The rich and varied wildlife of this vastand fascinating country presents achallenge to any wildlife enthusiast.Up until now most travellers haveconcentrated on northern India. ThisNaturetrek holiday, however, will introduceyou to the tropical splendour of the Nilgiriand Cardamon Hills where the wildlife ofthe subcontinent flourishes in nationalparks of outstanding beauty and solitude.These hills, together with the WesternGhats which extend northwards toBombay, bear the brunt of the south-westmonsoon. The result is a fertile, tropicalland, markedly different from the north.The culture, too, is unique. A differentlanguage, Malayalam, is spoken and thereis a notably more relaxed attitude to life.Since the beginning of civilisation Keralahas supplied spices to the world, and thistrading history has fostered an un-lndiandiversity of religions within the state: asearly as 52 A.D. Christianity is said to havearrived here.The flora and fauna of southern India bearmany striking similarities to those of thetropical Indo-Malayan realm, despite theirseparation by thousands of kilometres.Bio-geographers talk of mountaincauseways, long since eroded, over whichthe Indo-Malayan forms spread. The isolatedfauna has evolved a number of uniquespecies and subspecies which we will makeparticular efforts to find during our tour.Bangalore is our point of entry into India.From here we drive to the historic city ofMysore for an overnight stay and somesightseeing before we drive south toNagarhole National Park. In this vastlandscape we are able to experience thesounds, sights and exhilaration of a southIndian jungle -unchanged since timeimmemorial. We will stay at the KabiniRiver Lodge. With its gracious old-world airand splendid lakeside views, it is a trulydelightful setting from which to commenceour wildlife exploration. We will travel injeeps out into the surrounding grasslandsand forests to watch Elephants and Gaur(the Asian bison) and with luck we maysee a Sloth Bear or a Leopard, both ofwhich are quite common. In the largeforest compound which surrounds thelodge, we can walk in safety and look forsome of the bird specialities.Our journey now takes us upwards to theold British hill station of Ootacamund at2,600 metres. It is here that we will searchfor the endemic birds of the Nilgiri Hills:Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, White-belliedShortwing, the beautiful Black and OrangeFlycatcher and Nilgiri Laughing-thrush.From Ootacamund we continuesouthwards. We pass through the city ofCoimbatore to Annamalai Sanctuary. Set atthe foot of the Cardamon Hills, Annamalaiinspired many to write enthusiastically ofits beauty and splendour. Forests of teakand rosewood give way to rockyprecipices and grassy ridges. This is oneof the best places to see two endangeredprimates: Lion-tailed Macaque and NilgiriLangur. We will search for them, and forthe bird specialities: Malabar Pied Hornbilland White-bellied Treepie. The high topsare inhabited by the endemic Nilgiri Tahr(a species of wild goat), but as they arehard to see here we will stop at Munnaron the way to Periyar. Above the teaplantations of Munnar is a small reservewhere the Tahr are easier to see andwhere we will hopefully find two moreendemic birds, Nilgiri Pipit andWhite-breasted Laughing-thrush.Periyar Tiger Reserve is justly one of Asia'smost renowned sanctuaries. Although theconstruction of a dam in 1895 floodedsome of the best forest, it has benefitedthe sanctuary in helping to protect thesurrounding forest and by providing aconstant water supply for the largemammals. It has also made Periyar one ofthe most picturesque sanctuaries in theworld. We will explore the sanctuary byboat, but our aim is also to spend time onfoot in the heart of the jungle -anexciting conclusion to our wildlife tour ofsouthern India. We will then spend a nightaboard a houseboat cruising Kerala'sbackwaters, before a final two nights inKochi (Cochin) to relax and sample thecultural and historical delights of thiscolourful port.For those with time to spare we stronglyrecommend our Andaman Islandsextension. These unspoilt tropical islands,over 1,600 kilometres from the Indiancoast, hold an outstanding collection ofendemic birds and mammals in theirdense rainforests, and offer excellentsnorkelling from their many coral islands.We will make the most of this tourist-freeenvironment, to relax, swim and enjoy aunique natural history. The National Parks ofSouthern IndiaA 19-day wildlife holiday to the Nilgiri and Cardamon Hills, and the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of Nagarhole, Annamalai and Periyar.Saturday 12th November - Wednesday 30th November 2011 Cost: £3,295Andaman Islands extension: to Monday 5th December 2011 Cost: £1,695Saturday 10th November - Wednesday 28th November 2012 Cost: £3,295Andaman Islands extension: to Monday 3rd December 2012 Cost: £1,695Outline itinerary Day 1Depart London. Day 2Bangalore.Day 3Mysore. Day 4/6Nagarhole NationalPark. Day 7/8Ootacamund. Day 9/10Annamalai Sanctuary. Day 11/12Munnar. Day 13/15Periyar Tiger Reserve. Day 16Houseboat, Kerala'sbackwaters. Day 17/18Kochi. Day 19Fly London.ExtensionDay 18 Chennai. Day 19/22Andaman Islands. Day 23Fly to Chennai. Day 24Arrive London.AccommodationComfortable tourist hotels andsimple forest lodges, all withprivate facilities. FoodAll included in the price.GradingDay walks only. Grade A.FocusBirds and mammals. LeaderMS Sudheesh, Dilan Mandana orSaravana Kumar.Single room supplement£795 (extension: £395). Web quick search: IND34242Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryNICOBARISLANDSANDAMANISLANDS(EXTENSION)(EXTENSION)BAY OF BENGAL PORT BLAIR ANNAMALAISANCTUARYMUNNAR PERIYAR TIGER RESERVE KOCHIOOTACAMUND NAGARHOLE SANCTUARY MYSORE BANGALORECHENNAIMUMBAI Nilgiri TahrCardamon HillsMalabar Pied Hornbill

Kazakhstan lies at the heart of CentralAsia, across the Old Silk Road, theancient trade route that linked Chinaand the West. It is a massive country, halfthe size of the United States or the wholeof western Europe! Yet with a population ofjust 17 million, mostly concentrated in thecities, this is a land of vast open andunpeopled spaces. Great stone and sanddeserts - the Kara Kum, Kyzyl Kum andTau Kum - and wide grassy steppesoccupy the great majority of the country,interspersed with such great inland lakesas Lake Balkhash and the Aral Sea. Indramatic contrast, along the south-easternborders of Kazakhstan stands the mightyTien Shan mountain range, the 1,610-kilometre spine of Central Asia andnorthern extension of the Himalaya whichwaters flower-filled alpine meadows, lushforests of Tien Shan Spruce and lowlandriverine Turanga forest, and feeds thegreat lakes and inland deltas to the north.Kazakhstan's flora - consisting of over6,000 species - is interesting and varied.Its alpine and bulbous plants areparticularly special, and one of thehighlights of this tour will be the widevariety and colourful displays of wild tulipsthat we will find in bloom in the meadowsand mountains. It was only during thesecond half of the 16th century that Asiantulips found their way to Europe, and themajority of forms in cultivation around theworld today were originally obtained fromGreig's and Kaufmann's Tulips, both ofwhich we will see in their meadows oforigin during this exciting tour. Indeed, aswe journey westwards from Almaty acrosssouth-eastern Kazakhstan, amongst abewildering variety of other beautifulspring flowers, we will hope to see up to10 species of wild Asian tulips.We will begin our tour with a scheduledflight to Kazakhstan's former capital,Almaty. Built as a Russian military outpostin the latter part of the 19th century, andformerly known as Verny (meaningFaithful) and more recently Alma-ata,present day Almaty is a pleasant andabundantly leafy modern city with afabulous backdrop, nestling as it doesbeneath the snow-covered peaks of theTrans Ili range of the Tien Shan Mountains,amongst which stands Mount Talgar (5,017metres). We stay for two nights in amodern hotel in the city and, afterbreakfast on the first morning, drive toLake Kapchagai on the River Ili (whichoriginates in China), approximately 80kilometres north-east of Almaty. In this aridarea we should find such tulips as Tulipaalbertii,T. busheana and T. behmiana aswell as the attractive Iris tenuifolia andCorydalis karelinii.This area is also rich inreptiles and hopefully we will seeHorsfield's Tortoise here.Leaving the luxury of the Astana Hotelbehind, we spend two nights in simpleaccommodation close to the wonderfulMerke Gorge, breaking the long drive fromAlmaty with frequent botanical stops alongthe way. A picnic lunch will be taken at theKurdai Pass, where we should find theendangered Berberis relative, Leonticeeversmannii with its showy yellow flowersand distinctive divided glaucous foliage.This site is a tulipophile's delight as weshould encounter Tulipa kolpakowskiana,T.ostrowskiana and their hybrids, providing atapestry of yellow, orange and red flowers.We may also find the unusual leaves of T.regelii which flowers very early, as well asa couple of iris species. Merke Gorge is situated in the KirghizAlatau mountain range, its steep slopescovered by clumps of ferns (Ceteraxofficinarum,AspleniumseptentrionaleandCystopteris fragilis) as well as relict IronTree (Celtis caucasica). The highlight here,however, is likely to be Zinaida's Tulip, anendemic species of the Kirghiz Alatau.We will now drive to Aksu Dzabagly NatureReserve, the oldest reserve in Central Asiahaving been established in 1927. Duringthe journey we will stop to explore both theKuyuk Pass and the Syrdarynski Karataurange where Greig's Tulip, the largest andmost spectacular of the world's wild tulips,will be in bloom. We will pass riverineforests where the relict species Fraxinuspotamophila, numerous Eremuruslactiflorusand the very beautiful Alliumkarataviensemay be found. A simpleguesthouse will be our base during our 6-night stay in Aksu Dzabagly. From it wewill explore the Aksu and Boroldai Gorges;the latter displaying an unrivalled densityof Greig's Tulips, the former offering suchunusual or endemic plants as Korolkowiasewerzowi,Rhinopetalum stenantherumandScilla pushkinioides.We will also soakin the delights of the distinctive CentralAsian open forest comprising suchspecies as Pistacia vera,Crataeguspontica,Pyrus regelii,Vitis vinifera,Sorbuspersica,Prunus sogdianaand Padusmahaleb, plus one of the rarest plants ofthe Tien Shan, the endemic Thesiumminkwitzianum.Next, we will drive to the Saryyaigyr Gorgefor a 2-night stay. Situated in theKarzhantau range, the steep slopes of thisspectacular gorge will reward us withthickets of Ferula tenuisecta,F.penninervis,Prangos pabularia, andpatches of forest consisting of thebeautiful 'weeping' form of Juniperussemiglobosa. The population ofKaufmann's Tulips will be our mainattraction here - with over 10 differentforms in bloom!Finally, we return by overnight sleeper trainto Almaty for some final and rewardingbotanical exploration in the alpinemeadows of the adjacent Trans Ili range,before our return flight to London.Tulip Meadows ofKazakhstan & the Tien Shan MountainsA 16-day botany tour of the steppes and Tien Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan, withparticular emphasis on the wonderful spring display of wild tulips. Saturday 7th April - Sunday 22nd April Cost: £2,795Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationCHINAKAZAKHSTANILI RIVERKYRGYZSTANLAKE BALKHASHTAMGALYTAS GORGEMERKE GORGEBIG ALMATYLAKEALMATYCHARYN RED &CHARYN YELLOWCANYONSSARYYAIGYR GORGE& KARZHANTAU RIDGESHIMKENTAKSU DZABAGLYNATURE RESERVEALAKOLLAKEOutline itineraryDay 1Fly Almaty.Day 2Almaty.Day 3/4Merke Gorge.Day 5/10Aksu Dzabagly NatureReserve, Tien ShanMountains.Day 11/12Saryyaigyr Gorge,Karzhantau Ridge.Day 13Drive Shimkent.Overnight train toAlmaty.Day 14Big Almaty Lake, TienShan Mountains.Day 15Almaty.Day 16Fly London.AccommodationComfortable hotel of internationalstandard with private facilities,Almaty; simple guesthouseselsewhere with mostly sharedfacilities.FoodAll included in the price. GradingDay walks only. Grade B.Easy/moderate.FocusPlants, with particular emphasis onthe wonderful display of wild tulips. LeaderJohn Shipton.Single room supplement£195.Web quick search: KAZ04243Tulipa greigii, view towards Tien Shan MountainsTulipa albertii