‘Ghost of the mountains' caught on camera: Travellers in Spiti Valley spot rare snow leopard strolling on road
A recent road trip through Himachal Pradesh's Spiti Valley turned into an unforgettable wildlife encounter for a group of travellers. The group had a once-in-a-lifetime brush with the elusive snow leopard.
The rare sighting took place on May 5 between 6 PM and 7 PM as they were driving from Kaza to Nako. Roughly 8 to 10 kilometers past Tabo, they spotted what most wildlife enthusiasts can only dream of. The snow leopard was walking calmly along the mountain road, right ahead of them.
Filming from inside their car, the group captured the big cat gracefully moving along the edge of the road, camouflaged against the rugged Spitian terrain. Throughout the video, the travellers can be heard reacting in awe. At one point, a woman says, ' Wo bhag rahi hai humse ' (She is running away from us), and someone responds saying, ' Woh bhagegi hi, dekhna bagal mei zyada lagana mat seesha tod sakti hai ' (Of course she will run. Don't go near her, she can break car's window panes).
The leopard, however, showed no panic or aggression. It simply continued walking, occasionally glancing back but largely unbothered by the vehicle trailing behind at a respectful distance. A text overlay in the video reads, 'A rare encounter on the Spiti Valley Road,' while the caption posted alongside it reflects the awe of the moment: 'On 5th May 2025, between 6 to 7 PM, while travelling from Kaza to Nako, around 8-10 km after crossing Tabo, we witnessed something unforgettable – a snow leopard on the road! These rare creatures are hardly ever seen, especially in May. It stood there calmly, blending into the rocky Spiti landscape. Truly a magical moment of our journey.'
Watch the video:
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A post shared by JATIN GUPTA | EXPLORER (@decamptraveller)
The Internet was stunned, seeing the video. A user commented, 'Most elusive cat in the world…Snow leopard…Wild life photographers spend months to spot one…Lucky you.' Another user wrote, 'You guys are damn lucky!!! To witness ghost of mountains on road and that too for so long!!!! Wish I had a chance to see this beauty like this.'
Some viewers found humour in the moment. One person commented, 'I was eagerly waiting for someone to say 'kitni moti poonch hai' (how huge is the tail) thanks to the girl in the video.'
However, amid all the wonder and excitement, a few viewers raised an important point–sharing exact locations of such sightings can be risky, as it may draw the attention of poachers.
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