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State: Jammu & Kashmir
Location: Eastern part of Ladakh,
Jammu & Kashmir.
Area: 600 sq. kms.
Best time to visit: May To October
Altitude: 3,500 to 6,930 m above sea level.
Hemis National Pak : The name of the park Hemis is taken from the famous monastery Hemis Gompa, spread out over 600 sq. Km and is located in the Ladakh division of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir at a distance of around 40 Kms southeast of Leh. The beauty of the Hemis National Park multiplies when it gives an overview of Indus River and the catchments areas of Markha, Sumdah, and Rumbak streams.
The park is known as the “Snow Leopard Capital of India” situated at an altitudinal range of 3,300 to 6,000 m, and hosts a remarkable variety of wildlife. Finally, the park came into existence in 1981 as one of the national parks of India. It is also bounded by the historical river of Indus that make the area one of the prime attractions for domestic and international tourists where they have full opportunity to navigate the natural beauty with mountains of various shapes and sizes, mixed with vast flatlands, deserts etc.
Wild Attractions :
The land of Hemis National Park is rare for its dry forests of juniper, birch, fir, alpine grasslands and scrublands. The park is full of many endangered animals, which are normally found in the cold region along with an interesting assemblage of cold desert flora. Some of the famous attractions of the Hemis Park are snow leopard, Tibetan wild or kiang, ibex, serow, Tibetan antelope, Palla's cat, srapu, bharal, red fox, rhesus macaque, Hanuman languor, wolf, marmot, Tibetan argali and Ladakh urial etc. The famous flora of the Park comprised of sparse grasslands, herbaceous vegetation, Junipers, Myricaria, Poplar, Salix, Birch, Astragalus, Taraxacum, Leortopodium, Ephedra and many sparse grasslands.
Histroy of Hemis National Park : Named after the famous monastery Hemis Gompa, the national park spread out over 600 sq. Km, is situated at Ladakh in J&K. The park known as the Snow leopard capital of India has an altitudinal range of 3,300 to 6,000 m, and hosts a remarkable variety of wildlife. Hemis was established as a national park on 4th February 1981. This national park offers the tourists an abundant treasure of natural beauty with mountains of various shapes and sizes, mixed with vast flatlands, deserts and bordered by the fast flowing river Indus.
Hemis occupies much of the catchments of the lower Zanskar River, from its confluence with the Markha river to its meeting with the Indus. The smaller northern sector consists of Sumdah Valley which runs south-east until it meets the main Zanskar Valley. In the southern sector is the beautiful Markha Valley, also a tributary of the Zanskar Valley, and the Rumbak Valley which runs eastwards directly into the Indus Valley. The area of this cold desert is rocky and the thin soil cover supports a poor vegetative growth. Grass growth is relatively rapid during the summer season after the melting of the snow. The Markha and Rumbak valleys are high altitude deserts charecterised by sparse grasslands and herbaceous vegetation on mountain slopes. These areas consists of trees and plants like Junipers, Myricaria, Poplar, Salix, Birch, Astragalus, Taraxacum, Leortopodium, Ephedra and many sparse grasslands.
The National park is famous for its population of the rare Snow Leopards and the Ibex. The other main species recorded in the National park are Palla's cat, srapu, bharal, red fox, rhesus macaque, Hanuman languor, wolf, marmot, Tibetan argali and Ladakh urial etc. The bharal and urial are seen in large numbers. The park has been earmarked as one of the snow leopard reserves under a central government project to conserve the species. |
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