We start our tour this morning with excursions around Astana. We are in search of waterfowl that use the lakes around the city as a stopover during their migration north. Our top target, however, will be a small passerine, the Pine Bunting, which will likely be accompanied by several Red-footed Falcons and numerous Pallid Harrier. In the evening we will check-in to our comfortable Astana hotel!

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Astana.

An early morning rise will see us depart at 0500 for the breathtaking drive to Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserve. This region is surprisingly little known, even within Kazakhstan, but the abundance of birdlife here has recently attracted a nomination for UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The vast wetland area, a combination of virgin steppe and lakes, is home to Wolves, Marmots and Saiga. However, it is the birds that are the real attraction. A crossroads of two migration routes, the wetlands here act as a giant motorway junction service station for birds (Lake Tengiz alone can feed 15 million birds during migration).

This area, most of which is protected as a ‘Zapovednik’ (national nature reserve), is home to the world’s most northerly population of Greater Flamingo. One of over 300 species of birds which represents 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 we have “staked-out” for you. There are many other excellent attractions in this vast landscape. We can find roadside colonies of Black-winged Pratincoles and White-winged Black Terns in glorious breeding plumage. The steppe lakes are dotted with migrant shorebirds such as Red-necked Phalaropes, Spotted Redshank, Terek Sandpiper, Little- and Temminck’s Stints. Ruff can be observed displaying in all their finery. These innumerable wetlands and lakes should also produce breeding Dalmatian Pelican, Great Bittern, White-headed Duck, Red-necked and Eared Grebes, Whooper Swan, Greylag Goose, Red-crested Pochard and Caspian Terns. More exclusive still are the close colonies of splendid Great Black-headed Gulls, with a supporting cast of Steppe and Slender-billed Gull!

The damp grassy steppe is home to elegant Demoiselle Cranes while nearby scattered scrub should hold Booted Warbler, Pallid Harrier, and gorgeous Red-footed Falcons. We should find two other very unique birds today – Black and White-winged Larks which are often numerous along the roadside. Both species are confined to the Central Asian steppes and a major drawcard for any visiting birder! In the evening we return to Nur-Sultan where we will enjoy a lovely dinner.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Astana.

We will drive to the Nur-Sultan Airport for our domestic flight to Ust-Kamenogorsk. If time permits we will enjoy a tour of this newly constructed city in the middle of the steppe! After arrival in Ust-Kamenogorsk, we will transfer to our hotel which is 20 km outside of town and located beside the Gorny Ulbinka river where birds like Common Kingfisher, Goosander and Black Stork breed.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Ust-Kamenogorsk.

Today we will explore from our hotel on foot. In the morning we will search the hillsides for birds like Siberian Meadow Bunting, Barred Warbler and perhaps a Booted Eagle. Here also we will find many butterflies, mainly blues and fritillaries. During a scouting trip in 2016 we came across the extraordinary migration of Great Veined Whites, with a constant stream of millions of butterflies passing by us! After a siesta during the warmest part of the day (the fanatics amongst us can continue around the hotel!), we’ll visit a patch of riverine forest for White-backed Woodpecker and Wryneck. The surrounding hills are covered with spruce and hold a good population of Nutcrackers and maybe a Black Grouse.

NIGHT | Comfortable tourist hotel, Ust-Kamenogorsk.

After some morning birding around the hotel, we will transfer to the region of Katon-Karagay. We will make several smaller stops along the way to stretch our legs during this day of driving. We expect to arrive in the late afternoon, allowing us some time for a preliminary exploration of this picturesque village. On the outskirts of town birds such as Pine Bunting, Common Redstart and Eastern Black Kite can prove quite common.

NIGHT | Hotel Katon, Katon Karagay.

Today we will venture above the treeline. In this high-altitude habitat, we are in search of goodies like Ptarmigan, Willow Grouse and Dotterel. Amongst the dwarf birch, we should find Bluethroat and possibly Siberian Rubythroat. Grey Marmots will be calling in the valley, and the rocky slopes are home to Altai Pikas. At the same time, a Lapland Fritillary may flutter past during its search for his host plant. Around Katon Karagay we can explore the nearby forest where Oriental Cuckoos will be calling, and the droppings of Brown Bear may reveal their presence. At these lower elevations, around Katon Karagay flowers and butterflies are abundant and sure to be a spectacle.

NIGHT | Hotel Katon, Katon Karagay.

This drive will take us to possibly the most beautiful mountain lake in Central Asia, the Rakhmanovskiy Lakes. The long and bumpy road will take us over a pass at an elevation of around 2000 m. During our ascent, we will stop and explore several forest types. We hope to find the greyish form of Eurasian Bullfinch, Pine Grosbeak and maybe a Dark-sided Flycatcher if we are lucky. The gorgeous Brown Shrike is likely to be seen perched in the top of a thorny bush while Golden Eagle may be observed hunting for small marmots. In the afternoon, we will arrive at our luxurious lodge high in the mountains.

NIGHT | Resort Rakhmanovskiy Lake.

We have two full days to explore this beautiful place situated high in the Altai Mountains. At the lake itself, we should secure close views of the interesting White-winged Scoter. Sometimes we are lucky enough to find a pair of Black-throated Divers joining the scoters. Siberian Rubythroats will be singing from their posts along the lake. Black-throated Thrushes, Siberian- and Willow Tits are finding food for their recently hatched chicks. Inside the scrub, we can find Greenish-, Hume’s- and Dusky Warblers, while open patches of forest hold Eversmann’s Redstarts, Siberian Nuthatches and Three-toed Woodpeckers. Pacific Swifts and large flocks of Red-billed Choughs rule the skies above. The substantial walk up the slopes through flower-filled alpine meadows will guarantee fantastic scenery. Here we are in the habitat of Plain- and Brandt’s Mountain Finches, Güldenstädt’s Redstart, Asian Rosy Finch and Altai Accentor. In 2013 we found a breeding pair of Pallas’s Bunting here. We will end each day with a lovely dinner on the terrace overlooking the lake.

NIGHT | Resort Rakhmanovskiy Lake.

Today we leave the gorgeous lake behind us for a full day of driving which will bring us back to Ust-Kamenogorsk. We will aim to arrive back at our hotel in the early evening.

NIGHT | Hotel Gagarin, Ust-Kamenogorsk.

Today we will pass through glowing agricultural fields as we drive northwards to the Russian border (a 2.5-hour drive) where we will be lodging in a cabin in the forest. We will start with a visit to the wet fields around the city of Ridder, where Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler and Long-tailed Rosefinch are our main objectives. In the hedges, Red-backed Shrikes are common while Azure Tits forage nearby. Here we hope to add some more aquatic species like the White-crowned Penduline Tit and, less likely, Blyth’s Reed Warbler. In the early evening, we will arrive at our lodge.

NIGHT | Lodge Ridder.

Over the coming two days, we will explore the forests near the West-Altai Nature Reserve. This reserve is the largest in Kazakhstan, at 56,000 hectares, and gives us countless options for wildlife viewings. Starting around our lodge, we have a reasonable chance of finding Ural Owl, Taiga Flycatcher and Olive-backed Pipit. Sometimes even Siberian Jay may appear on one of the feeders! In these dark coniferous forests we are sure to hear the call of the White’s Thrush and if lucky, maybe come eye-to-eye with one of these subtle beauties. Commoner birds here include Red-flanked Bluetail, Black-throated Thrush and Hawfinch. The botanists amongst us will enjoy the thousands of species of plants surrounding us –  Siberian Adder’s Tongue and Pink Rhodiola being the most interesting. The threatened Altai Weasel has a stronghold in this splendid reserve, and we have a chance of seeing Siberian Chipmunks and Common Shrew.

NIGHT | Lodge Ridder.

We will have one last walk before checking out and driving back to Ust-Kamenogorsk. We will board our domestic flight at 2000, which will take us back to the capital.

NIGHT: Comfortable tourist hotel, 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.