Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
One exciting itinerary is the trip from
Yangykala Canyon across the Karakum
desert to the Darvaza Gas Craters. Ex-
pect plenty of dune bashing, sleeping
under starry skies and stops for tea in
remote Turkmen villages.
Kazakhstan's Korgalzhyn Nature
Reserve lie at the crossroads of two
major bird migration routes, attract-
ing 300 species including the world's
most northerly flamingo habitat (April
to September). The tulips of Aksu-
Zhabagyly Nature Reserve are world
famous and several local and foreign
companies run tours to this area in
spring. The following tour operator
websites are a great resource for bird-
watching in Kazakhstan:
¨
www.kazakhstanbirdtours.com
¨
www.naturetrek.co.uk
¨
www.wingsbirds.com
Odyssey Travel
(www.odysseytravel.com.
au)
, in Australia, operates archaeo-
logical tours to the Khorezm region of
Uzbekistan, during which you'll spend
two weeks on an archaeological dig,
followed by a short general tour of the
country.
Sport fishing is an option in the Ili
delta in Kazakhstan.
Other Activities
Several companies organise cav-
ing trips, especially around Osh, in
Kyrgyzstan, and Chimgan, north of
Tashkent in Uzbekistan. Spelunkers
will get a kick from exploring the miles
of twisting tunnels that make up the
Karlyuk Caves (Central Asia's largest),
deep underneath Turkmenistan's Kugi-
tang Nature Reserve. It's even possible
to scuba dive in Lake Issyk-Köl, though
some of the equipment used looks like
props from a 1960s Jacques Cousteau
documentary.
There are some fine opportunities
for nature spotting. The wetlands of
