Central Turkey - Wildlife & History

The creation of this new holiday to central Turkey follows on from the long-running success of our 'Western Turkey — Wildlife & History' tour and has been carefully designed and timed so that the two trips can be taken together back-to-back. This offers the opportunity for a more thorough, 15-day, exploration of the region and the chance to get to know the wildlife, culture and history of this remarkable country — lying as it does at the crossroads of Europe and Asia — even better.

Our holiday begins with a flight to Kayseri (via Istanbul) in central Turkey — the capital of Cappadocia since ancient times — where we overnight. The following day we will transfer to the beautiful Aladaglar National Park for the first two nights of the holiday, stopping after an hour or so at Sultan Marsh for a peaceful boat trip among the wetland's waterways and reedbeds. Here, encircled by a mountainous backdrop, we can enjoy a wonderful variety of birds including Little Bittern, Black-necked Grebe, Great Reed Warbler and Penduline Tit. On the open water we hope to find White-headed and Ferruginous Ducks, Red-crested Pochard, Ruddy Shelduck, Whiskered and White-winged Terns and Pygmy Cormorant, whilst nearby, Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Rosy Starling, plus migrants such as Red-throated Pipit, are possible. Moving on, we will visit the Soganli Valley, which has been occupied since the Roman period yet is little visited by tourists. The Romans used the conical rock formations here as graves, which were later transformed into churches by the Byzantines, the most notable being Karabas, Yilanli, Kubbeli and St. Barbara (Tahtali). The frescoes in these churches date back to the 9th and 13th centuries! As well as historically fascinating, the valley is home to an interesting suite of birds too, including Eastern Rock Nuthatch, Egyptian Vulture and Blue Rockthrush.

We then complete our drive to the dramatic landscapes of Aladaglar National Park, home to the highest peaks of the Taurus Mountains and famous for its fabulous lakes, sheer rock walls, deeply cut valleys and rocky canyons. Here we search for high-altitude birds such as the elusive Caspian Snowcock, whilst keeping an eye open for other species favouring these high peaks such as Radde's and Alpine Accentors, Asian Crimson-winged Finch and White-winged Snowfinch too. A nearby gorge is often home to Wallcreeper, Ring Ouzel, Red-fronted Serin and Chukar. 

 Leaving the mountains behind, we next explore the Yumurtalik Nature Reserve which covers over 16,000 hectares and lies within the lakes, lagoons and wetlands of the Seyhan-Ceyhan Delta. White-breasted Kingfisher, Spur-winged Lapwing, Yellow-vented Bulbul and Graceful Prinia are just some of the exciting species that are resident here, although during the spring and autumn many migrating birds stop in to feed and rest, including a wide variety of waders such as Greater Sandplover, Broad-billed Sandpiper and Marsh Sandpiper. Akyatan and Akyatan Lagoons are also important nesting areas for Loggerhead and Green Turtles, both of which are endangered. We will overnight in the nearby city of Adana.

Leaving Adana, we will next explore the dry oak scrubland near Isikli and Durnalik. Here, amongst a spectacular rocky landscape (known as the 'Moonland') we will look for some of the most iconic birds of Turkey including White-throated Robin, Red-tailed Wheatear, Upcher's Warbler and Cinereous Bunting, plus Eastern Orphean Warbler, Western and Eastern Rock Nuthatches, Cretzschmar's Bunting and Sombre Tit. Black-winged Kite is possible here too.

In the late afternoon we arrive in Gaziantep where we spend one night. From here we are perfectly positioned to explore Halfeti and Birecik, essential stops for birders along the mighty Euphrates River and home to, amongst others, Northern Bald Ibis, Pallid Scops Owl, Upcher's and Ménétries's Warbler, Dead Sea Sparrow, Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, Pale Rock Finch and Desert Finch. We will also visit a colony of Iraq Babblers and take another wonderful boat journey amidst spectacular scenery. In the early evening we will arrive in Sanliurfa, whose ancient old town is one of the most evocative in Turkey. We will be based in Sanliurfa for the final two nights of the holiday.

On our last full day in Turkey we visit Bozova, a wetland site on the southern shores of the Atatürk Dam, home to both the exquisite Blue-cheeked Bee-eater and the rare Red-wattled Lapwing. We will then visit Gobekli Tepe, one of the most important discoveries in archaeology and one of the oldest human-made structures known, dating back an impressive twelve thousand years! We then end our holiday with a flight home from Sanliurfa, via Istanbul.