxurious although quite cold. Warm layers are definitely a must for this trip. One suggestions for the tour information: Under annoyances add a comment about the poor air quality around Delhi and the dust during afternoon game drives. Suggest that participants bring N95 masks and dust protection for optics. Looking forward to our next Rockjumper trip.

David Hoddinott
PJ, Andaman Islands 2018

The Andaman Islands were a first for RockJumper and a first for David Hoddinott. It was an incredible experience and also exciting to share the first of all new endemics  with David .

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