After an early morning departure, we will make our way to the splendid Ala-Archa National Park, located only 40 km south of Bishkek. Upon arrival we will begin an informative field workshop in macro photography. The verdant valley of Ala-Archa abounds in meadows, and brooks harbouring a great diversity of butterflies, dragonflies, and other insects. This diversity and abundance will allow for great opportunities to experiment with macro photography. Our workshop the previous evening is the perfect preface to aspects of depth of field, perspectives and equipment that we will be focusing on today. In this spectacular park, large coniferous trees provide suitable habitat for Greenish Warbler, Hume’s Warbler, Rufous-naped Tit and Azure Tits. Along the wild running river, we will search for the most beautiful songster of the region, the Blue Whistling Thrush! Some of the notable butterflies here include Mountain, Banded, and Clouded Apollo – three of the seven species of apollo we can encounter in the park. In the evening, we return to our comfortable tourist hotel and discuss our results while enjoying a cold drink and a lovely dinner.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Bishkek

We start our venture with a long drive eastwards to the largest city in eastern Kyrgyzstan, located close to the border with China. We will arrive in this former Russian military outpost, now called Karakol, in the early evening. During the drive  we will have our first looks over the Issyk Kol Lake. Issyk Kol is the second largest saline lake in the world and is set against a backdrop of beautiful snowcapped mountains. The lake never freezes, hence its name ‘hot lake’ in the Kyrgyz language. Before reaching the Issyk Kol, we will stop amongst a range of fascinating dry mountains. This is a perfect opportunity for some landscape photography as the mountains contrast dramatically with the lush corridor of vegetation along a fast-flowing river nearby. Also en route, in Balykchy, we will encounter local salespeople selling dried fish, typically showcased on rustic wooden racks. Our accommodation in Karakol is a fantastic guesthouse which will be our home for three nights.

NIGHT | Matsunoki Guesthouse, Karakol.

Today we ascend to great heights with an excursion to the Chon Ashuu Pass – the highest pass we visit during this tour of Kyrgyzstan. At a dizzying 3822 metres, we will leave the tree line behind us and search for a unique set of flora and fauna. On the drive up we pass through meadows full of Veratrum lobelianum, blue Polemonium caucasicum, purple-blue Campanula glomerata, and wine-red Aquilegia atrovinosa. A nearby whitewater river holds both White-bellied and Brown Dipper. Overhead, Lammergeyers may be observed patrolling, while the lush meadows below are home to one of the strangest waders in the world; the elusive Ibisbill. As we ascend further, Papaver croceum and Geranium collinum become increasingly abundant. Eversmann ́s Redstart together with Himalayan- and Brown Accentor are quite common up here while the gorgeous White-browed Tit Warbler may need some more time to find, as is the case with his colourful friend the Güldenstädt’s Redstart! Along with the spectacular wildlife, the landscape here is for sure the star of the day! In the evening we will return to our lovely guesthouse in Karakol, where another flavorful dinner awaits.

NIGHT | Matsunoki Guesthouse, Karakol.

We start our day with a short drive towards the site of Yeti Oguz. The name is derived from the rock formation’s resemblance to seven bulls, and a legend about a khan’s (a Central Asian Lord) unfaithful wife! This unique geological formation of sheer cliffs is composed of tertiary red conglomerates. The rock formation is a well-known landmark in Kyrgyzstan and is a national symbol. On the nearby meadows, we find stands of Dictamnus albus, Codonopsis clematidea as well as Leontipodium fedtschenkoana and Polygala hybrid. Further into the park, we will observe Central Asian Marbled Whites fluttering by, and Blue-capped Redstarts actively foraging, along with Greenish Warblers. We will drag ourselves away, before a final night in our comfortable guesthouse.

NIGHT | Matsunoki guesthouse, Karakol.

We will have a final short exploration of Karakol before farewelling our hosts and moving on to another gorgeous Central Asian lake – Son Kol. On our way to Son Kol, we will visit the exceptional Fairy Tale Canyon which is comprised of convoluted multi-coloured clay hills and inclined strata. The birdlife here is abundant with ‘phoenicuroides’ Black Redstart, Mongolian Desert Finch and Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush just some of the species we might come across. The country around Son Kol is heaven on earth, but the drive up to this high grassland plateau (at an altitude of 3016 m), is perhaps just as special! The alpine grasslands are home to Steppe Horned Larks and the more common Eurasian Skylark. Some of the rocky formations here hold good numbers of cute White-winged Snowfinch, while both Yellow-billed and Red-billed Choughs patrol overhead. In the late afternoon we arrive at the lake where we overnight in a traditional yurt. These felt made tents have been the portable dwellings of Central Asian nomads since Genghis Khan’s armies roamed the steppes.

NIGHT | Son Kol Yurt Camp.

We wake up today surrounded by birds and gorgeous flowering plants in one of the most intriguing landscapes of Central Asia, or Asia for that matter. Here, large numbers of ‘calcarata‘ Citrine Wagtails (a black-backed form of this stunning looking bird) forage between grazing yaks. Today we have planned a day-long workshop with landscape photography the topic. As with the earlier macro seminar, we start the evening before with a presentation on the subject – informative for beginners and professionals alike. We will place ourselves at a stunning vista with beautiful scenery just before sunrise. Your guide is there to assist everyone with their camera settings, the use of gradient filters, and different approaches to produce that desired shot! After this early morning exercise, we will get some breakfast and return to the fields to shoot more pictures of the stunning scenery. The surroundings give us so many opportunities to improve our skills and go home with a set of brilliant images of Kyrgyzstan.

NIGHT | Son Kol Yurt Camp.

Today is primarily a transfer day back to the capital Bishkek, re-tracing our steps from Son Kol. During the drive we will familiarize ourselves once more with the common lowland species such as Rose-coloured Starling, European Roller and Lesser Grey Shrike. We will arrive in Bishkek in time for a refreshing dip in the pool after the drive. We prepare for our flight to Uzbekistan the following day.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Bishkek.

Depending on the available flight schedule, we depart from Bishkek Manas Airport for the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent. In the afternoon, we can explore the city with a local guide followed by a traditional shashlik dinner in one of the many excellent restaurants of this social city.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Tashkent.

After a hearty breakfast, we will head for Samarkand. En route we will hopefully come across the localised Variable Wheatear at a stake out, with the bonus addition of a nesting colony of White Storks. We should arrive in Samarkand with time for some preliminary exploration of this fabulous city.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Samarkand.

Today many wonders are in store for us, with a day based in and around the ancient city of Samarkand. We will commence with an early morning drive out of town to the rocky, bush-covered hills of the Takhtakaracha Pass. Lying between Samarkand and Zarafshan, the conqueror Tamerlane roamed here in centuries past. High on the wanted list will be White-throated Robin along with Eastern Orphean Warbler and the obscure Hume’s Lark. Also found here are Eastern Rock Nuthatch, Turkestan and Yellow-breasted Tits, Asian Paradise-Flycatcher and White-capped Bunting. Back in time for lunch, we will wander from our hotel into the quiet and confined ancient section of the city to explore its historical treasures. The massive Bibi Khanum Mosque (once the largest in Central Asia), The Registan, Timur’s Mausoleum, the Street of Tombs and the local bazaar present a stunning and memorable “visual overload” of elaborate and exquisitely tiled, painted and carved buildings.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Samarkand.

We can opt for an early start to nearby wetlands on the outskirts of Samarkand for such specialties as White-crowned Penduline Tit, or spend more time immersing ourselves in the historical delights of Samarkand. Later in the morning, we continue our journey along the Silk Road to Bukhara (also known locally as Buxora). Formerly one of the most important trading cities anywhere in Central Asia, Bukhara boasts a vibrant and colourful history with an overwhelming number of historical sites of interest. The turquoise-blue domes and towering minarets of Bukhara provide a magnificent backdrop to our stay here. At the same time, the bustling markets and covered bazaars are a great place to barter for a vast range of inexpensive souvenirs such as jewellery, spices and the famous Bukhara rugs. We have allocated plenty of time to explore this beautiful city.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Bukhara.

“So much to do – so little time”! We will have an early start to spend much of the morning exploring close-by wetlands which surround the oasis city of Bukhara. These oases can be extremely attractive to a wealth of water and marsh-loving species and we expect to see plenty of Pygmy Cormorants, Dalmatian Pelicans and Glossy Ibis. An abundance of herons and egrets, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater plus perhaps scarcer finds such as Marbled Duck, while elegant White-tailed Lapwings are easily found. The extensive reed beds, marshy and dry scrub cover is home to many additional smaller species of interest: Menetries’s Warbler, Clamorous and Eurasian Reed Warblers, Rufous-tailed Bush-Robin, Pied Bushchat and Long-tailed Shrike (the latter two at the western limits of their Asiatic range). Returning to the city by late morning, we will be able to spend more time exploring the historical delights of Bukhara. The Ark (the fortified citadel of the Emir within the immense city walls), the Bolo-Hauz Mosque, the 10^th century Ismail Samani Mausoleum and the Char Minar with its four elaborately tiled minarets.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Bukhara.

Today’s birding will be perhaps one of the most memorable. A very early start is necessary to reach the Kizil-kum desert, where we aim to arrive just after dawn. This extraordinary region is home to one of the most sought-after of all the birds that occur in Central Asia – the legendary Turkestan (Pander’s) Ground Jay. They are best located in the cool of the early morning when they are regularly found along the roadside. We will return to Bukhara for lunch, followed by further opportunities to take in some last sights including the historic town centre, with its surrounding old madrassahs, the Kalyan Minaretm – a 50 metre tall tower built in the 12^th century, and also the Miri-Arab Madrasa and Trade Domes. In the evening we will board a bullet-train from Bukhara arriving back in Tashkent in time for dinner.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Tashkent.

We plan to spend our final day in the Chimgan Hills. These lush green hills will provide a perfect ending to our fantastic trip to Central Asia. Even on our last day we still will be able to show you some gorgeous little gems. Yellow-breasted, Azure and Rufous-naped Tit are the main attractions for this region, and we will do our best to show you these delightful birds. Overhead we may see both European and Oriental Honey-buzzards. After a lovely final day, we return to Tashkent for a grand final dinner.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Tashkent.

A transfer will be provided very early this morning to Tashkent International Airport (airport code TAS), in time for the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul, currently scheduled to depart at 4:20 a.m.