CHINA’S TIBETAN PLATEAU & TARIM BASIN – the ultimate specialities tour amidst incredible landscapes

PRICE INFORMATION

Birdquest Inclusions: Our tour prices include surface transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.

We also include all tipping for local guides, drivers and accommodation/restaurant staff.

We also include these flights in our tour price:

Chengdu-Nyingchi

Lhasa-Yushu

Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.

TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)

The single supplement will not apply if you indicate on booking that you prefer to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.

This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.

CHINA’S TIBETAN PLATEAU & TARIM BASIN BIRDING TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 1  As changing regulations now mean that the special permits for Tibet must be checked immediately before you fly to Tibet, we will meet up at a hotel at Chengdu Tianfu Airport this evening. We will stay overnight at Tianfu. (The hotel is between the two terminals and is signposted.)

(There are daily flights into Chengdu and some are direct from Europe and elsewhere. We can easily book domestic flights for you on request, even if you are not obtaining your international tickets through us. Negotiating Chinese airports is fairly easy. Almost everyone speaks at least some English, and the signage is bilingual and good. All announcements are bilingual.)

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 2  This morning, we will take a flight to Nyingchi in southeast Tibet. We will spend the night at Nyingchi.

This afternoon we will commence our exploration of the Nyingchi area. Our prime target is the splendid and sought-after endemic Lord Derby’s (or Derbyan) Parakeet, which we should find cavorting noisily in the tops of the conifers or flying between feeding areas.

Other good birds in this area include the endemic Giant Laughingthrush and the range-restricted Rufous-fronted Bushtit, Black-headed Greenfinch and Grey-headed Bullfinch. We will also have our first opportunity to see the endemic Giant Babax and Brown-cheeked (or Prince Henri’s) Laughingthrush in this area, although they are easier around Lhasa.

More widespread birds include Blyth’s Leaf Warbler and Daurian Redstart.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 3  We will spend most of the morning around Nyingchi and then drive to the city of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet (Xizang), for a two-night stay.

The journey is a spectacular introduction to the magnificent scenery of the Tibetan Plateau (which is only flat in parts and very mountainous), including a high pass where we will surely see our first snowfinches and other open-country Tibetan birds.

Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1951 and the eventual flight of the Dalai Lama after the failure of the 1959 uprising, Lhasa, the once-forbidden city, has changed greatly. The former purely Tibetan character of the city has been overwhelmed by rather ugly Chinese residential quarters, shopping precincts and industrial developments, but, in spite of all this, the sight of the huge Potala Palace soaring into the sky on the top of the Marpori (or Red Mountain) as one approaches this historic city is still one of the greatest travel experiences in the world.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 4  Today, we will visit a very scenic area in the mountains outside Lhasa where the beautiful Tibetan (or Elwes’s) Eared Pheasant, Tibetan Blackbird, the noisy Giant Babax and Brown-cheeked (or Prince Henri’s) Laughingthrush, four species endemic to Southeast Tibet, occur in good numbers in the scrubby woodland and meadows. We can expect great views of all four species, as well as Tibetan Snowcock, another Tibetan Plateau endemic. Sometimes the pheasant and the snowcock can be seen and photographed at incredibly close range around a small and fascinating Buddhist nunnery!

Along the Lhasa River, we will look for the endangered and rapidly declining Pallas’s Fish Eagle, as well as Russet Sparrow.

Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to see and photograph the outside of the famous Potala Palace. The interlinked ‘white’ and ‘red’ palaces tower 13 storeys high and completely dominate the city below. This truly enormous structure, built between 1645 and 1694, contains over 1000 rooms, including numerous chapels, shrines, assembly halls and mausoleums, and is undoubtedly one of the world’s most extraordinary and moving buildings. Nowadays, the Potala is largely a large museum.

[Note: the Potala is another victim of mass tourism in that so many people, mostly Chinese, nowadays want to visit that there is a lottery system in place for visiting hours, and a group has no idea at what hour during a particular day it will be selected to enter! The guide is only informed the previous day. This is not a practicable situation for birding tours with a short time at Lhasa.]

In order to see more of Tibetan Buddhist culture, we will pay a visit to the famous Jokhang Temple. Founded in 650 AD by Songtsen Gampo, one of Tibet’s greatest monarchs, the Jokhang is the religious centre of Tibet and a magnet for pilgrims from all over the country. Throughout the day a colourful throng circumambulates the temple, the pilgrims chanting and prostrating themselves outside the temple itself. Inside, past rows of prayer wheels, are dark chapels containing a bewildering richness of frescoes and statues. The overpowering, unforgettable smell of butter candles permeates the temple, which now, following the re-establishment of Buddhism in Tibet, is once more watched over by seemingly ageless lamas. Even ornithological pilgrims soon find themselves captivated by this remarkable, other-worldly place.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 5  This morning, we will take a flight to the town of Yushu in southeast Qinghai province.

From Yushu, we will drive to Nangqian for a three-night stay.

We are now in the ‘gorge country’ of extreme southeastern Qinghai, a unique area where the increased rainfall allows scrub to flourish on the south-facing slopes and even quite mature areas of forest survive in sheltered valleys. The scenery seems almost ‘alpine’ after the Central Asian feel of the high plateau. Along the river valleys, the gravel spreads and flooded meadows provide ideal habitat for Ibisbills and we can expect to see some of these curious birds during our journey. We will also make stops in good areas for the chunky Great and Red-fronted (or Red-breasted) Rosefinches.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Days 6-7  Nangqian is a town situated on the upper Mekong, which here runs from northwest to southeast through a deep, rather arid but dramatically beautiful gorge partly clothed in scrub. Some extensive areas of juniper and fir forest can be found in the more sheltered side valleys. Through a remarkable trick of geology, three of the greatest rivers in Asia virtually coincide at this point – only about 100 kilometres to the northeast is the Yangtze, on its way to the China Sea, whilst some 150 kilometres away to the southwest is the Salween, en route to the Andaman Sea.

This fascinating area of gorges, dramatic alpine peaks, Tibetan scrub, and juniper and spruce forests holds special interest for birdwatchers due to the presence of three very special eastern Tibetan Plateau endemics; Buff-throated (or Szechenyi’s) Monal Partridge, Tibetan (or Kozlov’s) Babax and Tibetan (or Kozlov’s) Bunting. The last of these is known only from the dry valleys of the Mekong and Yangtze in Qinghai and adjacent Chamdo in Xizang (Tibet proper).

As well as these three mega-specialities, other great birds in the area include Tibetan Snowcock, Tibetan Partridge, the impressive White Eared Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Snow Pigeon, Robin and Brown Accentors, Sichuan Leaf Warbler, ‘Alpine’ Leaf Warbler, the superb little lilac-tinged White-browed (or Severtzov’s) Tit-Warbler, the delightful little Crested Tit-Warbler,  the gorgeous Chinese Rubythroat, Kessler’s Thrush, Giant and Elliot’s Laughingthrushes, Chinese Fulvetta, Sichuan and White-browed Tits, Pink-rumped (or Stresemann’s) and Streaked Rosefinches, and the superb Three-banded Rosefinch.

Other likely birds in the Nangqian region include the impressive Bearded Vulture (or Lammergeier), Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Golden Eagle, Eurasian Hoopoe, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Eurasian Crag Martin, Eastern Red-rumped Swallow, Rosy Pipit, Himalayan Bluetail, Blue-fronted Redstart, the lovely White-capped Redstart, Grey-crested Tit, Hodgson’s Treecreeper, the marvellous Wallcreeper, White-throated Dipper, Alpine Chough, Daurian Jackdaw, White-winged Grosbeak, Plain Mountain Finch and Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch.

With luck, we will also encounter one or two of the more uncommon specialities of the area, which include Maroon-backed Accentor, Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler and Tibetan Serin.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 8  Today, we will head off into more dramatic landscapes as we travel northwestwards through gorges and over mountain passes on our way to the remote town of Qumarleb (also known as Qumalai) for an overnight stay. Luckily for us, it has a surprisingly comfortable hotel.

We will surely encounter many Tibetan Plateau species today, but as it is basically a travel day, birding stops will be few. There will be other opportunities for everything.

Species we are likely to encounter include Himalayan Vulture, Upland Buzzard, Salim Ali’s Swift, the magnificent Saker Falcon (now in decline almost everywhere owing to illegal egg and chick stealing for Arab falconers), Red-billed Chough, Northern Raven (of the large Tibetan form), Horned Lark, Hume’s Short-toed Lark, Pale Martin, Eurasian Crag Martin, Black Redstart, White-rumped, Rufous-necked and Blanford’s Snowfinches, White Wagtail and Twite (of the interior Asian form, a potential split).

Best of all is the delightful little Ground Tit (or Groundpecker) that bounds across the steppe like some kind of bizarre wheatear, stopping every so often to peck furiously at the ground. These fascinating birds are currently thought to be an aberrant tit, although previously, it was thought to be an aberrant corvid and called Hume’s Ground Jay, so monotypic family status may prove a better long-term solution.

The grassy steppes are home to large numbers of Plateau Pikas, the staple diet of both Upland Buzzard and Saker Falcon. The burrows of these ‘mouse hares’ pepper the flatter areas and provide nest holes for snowfinches and other birds.

Numerous yaks graze on the thin grasses of these high-altitude steppes, watched over by swarthy-looking Tibetans on tough little ponies (or, increasingly, motorbikes) and sometimes accompanied by huge mastiffs with spiked collars. In spite of the difficulties of living in such a remote place, the people are very friendly. The ruddy-faced Tibetan women, sometimes still exhibiting with traditional silver ornaments bound into their hair, look to be every bit as adapted to this harsh environment as their menfolk.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 9  We continue northwestwards, if anything, into some even wilder country than the day before, en route to the remote settlement of Xidatan for an overnight stay. As we approach Xidsatan, we can admire the awesome snow- and ice-clad peak of Yuzhu Feng (6,178m or 20,269ft), one of the highest peaks of the Kunlun range.

We will be crossing the immense Kekexili Nature Reserve, a truly wonderful area for wild mammals.

Here, we can expect to see large numbers of Kiangs (or Tibetan Wild Asses) and Tibetan Gazelles, and later in the journey, the rare and endangered Tibetan Antelope or Chiru, much-persecuted for its splendid horns and soft hide. There is a good chance of Grey Wolf in this wild area and a good chance of encountering White-lipped (or Thorold’s) Deer. The broad-faced Tibetan Fox is positively common, and Plateau Pikas are numerous. There is a first chance for Wild Yak and a chance for Pallas’s Cat.

This is also an area with excellent chances for Tibetan Sandgrouse and Tibetan Sand Plover.

Marshy areas hold Black-necked Cranes, the huge Tibetan (or Long-billed Calandra) Lark, Bar-headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Mallard, Great Crested Grebe, Black Stork, Eurasian Coot, Common Redshank, Brown-headed Gull, Common Tern and ‘Tibetan’ Citrine Wagtail of the distinctive form calcarata that may represent a distinct species.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 10  Today, we will set out very early and head up the dramatic Yeniugou (‘Wild Yak Valley’) and its surroundings.

We have some truly dramatic scenery to look forward to as we search for the fabled Sillem’s Mountain Finch in its remote fastness. The Kunlun mountains are extraordinarily scenic, with the highest peaks in the region rising to well over 5,000m (16,400ft).

Our reason for exploring this remote location is quite simple: the chance to be amongst the few birders to have seen the almost unknown Sillem’s Rosefinch (formerly Sillem’s Mountain Finch), Carpodacus sillemi, a species that was overlooked when the first specimens were collected by a Dutch expedition that visited the area north of the Karakorum Range in the first part of the 20th century. They were misidentified as Brandt’s Mountain Finch, Leucosticte brandti, until C. S. Roselaar worked out that they represented a new species for science, either a new Leucosticte or perhaps even a new Koslowia (at that time a genus that was used only for the Tibetan (or Roborovski’s) Rosefinch. After that, nothing, until 2012 when Yann Muzika rediscovered the species by chance while on a trekking expedition in southwestern Qinghai 2012! More recently, Sillem’s Mountain Finch has been reallocated to the genus Carpodacus, into which Koslowia was subsumed, and renamed Sillem’s Rosefinch.

The area where Yann rediscovered the species is decidedly remote, and he again found the species present in 2013. We relocated it to the same area during our pioneering expeditions that commenced in June 2014.

The poorly-known Tibetan (or Roborovski’s) Rosefinch is positively common in this high-altitude habitat in the Kunlun, and at this time of year, we are likely to find the deep-pink males and sandy-grey females feeding their young.

Tibetan Sandgrouse (the least known member of its family) is straightforward to find in this area and requires no uphill hike in order to do so. Indeed we have even seen them at the roadside!

Other Tibetan Plateau speciality birds present in the area include Tibetan Snowcock and Tibetan (or Prince Henri’s), Black-winged and Pere David’s (or Small) Snowfinches. Additional species of interest include Güldenstädt’s (or White-winged) Redstart, Brown Accentor and Brandt’s Mountain Finch.

Mammals are absolutely fantastic in this area, most unusually for Asia. We should encounter Kiangs (or Tibetan Wild Asses) and Tibetan Gazelles. Wild Yak is another star attraction (we have a high chance of seeing some here). There is even a chance for Brown Bear and a slim chance for Pallas’s Cat, both of which have been seen during our past expeditions. There is even a very slim chance of Snow Leopard, as they still occur in the area. Red Fox, Himalayan Marmot, Woolly Hare and Large-eared Pika round out a panoply of great critters.

It is a long and (in the last section) bumpy drive to the rosefinch site and back, so any participant who wishes to can take the day off. Alternatively, if you do not feel up to a slow but uphill walk at a high altitude (up to 4,800m or 15,700ft or more), you can look around where we park our transport, and you could even get lucky and see the Sillem’s Rosefinch there, although they are usually higher up.

Afterwards, we will descend to Golmud for an overnight stay. Golmud is a small city at the southern edge of the vast, arid Qaidam (or Zaidam) Depression in northern Qinghai province. The Qaidam is considered part of the Tibetan Plateau but is its lowest region.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 11  This morning, we head westwards today on good, fast roads across the vast, sandy Qaidam (or Zaidam) Depression that is scooped out of the northern flank of the Tibetan Plateau. Mongolian (or Henderson’s) Ground Jays occur in the Zaidam and can sometimes be seen running across the road, while Cinereous Vulture is also likely.

Eventually, we reach the dramatic Altun mountains. Here, ‘Margelanic’ Whitethroat (sometimes treated as a full species but usually considered a subspecies of Desert Whitethroat) is common, as is Great Rosefinch. Chukar, Rock Sparrow and Mongolian Finch are also to be found in these arid mountains.

Our final destination is the town of Ruoqiang, situated at the edge of the Tarim Basin, where we will spend two nights. Ruoqiang is a small town in an autonomous Mongol district inhabited by people of Mongol descent and Han Chinese.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 12  Today, we will explore the southeastern edge of the Tarim Basin. This region was the focus of a number of Russian and British attempts to win the favours of the local rulers during the period of the ‘Great Game’. One of the members of the ‘British Yarkand Expedition’ was George Henderson, of ground jay fame, and his exploits are recorded in the book ‘Lahore to Yarkand’ by Henderson and Hume.

Here we will find Xinjiang (or Biddulph’s) Ground Jay, a species endemic to the Tarim Basin and also the endemic Tarim Babbler, finally recognized to be a sylviine babbler rather than a warbler and now treated as a distinct species rather than a subspecies of the very-different-looking and sounding Beijing Babbler.

Other interesting birds found in the area include Long-legged Buzzard, Pallas’s Sandgrouse, the range-restricted White-winged Woodpecker, Isabelline Shrike, Great Grey Shrike of the form pallidirostris (sometimes split as Steppe Grey Shrike), Asian Short-toed Lark, Desert Whitethroat, the localized and range-restricted Saxaul Sparrow and Desert Finch.

Additional species we may come across in the Tarim Basin include Eurasian Bittern, Great Egret, Greylag Goose, Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Red-crested Pochard, Little Bittern, Great Cormorant, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Kentish Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Black-headed and Mongolian Gulls, Little Tern, Oriental Turtle Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Little Owl, Common Swift, Eurasian Hoopoe, Common Kestrel, Oriental Skylark, Indian Golden Oriole, Oriental Magpie, Carrion Crow, Common Starling, Bearded Reedling, Barn Swallow, Barred Warbler, Isabelline and Desert Wheatears, Citrine Wagtail and ‘Masked’ Wagtail (the personata form of White Wagtail).

Mammals are not conspicuous, but we may encounter Goitred Gazelle.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 13  We head back across the Zaidam to the city of Golmud for an overnight stay.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 14  This morning we will drive eastwards to Dulan for an overnight stay.

Without a long distance to travel, we can take our time and stop for Goitred Gazelles and Mongolian Ground Jays along the way.

Around Dulan, the grassy and juniper-covered mountainsides hold Przevalski’s (or Rusty-necklaced) Partridge (a species endemic to the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau), Daurian Partridge, the localized Przevalski’s (or Ala Shan) Redstart (also endemic to this region of China), the weigoldi form of the Smoky Warbler, which was previously treated as a race of the Dusky Warbler, the impressive Giant (or Tibetan) Grey Shrike and Pine Bunting. There is even a chance for Himalayan Snowcock.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 15  After spending much of the morning birding around Dulan, we will head for Chaka for a two-night stay, arriving in time for some initial exploration.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 16  A large salt lake, now almost dried out, occupies the bottom of the Chaka depression, which is ringed by high, arid mountains. Here in this semidesert environment, we should find Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Desert Wheatear and Mongolian Finch. We will also have another opportunity for Blanford’s (or Plain-backed) Snowfinch.

Even more important for visiting birders is the enigmatic Przevalski’s (or Pink-tailed) Finch, which, after being treated as both a finch and a bunting owing to its intermediate characters, is now regarded as a monotypic family! At this time of year, the finches are making their spectacular undulating display flights over the scrubby slopes in the nearby hills.

We also have opportunities around Chaka to catch up with anything we might have missed around Dulan.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 17  Today, we will head for Xining, where we will spend the next two nights. Xining is the capital of Qinghai province and lies at about 2500m in a river valley that cuts into the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Qinghai, which occupies the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, is a province that has been under Chinese rule for hundreds of years, although largely occupied by people of Tibetan or Mongol ethnicity.

We will make a few stops along our route by the famous Koko Nor (or Qinghai Hu). The vast Koko Nor, one of the largest lakes in Asia, is a classic locality that appears time after time in the annals of the early ornithological exploration of the Tibetan Plateau. The lake is situated at only 3200m (low by Tibetan Plateau standards) and is surrounded by green and brown hills and snow-spattered mountains that contrast with the deep blue waters of the lake and the pale blue sky.

At the margins of the lake, the sandier stretches of steppe dotted with bunchgrass hold the spectacular Mongolian Lark and Pere David’s (or Small) Snowfinch. Additional species may include Black Kite, Little Owl, Common Swift, Richard’s Pipit and Isabelline Wheatear.

A number of marshy areas fringe Koko Nor, which is known for its breeding colonies of Bar-headed Geese and Pallas’s and Brown-headed Gulls. We will also see the rare and endangered Black-necked Crane here, while more widespread species we are likely to encounter include Black-necked and Great Crested Grebes, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Ferruginous and Tufted Ducks, Red-crested and Common Pochards, Common Goldeneye, Common (or Eurasian) Coot, Lesser Sand Plover, Kentish Plover, Northern Lapwing, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Eastern Black-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew and Common Tern (of the very dark race tibetana). Chinese Spot-billed Duck is also a possibility.

Eventually, we will descend from the northeastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau into the cultivated valley of the Xining River. The steep, dry, eroded mountainsides that rise high above the Xining Valley offer dramatic views over the city and hold an isolated population of Pale Rosefinch (now treated as an endemic Central Asian species distinct from Sinai Rosefinch), our prime target here.

Other typical species of this arid environment include Pied Wheatear, Common (or Rufous-tailed) Rock Thrush, Plain (or Père David’s) Laughingthrush, and Godlewski’s and Meadow Buntings.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 18  Today, we will explore an area of hill forest in the Xining region. Our main reason for coming here is to look for some superb Chinese endemics and other restricted-range specialities, including Gansu Leaf Warbler, Chinese Nuthatch, Przevalski’s Nuthatch, Chinese White-browed Rosefinch and the recently-split Qilian Bluetail. We have a good chance of seeing all of these special birds today, while other interesting birds include Hill Pigeon, Salim Ali’s Swift, White-bellied Redstart, Chestnut Thrush, Spotted Bush Warbler, Chinese Leaf Warbler and Grey-headed Bullfinch.

More widespread species we may well encounter include Eurasian Hobby, Common (or Ring-necked) Pheasant (here in its natural home), Common Cuckoo, Black Woodpecker, Oriental Skylark, Asian House Martin, Olive-backed Pipit, Amur Wagtail, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Siberian Rubythroat, the superb White-throated Redstart, Hodgson’s Redstart, Siberian Stonechat, Greenish, Hume’s Leaf and Yellow-streaked Warblers, Goldcrest, Slaty-backed Flycatcher, Rufous-vented Tit, Japanese Tit, Grey-backed Shrike, Azure-winged and Eurasian Magpies, Red-billed Chough, Large-billed Crow, Carrion Crow, Rook (the eastern form lacks extensive bare skin on the face and is sometimes split as Oriental Rook), Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Grey-capped Greenfinch and Common Rosefinch.

Tibetan Plateau & Tarim Basin: Day 19  Our tour ends this morning at Xining Airport.

(There are daily flights between Xing and Beijing and other major Chinese cities. We can easily book domestic flights for you on request, even if you are not obtaining your international tickets through us.)