Birdwatching Holiday Tibet

China: Lhasa and the Tibetan Plateau

Saturday 7 August to Saturday 21 August 2010

Saturday 6 August to Saturday 20 August 2011

with Paul Holt and Wang Qingyu as leaders.

Cost: £4000 plus about £770 for flights (2010)

Single room supplement: £510

Please click here for details and an explanation of the price breakdown

Maximum group size: 10 with 2 leaders.

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China is a vast country, the third largest on earth, with a dazzling array of landscapes and environments that rivals anywhere else on the planet. A good number of the nation's 1385 or birds are endemic or near endemic, and many are poorly known. On this new tour we'll explore parts of the fantastic Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, the ‘Roof of the World’, in search of the many ornithological delights to be found in one of the world’s most isolated regions.

The Tibetan Plateau resulted from the dramatic geological upheavals that created the Himalayas and this stark landscape is effectively a high altitude desert, with more than half of the plateau at over 13500 feet. Now more accurately known as the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the region is home to an impressive array of charismatic species. Whilst we won’t see any wild Yak and are extremely unlikely to encounter a Snow Leopard, mammals we should see include Tibetan Gazelle, Tibetan Antelope and Kiang (or Tibetan Wild Ass). Bird life should include majestic Black-necked Cranes, Pallas's and possibly Tibetan Sandgrouse, the elusive Kessler's Thrush, stunningly patterned White-winged and possibly Ala Shan Redstarts, six species of snowfinch, numerous larks, engaging White-browed Tits, and the enigmatic Henderson's Ground Jay. Spending time in forests just off the Plateau we'll visit Huzhu Beishan, an area only recently opened to foreigners and one that harbours an impressive remnant ancient forest thronged with Phylloscopus warblers, redstarts and buntings, as well as many other regional specialities.

Our ultimate goal is Lhasa, the historic capital of the Tibetan region that has long been isolated from the outside world. A visit to this remote town will be a thrilling climax to the tour and we’ll take time to soak up the atmosphere of this magical place and see some of the fabulous Buddhist culture. This tour is guaranteed to be a real adventure and one that will show you birds and places seen by very few.

Day 1: The tour begins with an overnight flight from London to Beijing.

Day 2: We’ll arrive in Beijing in the early morning and transfer to another flight to Xining, the ancient capital of western China’s Qinghai Province. Time permitting we’ll drive to a hill overlooking the city where we'll search for Daurian Partridge, Plain Laughingthrush, Hume's Warbler and Godlewski's Bunting. Night in Xining.

Days 3-4: Today we'll drive to Huzhu Beishan, an impressive forested reserve on the border of Qinghai and Gansu provinces. We'll make numerous stops on route, one near the summit of the Huzhu pass where we’ll search the neighbouring mountain slopes for Tibetan Snowcock and Rosy Pipit, and the roadside bushes for White-browed Tit-warbler and we expect to arrive in the forested sections of the sanctuary before lunch.

Huzhu Beishan has only recently become accessible to foreigners, and we'll be one of only a handful of groups to have visited this amazing site. Lush grassy pastures in the valley bottoms, conifer forests on the lower and middle slopes and stands of gnarled junipers at higher elevations all support unique avifaunas. Conspicuous species here include Hodgson's and White-throated Redstarts, and White-winged Grosbeak, but it is the more difficult species that are Huzhu's primary attraction. Pheasants rank highly on everyone's list of difficult birds to see and there are several species here; Common Pheasant should not be too difficult, but Blood and Blue Eared Pheasant, as well as Chinese Grouse, will require more effort. The forests abound with bird song, much of it from the many species of Phylloscopus warblers, nine of which make Huzhu their summer home. We'll spend the days birding at Huzhu but will return to spend the nights in Xining.

Day 5: Leaving Xining we'll drive west, climb up onto the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and head for spectacular Qinghai Hu (Lake Koko Nur) some 9600 feet above sea level. Spending the next six days on the plateau we’ll visit as many different habitats as our time permits. We’ll be seeing the rolling alpine grasslands at their very best and the meadows will be awash with blossoms of buttercups, forget-me-nots, gentians and poppies. Combine this with a backdrop of dramatic snow-capped peaks and Koko Nur (or ‘Blue Sea Lake’ as its known in both Chinese and Mongolian) and what better place could you imagine to go birding! Looking at the stunning pristine landscape it'll be difficult to believe that we're still in the world's most populous nations.

On the shores of Lake Koko Nur post-breeding Bar-headed Geese, and both Pallas's and Brown-headed Gulls and will vie for our attention. We'll also search for, and expect to see, the rare Black-necked Crane and possibly even the endangered Pallas's Fish Eagle. In the neighbouring grasslands, among the domesticated yaks and horses and scattered Tibetan tents, we should find species such as Tibetan and Mongolian Larks, six of the world's seven species of snowfinch - White-winged, Tibetan, White-rumped, Small, Rufous-necked, and Plain-backed - plus comical Hume's Ground Jays. We’ll spent this and the following night in a comfortable hotel near ‘Bird Island’.

Day 6: Spending another full day at the western end of Koko Nur we’ll have ample time to search for more of the region’s specialities. Pikas are common throughout the grasslands and constitute an important food source for the numerous Upland Buzzards and Saker Falcons. We'll also expect to encounter large numbers of migrant waterfowl and waders but the day’s primary targets will come in the shapes of the gorgeous Ala Shan Redstart and Pink-tailed Bunting, the latter a bizarre species that’s recently given its own family.

Day 7: We'll continue west from Qinghai Hu and spend the morning exploring a ravine rich in birds. It's a moderately steep walk to the top, but we'll move slowly, our steps perhaps enlivened by encounters with a Tibetan Partridge, Wallcreeper, Kessler's Thrush, Blue-fronted Redstart, glistening gem-like White-browed Tit Warblers, Eurasian Eagle Owl or Lammergeier. In the afternoon we'll drive over a road pass to Chaka, a bizarre area rich in mineral salt deposits and yet with tracts of intensive and surprisingly lush agriculture. We'll be looking particularly for Pallas's Sandgrouse and Mongolian Ground Jay. Twice before we've been fortunate enough to encounter several parties of the enigmatic Tibetan Sandgrouse here. Night in Chaka.

Day 8: We'll leave early for a dry wash east of Chaka where, in the early morning light, we'll look for Rusty-necklaced Partridge, Pallas's Sandgrouse, Desert Wheatear, and Mongolian Finch. Later we'll visit a shallow canyon that is home to another excellent selection of exciting birds including Pink-tailed Bunting, White-browed Tit and, with luck, both White-winged and Ala Shan Redstarts. In the afternoon we’ll head back east, retracing our route past Qinghai Lake before turning south to Gonghe where we’ll spend the following two nights.

Day 9: Travelling south of Gonghe we’ll face our most strenuous day of the tour. Our destination will be the Ela Pass, which at a mighty 13500 feet is easily the highest road pass on the tour. The pass is a regular site for White-winged Redstart and both Plain and Brandt’s Mountain Finches. Moreover the Er La Pass is one of only a handful of reliable sites for the little known Tibetan Rosefinch. As well as pottering around the road, if the weather permits we plan to walk another 900 feet up to the summit of one of the nearby mountains. Tibetan Snowcocks breed here but are elusive, as is our primary quarry, Tibetan Sandgrouse. These beautiful birds are incredibly shy and retiring and much of the day will be spent slowly exploring the mountainside in our quest to see the sandgrouse before returning to Gonghe for the night.

Day 10: After a final morning searching for species such as Rusty-necklaced Partridge, Amur Falcon, Margelanic Whitethroat and Mongolian Finch around Gonghe we’ll head back to Xining before embarking one of those journeys most people only dream about as we take an overnight train to Lhasa, the heart and soul of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

Day 11: We spend most of today on the train. This train journey is rapidly becoming one of China's 'must do' tourist attractions. Following the highest railway in the world, our modern train, which offers comfortable sleeping accommodation and excellent food, will take us through some really outstanding scenery and right across the 'Roof of the World'. Although the journey is a long one, the comfort of the train and the chance to just sit back and watch this remote wilderness unfold before us should make this a highlight of the tour. We will cross high plateaus and travel through ice tunnels before reaching the heart of the Himalayas and Tibet. We’ve previously seen Lammergeier, Ibisbill and three species of snowfinch from the train as well as Kiang (or Tibetan Wild Ass), Tibetan Fox, Tibetan Gazelle and the increasingly rare Tibetan Antelope so there’s plenty to look for. We expect to arrive in Lhasa in the early evening.

Days 12-13: Today we'll begin to explore this fascinating region. Surely one of the planet’s most charismatic cities, Lhasa is the focal point and spiritual heart of this deeply religious region. Buddhism permeates all facets of Tibetan daily life and the name Lhasa actually means ‘God’s Land’ or ‘Place of the Deity’ in Tibetan. We’re sure to be impressed by all that this city has to offer - Lhasa retains much of its old world charm despite significant recent changes and a strong, modernizing Chinese influence. Now a sprawling city of almost a quarter of a million inhabitants, Lhasa remains a popular pilgrimage destination for Buddhists the world over and also continues to enchant even the most weary of foreign travellers!

Spending two full days around Lhasa we’ll have time to combine the best of both worlds spending one day sightseeing and the other birding. We aim to visit the Potala, the vast white and ochre fortress that soars over the flat valley bottom and dominates the city’s skyline. The former residence of Dalai Lamas, the Potala was built in the seventeenth century and replaced an older fortress that stood on the same spot.

Once the Holy Grail of Asian explorers there’s lots to do and see in Lhasa city and we plan to visit Barkhor Square and the neighbouring Jokhang right in the heart of the old Tibetan quarter. On our other day we’ll venture an hour and a half out of Lhasa to a quiet mountain nunnery where many of the area’s birds have been protected for centuries and have become remarkably tame. The main species we’ll be looking for is the magnificent Tibetan Eared Pheasant and althought they roam widely they should give themselves away by their harsh, husky barked cries. Other species here include Tibetan Blackbird, Giant Babax, Streaked and Pink-rumped Rosefinches and we have yet another chance of encountering Tibetan Snowcock.

Day 14: Today we’ll fly from Lhasa back to Beijing where we’ll spend the night.

Day 15: Another flight will take us from Beijing back to London where the tour concludes.