Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary

The Changthang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary covers a large part of the Changthang plateau in eastern Ladakh, the western edge of the Tibetan plateau. It was notified in 1987, and the wider Changthang landscape around it averages about 4,500 m, with wide plains, salt lakes and marshes. Tso Moriri, Tso Kar and the Hanle valley all lie inside it, and the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve was declared within the sanctuary in 2022.

This is the best place in Ladakh for animals of the open plateau. Kiang (Tibetan wild ass) graze in loose groups, Tibetan argali and Tibetan wolf range the hills, and Pallas's cat and snow leopard are present. Himalayan marmots sit outside their burrows in summer. The lakes and marshes hold breeding black-necked cranes and bar-headed geese, and the Tso Kar basin is the only known breeding site in India of the saker falcon. Changpa nomadic herders graze yak, sheep and pashmina goats across the same pastures.

There is no single entry gate; you visit the sanctuary through its lakes and villages. The best time is roughly May to September. Keep to marked tracks, as off road driving damages the fragile grassland and disturbs wildlife. Indian visitors need the LAHDC Leh environment fee receipt from lahdclehpermit.in and a photo ID; no Inner Line Permit is required. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit for much of the area.