Kyrgyzia, Tajikistan & Uzbekistan

Over ninety per cent of Kyrgyzia lies above the top of the UK’s highest mountain! Independent after the collapse of Soviet rule in Central Asia, this stunningly beautiful country never actually existed before the Soviet Union, rather it was invented (as an autonomous region) in the 1920s by Stalin. Perhaps not surprising then that few of us know much about this land of alpine lakes, fast-flowing rivers, rolling steppelands, conifer forests and rare walnut forests that lie between the arms of the giant snow-capped peaks of the Celestial Mountains.

Time waits for nobody and that’s certainly true of spring bulbs. Hence we are offering two tours to Kyrgyzia a month apart. Quite simply there is a very different range of bulbs to be seen on the two trips. This, the first, concentrates on some fabulous Juno Irises, some of the most beautiful of all the irises, as well as some stunning Frits and early Tulips. First those Junos. An extraordinary seven species are likely! On the day we land we’ll make the acquaintance of lilac Iris narynensis whose falls are centred deep purple. Variable Juno subdecolarata comes in palest yellows, whites and a cold blue that is nowhere near as ice-blue as gorgeous Juno kuschakewiczii that adorns the Besh-Kungey Hills. Along the scenic Naryn River Canyon we’ll find the stacked leaves of Juno graberiana packed full of bright blue blooms. Along the Sokh River we’ll find a particular beauty, the lovely Juno narbutii with strongly two-toned yellow and blue blooms, and there’s also pale, greenish-white Juno austrotadchatkalica and little-know Juno rodionenkoi!

Tulips will also be a major focus. Alongside masses of elegant yellow Tulipa ferganica are variable Tulipa ostrowskiana, with its red, yellow or any combination in between blooms, and the shiny white stars of Tulipa jacquesii. Still there are more – Tulipa pseudofegania, Tulipa orthopoda, Tulipa bifloriformis and Tulipa binutans. By patches of snow are the white stars of Crocus alatavicus and the gorgeous little pale blue Iridodictyum kolpakowskianum whose falls are dipped in purple ink. Snowmelt is a rich hunting ground for the botanist here – we’ll find Scilla puschkinioides, Gageas, weird orange Gymnospermium albertii and Eranthis longistipitata. There’s also the unusual yellow Colchicum luteum and little Colchicum kesselringii. Fritillary-like Rhinopetalum stenantherum is a beautiful plant, though small in stature it is hung with numbers of stunning pink bells, and there are two more of these gorgeous little frits to find during the tour, little-known Rhinopetalum rugillosum and pinker-still Rhinopetalum karelinii. Anemone gortschakowii and Anemone petiolulosa both have bright yellow flowers, the undersides of the petals often almost red. We’ll find the gorgeous deep pink blooms of Primula fedtschenkoi with their dark eyes, the yellow pyramids of Leontice ewersmannii, delicate Corydalis nevskii, architectural Euphorbia rapulum, and Astragalus testiculatus whose pods leave you in no doubt as to how it came about that name! The variety seems never-ending, and the landscapes one fabulous vista are another.

Moving into Tajikistan we’ll soon encounter a fantastic sight – five million Iris bucharica stretching for miles in dense drifts of yellow blooms along the Karatag Valley. Eight fantastic Juno Irises and ten Tulip species are the cream of an amazing array of bulbous species that cover the spectacular mountains and steppes of Tajikistan and nearby parts of Uzbekistan. There will be regular sightings of those avian indicators of montane splendour, Lammergeier, Wallcreeper and Himalayan Griffons. We’ll also be able to enjoy a full day exploring the incomparable blue-tiled mosques and palaces of magical Samarkand.

Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, is surrounded by high mountains and whichever way you leave the city you are soon amongst flowers. Hillsides are covered in pink-centred white Anemone tschernjaewii and brilliant scarlet Anemone bucharica. Iris vicaria has a subtle combination of lilac-marked white and egg yolk yellow blooms. Blue-capped and Güldenstadt’s Redstarts sing amongst deepest purple Bellevalia turkestanica and pale lilac Fritillaria bucharica, Scilla vvedenskii and extra-large flowered Corydalis popovii, with long slender pink spurs and purple-black outer perianths. On the Ansob Pass we’ll find Tulipa praestans while dense carpets of golden yellow Crocus korolkovii produce bands of gold stretching from the road into spectacular high snowy mountains. Three starling-sized red passerines occur in this terrain, Red-mantled, Red-faced and Great Rosefinches and we’ve a chance of the localised Afghan Snowfinch and Tibetan Snowcock. There’s more red to be seen too, flowers this time, Tulipa korolkowii and Tulipa micheliana join elegant Corydalis maracandica and a lovely Corydalis with flowers an extraordinary mix of cherry-red, gold and pink as we move into Uzbekistan. Famous Chimgan has Corydalis darvasica, Tulipa tschimganica, Tulipa kaufmanniana and Fritillaria seversovii, and nearby mountains are home to Iris tubergeniana, abundant Gymnospermium albertii and pretty pink Fritillaria stenanthera. Pale lilac Iris magnifica is a fantastic sight amongst the large granite boulders of the Amankutan Pass. Here little striped Colchicum kesselringii will hardly get a look in as we admire the huge glossy goblets of Tulipa fosterana, dark pink Primula fedtschenkoi and the fine purple, blue and yellow Iris warleyensis. Creamy Iris pseudocapnoides, plumy Iris stolonifera and the gorgeous pink pyramids of Eremurus albertii are amongst the great rarities we are likely to encounter. After such fabulous floral fare those needing a little extra culture can fly on to Bukhara’s elegant Islamic architecture.

NB Trip reports for these magnificent longer tours are too unwieldy to download from the website, let alone read in one go, so trip reports are listed for each section of the tour.’