The Wild Tulips of Kazakhstan

The Otrar Hotel provides a little luxury at the start of our holiday, but after breakfast we must leave it behind.

Today we have a long journey ahead of us as we have 360 km to Merke with some botanical stops en route. Our journey will also take in a brief visit to the UNESCO World Heritage rock carvings at Tamgaly Tas, which is also a regular site for Tulipa regeli although this early flowerer is unlikely to be in bloom.

A picnic lunch will be taken at the Kurdai Pass. Here we should find the endangered Berberis relative, Leontice eversmannii with its showy yellow flowers and distinctive divided glaucous foliage. This site is a tulipophile’s delight as we should encounter T.kolpokowkiana, T.ostrowskiana and their hybrids, providing a tapestry of yellow, orange and red flowers. We may also find the unusual leaves of T.regelii which flowers very early, as well a couple of Iris species.

En route we may observe large numbers of Demoiselle Cranes on their northward migration and we will stop to look at these if they are feeding in the fields.

We must now continue our journey to Merke where we will spend the first of two nights in the sanatorium, which is comfortable but extremely basic.

We will now drive on to Aksu Dzabagly Nature Reserve, the oldest in Central Asia having been established in 1927. During today's journey we will make two major stops in order to explore both the Kuyuk Pass and the Syrdarynski Karatau range, where Greig's Tulip, the largest and most spectacular of the world's wild tulips, will be in bloom. In the riverine forests that we will also pass on our drive we will find such relict species as Fraxinus potamophila, numerous Eremurus lactiflorus and the very beautiful Allium karataviense.

A simple, but recently re-furbished guesthouse will be our base during our 6-night stay at Aksu Dzabagly. From it we shall explore the Boroldai Gorge, well-known for its unrivalled density of Grieg's Tulips, with 20 - 40 flowering individuals in a square metre! We will also be able to explore the distinctive Central Asian open forest that consists of Pistacia vera and Crataegus pontica, as well as Pyrus regelii, Vitis vinifera, Crataegus turkestanicus, Malus sieversii, Sorbus persica, Prunus sogdiana, and Padus mahaleb. We will hope, too, to find one of the rarest plants of the western Tien Shan mountains, the endemic Thesium minkwitzianum (Santalacea).
At the Gorges of Aksu we will look for numerous ephemeroids, most of which are endemic. They include Fritillaria sewerzowi, F. stenantherum, Scilla pushkinioides, over ten species of flowering Gagea, Crocus alatavicus, Iridodictyum kolpakowskianum and Ixilirion tataricum. We will also encounter over ten species of flowering Astragalus, several species of beautiful buttercups and three attractive species of Corydalis.

We drive today to Shimkent, botanising a little en route, from where we shall catch the overnight sleeper train to Almaty.

We will spend a full morning exploring the fabulous mountain habitats that surround the Observatory. On the mountain slopes all around the Observatory lie colourful alpine pastures, stately forests of Tien Shan Spruce, and areas of boulders and Turkestanic Juniper cover beloved of accentors, warblers and finches. Above tower craggy peaks and snowbound summits from which Himalayan Snowcocks loudly pronounce their domain, and where wary Ibex wander. Below lies Bolshoy Almaty Lake, not a lake at all but a reservoir that sits above a dam, whose shingle shores attract breeding Ibisbills.

The area is not only a botanist's paradise (particularly once the snows have melted) but also a real treat for birdwatchers. From the juniper scrub, Brown and Black-throated Accentors, Himalayan Rubythroats, Hume's Yellow-browed and Sulphur-bellied Warblers, and Severtzov's Tit-warblers all sing, and restless Red-mantled Rosefinches and noisy White-winged Grosbeaks may also be found. This area is also favoured by Grey Marmots and appealing Red Pikas. In the forests of Tien Shan Spruce Oriental Turtle Dove, Blue-headed and Eversmann's Redstarts, Songar Tits, Crossbills and Red-fronted Serins may all be found. Overhead Lammergeiers, and Himalayan Griffon, Eurasian Griffon and Eurasian Black Vultures may all be seen as they cruise the thermals high amongst the peaks above us.

Returning for lunch at the Observatory, we must reluctantly board our 4-wheel drive truck this afternoon for the rough ride back down to Almaty. There you will have time to relax and have a couple of hours to explore Almaty, freshen up and enjoy a farewell.