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Azerbaijan & Nakhchivan A Tour for the Alpine Garden Society Itinerary Day 1 To Baku We’ll arrive into Baku on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the early hours and transfer to our hotel, a first chance to see how the oil boom has modernized and enriched Azerbaijan, for Baku is full of glitzy new hotels and construction. Day 2 Altiaghaj National Park We’ll have the unusual experience of driving some metres below sea level for an hour or so this morning as we head northwards inland of the Caspian’s shores, these 27m below sea level! Our first target will be an orchid rather than an iris. A very special one too. Himantoglossum formosum is a spectacular plant even by lizard orchid standards, the large deep pink blooms are quite a different shape from other members of the genus. We’ll see the last flowers of Orchis caspia, a close relative of the Pink Butterfly Orchid, some plants with pink flowers others green-lined on a white background. Rare Steven’s Orchid is found here too, and as Nightingales sing from the fruit orchards we’ll photograph bee orchids such as Ophrys transhyrcana and Ophrys cornuta, as well as colourful Echium russicum and Symphytum asperum. We’ll be shown a site for these fantastic orchids amid the forest steppes of eastern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains by a local botanist before having lunch and heading into the lovely Altiaghaj National Park during the afternoon. As we head up the Tughchay River valley we’ll pass through a startling landscape of alternating red and white rock strata. Further up are feather-grass steppes and entering the national park we’ll find ourselves in Hyrcanian Forests dominated by Iberian Oak. Altiaghaj is well-known amongst Baku’s nouveau-rich as a weekend retreat from the bustle of Baku and so facilities are very good. Day 3 The Southern Slopes of the Greater Caucasus We’ll have some time to further explore Altiaghaj where orchids will feature strongly, notably some very fine forms of Orchis caucasica. The weird Hooded Orchid flowers in the forest scrub alongside Ophrys caucasica and Burnt-tip Orchids. We’ll head west over the shoulder of Dubrar Dag crossing the divide to the southern slopes of the Caucasus. Our first iris of the trip, purple Iris aphylla, flowers in steppe with Polygalas and Louseworts. The spring flora of the forests here are ©Greentours Natural History Holidays ● 01298 83563 ● [email protected] ● www.greentours.co.uk exceptional with Paeonias and Cephalantheras, Toothwort and Herb Paris, an abundance of Violas and, in the higher areas, Scillas and Corydalis. A motorway takes us quickly along the southern edge of the Greater Caucasus with magnificent views all the way. Soon we’ll reach the old trading city of Shaki where the beautifully restored Khan’s Palace, once an important centre of power in Transcaucasia and beyond, overlooks a caravanserai. This has been converted into a hotel, one of the most enthralling places to stay in Azerbaijan, and our home for the night. Shaki is famous for its confectionary, particularly Shaki Halva. Upstream is the picturesque village of Kish and we’ll have time to explore the beautiful forested valley in which sits a wonderful old church. Days 4 - 6 The Jeyranchol Steppe and Boz Dag The next three days will be spent exploring the steppes that surround huge Lake Mingacevir, formed by the damming of the great Kura River. This region is one of two hotspots for oncocyclus irises in the Transcaucasus region, the other being Nakhchivan. The true Iris iberica blooms in the wide open expanses of the Jeyranchol Steppe, its striking white standards making it easy to spot when the sun is low in the sky. Black- bellied Sandgrouse fly across the steppe, their liquid bubbling calls so evocative of this landscape as we photograph Tulips and Bellavalias. There are two species of oncocyclus iris which offer a different colour-palate from the Turkish or Levantine species, for here are the yellows, blues and whites of Iris schelkownikowi and lovely Iris camillae which form hybrid swarms with Iris iberica in the dry steppe around Lake Kazan-Gel. There is a bewildering variety of colour combinations to be seen. We’ll explore the wormwood steppe around Lake Ajinohur not far south of Shaki where the steppes are so untouched there are still Leopards in the area. Boz Dagi is also home to a good population of oncocyclus irises here set in fabulous eroded semi-desert landscapes where the strongly tilted strata result in the most striking geomorphology. Day 7 via Ag Gol to Lerik Heading south across the central steppes of Azerbaijan we’ll search en route for the elegant red goblets of Tulipa schmidtii. Ag Gol National Park protects some superb wetland and semi-desert habitats. Goitred Gazelle are being re-introduced and the birdlife is exceptional. There are large numbers of herons, egrets, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbills and Pygmy Cormorants, and flocks of both Dalmatian and White Pelicans. Thousands of stunning Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters nest in the sandy hills and White-tailed Lapwings and Collared Pratincoles can be seen. Continuing south we’ll reach the Aras River and then skirt the border with Iran as we head for the southeastern-most corner of the Azerbaijan. In the evening we’ll reach the Talysh Mountains and settle into the lovely Hotel Tabassum surrounded by the lush Greenery of Hyrcanian Forests. ©Greentours Natural History Holidays ● 01298 83563 ● [email protected] ● www.greentours.co.uk Days 8 – 10 The Talysh Mountains The Talysh Mountains provide a link between the mountains of Transcaucasia and the Alborz Mountains of Northern Iran. The lower slopes are cloaked in species-rich Hyrcanian Forest, the upper levels montane steppe with shrubby Shibliak communities; rich hunting grounds for the botanist. The mountains are cut by steep gorges and have a complex geology, both resulting in varied habitats that promote a healthy biological diversity. The area was pretty much closed in Soviet times and so the wildlife has enjoyed protection by default, and so the large mammal fauna is surprisingly rich even in the lowlands. In the valleys below our hotel the last flowers of pink Primula woronowii (?) will be in bloom in lush forests that contain a rich mixture of trees including Wingnut and Parrotia persica. Confusing Dactylorhizas flower alongside streams where Dippers and Ring Ouzels feed. Fluffy white and pink heads of Stachys iberica mix with Echiums, Onosmas and blue Orobanches on the grassy slopes. We’ll soon find irises. Our first Iris paradoxas of the trip will look much like the forms found in Eastern Turkey, with falls covered in a thick layer of velvet and topped by large white standards veined a deep inky blue - truly a spectacular plant! Nearby is another fine oncocyclus species, or is it two? For we’ll find plants that look like Iris acutiloba and we’ll find others that look closer to the lovely Iris lineolata (is this Iris helenae?) with its fine, more pointed falls. Gladiolus atroviolaceus is also common and we’ll see a rich assortment of steppe plants such as Tragopogon crocifolius, Silene sperguliflora, Nepeta transcaucasica, Lappulas, and elegant Psephellus species. Higher up where Caucasian Agamas patrol the rocky outcrops and Rock Buntings and Shore Larks feed in tighter turf we’ll encounter Primula macrocalyx, large yellow Adonis wolgensis, Puschkinia scilloides and the tubby tessellated bells of Fritillaria kotschyana. Day 10 Flight to Nakhchivan Azerbaijan is famous for its mud volcanoes and today, as we drive northwards towards Baku we’ll visit the most impressive volcano fields close to the Caspian shore at Gobustan. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is an extraordinary landscape. There are no less than four hundred mud volcanoes along the Capsian shore, half the world total, and many of the best are at Gobustan. Small cones have mud more or less on a continuous boil, seeping out over the surrounding landscapes, larger cones can appear extinct, but these occasionally erupt into spectacular life too, sometimes columns of fire hundreds of metres high burn for months! The site has clearly played an important part in human history for there are abundant petroglyphs, more than six thousand of them, the oldest from 40,000 years ago. Gobustan is also an important place for birds as each spring large flocks of the now globally endangered Sociable Plover congregate here on their way north to the Kazakh steppes. We may be too late to see these but should still look out for Little Bustard, Greater Sandplover and Stone Curlew. ©Greentours Natural History Holidays ● 01298 83563 ● [email protected] ● www.greentours.co.uk We’ll have an early dinner in Baku before heading over to the airport for our seven pm flight to Nakchivan. Once we land in Nakhchivan it is just a few minutes to drive to the Grand Hotel in the city centre. Day 11 - 13 Nakhchivan Isolated and little-known outside its borders, Nakchivan is a most unusual and captivating place. Outside of the capital we’ll pass small villages, each house with gardens full of vegetables and fruit trees, whilst semi-deserts stretch off towards Iran to the south, interrupted by tranquil green cultivated landscapes. To the north are the mountains that form the border between Nakhchivan and Armenia, now with plenty of snow on the highest areas. Nakhchivan city is a pleasant place, really not much bigger than a decent sized town, with wide boulevards, plenty of space, and a most striking backdrop with views for miles all the way round, not least from the windows of our very pleasant and comfortable hotel, the ‘Grand’.

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