Severtzov’s Tit Warbler is a prize on the Central Asia tour Photo: Steve Rooke
The Silk Road, Samarkand, Bukhara: the names conjure up images of fierce Mongol horsemen, dusty camel trains, and crowded bazaars where travelers from far-off lands trade exotic jewels and spices. Stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Tien Shan Mountains, the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are well endowed with history and culture. This exciting tour samples the rich flavors of that culture—and an exotic variety of birds.
The varied traditions and customs of this fascinating region are matched by a wide variety of habitats. We’ll follow the Golden Road to Samarkand, an ancient route that leads to the drifting sand dunes of the Kyzyl-Kum desert, where we’ll look for Pander’s Ground Jay, one of the region’s truly special birds. Following ancient trading routes, we’ll find ourselves surrounded by the enormous skies and wormwood-scented breezes of the northern Kazak steppes, alive with White-winged and Black Larks, and we’ll seek out ancient woodlands where Yellow-eyed Stock Doves and Saxaul Sparrows still breed. Then, turning south, we’ll reach the dramatic splendor of the snow-capped Tien Shan Mountains, awash with wildflowers and home to Himalayan Snowcock and Güldenstädt’s Redstart.
Oil-rich and developing fast, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan still retain their air of mystery and intrigue, guaranteed to fire the imagination. The fantastic birds, combined with the region’s uniquely rich cultural heritage, are sure to present a truly memorable birdwatching experience, which Steve, on what is now his fourteenth tour to these destinations, is eager to share with you.
Day 1: The tour begins in London with a flight to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, arriving in the early morning of Day 2.
Day 2: After arrival, we’ll transfer to the domestic terminal and connect with a short flight to the Silk Road town of Bukhara. We’ll check in to our hotel in the heart of the old town and have some time to rest up before we venture out to the surrounding wetlands. Here we’ll explore reedbeds that are home to Bearded Tit (Bearded Reedling), Clamorous and Moustached Warblers, and the Caspian races of Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting. Smart Citrine and Black-headed Wagtails and Bluethroats add splashes of color, while White-tailed Plovers, in breeding plumage, and Kentish Plovers are common. Marbled Duck and Caspian Gull can usually be found, and we’ll keep an eye out for flights of Pygmy Cormorants or Glossy Ibis. We’ll see the first of many Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters and Pied Bushchats, and there is always the chance of Purple Heron, Collared Pratincole, or Oriental Skylark. Night in Bukhara.
Day 3: In contrast to the rich wetlands of the day before, today we’ll venture deep into the Kyzyl-Kum Desert to search for the handsome Pander’s Ground Jay, one of the really special birds of Central Asia. These striking gray, black, and white birds spend much of their time running over the saxaul-dotted sand dunes, occasionally flying up to a prominent perch. We can also expect to see the local desert race of Little Owl, Stone-curlew, lots of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, Steppe Gray Shrike, Isabelline Wheatear, and Streaked Scrub Warbler, while any small stand of trees can hold migrants, from flocks of Rose-colored Starlings and Golden Orioles to Thrush Nightingales and Ortolan Buntings.
Later we’ll return to Bukhara to spend the afternoon immersed in the splendor of the historic old town. Among many other noteworthy sights, we’ll visit the Ark, where Stoddart and Connolly met their famous demise in 1842; the Kalen Minaret, one of the few building left standing after the visit of Genghis Khan; and the trading domes where ancient caravanserai plied their trade. There will be time to haggle over the price of a Bukharan rug, to buy spices, or to pause for a cold drink at Labi Hauz, an ancient city waterhole surrounded by stunning buildings and mulberry trees from the 15th century. Night in Bukhara.
Day 4: Venturing out of town once again, we’ll have a morning to look at a mix of dry scrub, reed-fringed pools, and open desert steppe. In addition to species we’ve already encountered, we’ll be looking for Sykes’s Warbler and Rufous Bush Robin, which can be numerous; there may also be a few pairs of the shy Ménétries’s Warbler. The roadside wires are a good place to see Oriental and European Turtle Doves and Long-tailed Shrike, while any pool can hold flocks of Red-crested Pochard or migrant Red-necked Phalaropes. We’ll return to Bukhara for lunch and then begin our journey along the Silk Road to the fabled city of Samarkand. Night in Samarkand.
Day 5: To the south of town lies a range of low hills, where we’ll stroll along a delightful valley alive with Red-headed Buntings. White-throated Robins and Eastern Orphean and Upcher’s Warblers breed among the bushes, and Hume’s Short-toed Lark feeds among the rocky outcrops. Isabelline and Lesser Gray Shrikes and Eastern Rock Nuthatch also breed, along with a few pairs of European Bee-eaters; with luck, we may encounter a striking Asian Paradise Flycatcher or a Finsch’s Wheatear. Those interested in plants or butterflies will find much to occupy them, as this sun-drenched spot is a riot of insects and flowers. For lunch, we’ll escape the midday sun in the shade of a wooded valley. We’ll return to town in the late afternoon for a visit to the stunning Registan, a beautiful assembly of turquoise-blue domes and towering minarets that is one of the most famous sites in Central Asia. Night in Samarkand.
Day 6: The day will start with a visit to pools where we should see Shikra, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Turkestan Tit, and White-crowned Penduline Tit, among other species. We’ll then spend time visiting more of Samarkand’s treasures, including the elaborately decorated mausoleum of Tamerlane, whose vast empire was centered in Samarkand; the massive Bibi Khanum mosque (once the largest in Central Asia); and the amazing Shahr-i-Zindar, the street of tombs, a riot of colored tiles. After lunch we’ll begin the drive to Tashkent, stopping along the way to look at Pied and Variable Wheatears, a bizarre colony of White Storks nesting on power pylons, and a wetland with breeding Pygmy Cormorants. Night in Tashkent.
Day 7: Our day will be spent in the Chimgan Hills, whose lower slopes are drenched in juniper trees that are home to Hume’s Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow-breasted and Rufous-naped Tits, and White-capped and Rock Buntings. Red-rumped Swallows nest under the balconies of the local buildings, while overhead we can expect Eurasian and possibly Himalayan Griffons, Booted Eagle, Oriental and European Honey Buzzards, and Hobby. The songs of Nightingales and Blyth’s Reed Warblers are everywhere, and this can be a good place for migrants, with anything from Waxwing to Hawfinch possible. Later we’ll drop down to lower altitudes, pausing at a stream to look for Blue Whistling Thrush. We’ll return to Tashkent and spend our last evening in Uzbekistan at a traditional restaurant in the town. Night in Tashkent.
Days 8-10: Leaving Uzbekistan, we’ll fly straight to Astana, the bustling new capital of Kazakhstan in the heart of the vast Asian steppe. We’ll have two days to explore all that this rich habitat has to offer. Close to town there are rich wetlands alive with clouds of Black and White-winged Black Terns and displaying Marsh Sandpipers, while Great Bitterns creep around the reedbeds and monotone Booted Warblers and showy Bluethroats sing from the tops of the bushes. We’ll visit a lake that holds White-headed Duck and Slavonian, Black-necked, and Red-necked Grebes, along a good selection of migrant shorebirds.
Farther out, we enter the ancient steppe with its vast grasslands and fresh and saltwater lakes, where bird song fills the air and the sense of space is exhilarating. We’ll search the grasslands for Dalmatian Pelican, Pallid Harrier, Red-footed Falcon, Demoiselle Crane, Great Black-headed, “Baraba” and Slender-billed Gulls, and a range of shorebirds including breeding Black-winged Pratincoles, the rare Sociable Plover, hordes of migrant Red-necked Phalaropes, and handsome Ruffs in full breeding plumage. Passerines should include Citrine Wagtail and two splendid larks – White-winged and Black Larks– steppe birds par excellence. After a last full day in the steppe, we’ll fly back to Almaty on the evening of Day 10 and spend the night there.
Day 11: Leaving our hotel early, we’ll have a picnic breakfast in a pleasant valley in the foothills of the Tien Shan Mountains, where we can expect to share breakfast with Brown and White-bellied Dippers, Azure Tit, and with luck, Siberian Meadow Bunting. We’ll continue north into the wild heart of Kazakhstan, where we’ll spend two nights camping in the Taukum Desert, a vast area of undulating hills and wormwood-covered grasslands. On the way we’ll visit the Tamgaly petroglyphs, an ancient collection of bizarre rock carvings that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here, in addition to admiring the rock art, we’ll search the surrounding hills for Chukar, Eastern Rock Nuthatch, and Desert Finch before continuing to our camp. Night in desert camp.
Day 12: Our camp by an artesian well that acts as a magnet for local breeding birds and for numerous migrants. Among the constant stream of larks coming to drink, Calandra and Bimaculated are the most obvious, but Greater, Lesser, and Asian Short-toed Larks are also frequent visitors. Other birds we can expect include flocks of Black-bellied Sandgrouse and perhaps some of the scarce resident Greater Sand Plovers or handsome Caspian Plovers in full breeding plumage. This open desert is also home to MacQueen’s Bustard, and we stand a good chance of finding a pair close to camp.
Farther north is the delta of the Ili River, a strange area of sand dunes interspersed with marshy pools and stands of turanga trees, where some of the region’s very special birds—Yellow-eyed Stock Dove, White-winged Woodpecker, Azure and Turkestan Tits, and the beautiful Saxaul Sparrow—are all easy to see. Careful searching may reveal a roosting Striated Scops Owl. In the reedbeds there will be Little Bitterns, Paddyfield Warblers, and some interesting races of Penduline Tits to search for, while the lakes cna hold anything from massive Dalmation or even Great White Pelicans to dapper Ferruginous Ducks.
We’ll return to the camp and visit a small farm, where trees and small pools attract a dazzling array of migrants that can include anything from Oriental Turtle Dove or Barred and Blyth’s Reed Warblers to Black-throated Thush or perhaps a Little Crake or European Nightjar. Night in desert camp.
Day 13: After a final morning around our camp, we’ll head back to Almaty, following a different road from the one that brought us here. We’ll stop along the way at a small lake where we can marvel at a colony of thousands of Rose-colored Starlings. As we drive, Long-legged Buzzards will be a common roadside sight, and if the rains have been good, there will be vast expanses of poppies stretching to the horizon. We’ll reach Almaty in the late afternoon and check in to a comfortable hotel for the night.
Day 14: One of the great things about Almaty is the stunning backdrop of the snow-capped Tien Shan mountains. We’ll follow the line of those mountains to day to travel east towards China, with Rollers and Lesser Gray Shrikes lining the roadside wires as we go. We’ll start early and go straight to an area that is traditionally the best place to see that most elusive of Central Asian birds, Pallas’s Sandgrouse. We’ll wait by a small drinking pool in the hope of catching sight of this nomadic species; we’re bound to see their more common cousin, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, but Pallas’s cannot be relied on to appear, as numbers vary from year to year. This is good Saker country, and we’ll be on the lookout for that species as well as for Desert Wheatear, smart Desert Finches, Spanish Sparrow, and Pale Martin. We’ll eat our picnic lunch alongside a vast reedbed where Savi’s Warblers reel from the reed tops. Later we’ll check in to our lodge for two nights and after dinner search the grounds for the Scops Owl that should be calling constantly.
Day 15: The scenery in this part of Kazakhstan is truly inspiring, with endless desert plains backed by low hills, dramatic gorges, and distant snow-capped mountains. These open plains and hills are home to Demoiselle Crane, Lesser Kestrel, Crag Martin, Shore Lark, Desert Warbler, Rock Sparrow, and Mongolian and Asian Crimson-winged Finches and Gray-necked Bunting. Raptors could include the mighty Golden, Imperial, and Steppe Eagles. We’ll visit a small breeding colony of Himalayan Griffons and are sure to also see some Black Vultures with them; Lammergeier is always possible. Night at lodge.
Days 16-17: We’ll retrace our steps towards Almaty, once again following the line of the Zailiysky Alatau range of the Tien Shan Mountains. We’ll pass through the city and climb steadily through pristine spruce forests, pausing at a lake beautifully located in a deep valley, where we’ll scan the stony shoreline for the Ibisbills that regularly nest here. Our attention will be drawn to the tinkling song and striking plumage of numerous Red-fronted Serins, too.
Once we clear the tree line, we’ll find ourselves in a crystal clear landscape of dense juniper bushes, flower-strewn alpine meadows, and snow-capped peaks. We’ll be staying in the Almaty Astronomical Observatory, and after lunch we’ll spend the rest of the day exploring the habitats here. The junipers will be alive with the songs of Himalayan Rubythroats, Hume’s Leaf Warblers, Black-throated Accentors, Red-mantled and Common Rosefinches, and White-winged Grosbeaks. The beautifully marked Severtzov’s Tit-Warbler can also be found in this habitat along with the skulking Sulphur-bellied Warbler. If we have a clear night, the observatory staff will open up one of the large telescopes to allow us to view the moon and planets.
On our second day we’ll leave early to drive to a mountain pass where handsome Güldenstädt’s Redstarts nest and Red-billed and Alpine Choughs wheel overhead. We’ll also be looking for Altai and Brown Accentors in this mountain wilderness, along with Plain Mountain Finches and Water Pipits. We will already have heard the eerie calls of Himalayan Snowcock echoing around the lofty peaks, but at this altitude we should be able to look down on some calling males. Nights in the Observatory.
Day 18: Today we return to Almaty, taking all day to wander down through the dense spruce forest, where we should find Nutcracker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Songar Tit, and Eversmann’s and Blue-capped Redstarts, while the mountain streams are home to Blue Whistling Thrush and Brown and White-bellied Dippers. When we reach Almaty, we’ll check in to our hotel for the night, then end the tour with a meal at one of the city’s fine restaurants. Night in Almaty.
Day 19: We’ll take an early morning flight from Almaty back to London, arriving later the same day.
Updated: 14 June 2010
Prices
- 2012 Tour Price : $6,950*
- Single Occupancy Supplement : $340
Notes
This tour is limited to 14 participants with two leaders. Both leaders will accompany the tour regardless of group size.
We recommend starting the tour in London. Participants who prefer to meet the group in Uzbekistan should contact the WINGS office.
* Tour invoices paid by check carry a modest discount. Details here.
* This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird. Please review the explanation of our Sunbird pricing here.