Hemis National Park
Hemis NP | |
|---|---|
National Park | |
 Stok Kangri peak inside Hemis National Park (Leh district, Ladakh) | |
  Hemis National Park Location in Ladakh, India  Hemis National Park Hemis National Park (India) | |
| Coordinates: 33°59′00″N 77°26′00″E / 33.98333°N 77.43333°E | |
| Country |  India |
| Union Territory | Ladakh |
| District | Leh |
| Established | 1981 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,400 km2 (1,700 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 3,000 - 6,000 m (−17,000 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tibetan, Ladakhi, Hindi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Nearest city | Leh |
| IUCN category | II |
| Precipitation | 160.5 millimetres (6.32 in) |
| Avg. summer temperature | 15 °C (59 °F) |
| Avg. winter temperature | −30 °C (−22 °F) |
Hemis National Park is a high-elevation national park in Hemis in Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is approx. 50 km from Leh, the capital of Ladakh. Globally famous for its snow leopards, it is believed to have the highest density of them in any protected area in the world.[1] It is the only national park in India that is north of the Himalayas, the largest notified protected area in India (largest National park) and is the second largest contiguous protected area, after the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and surrounding protected areas. The park is home to a number of species of endangered mammals, including the snow leopard. Hemis National Park is India's protected area inside the Palearctic realm, outside the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary northeast of Hemis, and the proposed Tso Lhamo Cold Desert Conservation Area in North Sikkim.
The park is bounded on the north by the banks of the Indus River, and includes the catchments of Markha, Sumdah and Rumbak, and parts of the Zanskar Range.