Discover the spring gems, classic history and sublime landscapes of Central Asia. Beginning in the outliers of the vaunted Pamir we travel through little known Tajikistan for stunning irises, pausing in ancient Penjikent before crossing the border to fabled Samarkand, arguably the very nexus of the ancient Silk Road trade route. Fully restored the magnificent blue-tiled monuments of Timur gleam and impress. To the south is Shakhrisabz, Timur's birthplace and between the cities lies floral splendour with a swirl of corydalis, crocus and gorgeous irises, whilst to the north on the western end of the Tien Shan a completely different selection of species awaits. As the snows of winter recede the magnificent landscapes of neighbouring Kyrgyzstan awaken with a kaleidoscope of bulbs from stands of the Moonflower Fritillaria eduardii and stately Eremurus alberti. Oceans of stunningly patterned Papaver pannonicum are matched by vast drifts of Corydalis ledebouriana and turf painted gold with Colchicum luteum. The Kyrgyz name for tulip is turban and these range from the sumptuous cerise cups of Tulipa rosea to red-and-yellow Tulipa ferganica or the pretty stars of Tulipa tarda.
A pre-tour offers the chance to see the wonderful crinkle-leaved Tulipa regelii.
This tour is aimed primarily at seeing the wonderful Tulip regelii, a rarely seen and singular species the flowers a little earlier than many other tulips in the region, though we should also see more early tulips, irises and corydalis too as well.
We’ll arrive in the early morning and after a rest and breakfast we’ll drive out and transfer to the Sholka Mountains to look for bicolored Tulipa alberti on stony slopes. Moving on Other delights in this area are the lovely pink Fritillaria karelinii and Iris tenuifolia. Overnight Konayev.
Visit to the wonderful petroglyphs at Tamgaly-Tas where we can also find Tulipa janisii, Fritillaria karelinii and the elegant Corydalis schanginii. More time Overnight Konayev.
Kurta river canyon on a day spent exploring different locations for the wonderful and unique Tulipa regelii. Our next stop is another petroglyph site where it’s possible we find more Tulipa regelii too. Overnight Konayev.
Ili canyon area where we hope to find very first flowering Tulipa ostrowskiana and Alasa Pass for Iris kuschakewiczii. Overnight Almaty.
A day exploring the areas east of Almaty. Overnight Almaty.
The complexities of Stalin’s ridiculous borders come to the fore today as we make our way to Tajikistan, the most awkward of all the ‘stans’ to reach, first flying to Tashkent in Uzbekistan and then transferring to the border with Tajikistan. Overnight Khojand.
For those on the pre-tour we will drive south to Dushanbe, exploring the Sharistan Pass where we hope to find buttery Iris maracandica and other spring bulbs. Overnight Dushanbe.
Departure from Istanbul on 4 April arriving early morning 5 April. Overnight Dushanbe.
The rest of the group will depart Istanbul airport on 4 April, arriving early morning 5 April and overnight in Dushanbe.
An early morning arrival means we’ll have a more relaxed start and drive west to the wonderful Karatag Valley, where hundreds of thousands of Iris bucharica grow in wonderful displays on the valleys sides. Hybrids between this species and I. vicaria are also possible. Alongside are many Anemone petuliolosa and Fritillaria bucharica. Overnight Dushanbe.
The deep valleys of Tajikistan harbour many delights and we’ll travel slowly into the Hissar Range, stopping for lovely Iris vicaria, Anemone petuliolosa, blue Fessia vvedenskyi and then the lovely and variable Iris rosenbachiana, nestled in woods and scrub still leafless from the cold winter, though wild almond trees will be in full bloom at this time, colouring the rocky slopes. Overnight Dushanbe.
We will leave the capital behind and head for the high Anzob Pass, seeing Tulipa praestans and fine displays of Crocus korlokowii on the way. The scenery is fabulous and on the other side we descend to Penjikent, where we will visit the ruins of famous ancient city there. Overnight Penjikent.
Fabled Samarkand lies just to the west of the border crossing. We plan to arrive in time for an afternoon tour of some of the main sites such as the Registan, Gur-e-Emir mausoleum and Shah-i-Zinda. Overnight Samarkand.
A granitic extension of the Hissar Range rises south of the Samarkand and it's a botanical highlight with a suite of superb spring flowers including Iris bucharica, Iris magnifica and the incomparable Iris warleyensis, cerise Primula fedtschenkoana, golden Crocus korolkowii, purple and white striped Colchicum kesselringianum and a dazzling array of hybridising Corydalis ledebouriana (cerise form) and C. maracandica illuminating the wide pass. Fritillaria bucharica and Tulipa bifloriformis are more subtle delights. With luck we will get to see the dazzling Tulipa fosteriana too.
Depending on the current train schedules (which are not published until early 2025) we might board the late afternoon express train to Tashkent. Alternatively, we'll spend a second night in Samarkand. Overnight Samarkand or Tashkent.
In the morning we’ll take the express train to Tashkent. The Tien Shan mountains are just a couple of hours to the east of Tashkent and as we travel there, there will be Fritillaria seversowii, Solenanthus circinnatus and on clay-slopes both Fritillaria stenanthera and Iris tubergeniana. Exploring other flower-rich areas, near snow-patch will be Colchicum luteum and Crocus alatavicus, abundant gageas and Hikes into Chimgan Valley brings us to a colourful swirl of Tulipa x tschimganica, Tulipa dubia and Tulipa bifloriformis along with other lovely spring flowers such as the delicate winter aconite Eranthis longistipitata, Gymnospermium albertii and Corydalis ledebouriana (pale pink form). Neighbouring valleys also harbour many more tulips including Tulipa greigii, T. butkovii, T. x tschimganica the unusual foliage of Chalcanthus reniforme and stands of foxtail lilies and irises. Exactly where we explore will depend on the snow. Overnight Chimgan.
Nearby valleys have varying all red populations of Tulipa tschimganica and the elegant vases of T. greigii amidst slopes of fabulous milky Eremurus lactiflorus. We will spend the morning exploring these driving alongside Charvak Reservoir to look for more tulips, Iris tubergeniana, Arnebia tchimganica and Thermopsis alternifolia before continuing to the delightful resort of Yangiabad tucked away in the mountains due south of where we spent the previous night. The lovely red vases of Tulipa butkovii and rosy Iris capnoides grow in this area. Overnight Yangiabad.
A morning looking around Yangiabad we head down and across the broad and fertile Fergana Valley to Andijan and thence the border with Kyrgyzstan. After crossing we overnight in Osh.
We'll drive west in the morning to remote Batken. Nearby cliffs in a special Fritillary Reserve protect thriving stands of the impressive Fritillaria eduardii, known locally as Aigul, which means Moonflower – alluding to the silvery round nectaries inside the flowers. A scattering of Tulipa korolkowii, Leontice eversmannii and various Gagea accompany them. The main reserve has been closed for some time to allow recovery from too much visitor pressure, but there are nearby alternatives and depending on the season we will visit one of these. Nearby stony mounds have the unique reddish-pink of Tulipa rosea, a rare delight growing in austere surroundings. Overnight Batken.
We have more time on this return to Osh to explore stony valleys which have a selection of interesting steppe plants and the flat lands have carpets of Papaver pannonicum, creating a sea of scarlet. Growing with them are stands of Ixiolirion, purple Romeria hybrida, Allium caesium, the attractive gold and purple of Arnebia guttata and its’ unusual cousin pink and blue A. obovata. Stony slopes have plentiful Vinca erecta and the unusual golden-yellow Corydalis nevskii, whilst earthy slopes have a fine population of the beautiful flesh-pink Eremurus alberti, one of the finest of all foxtail lilies. Overnight Osh.
A long day, but one with rewards. After a morning crossing flatter lands we begin to climb into rocky hills finding the beautiful lilac-blue of Iris zenaidae, mingling with red and yellow Tulipa ferganica, domes of white-flowered Vinca erecta and the robust golden spikes of Phlomoides speciosa. Great billowing swathes of Crambe tartaricum turn the slopes white as stands of golden-spired Eremurus fuscus foxtail lilies colour the rocks, sometimes alongside the superb broad-leaved Allium karataviense. There are larger displays of tulips further along and north-facing slopes with the feisty bronzy-green flowered Fritillaria severzowii, as well as some fine vistas of the mountainous landscape that typify the country peppered with robust clumps of Ferula khuhestanica. Overnight Toktugol.
Amazing massed displays are the order of today, beginning with stands of Fritillaria severzowii and Solenanthus circinnatus. Corydalis glaucescens speckles the slopes at times alongside Colchicum kesselringianum and Tulipa dasystemon, other times with its’ cousin Corydalis ledebouriana. The latter occurs in vast drifts higher up, creating carpets of pink and yellow with the myriad gageas. The golden cups of Colchicum luteum appear closer to the snow and number in their countless thousands. Crossing the Suusamyr valley grassy slopes have populations of the gorgeous Iris kolpakowskianum and on the approach to the Tor Ashu pass we will see drifts of purple and white Colchicum kesselringianum and patches of Tulipa dasystemon. Then as we make the final descend the slopes begin to colour with the handsome dark-centred yellow and red Tulipa zenaidae. Overnight Bishkek.
Close to the Kazakhstan border the pretty yellow and white stars of Tulipa tarda crowd rocky slopes above a river and the neighbouring hills have large drifts of golden Tulipa ferganica and the startling red or yellow (or both) forms of Tulipa ostrowskiana. Hidden among them are the lovely purple flowers of Iris kuschakewiczii and if we are lucky the first spires of Eremurus zoei. If we have time we will visit the ancient site of Balagassun (Burana Tower) on the way back.
Per person (twin share): 2500 USD
Deposit: USD USD
Single supplement: 250 USD
*Minimum number of participants 3, maximum 6.
Per person (twin share): 6825 USD
Deposit: 1015 USD
Single supplement: 500 USD
Included:
*Minimum number of participants 5, maximum 12.
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