Pin Valley National Park is the only National Park in Himachal Pradesh which is situated in the cold desert area. The park covering an area of 675 sq km as core zone and 1150 km as buffer zone. There are about 17 villages situated in the periphery of the park with a total population of about 1600 people. Besides this there are about 17 Dogharies (Summer settlements) with some cultivation inside the park. These Dogharies are used as summer residences by these people. The local residents in the whole Pin Valley conists of scheduled tribes belonging to Buddhist community. There is a famous Gompa in the Kungri village which is situated on the buffer zone of this park. The Chham dance and Buchen dance by the Lamas of this Gompa are very famous dances in the valley. A considerable part of the area of this national park is covered by snow. The elevation of the National Park ranges from about 3500 meters near Ka Dogri to more than 6000 meters at its highest point. The Pin Valley national Park represents the biogeography of the Trans Himalayan cold desert with its characteristic flora and fauna. The Park forms the natural habitat of a number of endangered animals including Himalayan Ibex, Snow Leopard, Bharal, Wooly Hare, Tibetan Wolf, and Snow Cock. The apparently scanty vegetation in the Park contains many plant species of high conservation value. Prominent amongst these species are Ratanjot (Arnebia euchroma & A. benthamii), Salampanja (Dactylorhhiza hatageria), Somlata (Ephedra gerardiana), Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) and Ateesh (Aconitum heterophyllum). Wild rose (Rosa webbiana), with its gorgeous pink flowers and bright red fruit, provides a striking contrast to the otherwise dry surrounds.