Wildlife holidays in Kazakhstan
Tell me about Kazakhstan …
Kazakhstan, lying at the heart of Central Asia on the Old Silk Road, is a massive country. It covers an area the size of the whole of western Europe, spanning 2,717,300 square kilometres from the Caspian Sea to western China.
It has a population of just 17 million people, mostly living in the cities, and as such this is a land of vast open and unpeopled spaces.
Great stone and sand deserts, and wide grassy steppes occupy the majority of the country, interspersed with such great inland lakes as Lake Balkhash and the Aral Sea. In dramatic contrast, along its south-eastern borders stand the mighty Tien Shan Mountains – the 1,610-kilometre spine of Central Asia and northern extension of the Himalaya.
Waters flowing off these vast mountains give rise to flower-filled alpine meadows, lush forests of Tien Shan Spruce and lowland Turanga. They also feed the great lakes and inland deltas to the north.
Our Kazakhstan specialist recommends...
"I recommend our ‘Kazakhstan’ tour, and action-packed birdwatching tour taking in a huge variety of this vast country’s landscapes, including the Tien Shan Mountains. Some stand out species are: the Himalayan Snowcock and Himalayan Rubythroat."
Dan Free
Operations Manager
What’s special about the wildlife?
Its flora – consisting of over 6,000 species – is superb, and its alpine and bulbous plants are particularly special.
Kazakhstan has an interesting bird fauna which includes some sought after montane species such as Ibisbill.
Naturetrek tours to Kazakhstan
Naturetrek offers a selection of wildlife holidays and natural history tours to Kazakhstan including botanical and bird watching holidays to the deserts, steppes, lakes, tulip meadows and Tien Shan Mountains.
Some highlights of our natural history tours to Kazakhstan:
- Rare & endemic plants of the Tien Shan
- Wonderful spring displays of wild tulips
- Rich selection of birds including Little Bustard, Demoiselle Crane & Collared Pratincole, Macqueen’s Bustard,
- Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater & Desert Warbler
- Montane bird life including Ibisbill, Himalayan Rubythroat & Himalayan Snowcock
WHAT YOU'VE BEEN SAYING ABOUT OUR Kazakhstan HOLIDAYS
It was a brilliant trip with an almost 100% success rate and I would recommend it to anyone thinking of going.
I have just enjoyed the holiday of a life time in Kazakhstan. As always with a Naturetrek holiday the organisation was excellent. The three leaders were marvellous and Nezira, in particular, worked so hard to ensure everything went like clockwork. This was my fifth holiday with you and I don’t think you will ever be able to match the vision of the Kazakstan flower meadows, they were out of this world!
Almost faultless, outstanding birding everyday, ground arrangements first class, even when the camp was flattened a suitable alternative was found which I found remarkable. Well done Naturetrek - right destinations, right price, right now.