Day 1: Participants should plan to arrive in Tashkent (see note **, below) no later than this evening or (if using Turkish Airlines, the preferred airline for this tour) in the early hours of Day 2. You will be met on arrival and transferred to our group hotel. Night in Tashkent.

Day 2: The group will convene for an early breakfast at our hotel in Tashkent, and afterward we’ll drive to a mountain area. As we start to climb we’ll make stops to look for such birds as Indian Golden Oriole, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Common Nightingale, Greenish and Eastern Olivaceous Warblers, Spotted Flycatchers and, with luck, the rare Rusty-tailed Flycatcher. We may catch sight of a mighty Lammergeier sailing overhead or a Blue Whistling Thrush darting along a stream. As we get higher the deciduous trees give way to juniper trees and this is where we’ll look for two special birds –  Rufous-naped Tit and Blyth’s Rosefinch. We should also see Yellow-breasted Tit along with White-capped and Rock Buntings. Night at a local hotel. 

Day 3: We’ll spend some time this morning birding in this area where new birds could include Cinereous and Eurasian Griffon Vultures, Booted Eagle, Oriental and European Honey Buzzards, and Hobby. Later we'll set out along the fabled Silk Road to the wonderful town of Samarkand. We should arrive in time to take in a few of the sights, such as the stunning Registan a beautiful assembly of turquoise-blue domes and towering minarets and one of the most famous sites in Central Asia.  Night in Samarkand.

Day 4: To the south of Samarkand 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, as do Hume's Lesser Whitethroats and Tawny Pipits while Hume’s Short-toed Larks feed among the rocky outcrops. Turkestan and Lesser Grey Shrikes and Eastern Rock Nuthatches also breed here, along with a few pairs of European Bee-eaters. Our location on a high pass means we could see some raptors, including the massive Himalayan Griffon Vulture or the smaller Booted Eagle. Other highlights could include Blue Rock Thrush or Pied Wheatear and we’ll also look for Finsch’s Wheatear which should be feeding fledged young by now. Those interested in plants or butterflies will find much to occupy them, as this sun-drenched spot is alive with insects and flowers.. Night in Samarkand.

Day 5: We’ll have time this morning to visit more sights of the historic city, including perhaps the most amazing of all, Shah-i-Zinda or the Street of Tombs, and the massive Bibi Khanum mosque with its attendant Alpine Swifts. We will make an early morning visit to the ancient walls of the city, built as far back as the 6th century BC when it was known as Afrosiab, where we may find Eurasian Eagle Owl at its daytime roost  Later we’ll set out once more along the Silk Road to the oasis town of Bukhara. Night in Bukhara.

Day 6: Today we’ll venture deep into the dry Kyzyl Kum Desert to search for the handsome Pander’s Ground Jay, one of the special birds of Central Asia. These striking grey, black, and white birds spend much of their time running over sand dunes dotted with saxaul bushes, occasionally flying up to perch in a prominent position. We can also expect to see the local desert race of Little Owl, Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, Steppe Grey Shrike, Isabelline Wheatear, and Streaked Scrub Warbler, while any small stand of trees can hold migrants, from flocks of Rose-colored Starlings and Eurasian Golden Orioles to Thrush Nightingale and Ortolan Bunting. Night in Bukhara.

Day 7: We’ll visit some of the wetlands that surround this old oasis town, exploring reedbeds that are home to Clamorous and Moustached Warblers as well as the Paddyfield Warbler, Bearded Tit, and the local “Thick-billed” race of Reed Bunting. Smart Citrine and Black-headed Wagtails and Bluethroats add splashes of color while White-tailed Plover in breeding plumage are common. Caspian Gulls can usually be found, and although Marbled Ducks occur here, they can be difficult to locate. We’ll also look out for flights of Glossy Ibis and Pygmy Cormorants. We’ll see more Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters and Pied Bushchats, and there is always the chance of a Purple Heron, or Collared Pratincole.

We’ll return to Bukhara to spend the remainder of the afternoon immersing ourselves in the splendor of the historic old town. We’ll visit the Ark, where Stoddart and Connolly met their famous demise in 1842; the Kalen Minaret, one of the few buildings left standing after the visit of Genghis Khan; the trading domes where Silk Road travelers would gather; and many other sights. There will be time to haggle over the price of a Bukharan rug, buy spices, or pause for a cold drink at Labi Hauz, the social heart of the old town, surrounded by magnificent buildings and mulberry trees that were planted in the 15th century. Night in Bukhara.

Day 8: Venturing out of the town once more, we’ll explore a mix of dry scrub, reed-fringed pools, and open desert steppe. We’ll be looking in particular for Sykes’s Warbler, Rufous Bush Robin, and the shy Ménétries’s Warbler. The roadside wires are a good place to see Oriental and European Turtle Doves and Long-tailed Shrikes, while any pool can hold flocks of Red-crested Pochards or migrant Red-necked Phalaropes. We’ll return to Bukhara and board the new high-speed train that will whisk us back to Tashkent. Night in Tashkent.

Day 9: Leaving Uzbekistan, we fly to Almaty in Kazakhstan. On arrival we’ll drive north into the wild heart of Kazakhstan to spend two nights camping in the Taukum Desert, a vast area of undulating sand dunes and wormwood-scented grasslands. On the way we’ll stop at a large lake, where we may witness the bustle of a huge Rose-colored Starling colony and look for White-headed Duck, as well as any unusual migrant waders such as Terek Sandpiper or Lesser Sandplover. Night in the desert camp, where each single or couple will have a good-sized tent.

Day 10: Our camp is located near an artesian well that acts as a magnet for local breeding birds as well as numerous migrants. There should be good numbers of larks coming to drink—Calandra are the most obvious, but Greater and Turkestan Short-toed are also frequent visitors and there is always the chance of Bimaculated Lark. Other birds we can expect include flocks of Black-bellied Sandgrouse and, if it’s a good year, a few Pallas’s Sandgrouse, as well as 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. These notoriously shy birds are hunted here and their numbers have declined, but we will spend some time scanning the distant horizon for a displaying male.

Farther north lies the delta of the Ili River, a strange area of sand dunes interspersed with marshy pools and stands of turanga trees, and home to some of the region’s special birds. Yellow-eyed Stock Dove, White-winged Woodpecker, Azure Tit, and the beautiful Saxaul Sparrow are all easy to see, and careful searching may reveal a roosting Striated Scops Owl. The reedbeds are home to Little Bittern, Paddyfield Warbler, and some interesting races of Penduline Tit, while the wetlands can hold anything from massive Dalmatian and Great White Pelicans to dapper Ferruginous Ducks. Later we’ll return to the camp and visit clumps of trees and small pools that can attract a dazzling array of migrants that can include anything from Oriental Turtle Doves and Barred and Blyth’s Reed Warblers to Black-throated Thrushes or perhaps a Little Crake or European Nightjar. Night in our desert camp.

Day 11: After a final morning around the camp we’ll return to Almaty. We’ll stop along the way at the same lake to see if there are any newly arrived migrant waders. 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 and check in to a comfortable hotel with plenty of time for ‘regrouping’ after our two nights under canvas. Night in Almaty.

Days 12–13: Today we’ll take a mountain road, and climb steadily through pristine spruce forests, into the Tien Shan mountains.  We’ll stop to look for Nutcracker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Songar Tit, and Eversmann’s and Blue-capped Redstarts, and, in the mountain streams, Blue Whistling Thrush and both Brown and White-bellied Dippers.

We’ll pause at a lake located in a deep valley and scan the stony shoreline for the Ibisbills that regularly nest here, although our attention will undoubtedly be drawn to the tinkling song and striking plumage of numerous Red-fronted Serins. Once we rise above the tree line, we’ll find ourselves in a crystal-clear landscape of dense juniper bushes, flower-strewn alpine meadows, and snowcapped peaks. The juniper will be alive with the song of Himalayan Rubythroats, Hume’s Leaf Warblers, Black-throated Accentors, Red-mantled and Common Rosefinches, and White-winged Grosbeaks. The beautifully marked White-browed Tit-Warbler can also be found in this habitat, along with the skulking Sulphur-bellied Warbler.

On one day we’ll drive higher to a mountain pass where the handsome Güldenstadt’s Redstart nests and both Red-billed and Alpine Choughs will be wheeling overhead. We’ll also be looking for the Altai and Brown Accentors that inhabit this mountain wilderness, along with Plain Mountain Finches and Water Pipits. We’ll have already heard the eerie calls of Himalayan Snowcock echoing around the lofty peaks, and at this altitude we should be able to look down on some calling males. Nights in a hotel on the outskirts of Almaty.

Day 14: The snow-capped Tien Shan Mountains continue to provide a stunning backdrop to our journey today as we head east towards the open plains and hills of the Upper Charyn region, watching the roadside wires for Rollers and Lesser Grey Shrikes as we go. 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. The open plains are home to Demoiselle Cranes, Lesser Kestrels, Horned Larks and Asian Desert Warblers, while the low hills and gorges host Rock Sparrow, Siberian Stonechat and Meadow Buntings, and any small spring could be visited by Mongolian and Asian Crimson-winged Finches and Grey-necked Buntings. Raptors could include the mighty Golden, Imperial and Steppe Eagles and on a high pass we hope to see Himalayan Griffon Vultures gliding overhead, along with Black Vultures and perhaps a Lammergeier. Night at a local lodge.

Day 15: If Pallas’s Sandgrouse has avoided us thus far we’ll scour the plains looking for this nomadic wanderer.  We are bound to see its more common cousin, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, but Pallas’s cannot be relied on to appear, as their numbers vary from year to year. This is good Saker country, and we’ll be on the lookout for one as well as for Desert Wheatear, smart Desert Finches, Spanish Sparrows, and Pale Martins. We’ll visit an enormous reedbed where Savi’s Warblers reel from the reed tops, competing with noisy Great Reed Warblers. Night at a local lodge.

Day 16: We’ll head back to Almaty and connect with a flight to Astana the bustling and vibrant capital of Kazakhstan. It’s located in the heart of the vast Asian steppe, the sea of grass that once stretched all the way to eastern Europe. Night in Astana.

Days 17–18: We’ll have two days to explore the rich steppe habitat and all that it has to offer. Close to the town we’ll visit a small river to look for singing Bluethroat, and Barred and monotone Booted Warblers. As we venture farther afield, the extensive grassland is peppered with wetlands alive with clouds of Black and White-winged Black Terns and displaying Marsh Sandpipers, while Great Bitterns creep around the reedbeds. We’ll visit a lake that holds Slavonian, Black-necked, and Red-necked Grebes and endangered White-headed Ducks as well as a good selection of passage waders, while a small orchard can be an amazing place for a variety of migrant passerines.

Farther out we’ll enter the ancient steppe with its immense grasslands and lakes of fresh and salt water. Birdsong will fill the air, and the sense of space will be exhilarating. We’ll search the grasslands for Dalmatian Pelican, Pallid Harrier, Red-footed Falcon, Demoiselle Crane, Great Black-headed, ‘Steppe,’ and Slender-billed Gulls, a range of waders 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—steppe birds par excellence. Nights in Astana.

Day 19: The tour concludes this morning with a transfer to the airport. 

2026 Narrative

We began our Central Asia adventure by gathering in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. Setting out early the next day we followed the ancient silk route westwards. Various crisscrossing roads took us through acres of crop fields and rice paddies. The many pylon nesting White Storks were a delight to see, as were numerous Glossy Ibis and our first Eurasian Rollers lining the roadside wires. We had plenty of time to explore Zammin National Park and we were well rewarded. Highlights included the rare Rusty-tailed Flycatcher, Rufous-naped Tit, Blyth’s Rose Finch, plenty of Asian Paradise Flycatchers, Oriental Turtle Dove, Greenish Warblers, Spotted Flycatchers, glowing Indian Golden Oriole, White-capped Bunting and some truly stunning views of an adult Lammergeier.  Moving on we reached the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand and had time to look around the awe-inspiring Registan – an amazing collection of gleaming blue domes, towering minarets and stunning ceramic tiles.

Birding around Samarkand is always enjoyable. We caught up with all the key birds which included White-throated Robin, Upcher’s Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Turkestan Shrikes, Eastern Rock Nuthatch, Finsch’s Wheatear, and Hume’s Short-toed Lark. The supporting cast comprised many Greenish Warblers, Red-headed Buntings everywhere, a mix of raptors including both Eurasian and Himalayan Griffon Vultures, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Common Nightingales, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Tawny Pipit, lots of Eurasian Rollers, and Pied and Northern Wheatears.  

The Silk Road beckoned and we set off for Bukhara. Here we caught up with more classic birds of Central Asia of which the stunning Pander’s Ground Jay was the star. But it needed to compete with colourful Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, smart White-tailed Lapwings, Menetries’s Warbler, pink Desert Finches, Sykes’s Warbler, Rufous Bush Robin, Collared Pratincoles, Streaked Scrub Warblers, and Asian Grey Shrike. There were also some interesting reptiles on show.

Migration was still in full swing and we found ourselves surrounded by Blyth’s Reed and Greenish Warblers almost everywhere we went. As ever there were a few surprises in the form of Arctic and Moustached Warblers, and Thrush Nightingales. Not far from Bukhara we were entertained by a party of Bearded Tits bouncing around the reeds, flights of Pygmy Cormorants, striking Citrine Wagtail, noisy Clamorous Reed Warblers and even noisier White-tailed Lapwings. 

The new bullet train took us from Bukhara back to Tashkent and from there it was a short flight to Almaty in Kazakhstan. Heading north and after a forced detour due to road works, we reached our camp in the Taukum Desert. Both Pallas’s Sandgrouse and Caspian Plover are highly sought after birds here. We were therefore delighted to find a group of 15 Pallas’s Sandgrouse right by our camp and later a male Caspian Plover, followed by a female on a nest with lots of Greater Sand Plovers nearby. Elsewhere the various habitats around the Illi River Delta gave us White-winged Woodpecker, Yellow-eyed Stock Dove, and Saxaul Sparrow. Back in the desert we had Calandra Larks, Greater Short-toed Larks and Turkestan Short-toed Larks coming to drink at the pool right by the camp. Being a virtually treeless landscape what trees and bushes there are inevitably attract migrants and among many we found Black-throated Thrush, Barred Warbler, Greenish Warblers, and a flock of Oriental Turtle Doves. 

Heading back to Almaty we had two days amongst the snow-capped Tien Shan. Ibisbill performed beautifully for us with some really close views and the prolonged encounter with a very showy male White-browed Tit Warbler was outstanding. We were blessed with excellent weather up there, perfect for enjoying the Guldenstadt’s and Eversmann’s Redstarts, Sulphur-bellied Warbler, Red-mantled Rosefinch, Red-fronted Serins, Three-toed Woodpecker, and White-winged Grosbeak among many others. 

Heading east we reached the vast open plains of the Upper Charyn region. Here a small waterhole was a hive of activity with Mongolian Finches, Grey-necked Buntings, Horned Larks and Rock Sparrows piling in to grab a quick drink. Both Black-bellied and Pallas’s Sandgrouse joined them. In the distant hills we had a colourful Meadow Bunting in full song and scurrying Chukars. Down on the plains a group of about 30 Hill Pigeons were unexpected and the usual hybrid Upland/Long-legged Buzzards were present, along with a fine Steppe Eagle.  Lesser Kestrels floated around an ancient cemetery and Savi’s and Great Reed Warblers sang from a large reedbed. 

Our final destination was the wide-open northern steppe. From the striking modern capital of Astana we travelled deep into the steppe where the feather grass danced in the wormwood scented breezes and there were birds literally everywhere. Highlights included a group of the rare Sociable Plovers, ghostly male Pallid Harriers, two Little Bustards, Black-winged Pratincoles, Red-footed Falcons, drifts of Black Larks and stunning White-winged Larks. There were some huge flocks of White-winged Black Terns and a few Black Terns while gulls included a colony of Great Black-headed Gulls and lots of the Steppe race of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Some Dalmatian Pelicans drifted overhead, and ducks included several male Garganey, Pochard, and Red-headed Pochard with some White-headed Ducks close to the town. There were loads of shorebirds to wade through all in smart breeding plumage. A gathering of around 100 Terek Sandpipers was amazing while others included lots of Ruff, the fine plumaged males lekking, Curlew Sandpipers, Wood and Marsh Sandpipers, masses of Red-necked Phalaropes, Dunlin, Temminck’s Stints, and Black-bellied Plovers to name a few. A group of the bright grey-headed race of Yellow Wagtails, on their way to breeding grounds far to the north, searched for insects amongst a herd of horses and plain Booted Warblers and sparkling Bluethroats showed well. There was a Long-eared Owl on a nest and migrants included hordes of Spotted Flycatchers, Red-backed Shrikes, and even a late Waxwing. It was hard to tear ourselves away from this parade of birds but our journey had come to an end and we returned to Astana to connect with our flights home, each hopefully taking with us some special memories of our time along the Silk Road.

-          Steve Rooke

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