Our journey starts in Almaty, the greenest city in Central Asia. We begin in Kaskelen Ili-Ala-Tau National Park, we find and admire the commoner species of Kazakhstan, such as Grey-crowned Goldfinch, White-crowned Penduline Tit, and Azure Tit. We also search gems like Siberian Meadow Bunting, Blue Whistling Thrush, and Blue-capped Redstart.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel in Almaty.

This morning we head out of our hotel, we travel 125 miles (200 km) east to one of the more spectacular and well-known sites in Kazakhstan – the red, yellow and black canyons of the Charyn River Gorge. Amidst this lovely scenery, we should encounter beautiful species such as Chukar; Rufous-tailed and Blue Rock Thrushes; Hume’s Whitethroat; Chestnut-breasted-, Grey-necked-, Rock- and Red-headed Buntings. Raptors might include Egyptian, Himalayan Griffon, and Cinereous Vultures; Long-legged Buzzard; Golden Eagle; Saker Falcon and Lesser Kestrel. We may come across roadside colonies of the bizarre, pink-and-black, nomadic Rosy Starlings.  In the evening, we visit a small artesian where leaking pipes created small puddles. We wait for incoming Desert Finches; many Mongolian Finches should be seen. Hopefully, also several much larger Asian Crimson-winged Finches should pass by for a drink. After this spectacle, we drive to our basic guesthouse, which is located in an oasis of the Charyn River.

NIGHT | Hunting Lodges.

We start the day with an early walk on the Sogety Valley, where we are in search of one of the most sought-after species in Central Asia; the Pallas’s Sandgrouse! Here we also might come across: Steppe Eagle; Sykes’s Warbler, Asian Desert Warbler; Horned Lark and Central Asian Lesser Whitethroat. During the walk on the Sogety plains, we might flush a Persian Gazelle! After a successful morning excursion, we set sails for the superb and astounding landscapes of the Charyn Canyon.  We expect close views of Lesser Kestrel, Pied Wheatear, and Desert Wheatear. The afternoon we spend exploring the Kokpek pass a little more thoroughly than the day before. At the same time, we make sure to be at sundown again at the artesian to witness the many drinking Mongolian Finches. Hopefully, the Asian Crimson-winged Finch will also appear. Around the artesian, we enjoy calling Grey-necked Buntings from the sandy slopes. At the same time, a Long-legged Buzzard is busy feedings its chicks in the nearby canyon.

NIGHT | Hunting Lodges

The day starts with a walk on the Sogety plains to secure that everybody has seen the Pallas’s Sandgrouse. This elegant bird is unfortunately always tricky to find because of its skulky behaviour and rare existence in this part of Central Asia. In the Kokpek pass, we might come across ten thousand of Black-veined Whites. These gorgeous butterflies fly in large numbers during May. Our journey continues in the southern direction towards the Kyrgyz border, where a lunch stop might render cute Rock Petronias. When we move to a higher evaluation, the ground becomes more suitable for growing crops.  In these agricultural lands, we have a chance to come across some exciting birds such as Upland Buzzard and Saker Falcon. Large groups of gentle Demoiselle Cranes are seen regularly. We arrive in the early evening at our lovely guesthouse, where a fantastic dinner awaits us.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel Karakol.

Today we drive up to great heights with an excursion to Chon Ashuu Pass, the highest pass on the tour at a dazzling 3,822 meters (12,539 feet). We will venture way past the tree line and look for a rather special set of avifauna. The nearby wild streaming river holds both White-bellied and Brown dipper. Lammergeyers patrol the sky. The lush meadows are home to one of the strangest waders of the world— the elusive Ibisbill. Eversmann’s Redstart together with Himalayan and Brown accentors are quite common up here. The gorgeous White-browed Tit-Warbler needs some more time to be found as well as his colorful friend, the Güldenstädt’s Redstart. In the open patches of mature, mixed deciduous/coniferous forest, Greenish and Hume’s warblers are quite common. In the evening we return to our lovely guesthouse in Karakol to enjoy another flavorful dinner.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel Karakol

We have a full day in this glorious high-altitude landscape to find a wonderful array of alpine specialists. Black-throated, Altai and Brown accentors, Sulphur-bellied Warbler, Red-mantled Rosefinch, White-tailed Rubythroat, White-winged Grosbeak and the incomparable White-browed (Severtzov’s) Tit-warbler await us! Higher up in the mountains near a gold mine at an altitude of 10,500 feet, we will look for Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Red-billed and Yellow-billed choughs, Plain Mountain-Finches, White-winged (Güldenstädt’s) Redstart and the star attraction: Himalayan Snowcock, which we have a good chance to see.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel in Karakol

Birding en-route, we retrace our steps back to Almaty. This is a full transfer day, which we will mostly spend admiring the landscape from the bus. A stop in one of the small villages along the road might render Red-rumped Swallows, Indian Golden Oriole, Lesser Gray Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, Greenish Warbler, and lovely Laughing Doves. Late afternoon we’ll arrive at our excellent hotel in Almaty, where a refreshing shower awaits.

NIGHT | Comfortable hotel in Almaty

To Taukum Desert. We set sail for a Taukum Desert adventure, passing through fields of poppies and other wildflowers, all with the spectacular backdrop of the icy Tien Shan Mountains. We will take an al fresco lunch in the field before continuing on to our yurt camp in the Taukum Desert: a comfortable tented camp of nomadic dwellings used by the local inhabitants of this beautiful country. All things being equal, we should arrive in time for afternoon tea and an opportunity to view Black-bellied and possibly Pin-tailed sandgrouse coming to drink at an artesian waterhole.

NIGHT | Comfortable yurt camp, Taukum Desert

Today is a wonderful day in which we will encounter a wide variety of habitats and some fine birds and other wildlife. Awakening in the midst of this remote desert, we will likely be watching the amazing display of McQueen’s Bustards close to our camp; Caspian Plovers are breeding nearby; and wolves are spotted together with Persian Gazelles—all before breakfast! Then we will set forth along narrow back-roads through a variety of steppe/desert habitats to an area of unique Turanga woodland. Here, with a bit of luck, we should encounter such specialties as Turkestan Tit, Saxaul Sparrow, White-winged Woodpecker, Pale-backed Pigeon (Eversmann’s or Yellow-eyed Dove) and if we are especially lucky, Pallid Scops-Owl. Along the way we will undoubtedly encounter a myriad of Greater Short-toed, Lesser Short-toed and Calandra opener for cominglarks; and Isabelline Wheatears and Isabelline (Rufous-tailed) Shrikes, amongst which we must diligently search for Steppe Gray Shrike. Other possible species along our way include Pied and Desert wheatears, Rock Petronia, Spanish Sparrow, gorgeous little Azure Tits and Black-headed Penduline-Tit.

NIGHT | Comfortable yurt camp, Taukum Desert

Early this morning we will drive for about 15-20 miles into the desert looking for beautifully marked Caspian Plover and Greater Sand Plover that should look exceptionally smart in breeding plumage. After breakfast we will break camp and head back towards Almaty. We will make several stops along the way, including at a fascinating area of ancient petroglyphs; a scrubby, rocky area for the perky Eastern Rock Nuthatch and a breeding colony of exotic Red-headed Buntings. With a bit of luck, we may find something exceptional such as Little Bustard, which we encountered on past tours! Nearby fringing scrub acts as a magnet for migrant and nesting birds such as Eurasian Hoopoe, European Roller, European Bee-eater, Shikra, Lesser Gray Shrike, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Sykes’s Warbler, Oriental Turtle-Dove and Desert Finch. Along the way we’ll make a first stop at fantastic Sorbulak Lake. Here the photographers amongst us might enjoy a colony with European Rollers and European Bee-eaters. On the lake itself, gorgeous Dalmatian Pelicans; rare Ferruginous Ducks; Great Crested, Black-necked and the amazing Slavonian grebe might be seen. On the mud flats, waders in the form of Little and Temminck’s stint are quite common; Terek Sandpipers are seen yearly as well in good numbers. We will arrive in the early evening to refresh and enjoy a drink in the hotel bar.

NIGHT | Comfort tourist hotel in Almaty

A morning flight will bring us to the capital of Kazakhstan (formerly Astana), where amidst the steppes a futuristic new city rose from the ground. The surrounding area is one of seemingly endless steppe and marshland interspersed with immense reed beds and marshes resplendent with large numbers of waterbirds and our first Paddyfield, Cetti’s, Moustached, Grasshopper and Savi’s warblers; Bluethroat; Citrine Wagtail; and a variety of colorful races of Western Yellow Wagtail. The main target for the day is the elusive Pine Bunting, which has its most southern breeding grounds around Nur-Sultan; we have an excellent chance of coming across this gorgeous bunting.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel in Astana

We will depart early this morning for the best birding sites in the Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserve. Despite being three hours from Astana and possessing a collection of birdlife that has recently attracted a nomination for UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the Korgalzhyn area remains surprisingly unknown, even within Kazakhstan. The vast wetland area, a combination of virgin steppe and lakes, is home to wolves, marmots and saiga antelope. However, it is the birds that are the real attraction. Located at the crossroads of two migration routes, the wetlands act as a giant motorway junction service station for birds (Lake Tengiz alone has the capacity to feed 15 million birds). The area, most of which is protected as a ‘Zapovednik’ (national nature reserve), is home to the world’s northernmost population of Greater Flamingo—one of over 300 species of birds, which includes one of the largest wildfowl populations in Asia. Other notable residents include pelicans, cranes and a variety of birds of prey. Our main targets here are nesting groups of the globally endangered Sociable Lapwing, which our local guide should have “staked-out” for us. There are many other fine attractions in this vast landscape. Roadside colonies of Black-winged Pratincoles and White-winged Black Terns in glorious breeding plumage should be dotted with migrant shorebirds such as Red-necked Phalaropes, Spotted Redshank, Terek Sandpiper, Ruffs displaying in all their finery, and Little and Temminck’s stints. These enumerable wetlands and lakes should also produce breeding Dalmatian Pelican, Great Bittern, White-headed Duck, Red-necked and Eared grebes, Whooper Swan, Graylag Goose, Red-crested Pochard and Caspian Terns.

More special still are often close colonies of splendid Great Black-headed Gulls, with a supporting cast of Steppe and Slender-billed gulls!

The damp, grassy steppe contains elegant Demoiselle Cranes while scattered scrub bush should hold Booted Warbler, Pallid Harrier and gorgeous little Red-footed Falcons. Two other very special birds we should find today are Black and White-winged larks—often numerous along the roadside, both species are confined to the Central Asian steppes

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel in Astana

On our last day in the city, we will enjoy the morning birding just outside of the city to search for that one good picture of the dancing Pallid Harrier or an extra race of Yellow Wagtail. In the afternoon we’ll enjoy an extensive city tour followed by a grand final dinner in the best local restaurant in the city! The tour ends with the final list in our comfortable Hotel.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel in Astana

A transfer will be provided very early this morning to Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (airport code NQZ), in time for the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul, currently scheduled to depart at 3:20 a.m.