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TAJIKISTAN; 10-days birdwatching 'in quest of the LBRW' - birdwatching from Pamir-Alay Mountains to Badakhshan and the Waken Corridor. 20.th - 29.th June 2023. Possibility to prolong in Kyrgyzstan and/or Kazakhstan

TRAVEL DESCRIPTION

Duration                                            10-days

Type                                                   Expeditionstyle! Roundtrip with 4 x 4 max. three                                                            guests in each vehicle, English / Scandinavian                                                                  and German speaking Miksture Tour Leader +                                                                local guides  

Price                                                   From 2.290 USD pr. person in shared DBL room 

Sngl room                                          Contact Miksture           

Deposit                                              400 USD pr. person

Visa                                                     Yes. Depending on country of origin.                                                                                 Information when booking the tour

Vaccination                                        Yes, against COVID-19 (If no vaccination PCR-                                                                test might be needed). Miksture will keep                                                                        updating!

Participans                                        Max.12! 

 

Keybirds: Large-billed Reed Warbler, one of the world’s least known birds. Apart from the LBRW there is plenty of other interesting birds: Himalayan Snowcock, Tibetan Snowcock, Little Bittern, Pygmy Cormorant, Marbled Duck, Black-eared Kite, Long-legged Buzzard, Barbary Falcon, Booted Eagle, Golden Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Lammergeier, Cinereous Vulture, Himalayan Vulture, Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Saker Falcon, Oriental Turtle Dove, Eurasian Roller, Eurasian Bee-eater, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Wire-tailed Swallow, Citrine Wagtail, Little Forktail, Turkestan Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, Blue Whistling-thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Pied Wheatear, Finsch’s Wheatear, Variable (Eastern Pied) Wheatear, Streaked Laughingthrush, Rusty-tailed Flycatcher, White-capped Redstart, Blue-capped Redstart, White-winged Redstart, Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush, Red-tailed Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, White-winged Grosbeak, Great Rosefinch, Plain Mountain-Finch, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Bar-headed Goose, Tibetan Sandgrouse, Himalayan Rubytroath, Greenish Warbler, Pallid Harrier, Brown Accentor, Oriental Skylark, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Brandt's Mountain Finch, Brown-headed Gull, Pied Bushchat, Siberian Stonechat, Red-fronted Serin, Western Crowned Warbler, Hume’s Warbler, Plain Leaf Warbler, Upchers Warbler, Paddyfield Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Sulphur-bellied Warbler, Grey-necked Bunting, Rufous-naped Tit, Yellow-breasted Azure, Humes Whitethroat, White-capped Penduline Tit, White-browed Tit-warbler, Eastern Rock Nuthatch, Red-headed Bunting, White-capped Bunting, Lesser Sand-Plover, Hill Pigeon, White-winged Woodpecker, Scaly-bellied Woodpecker, Indian Golden Oriole, Turkestan Tit, Wallcreeper, White-throated Dipper, Brown Dipper, Little Swift, Barred Warbler, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Pallid Harrier, Pallas's Gull, Hume's Lark, White Wagtail ssp personata, Syke’s Warbler, Mountain Chiffchaff, Hume's Whitethroat, Plumbeous Water Redstart, etc  

Habitats Covered

Foothills, high mountains, valleys, pristine alpine meadows, river marshes and reed beds.

 

Expected Climate

Generally hot and sunny but much cooler in the mountains 

 

Max Group Size

12 with 1 Miksture leader & 1 local leader 

 

Tour Pace & Walking

Expeditions style - more nights in tents. Mostly relaxed to moderate, at times (few occasions) with generally moderate/tough walking and some long drives. In the Central Asian mountains, the visitors needs to understand that this is not for the faint-hearted. Occasionally dusty, hot, cold. However this is the way to experience some of the globes pristine and least explored areas. Everything is kept in control by tour leaders that are experienced in these landscapes for many years. Everyone is welcome! You don't need to be 'Superman' to join - sometimes the mentally excess is more important than the physical!  

 

Accommodation

Periodically comfortable lodging: Hotel (Dushanbe and Khorog), tents in Dashtijum, hunting lodge in Zigar, homestay in Yamg, guesthouse in Alichur and Kalai Khumb. 

Ease of Birding

Moderate! mostly easy with a few nomadic and tricky species 

Other Attractions

Spectacular scenery, pristine montane wildernesses, interesting mammals (Markor, Marco Polo Sheep, Siberian Ibex, Brown Bear, Wolf, etc) 

Photographic Opportunities

Excellent

SCHEDULED 2023 DEPARTURE

 

20.06 - 29.06.2023

Tour Leader: Michael Westerbjerg Andersen

Tour price (Per person): from USD 2,290 

THE TOUR AT A GLANCE...

 

Day 1.         Dushanbe – arrival

Day 2.         Dushanbe to Dashtijum; Markhor-area

Day 3.         Dashtijum camp to Darvaz; Tajik-Afghan border

Day 4.         Darvaz to Khorog: LBRW habitat

Day 5.         Khorog to Yamg

Day 6.         Yamg to Alichur

Day 7.         Alichur to Khorog

Day 8.         Khorog to Darvaz

Day 9.         Darvaz to Dushanbe

Day 10.       Departure – tour concludes

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FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS:

Costs: From $2,290 , excluding international flights to/from Dushanbe, Tajikistan (Miksture is pleased to     help to book!

Single supplement:   Contact Miksture

Deposit: : $400

Group size: minimum 9 and maximum 12   

Availability: Spaces available for 2023    

Leader:   Michael Westerbjerg Andersen, and local guide

Tour dates, prices, single supplement rates, approximate flight costs and spaces available for this tour are displayed on our website. Please see under IMPORTANT NOTES below.

 

The tour fee includes:

  • Guiding by Miksture/Michael Westerbjerg Andersen and his team;

  • Local (English-speaking) ornithological guide;

  • Transportation according to program in Tajikistan in private chartered vehicles with drivers ● All accommodation in Tajikistan;

  • All meals in Tajikistan from Day 1 to breakfast Day 10; (B) and dinners (D) in Tajikistan;

  • Necessary permits sites and other paperwork;

  • Services of tour leader;

  • Administration from Miksture;

  • Airport transfers;

  • Reserve entrance fees;

  • All guiding services (including tips for local guides and services);

  • Domestic flight: Nur-Sultan - Almaty, Kazakhstan;

  • Local beer & wine for Dinner in restaurants/cafes.

     

  • The tour fee does not include:

  • International flights to/from Dushanbe, Tajikistan;

  • Alcoholic beverages & drinks;

  • Personal expenses for eventual extra arrangements not mentioned in the program;

  • Tips to drivers and local guides;

  • Travelinsurrance – mandatory!; 

  • Money for own expenses and anything strictly personal (e g laundry, phone calls, any excess luggage charges, snacks).

  •  

  • Single Supplement: The single supplement cost for this tour will be charged if you wish to have single accommodation. Pls contact Miksture. If we cannot provide you with a rooming partner for these nights although you choose to share, the single supplement will become applicable. We will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that a rooming partner is found if you do wish to share.

    IMPORTANT NOTES: a) Due to constantly fluctuating exchange rates, we quote our tours in USD. The tour price is however fixed only in the currency printed in bold, and the actual cost in the other currencies listed will be adjusted according to prevailing exchange rates at the time of final invoicing (usually 4 months before the tour.) The same applies to approximate flight and single supplement rates, which are also quoted in the respective fixed currency. b) Rates are based upon group tariffs; if the tour does not have sufficient registration a small party supplement will have to be charged. c) Furthermore, these costs are subject to unforeseen increases in tour related costs and may have to be adjusted as a result. d) Lastly, we may be forced to change or alter the itinerary and / or the designated Miksture leader/s at short or no notice due to unforeseen circumstances; please be aware that we will attempt to adhere as close to the original program as possible.

  • Tipping: As noted above, gratuities (drivers, hotel staff, restaurants etc.) are not included on this tour. However, this does NOT include your Miksture leader/s. If, therefore, you feel that he/they have given you excellent service, it is entirely appropriate to tip them.

  • Special Notes:  It is important for the comfort of your fellow travellers that you do not over-pack. Kindly stick to 20kg (44lb) for check-in luggage and 8kg (+-18lb) for hand luggage.  

  • We will spend nights camping. The camp is with reasonably sized tents. You may bring your own sleeping bag should you wish. Washing facilities while camping will be basic. Toilets are simplistic.

  • Much of the tour will be in remote areas with limited medical facilities or hospitals. Please ensure that you have all the necessary medication that you require for the duration of the tour.

  • Although it will be late spring/early summer, the temperatures can vary greatly, from warm day temperatures of 25 to 30 degrees Celsius (but cool in the mornings), to cold with rain and even snow possible at any time in the mountains.

  • The emergence of insects is unpredictable, but can be moderate as to make birding uncomfortable without adequate protection.In general few mosquitos in the mountains.

  • Warm clothes, including gloves, woollen hat, raingear, hiking boots and thermals will come in handy for the cooler nights and mornings.

  • Fitness: In general this tour does not require a high level of fitness, but participants should be in good general health as most of the birding will be done on foot, and may require walking for several hours at a time. Some of the walks in the mountains will, however, be more strenuous. Should you have any physical limitations, please notify us in advance of departure.

  • Central Asian cuisine is relatively limited in variety, but usually, salad, soup and meat form the primary basis of all meals. We will have opportunities to try regional specialities at various locations on the tour.

     

  • ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE DETAILS:
    This tour does not include any International airfares. The main tour will commence in Dushanbe, Tajikista on day 1. As we depart Dushanbe very early on day 2, you are required to be present in Tajikistan the day before or very  early morning the tour starts. The tour will conclude with a transfer to the International Airport in Dushanbe after breakfast on day 10. If later, we, of course, will make sure your airport transfer is organised. The above information in respect of arrivals and departures is a guide only. Precise arrival and departure information will be sent to you in your Tour Confirmation package once the tour has been officially confirmed. If you wish to arrive early and/or depart late and would like assistance in this regard, kindly contact the Miksture office.

  • FLIGHTS: Please DO NOT book any flights until you have consulted the Miksture office for confirmation on the status of the tour.

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