The Reptiles & Amphibians of Eastern Turkey

Summary

Turkey is an excellent destination for wildlife watching, influenced by no fewer than three continents, and the country remains an under-visited destination for naturalists. For those with an interest in reptiles and amphibians, Turkey offers a superb suite of both taxa.

After arriving at Trabzon, the holiday begins with a scenic drive to Uzungöl where we overnight. After settling into our hotel and enjoying our first Turkish meal together we will search nearby habitats for Caucasian Toad, North-eastern Banded Newt, and Caucasian Parsley Frog.

The following day we travel from Uzungöl to Ikizdere, passing through the picturesque Arpaözü route. This day provides chance to find exciting plethora of reptiles and amphibians, including Caucasian Salamander, Long-legged Wood Frog, Derjugin's Lizard, and Transcaucasian Nose-horned Viper. Other wildlife of the region includes Lammergeier, Green Warbler, and Caucasian Chiffchaff. We overnight in Ikizdere.

The following morning, we will leave the hotel before sunrise for an exciting excursion in search of the elusive Caucasian Black Grouse. As we ascend the Ovit Mountain Pass, we’ll keep an eye out for Alpine Accentor and Caspian Snowcock before we make stops in the habitats of various reptiles, including Caspian Whip Snake, Transcaucasian Nose-horned Viper and the barani subspecies of Adder, before reaching our hotel in Findikli where we stop for two nights.

The next day we will search lowland habitats around Hopa for one of the world’s most beautiful vipers, Caucasian Viper, along with the impressive Levantine Viper and Red-bellied Lizard and several other species.

The next part of the itinerary takes us to Borcka, Savsat and Ilgar Mountain. This is another excellent area for Levantine Viper and Schmidt’s Whip Snake, but also introduces Darevsky’s Viper, Transcaucasian Rat Snake, and the vaguely named Medium Lizard, a member of the green lizard group. The birds of the region include Lesser Spotted Eagle, Caucasian Chiffchaff, and Caucasian Black Grouse. We will overnight in Ardahan, not far from the Georgian border.

We end the trip with a two night stay in Kars. We drive via Hanak and Cildir where we will look for Levantine Viper, Adder, Darevsky Viper, Schmidt’s Whip Snake, Transcaucasian Rat Snake and Medium Lizard. Our final day may be the most exciting of all as we have chance to search for  Armenian Viper and Wagner's Viper!