Qinghai and Tibet
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Overview
Highlights
- Explore the Chaka area where several target birds await
- Explore the dry, rocky surrounds of Gonghe which is prime habitat for Mongolian Finch and ‘Margelanic’ Lesser Whitethroat
- Exploration of Er La Pass and the stony plateau to the south-east
- Visit a nearby monastery in our quest for one of the main targets on this tour; Tibetan Eared-Pheasant
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Trip includes
- All accommodation
- All main meals
- Overland transport
- Tibet-Chengdu internal flights permits
- Entrance fees
- Water
- Guide Fees
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Itinerary
International arrivals into Xining for a two-night stay.
We will spend the morning birding at Dong Xia (2600-2900m) to the north of Xining. The area is host to several species with restricted ranges which are unlikely to be found elsewhere on the tour. The most significant is Gansu Leaf Warbler which has a small breeding ra...
This morning we head up onto the Tibetan plateau to the vast Koko Nor lake and adjacent lagoons and marshes at 3200m. We should expect an excellent variety of water-birds here including Bar-headed Goose, Great Black-headed Gull and perhaps our first Black-necked Crane...
We have two full days to explore the Chaka area where several target birds await. Scrubby hillsides in the area (3600–3950m) are home to Ala Shan Redstart, Przevalski’s Partridge and Przevalski’s Finch (formerly considered a rosefinch) which will be a prime target for...
After final early morning birding around Chaka if required, we drive to the town of Gonghe for an overnight stay. In the afternoon we will explore the dry, rocky surrounds of Gonghe which is prime habitat for Mongolian Finch and ‘Margelanic’ Lesser Whitethroat. Night at Gonghe.
We leave early this morning for the drive south to Er La where a couple of exciting specialities await. Our exploration of Er La Pass and the stony plateau to the south-east of there at 4600-4900m will target the enigmatic Roborovski’s Rosefinch and the elusive Tibeta...
Today is a long travelling day as we make our way from Maduo to Nangqian, passing through vast rolling grasslands broken by occasional mountain ranges, then through spectacular gorges beyond Yushe.
During the journey we can expect to see many Upland Buzzard and...
Our destination today is Kanda Shan Pass (4600-5000m) which is well known as one of the most accessible location to search for Kozlov’s Bunting. Birding around the grassy slopes above the pass we will hope to locate this rare bunting which was something of an enigma b...
Today we make a day-trip to nearby Beizha Forest where we will be searching for specialities such as Szecheny’s Monal Partridge, White Eared-Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Crested Tit-Warbler and Giant Laughingthrush on the sparsely forested slopes, whereas Kozlov’s Babax prefers scrubbier areas. Night in Nangqian.
Today is a travel day as we make our way across the plateau for an overnight stay in Qumalai.
We continue across the plateau today to join with the main Qinghai-Tibet highway at Budongquan. Here we can stop to look again for Tibetan Sandgrouse at another site if we haven’t already seen them at Er La. Mammals are conspicuous along this road, and along with larg...
Speeding south of the remoter areas of the high plateau during the morning from the comforts of our cabins before reaching the autonomous region of Tibet and arriving into Lhasa in the mid-afternoon, in time for an afternoon walk around the magnificent Potala Palace. ...
This morning we visit a nearby monastery in our quest for one of the main targets on this tour; Tibetan Eared-Pheasant. The nearby bushes and village area are packed full of birds; Prince Henri’s Laughingthrush is common, as are Tibetan Blackbird, Streaked Rosefinch, ...
Continue eastwards beyond Nyinchi. This area is littered with thick coniferous forest as the sub-tropical valleys ascend from Assam in North-east India. It is this habitat that has brought us to eastern Tibet as it is the core range of one of the rarest, least-known a...
Mid-morning departure from Nyinchi to Chengdu, arriving in the late morning to connect with either our international flights, or the flight to Urumqi to begin our Xinjiang extension.
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Birdtour Asia.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
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Tour Operator
Birdtour Asia are specialists in Asian birding tours, offering organised and tailor-made travel throughout the region.
Our tours are planned to optimise the birding opportunities at each site visited concentrating on the most enigmatic, localised and hard to find species. By allowing time for comprehensive coverage we will give ourselves the best realistic chance of locating these speciality birds of the region.
We aim to offer the best possible bird-tour experience through a combination of small group sizes, experienced and knowledgeable leaders, a friendly and relaxed atmosphere and of course some of the finest birding in the world. All of our leaders have extensive experience of the birds of the region and have spent prolonged periods exploring all the tour destinations.
Custom tours:
In addition to our scheduled tours, we also offer custom-designed birding tours for groups or individuals. We have extensive experience throughout South Asia, south-east Asia, the Philippines and Indonesia, and we can organise and guide tours to all areas covered by our scheduled tours and most other destinations in the region. Previous Birdtour Asia custom tours have visited Sichuan, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Borneo, the Philippines, Lesser Sundas, Sulawesi and Halmahera.
Custom tours have many advantages over our main tours; they are inherently more flexible, with group sizes and ground arrangements organised to your specific requirements. They are ideal for those who prefer to travel alone or with small groups of friends, birders with inflexible holidays that do not coincide with our scheduled tour dates or those with specific target species, which may be difficult to see on our main tours.
We can also organise custom extensions to any of our scheduled tours. If you would like to add extra time to one of these tours, please contact us with your plans and we will gladly offer information and advice to help you organise an itinerary which meets your requirements.
Custom tours are often comparable in cost to our scheduled departures and therefore offer fantastic value for money.
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Logistics
What's excluded
- International flights and internal flights and departure taxes except those stated in itinerary(Please contact us if you would like us to help you find the ideal flight)
- Visa
- Personal insurance
- Drinks tips
- Other items of a personal nature
Any cancellation must be in writing and signed by whoever signed the booking form. It will take effect on the day we receive it. In the event of you cancelling your booking the following scale of charges will apply.
Period before departure: Cancellation Charge:
Over 90 days Loss of basic deposit paid
57 - 90 days 50% of holiday price
56 - 29 days 100% of holiday price
28 - 1 day 100% of holiday price
Day of departure or later 100% of holiday price
Travel insurance is therefore essential.
If it becomes necessary that we have to cancel a particular holiday, whether it be through insufficient reservations, illness etc, then all deposits and other payments will be refunded in full.
All Main Meals as indicated
Xinjiang extension:
Flying in and out of Xinjiang, the westernmot province of China, going in search of Biddulph's Ground Jay, endemic to the Taklamakan Desert, along with a fine supporting cast of Tarim Babbler, Desert Whitethroat, White-winged Woodpecker, Saxual Sparrow and Azure Tit. A day in the Tian Shan we could also encounter several Central Asian specialities including Eversmann's and Blue-capped Redstart, Black-throated Accentor, Red-mantled Rosefinch and Red-fronted Serin.
Further details regarding the Xinjiang extension to follow.
Please note this itinerary is open to change, even during the tour, depending on the current political situation.
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