Day 01 : Tashkent

Arrive in Tashkent at ... Meeting and greeting at the airport and transfer to the hotel.

Day 02: Tashkent - Samarkand

After breakfast drive to Samarkand. On the way make some stops. Arrive in Samarkand, visit the town. Overnight at hotel

Day : 3 - Samarkand

Birding around Samarkand: Red-Headed Bunting, Humes Whitethroat, Upcher's Warblers, Hume's Short-toed Lark, Isabelline, Lesser Grey Shrikes, Eastern Pock Nuthatch, European Bee-eaters, and it is possible to see Asian Paradise Flycatcher. Dinner Overnight Hotel.

Day : 4 Samarkand - Bukhara

Start the day with an optional, pre-breakfast excursion to wetlands on the outskirts of Samarkand, near the Zarafshan River, where we may come across Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, the lovely White-crowned Penduline-tit, Turkestan Tit and many migrants, possibly including Blyth's Reed Warbler. After lunch, drive to Bukhara. Arrive in Bukhara, free time to explore the town by your own. Overnight at hotel.

Day : 5 Bukhara

The Wetlands of Bukhara

We will spend the entire day exploring wetlands which surround the oasis city of Bukhara. Known as an oasis since ancient times, these wetlands are extremely attractive to a wealth of water and marsh-loving species. We can expect to watch Pygmy Cormorants and Glossy Ibis gliding low over the reedbeds, and an abundance of herons and egrets, along with subtly plumaged Marbled Ducks. Muddy edges are home to elegant White-tailed Plovers, while graceful Collared Pratincoles hawk overhead and raucous Caspian Gulls voice their annoyance. Adjacent reedbeds are alive with an abundance of reed-loving warblers including Clamorous Reed and Paddyfield Warblers, as well as Bearded Reedlings. Such diversity seems even more extraordinary in the desert! Indeed, many dry country species breed here too, from Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, Oriental Skylarks, Sykes's, Eastern Olivaceous and Menetries's Warblers through to Rufous Scrub Robins, Pied Bushchats, Long-tailed Shrikes and many more. Being a wetland in such an arid region, many migrants will also be attracted to the abundant food available to them. In May, almost anything is possible! Night Bukhara

Day : 6 Bukhara - Tashkent

Taking a picnic breakfast with us we make an early start into the Kyzyl-Kum desert, where we expect to arrive just after dawn. This very special region is home to one of the most sought-after of all the birds that occur in Central Asia - the legendary Turkestan Ground Jay. Although they are quite numerous and widespread here, these wonderful birds are always much easier to locate in the cool of the early morning.

While we are waiting for one to show, an Asian Desert Warbler may distract us as it flits from bush to bush, or a mouse-like Streaked Scrub Warbler may scurry around our feet. Nearby, Southern Grey Shrikes drop onto any unfortunate passing lizard, and Isabelline Wheatears call in warning. Very soon, a Turkestan Ground Jay will appear and keep us occupied as it sprints across the desert, occasionally perching up to allow us good views before dashing off again. In 2007, we even found the nest of this attractive species and were able to watch a pair and their helper completing the nest set in a low bush.

We'll enjoy our breakfast at a roadside farm where the small bushes attract a wealth of migrants. Here we may see Common Redstarts, Common Nightingales, Moustached and Clamorous Reed Warblers, Common Whitethroats, Greenish Warblers, Spotted Flycatchers, Isabelline Shrikes, Eurasian Golden Orioles and much more. As the desert warms up, bird activity drops off markedly and by mid morning it can seem almost lifeless. We will return to Bukhara for lunch.

For those who wish to, there will be an opportunity later in the day to take in some of the sights of Bukhara, including the historic town centre with its surrounding old madrassahs, marvel at the Kalyan Minaret - a 150-foot tall tower built in the 12th century - and also the Miri-Arab Madrasa and Trade Domes. In the evening, we catch a flight to Tashkent. Night Tashkent

Day : 7 Tashkent - Chimgan

We leave Tashkent and drive up into the Chimgan Hills, which form an extension to the mighty Tien Shan range, Asia's legendary 'Celestial Mountains'. Although not as high here as in neighbouring Kazakhstan, these wooded hills are home to some very special birds. We have the entire day to explore, watching for the likes of Eurasian Golden Oriole, the distinctive hafizi race of Common Nightingale and Yellow-breasted Tit - looking for all the world like an Azure Tit with a dash of yellow across the breast.

Our hotel, set in a delightful location, is a great place to grab a drink and just sit and watch. Red-rumped Swallows nest outside our rooms, while overhead a procession of raptors may include Lammergeier, Eurasian Griffon, Eurasian Black Vulture and Booted Eagle. Later in the day, we'll explore the juniper scrub, where Rufous-naped Tits should be feeding their newly fledged youngsters and Hume's Lesser Whitethroats churr from nearby thickets. We should also encounter White-capped and Rock Buntings, which breed on the rocky hillsides. Night Chimgan Hills

Day : 8 Chimgan - Tashkent

Flight schedules permitting, we'll enjoy some final birding in these delightful hills below the towering Mt. Chimgan before we must head back down to Tashkent. Gentle valleys hold Blue Whistling Thrush and Grey Wagtail by the streams, while the scrub and rocky outcrops are home to Siberian Stonechats and Rock and Red-headed Buntings. In addition, we have further opportunities to catch up on some species were may missed so far, perhaps including White-winged Woodpecker or Asian Paradise Flycatcher.

Returning to Tashkent in the afternoon, Transfer to the airport for a flight back