In Search of the Snow Leopard

I joined this expedition to Kibber, in the Spiti Valley, one of the highest inhabited regions on Earth during the harsh winter season with a single purpose, to photograph one of the most elusive predators on the planet, the snow leopard.

At altitudes above 4,000 meters, temperatures plunge well below freezing, the air thins, and silence becomes a constant companion.

Days were spent scanning vast mountain faces through binoculars, following faint tracks in the snow, and waiting, often for hours for a brief movement in an endless landscape of rock and ice. The snow leopard is known as the “ghost of the mountains” for a reason. Sightings are rare, unpredictable, and fleeting.

Photographing it requires patience, endurance, and a deep respect for the land it inhabits. But this expedition was about more than the animal itself.

These images document life at the edge of survival: the raw beauty of the Himalayan winter, the scale of the mountains, the subtle traces of wildlife, and the human presence that coexists with this extreme environment. They tell the story of cold mornings, long climbs, shared meals, and the quiet intensity of waiting in one of the wildest places on Earth.

Together, this body of work is a visual record of 15 days in the high Himalayas, a journey shaped by uncertainty, resilience, and rare moments of connection with a landscape that remains largely untouched.

Kibber, Spiti Valley — Indian Himalayas