Himalayan Brown Bear Expedition - In Search Of Mythical Yeti

The Himalayan Brown Bear is the only subspecies of Brown Bear that lives in the Himalayas. These bears are omnivorous and hibernate in a den during the winter. While the brown bear as a species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, this subspecies is highly endangered, and populations are dwindling. It is endangered in the Himalayas and critically endangered in Hindu Kush. “Dzu-Teh” a Nepalese term, has also been associated with the legend of the Yeti, or Abominable Snowman, with which it has been sometimes confused or mistaken. A 2017 analysis of DNA extracted from a mummified animal purporting to represent a Yeti was shown to have been a Himalayan Brown Bear. This time team WWE will take you for an unforgettable journey that leads you to the spectacular location in the Drass Valley, surrounded by the jagged peaks of the Himalayas, to capture one of most endangered and the largest mammal of this region, the Himalayan Brown Bear. In this region they are known to hibernate for a very short period in winters. As a result these majestic beauties can be sighted almost all the year round.

Join with us to witness the rare Himalayan Brown Bears in the second coldest inhabited place in the World – Drass, Western Ladakh. It is arguably the best location in India for sighting the largest mammals of the Himalayas – the DzuTeh. Our team is the only team of wildlifers working in the region all year round to track the movement and behaviour of the Brown Bears with the help of scanners and camera traps. Our accommodation at Drass will be at a Lodge/Homestay.

Some of the major highlights of the tour:

Notice: Mandatory 48 hours acclimatization for tourists arriving at Leh as the new guidelines set by UT Ladakh Government. Hence all itineraries of our tours in Ladakh has been restructured accordingly.

 Day 1 : Arrive at Leh in the morning. Pick up from Airport and drop at Hotel (3 star or 4 star). Rest of the day for acclimatization and rest as it is required before travel in high altitude country. In the evening can go for a brief walk to the local market. Lunch & Dinner at Hotel.

 Day 2: Early morning breakfast around 7 AM. At 7:30 AM leave for our onward journey to Drass via Nimu, Lamayuru, Kagil. The journey is about 6-7 hours and on the way we will have our lunch. Check-in at the accommodation in Drass. Our local team would be active even before we reach, and our spotters would guide us to the locations in the evening where chances of sighting the Himalayan Brown Bear is maximum. Dinner at the lodge/homestay.

 Day 3 : Start the day early by 6:30 AM. We will head for our quest for the Himalayan Brown Bear. We will head towards the Mushkoo valley side or locations which would be decided on runtime depending on the movement of bears and/or other wildlife. Breakfast and lunch can be arranged at the sighting locations depending on our plan.

During the day, we will visit the nearby Shina villages towards Goshen, or head towards Pandrass or Matayen. This places also boasts other wildlife such as Marmots, Ibex, Red Fox and Wolves. Rest of the Day we will spend scanning the Himalayan Brown Bears as usual. Dinner at the lodge/homestay.

 Day 4 & 5 : Typically the days would be same as previous day. Early morning around 6:30 AM we will leave for sighting the Brown Bears. Our team will accompany us and depending on our plan we will either take packed lunch and/or breakfast or may return to our lodge/homestay for a break. On either of these days we will go and visit the Kargil War Memorial in the afternoon, a site build to honor the Indian Army. We will also visit Manman on either of these days. Landscape photography lovers would love this as it gives a bird’s eye view of entire Drass. The famous Tiger Hill can be seen clearly from this view point. Dinner at the lodge/homestay.

 Day 6: After the morning scanning and Brown Bear sighting we will have breakfast and start for our return journey to Leh. On the way we will stop at places if we come across any wildlife sighting. One can also visit the famous Lamayuru monastary on our way back. Lunch would be on the way. We arrive at Leh hotel in the evening. Dinner at Hotel.

 Day 7: Checkout from Hotel after breakfast. Drop provided till Airport.

Any further assistance regarding extended stays at Leh on either start of the fixed departure or at the end can be provided by us if one feels the need.