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The Reptiles & Amphibians of Eastern Turkey
Tour Code: TUR06A 9-day holiday in search of the reptiles and amphibians of Black Sea Coast and north-eastern Turkey.
£3,295
£2,995
Highlights
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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 Grouse. As you 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 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!
- A wealth of vipers possible; Armenian Viper, Wagner's Viper, Transcaucasian Nose-horned Viper, Levantine Viper, Caucasian Viper, Darevsky’s Viper and Adder
- Beautiful caudates including North-eastern Banded Newt and Caucasian Salamander
- An exciting birdlife including Caucasian Grouse, Green Warbler, Caucasian Chiffchaff, Common Rosefinch, and many others
- Led by an expert herpetologist alongside a local ornithologist
Outline Itinerary

Dates & Prices
2026

Tour Leader: Daniel Kane
Dan lives in London, where he works as a herpetologist for an international zoological organisation. In his role Dan specialises in the care and management of reptiles and amphibians including Philippine Crocodiles, Galápagos Tortoises, and Gila Monsters. Since discovering his first lizards as a child on family holidays to the Mediterranean, his interest for the natural world has continued to grow. After spending seven years informally studying a European Adder (Vipera berus) population near his family home in the Lake District, Dan completed his undergraduate dissertation on this very population, earning him a first class honours degree.
In his free time, Dan enjoys travelling the world in search of reptiles and amphibians. In recent years highlights have been walking with Komodo Dragons (Varanus komodoensis) and spotlighting for blue phase White-lipped Island Pitviper (Trimeresurus insularis), assisting with a long-term montane amphibian conservation project in northern Vietnam, finding a King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) in Thailand and searching the forests of Uganda for Gaboon Vipers (Bitis gabonica).
With a scientific mind and keen observational skills, Dan enjoys contributing to a deeper understanding of herpetology by publishing original research in academic journals. Some recent examples include the description of play behaviour in tree monitors and reporting range extensions for several species of Moroccan reptiles and Vietnamese amphibians.
Numerous presentations, conferences and hosting visiting conservationists from other countries allow Dan to share his passion for herpetology with like-minded individuals. As a Naturetrek tour leader he hopes to bring this enthusiasm and understanding to a new audience on our herping tours.
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
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