Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, Protected area in Leh district, India
The Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in the eastern Karakoram range, within the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The terrain covers high-altitude desert, dry valleys, steep slopes, and glacial lakes at elevations that make it one of the highest sanctuaries in the country.
The sanctuary was established in 1987 by the Indian government to protect endangered wildlife in the Ladakh highlands. Before that, the area had no formal protection, and poaching of species like the snow leopard and Tibetan antelope was a serious concern.
The area sits along old caravan routes that once linked Tibet to Central Asia, and traces of this past are still visible in small settlements and grazing grounds along the valleys. Nomadic herding communities bring their livestock up to these high pastures in summer, as they have done for generations.
A special permit is required to enter the sanctuary, and it is strongly advisable to spend several days acclimatizing in Leh before heading into the area. Summer months offer the most reliable access, as snow and extreme cold can make the terrain impassable at other times of year.
The sanctuary is one of the few places in India where the chiru, also known as the Tibetan antelope, can still be seen, even though it is more commonly associated with the Tibetan plateau. Its wool, known as shahtoosh, was once highly sought after, which made it a target for poachers across the region.
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