The park is bounded on the north by the banks of the Indus River, and includes the catchments of Markha and Rumbak, and parts of the Zanskar Range.

The park is home to a viable breeding population of about 200 snow leopards, especially in the Rumbak catchment area.

[4] The Tibetan wolf, the Eurasian brown bear (endangered in India), and the red fox are also present in Hemis.

[6] The Rumbak Valley offers opportunities for birdwatching,[6] including several Tibetan species not common in other parts of India.

Since the upper mountain slopes are moist, this area is characterized by alpine vegetation including Anemone, Gentiana, Thalictrum, Lloydia, Veronica, Delphinum, Carex and Kobresia.

The other parts of the park support steppe vegetation which is dominated by Caragana, Artemisia, Stachys, and Ephedra, present along the lower river courses.

A study conducted by CP Kala reports 15 rare and endangered medicinal plants growing in the park, which include Acantholimon lycopodioides, Arnebia euchroma, Artemisia maritima, Bergenia stracheyi, Ephedra gerardiana, Ferula jaeschkeana, and Hyoscyamus niger.

The department has initiated many projects for biodiversity conservation and rural livelihood improvement in Ladakh, including the Hemis National Park, such as: The park offers a number of routes for trekking from mid-June to mid-October; some of these trekking routes are among the most popular in Ladakh.

Lodging is restricted to backcountry camps and homestays initiated by the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust (SLC-IT) in 2000 [10] and supported and managed by the local government.

Since 2019, ALTOA (All Ladakh Tour Operator Association) and the Department of Wildlife Protection have set up check posts at each entrance of the Hemis National Park.

Over 1,600 people live inside the park presently, with a large number of tourists and pilgrims visiting during the Hemis Tsechu festival.

However, in the late 19th and early 20th century, the monastery attracted some attention due to the writings of Nicolas Notovitch, a Russian aristocrat and journalist, who claimed that Jesus had spent the missing years of his life in Tibet and Ladakh, specifically in Hemis.

(see Lost years of Jesus) The national park, monastery and the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary were prominently featured in the award-winning documentary Riding Solo to the Top of the World.