Ornithological Tour N5
(Almaty - Altai Mounting)
Duration: 14 days (13 nights).
Season: April-May-June, September.
Accommodation: hotels, sanatorium, tents.
Meal: full board (traditional Kazakh and Russian cuisine).
Transport: minibus.
Tour description.
Day 1. Arrival to Almaty. Than flight to town Ust-Kamenogorsk the center of West Kazakhstan region. Get settled in a hotel. If one desire he can visit the museum of local lore, history and economy and familiarize with West Kazakhstan fauna which has 36 species of fish, 5 kind of amphibian, 17 reptile species, 375 birds and 109 mammle species.
Day 2. Breakfast. Later by car trip to Ust-Kamenogorsk and than to Leninogorsk (130 km) visiting the central Eastern Altai reserve office in Leninogorsk. After dinner driving to Leninogorsk and village Poperechnoe - huntsman cordon near the river Chernaya Uba in eastern Altai reserve (60 km). Camp arrangement. Supper around the fire. Lodging for the night in tents. While driving one can meet such birds as: Kestrel, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle, Hoopoe, Swallow, Starling, Masked Wagtail, Red-backed Shrike, Yellowhammer, Scarlet Rose Finch, Hooded Crow and Carrion Crow.
Note. The eastern Altai reserve has the territory equal to 56.078 hectares and was organized in 1992 in mountain and taiga part of eastern Altai near the rivers Black and White Uba (1000-2500 m above the sea level) and on the border with Russia.The landscape is South Siberian Taiga containing cedar, larch, fir-tree with rich grass cover which has 2 meters hight and marshy river valleys. The watershed of the ridges are occupied by subalpine and alpine meadows, mountain tundra with great squares of rocks and scree. It is the most wet region of Kazakhstan and Altai (2200 mm of precipitation per year). About 50 mammle species and 110 kinds of birds inhabit in this reserve and they are typical for Siberian and Taiga regions.
Day 3. Breakfast. Later driving to Koksinskii pass. Walking along the taiga slope of Holzyh ridge through the mountain marsh Gulbische up to the sources of the river Belaya Uba ( 10-15 km ),where one will walk in cedar forest, shrub tundra and feast his eyes upon thickets of birch and willow, alpine and subalpine pictorial meadows. Stop on the beautiful banks of Beloubinsk lakes. While walking one can observe typical birds for Altai such as: Siberian Rubythroat, Rock Bunting, Pallas' Grasshopper Warbler, Dusky Warbler, Citrine Wagtail, Bluethroat, Stonechat, Corncrake, Black-throated Thrush, Nuthatch, Rock Pipit, Solitary Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe, Pintail Snipe Dotterel, Capercaillie, Ptarmigan, Siberian Blue Robin, Red-flanked Bluetail, Rosy Finch, Great Grey Shrike. Evening meal near the fire and lodging for the night in tents.
Day 4. Excursion through the cedar forest and western part of Lineisk ridge from lakes to mountain tundra where one can observe the following kinds of birds: Hodgson's Rosy Finch, Himalayan Accentor, Pine Grosbeak, Pallas' Rose Finch, Sooty Flycatcher, Willow Grouse, Oriental Cuckoo, Black Woodpecker, Nutcracker, Dipper, Black-throated Accentor, Olivaceous Leaf Warbler, Chiffchaff, Greenish Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler. The most interesting mammles inhabit in this region are Ochotona alpina and Eutamias sibiricus (Latin names), reptile is Lacerta vivipara (also Latin name) and amphibious- Rana arvalis. After visiting the pantheon of rocky sculptures return to huntsman cordon in Chernaya Uba river valley. Supper and lodging for the night in tents.
Day 5. Breakfast. Than leaving the reserve and driving from Leninogorsk to Ust-Kamenogorsk (130 km) along the beautiful spurs of Ulbinskii ridge till the settlement Oktyabrskii (110 km).The route lies on hairpin-bend road. Here in 1829 was the famous German traveler Aleksander Gumboldt, in 1876-Alfred Brem and Otto Finsh. Stop in Goluboi gulf of Buchtarminskoe reservoir. One can swim and sunbathe. Evening meal and lodging for the night in pine forest on the reservoir bank where it is possible to watch the following birds: Long-tailed Buntings.
Day 6. Breakfast. Than driving to the settlement Oktyabrskii -ford by ferry across the Krestovskii gulf of Buchtarminskoe reservoir - to settlement Bolshenarymskoe (75 km) -than to the settlement Katon-Karagai (82 km) - settlement Berel - lakes named Rachmanovskie (106 km) with short stops in beautiful and interesting places to observe such birds as: Montagu's Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Kestler, Golden Eagle, Common Buzzard, Rufous Turtle Dove, Beer-Eater, Hoopoe, Red Headed Bunting, Yellow hammer, Pine Bunting, Wheatear, Pied Wheataer, Grey Goldfinch, Linnet, Stone-chat.
Stop in the sanatorium "Rahmanovskie Klyuchi" which is famous for its curative springs for healing different nervous and rheumatic sicknesses. Camp arrangement on the lake bank and rest.
In the evening excursion to cedar forest and along the lake bank. These are the main places for nesting such birds as White-winged Scoter in South Altai. Also here inhabit Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Siberian Tit, Tree Pipit, Sand Martin, Greenish Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Raven, Nuthercracker, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Black-throated Thrush, Nuthatch, Crossbill, Common Sandpiper, Hobby.
Evening meal and lodging for the night in tents.
Day 7. Breakfast. After breakfast walking in the forest. Than trip the route of which is: Rahmanovskie Kluchi- river Buchtarma- the settlement Berel- visit the Maral (Cervus elaphus sibiricus -Latin name) - mountain lake Yazevoe (45 km) and climb to the highest top of Altai named Beluha ( 4000 m above the sea level).Excursion to mountain tundra and cedar wood. The most typical birds for these places are: Yellow-breasted Bunting, Siberian Tit, Hodgson's Rosy Finch, Himalayan Accentor, Siberian Rubythroat, Bluethroat, Oriental Cuckoo, Black Woodpecker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Olivaceous Leaf Warbler, Corncrake, Rock Pipit, Fork- tailed Swift, Willow Grouse, it is also possible to meet Black-throated Diver, Hawk Owl, Capercaillie, Pine Grosbeak, Dusky Warbler, Brown Shrike. Evening meal near the fire on the lake bank and lodging for the night in tents.
Day 8. Breakfast. Morning walk along the lake bank. Than driving to Yazevoe- Uryl-Katon-Karagai (90 km). Dinner and than auto route to settlement Chingistai and hard upgrade slope by hairpin-bend road to pass Baiberdy driving through the range Sarymsakty (2200 m above the sea level) to the upper reaches of the river Karakaby (40 km). Stop in natural boundary named Verhnee Zimovie which is 1700 m above the sea level in wide steppe valley surrounded by forests. Camp arrangement on the mountain river bank and than walk along the marsh the aim of which is to find Dusky Warbler, Pallas' Grasshopper Warbler, Swinhoe's Snipe, Pintail Snipe hidden in the thickets of dwarf birches. Supper near the fire hearing the evening and night utter the mating- call of Pintail Snipes. Lodging for the night in tents.
Day 9. Breakfast. Morning excursion to cedar forest for observing some interesting kinds of birds. Than slope from the passing down the magnificent gorge along the river Kara-Kaby and than driving till the lake Markakol (40 km) to the reserve with the same name. Camp arrangement on the lake bank. Dinner. Rest, swimming and sunbathing. Walking along the bank of the lake Markakol (5 plus 5 km) during which one can observe the following birds: Black Stork, Osprey, Goosander, Tufted duck, Goldeneye, Eurasian Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Shoveler, Ruddy Shelduck, Citrine Wagtail, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Lesser, Spotted Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Wryneck, and others. Evening meal. If one desire he can go motor boating (but it is necessary to agree that with reserve administration ). Supper and lodging for the night in tents.
Note: Markakol state natural reserve has the territory equal to 75000 hectares and was organized in 1976. The purpose was to save the unique alpine lake Markakol-the biggest lake in Altai region. The length of the lake is 38 km and its width is about 19 km. There are beautiful meadows, marshes, birch and fir-tree woods along the bank of the lake and the slopes of the surrounding ridges are covered with taiga, watersheds are covered with alpine and subalpine meadows, moss and shrub tundra (2000-3000 m above the sea level).this lake is situated in the mountain hollow on the hight of 1450 m above the sea level and considered to be the most beautiful and magnificent lake in Altai region. About 150 kinds of birds nesting here.
Day 10. Breakfast. Excursion to mountain tundra climbing the gorge of the river Sokoliha to Holodnaya valley. After reaching the watershed of the ridge (2300 m above the sea level) slope along the gorge of the river Solona. The most typical birds for these places are: Common Buzzard, Hobby, Three-toed Woodpecker, Corncrake, Rufous Turtle Dove, Oriental Cuckoo, Cuckoo, Willow Tit, Nuthatch, Tree Pipit, Rock Pipit, Stonechat, Eversmann's Redstart, Black Redstart, Black-throated Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Olivaceous Leaf Warbler, Pine Bunting, Ortolan Bunting, Grey Goldfinch, Willow Grouse, Dotterel. Dinner and in the evening return to the camp, evening meal and lodging for the night.
Day 11. Breakast.Than visiting the central office and the museum of reserve nature. After that moving from Markakol to the settlement Terekty through the pass Mramornyi (66 km). The asphalt road lies through the settlement Terekty, settlement Gornoe (Akbulak), Kalguty (120 km), Kurchum (70 km) passing by the beautiful spurs of Kurchum mountains with short stops in magnificent places where one can observe the following kinds birds: Black-headed Penduline Tit, Penduline Tit, Lesser Grey Shrike, Azure Tit, Isabelline Wheatear, Pied Wheataer, Grey- necked Bunting, Cetti's Warbler, Upland Buzzard, Pallas's Sandgrouse, Lesser Kestrel, Ruddy Shelduck, Demoiselle Crane, Nightingale. Dinner on the bank of Kaldzhir river. Than visit the lake Sarykol which is situated not far from the settlement Kurchum where it is possible to see many different waterfowls which are typical for Zaisanskaya hollow. Supper and lodging for the night in the forest near the river Kurchum.
Day 12. Breakfast. Driving to the passage Kaznakovskaya (30 km). Ferry across the reservoir named Buchtarminskoe (6 km).Visiting Bukonskie sands and reed flood-lands of the river Kuludzhun which are situated on the territory of Kuludzhunskii zoological reserve. The typical birds for these places are: Coot, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Common Curlew, Great Egret, Great Reed Warbler, Paddyfield Warbler, Grey-headed Wagtail. Further our route lies through Kalbinskii Altai and it is the following: Kaznakovka, Samarka, Tainty, Targyn, the lakes Sibirskie (125 km) with short stops in some interesting and very beautiful places. Evening meal and lodging for the night on the lake bank.
Day 13. Breakfast. Excursion along the lake bank among magnificent and picturesque rocks of Sibinskii natural park. Arrival in Ust-Kamenogorsk. Get settled in a hotel.
Day 14. Flight to Almaty. Visit city places of interests. In the evening departure from airport in Almaty.
Advisable equipment.
Knapsack for personal things, sleeping bag, single-seated tent, clothes for hot, cold and rainy weather, heat isolated rug, binoculars, telescope (not less than one for a group), photo- and video equipment in dust- and waterproof package, rubber jackboots, tackling and camp shoes, cream against sun and chapping, sun protective goggles, insect repellents. Advisable time for tour is June, July and August.