Hemis National Park is Country’s First National Park

Hemis National Park or Hemis High Altitude National Park places on the banks of Indus River at an elevation of 3300 to 6000 m above sea level. The national park in the eastern part of Ladakh district in Jammu and Kashmir gets named after the far-famed Buddhist Monastery, the Hemis Monastery.

Wildlife Sanctuaries in Kashmir such as this national park is an address to snow leopard (one of the endangered mammals), wolves, marmots, red foxes and deers. Rich to its scenic beauty, this is an ideal place for wildlife admirers and nature lovers. Hemis high altitude wildlife sanctuary has truly an eminence of being the largest national park in South Asia.

HistoryrnThe park came into its existence in 1981 as one of the national parks of India. It is bounded by the historical river of Indus that makes to the area one of the premier attractions for domestic and international tourists. The park is known as the “Snow Leopard Capital of India”, hosting a noteworthy variety of wildlife.

Tourist Attractions

Hemis MonasteryrnHemis Monastery is the biggest and is one of the most important monasteries in Ladakh. It was founded by King Senge Nampar Gyalva in 1672 AD. The monastery located 49 km south of Leh has more than 200 branches with above 1,000 monks in the Himalayan region. There is library available in this monastery, having a collection of some rare artifact. Also a colourful festival is held in the monastery every year in July.

Leh TownrnLeh Town is just 30 km away from Hemis National Park. It is the largest and densely populated town in Ladakh region. This high altitude town has many tourist spots like Stok Palace and Buddhist monasteries like Namgyal Tsemo monastery, Shey Monastery, Thiksey Gompa and many more.

Best Time To Visit:rnThe wildlife sanctuary remains opened throughout the year. Here the best time to visit the park is from mid-May to mid-October. This time is well-known for trekking and nature walks. So you may visit it during wintertime the rare snow leopards moves to the lower valleys from high elevation areas.

How to Reach

AirrnThe nearest airport to this park is at Leh that comes well-connected to the cities such as Delhi, Chandigarh, Srinagar and Jammu by Indian Airlines.

RoadrnHemis National Park may be easily reached by Leh-Srinagar National Highway.

RailrnThe nearest railway station to Hemis National Park is at Jammu, situating at a distance of 690 km. This is linked well to all major Indian cities by wide network of railways.