A spectacular traverse of the fabled Tien Shan, which stretch for fifteen hundred kilometres from Uzbekistan to western China and encompass a rich variety of landscapes and habitats from alpine turf to steppe and pencil spruce forests. These support a tremendous diversity of flora from vast drifts of primulas and trollius to the elegant spires of foxtail lilies and fabulous alpines that encrust the slopes of high passes reaching nearly four thousand metres. Woven into this are traces of the old Silk Road, with remote caravanserai and ancient petroglyphs left by the ancestors of nomadic peoples that still spend their summers herding livestock in the vast mountain wilderness. A pre-tour looks at areas of southern Tajikistan with vast displays of foxtail lilies and rare endemics.
A 16-day tour with Chris Gardner
Day I Arrival in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (25 May)
International flights to Dushanbe with an overnight in the city.
Days II-V Darvaz and Hissar Ranges (26-30 May)
Itinerary to be confirmed.
Day VI Dushanbe to Tashkent (31 May)
Today will be the flight from Dushanbe to Tashkent and equals Day 1 of the main tour.
Day 1 Arrival in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (31 May)
International flights to Tashkent with an overnight in the city.
Day 2 To Chimgan (1 June)
In the morning we’ll drive up to the cooler climes of Ugam-Chatkal nature reserve. gives us the chance to explore developing meadows as well as to try and reach any late snow patches where Tulipa dubia or T. x tschimganica might still be present. However, the main beauty we hope to find is the stunning fine-lined Iris korolkovii, which grows on the ridge above the town amidst bright yellow Phlomoides fulgens. Overnight Chimgan.
Day 3 & 4 Chimgan and around (2-3 June)
Two day hikes into the green hills of the western Tien Shan take us into botanically rich areas. In the Chimgan Valley are the impressive spires of Eremurus robustus that burst from shrubberies of honeysuckle, flower-drenched roses and spiraea. Alongside are purple-pink Allium barsczewskii, billowing masses of Vicia cracca and abundant plumes of creamy Polygala undulatum. Upper birch groves have cerise Paeonia hybrida and rocky slopes with Dictamnus albus and Linum olgae, maybe even the odd late Tulipa dubia. Overnight Chimgan. Depending on flight times the next day we may overnight in Tashkent on day 4.
Day 5 To Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (4 June)
The complex borders of Central Asia make getting from one country to another time consuming and today we will fly from Tashkent to Bishkek. If we arrive in time there will be an excursion to Ala Archa national park near the city with fine views along a quintessential Tien Shan valley and for those with the energy the chance to hike to a waterfall where the lovely Primula minkwittsiae grows on the rocks. Overnight Bishkek.
Day 6 Tor Ashu and Otmok passes (5 June)
Overnight Chichkan.
Day 7 Ala Bel pass (6 June)
Fields are coloured with yellow and red poppies and to the east the Otmok Pass has abundant alpines and herbs with Viola altaica, Trollius komarovii, Chorispora macropoda and golden Tulipa dasystemon. Incredible populations of lilac-pink Primula algida colour the high turf of the pass, where we will also find many Dracocephalum nutans, swathes of orangey Trollius altaicus, Allium fedtschenkoana and pink Pedicularis alberti. Lower areas of steppe have Scutellaria adenostegia, Phlomoides speciosa and purple Phlomides oreophila mingled with the dainty drumsticks of Polygonum nitens and rank upon rank of Eremurus fuscus. Overnight among the spruces at Chichkan.
Day 8 To Kochkor (7 June)
Recrossing the Ala Bel Pass and more of its floral magnificence, we then traverse extensive pastureland to the high Tor-Ashu Pass, where the slopes are clothed in deep pink Paeonia hybrida (depending on the season) and an assortment of tall herbs. Crossing the grassy steppe we pass numerous photogenic yurts and herds of horses before we enter rugged gorges with spectacular scree slopes and coloured rocks, which the lovely Chesneya ferganica calls home. There are some impressive old graveyards, abundant Iris halophila, Clematis songaricus and the curious deep-red Lindelofia stylosa alongside stands of Ligularia grandifolia and fields of Thermopsis turkestanica. Overnight Kochkor.
Day 10 Song-Kul (8 June)
Surrounding the huge expanse of Song-Kul are alpine areas rich in flowers. Below the pass the incomparable Trollius lilacinus flowers near snow patch with Tulipa heterophylla, T. dasystemon and deep purple Allium atrosanguineum, whereas rocks overlooking the limpid waters of the lake are encrusted with saxifrages, androsaces and dracocephalums. Descending from the lakeland plateau we find Primula brotheri, Doronicum turkestanicum and Corydalis gortschakovii. Overnight Naryn.
Day 11 Tash Rabat (9 June)
A classic remnant of the old Silk Road the restored caravanserai at Tash Rabat embodies the harsh realities of travel along the road. Nearby cliffs have the refined beauty of Paraquilegia caespitosa and Cortusa brotheri, whilst hidden waterfalls have tumbling masses of Clematis alpina subsp. sibirica and Ligularia narynensis. Overnight Naryn.
Day 12 To Tamga (10 June)
A delightful little valley full of Dactylorhiza umbrosa, Codonopsis clematidea and Primula matthioli amongst other things interrupts the drive to the immense Issyk-Kul, the lake at the heart of the Kyrgyzstan. Peculiar dark brown parasitic Cynomorium songaricum burst from the bare ground among a host of new steppe flowers at the colourful Fairytale Canyon, a complex of red, orange and yellow rocks and clays. Overnight Tamga.
Day 13 Barskoon (11 June)
A high, wide and wild plateau lies between mountain ridges, where drifts of Trollius lilacinus and golden Ranunculus albertii colour the wet turf and clumps of Allium semenovii nestle near the many alpine tarns. Heavy screes have countless Callianthemum alatavicum, and the localised gem Desideria flabellata whose lilac-pink flowers appear with intense magenta Primula nivalis. Overnight Karakol.
Day 14 Chonashu Pass (12 June)
A diverse botanical mixture sees first tall meadows with Aconitum leucostomum, Polemonium caucasicum, Codonopsis clematidea, Veratrum lobelianum and wine-red Aquilegia atrovinosa before we climb to the high pass with screes peppered with Chorispora bungeana, Aster alpinus, androsaces, saxifrages, and Corydalis fedtschenkoana. Views from the pass are spectacular. Overnight Karakol.
Day 15 Journey to Bishkek (13 June)
We follow the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul stopping to look at the petroglyphs at Cholpon-Ata and the Burana Tower as well as fine displays of Alcea nudiflora. Overnight Bishkek.
Day 16 Flights home (14 June)
