Register by Mail

KAZAKHSTAN Beauty & the Birds

Partially in Eastern Europe, most of Kazakhstan’s land-mass lies in Central Asia. The great diversity of various types of habitat ranging from huge canyons to endless steppe and fresh Spruce forests. An unforgettable experience, we will explore the magnificent Charyn Canyon, the awe inspiring, vast landscape of Taukum Desert and the amazing snowcapped mountains of the Tien Shan with peaks rising above 15000 ft.

Visits to varying habitats with top local guides may offer many incredible species like:  Demoiselle Crane, Macqueens Bustard, Bearded Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Himalayan Snowcock, Ibisbill, Pallas’s Sandgrouse, the endangered Eversmann’s Dove, Striated Scops Owl, White-winged Woodpecker, Blue-capped Redstart, Desert Warbler, Turkistan Tit, Mongolian Crimson-winged Finch and the stunning White-tailed Rubythroat.

Day 1
Arrival at Almaty Airport. Birding all day in Ili Ala-Tau Park, The Park is a known spot for Siberian Meadow Bunting. Also we will get in touch with the more common species of Kazakhstan such as Grey-headed Goldfinch, Common Myna and Russian Magpie. Around our hotel we can do some good birding as well, Blue Whistling Trush and both Dippers (Brown and White-throated) occur. Last year even Black Grouses and White’s Thrushes where seen. We don’t lodge in the city as this consumes a lot of time when we transport for other destinations. Secondly the birding activity is low in this large metropolis. We therefore stay in a hotel in the mountains located 30 minutes from the airport with fresh air and no smog from the city. Overnight in hotel Tau- Samal.

Day 2
Transport to Charyn region 250km east of Almaty. Birding en-route, Richard’s Pipit and White- crowned Penduline Tit, with visits to the Kokpek pass for White-capped Bunting and possible also here are Hume’s Whitethroat’s and ‘vitata’ Pied Wheatears. On the Sogety valley 1 or 2 artisans will be visited for incoming drinking Desert Finches including Asian Crimson-winged. Overnight in Hunting Lodges where Azure Tits breed in nest boxes.

Day 3
Birding on the Sogety Plains (Pallas’s Sandgrouses! and Asian Desert Warbler), Charyn Canyon and birding all day in the direction towards the border with Kyrgyzstan, Saker Falcon and Upland Buzzard. In the evening possible to visit a well once more for drinking Mongolian Finches and Asian Crimson-winged Finches. Overnight in Hunting Lodges.

Day 4
Transport back to Almaty, visiting the Sogety Plains again for Pallas’s Sandgrouse. Birding en-route and before arriving around 19h00 in the hotel we visit a local spot of Machiel for Long-tailed Shrike. Overnight in hotel Tau-Samal near Almaty.

Day 5
Transport to Taukum by way of Sorbulak Lake. The lake is mostly good for Dalmatian Pelicans and Terek Sandpipers. When lucky over 50.000 Rose-coloured Starlings breed on the dam. The breeding is depending on the availability of crickets in the desert to feed on. Lunch at the wish-tree near Konshengel where loads of warbler species come together, possible to see over 20 species of birds in one tree. Overnight in luxurious Yurt camp.

Day 6
Birding all day in the Taukum desert. In the morning we go after Macqueens Bustard and Caspian Plovers, which sometimes are even spotted from the camp. The same counts for wolfs – when scanning the desert early morning from the top of Machiel’s 4WD there is good chance to spot several. After we move to the artesian wells for incoming drinking Sandgrouses, mostly large amounts of Black-bellied SG but also Asian Pin- tailed and Pallas’s occur. After breakfast we depart for the Topar Lakes (Black-headed Penduline Tit!) and Zheltorangly (forests of Populus diversifolia, good habitat for White-winged Woodpecker, Yellow-eyed Dove, Striated Scops Owl, Turkestan Tits and Saxaul Sparrows). Overnight in luxurious Yurt camp.

Day 7
Transfer back to Almaty by way of Tamgaly Tas. Tamgaly is next to an UNESCO site for petroglyph also a known breeding site for Persian Rock Nuthatch. We enjoy a field lunch at this historical site. After we move back to Almaty. Overnight in hotel Tau-Samal near Almaty.

Day 8
ransport to Big Almaty Lake, birding en-route. Overnight in Astronomical Observatory. First stops will be made, during the drive up, for Brown Dipper, Blue Whistling Thrush, Red-fronted Serin and Songar Tit. Check in to the Observatory followed by birding in the juniper scrub for Red-mantled Rosefinch, Black-throated Accentor, White-winged Grosbeak, Eversmann’s Redstart and White-browed Tit Warbler.

Day 9
What we start the day with depends on weather. With good weather we move further up in altitude to the Cosmic Ray Station (CRS) for delightful species as Güldenstädt’s Redstart and Altai plus Brown Accentor. Big Almaty Lake will be visited for Ibisbill; the walk back along the ridge is mostly good for Blue-capped Redstart and ‘lymani’ Merlin. Overnight in Astronomical Observatory.

Day 10
Transport back to Almaty after lunch. In the morning going after missed species, again the group decides what to do!
18-5 20h00 1 overnight in hotel Tau-Samal near Almaty until 19-5 6h00

Day 11
Flight to Astana + Transport to Tengiz-Korgalzhyn NR. Coming across the first Black Larks and Sociable Lapwings. Overnight in Nadia’s guesthouse in Korgalzhyn – a breeding colony of Sociable Lapwings is around 300 meter from the guesthouse.

Day 12
Full day birding at Tengiz-Korgalzhyn for White-winged Lark and White-headed Ducks. Also wader migration will be on full throttle giving extreme amounts of for example Red-necked Phalaropes. Overnight in Nadia’s guesthouse in Korgalzhyn

Day 13
Transport back to Astana after breakfast. Near Astana we will visit a small forest where Pine Buntings are regularly found. In Astana we shall have our final dinner in a restaurant and depart for the airport for our flight back to Europe from Astana Airport.

Day 14
Flight back to the US from Astana Airport.