Welcome to Silk Road Birding!
Join us in discovering a fascinating region and its fantastic birdlife
We work in great places
Silk Road Birding focuses on organising ornithological and cultural tours in Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Central Asia is extremely diverse with vast deserts, stunning mountains, high-altitude plateaus and some of the largest steppe areas on Earth. We’ll show you them all.
We know our stuff
Our guides are passionate and know the region well. Whether they are trained ornithologists, wildlife photographers or academics specialising on Central Asia, they are committed to sharing their expertise and experience with others (and finding the birds!).
We are locally grounded
We started as a community of birdwatchers from Kazakhstan and we love going out birding, for work and for fun. When there is a new sighting in our region, we know about it first. If you want to follow birdwatchers in Kazakhstan and their adventures, check out our community’s website.
Who we are
It all began with a platform for local birders and ornithologists to share their observations. 15 years later, here we are, ready to use that experience to show you the best of the region’s birds and its stunning scenery.
“To be honest I am still a bit in an euphoric mood because of our awesome Trip to Kazakhstan. All our birding expectations were fulfilled during our Trip. And even more; landscape, accommodation, food, transportation, guiding and most of all – companionship! All of it gave us something to remember.”
Markku Loippo, Finland, 2023
“We returned to France delighted with this trip: its organisation, the atmosphere created, your accompaniment of our group, knowledge and talent for sharing your passion for Central Asia… Thank you!”
Gil Vaillant, France, 2023
“The trip to Kazakhstan was beautiful, and in terms of bird watching and observation, very good. The next day, they took us back to Almaty to the airport, where we said goodbye to Kazakhstan, at least for now.” [translated from Czech]
Martina Nacházelová, Czech republic, 2019
OUR TOURS
Kazakhstan
From sandgrouse to snowcock, steppe to snowy mountains
This is our main tour and the one that we’ve run the longest. If you want to experience the best of the spring migration, observe our iconic species up-close and explore the huge variety of landscapes Kazakhstan has to offer, this is the one for you!
Kyrgyzstan
Heart of the Tian-Shan
Breathtaking vistas, high-altitude specialities and exceptional hospitality: welcome to Kyrgyzstan! You will explore alpine plateaus, traverse mountain passes and discover hidden valleys in our search for species such as the Mongolian plover, ibisbill and the white-browed tit-warbler.
Bespoke adventures
For those with specific requests or limited time, we are always happy to put together a unique itinerary. Whether you are after a particular species, would like to spend more time in a location for photography or want to visit somewhere more remote, we enjoy co-creating personal trips of a lifetime.
Day trips
For those who would like to add a day of birdwatching to their other travels in Central Asia, we run one-day or two-day trips out of Almaty and Astana in Kazakhstan and Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, all year long. With great birding sites around there is always something interested to find, whatever the season!
