Flowers, Birds and Butterflies of Eastern Anatolia
Turkey has a a large variety of climatic zones that co-exists thanks to its topography. With this extremely high diversity of habitats, Turkey is considered by many, to be the best country for birds, butterflies and flowers in Europe. During this trip we’ll see two different regions :
Eastern Anatolia around Lake Van which is influenced with oriental and African elements. The Hakkari-Van plateau exhibit the influence of asiatic flora and fauna . Surrounded by snow-clad mountains beautiful Lake Van lies more than a mile above sea level, and not far to the north is the magnificent 17,000 foot glacier-capped Mt Ararat, Turkey’s highest mountain. All this provides a marvellous backdrop for a breathtaking show of flowers. Perhaps a million powder-blue Puschkinias bloom all the way up the Karabet Pass and everywhere are meadows covered in a pink haze of Orchids and Primulas. Seven of the world’s most beautiful Iris species can be seen in profusion. The amazingly large and elegant white and deep maroon flowers of Iris iberica elegantissima are only bettered by the inky-blue veined standards and velvety orchid-like falls of rare Iris paradoxa. Deep cerise Merendera kurdica, bright mauve-pink Tulipa humilis, yellow, green, maroon or butterscotch Fritillarias and scarlet Phelypaeas make for an extraordinarily colourful show. Bee-eaters, Rollers and Hoopoes continue the colourful theme – these are some of Van’s commonest birds!
The north-eastern region is divided by high mountains chains. Ikizdere is home to rare White-backed Woodpecker, Greenish Warbler and Semi-collared Flycatcher. The beautiful scenary of high mountains are accompanied with the presence of Caspian Snowcock above 2,600 metres .The fabulous snowy peaks and the verdant valleys of Turkey’s Eastern Black Sea Mountains host a tremendous show of beautiful flowers and this is one of the easiest places to find the charismatic Ghost Orchid. he highest passes will have only just opened and so even in the height of summer bright pink and deep purple Primulas still bloom alongside azure Corydalis conorhiza and electric blue Gentians. Steel-blue Swertias and shining red Louseworts line sinuous streams. Family groups of Alpine Accentors and Red-fronted Serins feed among golden goblets of Crocus scharojonii that glitter from mile upon mile of alpine turf.
Enjoy your wildlife journey!
After breakfast, we will drive to a small lake located east side of city Van which called Ercek. Erçek Lake appears, a large lake, set even higher than Van at 1900m and surrounded by hill or mountainous steppe, a wide open and very beautiful sparsely inhabited landscape. Armenian gulls are very common also we will have chances to see Ruddy Shelducks, White-headed ducks, Black-necked grebes, Black-headed buntings, Common pochards, Marsh, Terek and Broad-billed sandpipers. Ranunculus kotschyi and Ranunculus sceleratus can be found in the wetter areas and orchids too, Orchis pseudolaxiflora. A very beautiful Convolvulus galaticus can be found in the area.. 
With more than 8,000 gravestones, the cemetery sits on a large piece of land. Efforts are presently being made by local authorities with a view to including the tombstones on UNESCO’s World Heritage List; with its domes, mosques, castle and cemeteries, Ahlat is like an open-air museum.Late after-noon we will be at Lake Sodaligol; a splendid but small lake which is located just near Lake Van and at the foothills of Mount Suphan. Lake Sodaligol has soda like its big brother Lake Van, plus some sandy parts, marshes and muddy surfaces. It is surrounded by villages where locals are friendly with birds; so birds are very tame to people. Dozens of White-headed Ducks, White-winged, Whiskered Terns, Oystercatchers, Greater Sand plovers, Curlew and Terek sandpipers, Pied Avocets, Sand Martins, Black-necked Grebes, Yellow wagtails, Slender-billed and Armenian Gulls can be watched here. 
After breakfast early departure to Bulanık Plain, Turkey’s biggest flooded plain shaped by the River Murat. This is one of the last breeding areas of the Demoiselle Crane. Other birds include Montagu’s Harrier, Great Bustard, Common Crane, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Gull-billed and White-winged Tern. Later we continue to Dogubeyazit; a settlement with a long history. Dogubeyazit lies 15 km southwest of Mount Ararat and 35 km from the Iranian border. 
After breakfast continuation to bird slopes around Mt. Ararat (5137m), famous for its resting place of Noah’s Ark and the highest mountain in Turkey, We will head to Doğubeyazıt Sazlığı, Saz Lake and Golyuzu Lake.. Continuation to Kars via Iğdır. Griffon Vulture, Rose-coloured Starling, Blue-cheeked Bee-Eater, Pygmy Cormorant are expected species on the road. 
Breakfast and Discovery of Kars : With its pastel-coloured stone buildings dating from the 19th-century Russian occupation, and its well-organised grid plan, Kars looks like a slice of Russia teleported to northeastern Anatolia. And the city’s mix of influences – Kurdish, Azeri, Turkmen, Turkish and Russian – adds to its distinct feel. No wonder it provided the setting for Turkish author Orhan Pamuk’s acclaimed novel Kar (Snow). We will continue to Kuyucuk wetland . 
Kuyucuk Lake was the best wetland in Kars. especially for Ruddy Shelduck , 10% of total world population was counted there. However because of bad irrigation there is a big risk of losing this place. Birds include Red-necked and Black-necked Grebe, Slender-billed Gull, Ferruginous Duck, Rose-coloured Starling are possible among large numbers of waterbird can be observed here. After lunch we will visit Ani – ruined medieval Armenian city – which is an abandoned city of ghosts. Known as “The City of 1,001 Churches”, Ani’s Armenian rulers and city merchants funded an extraordinary number of places of worship, all designed by the greatest architectural and artistic minds in their milieu. Although the nickname was hyperbole, archaeologists have discovered evidence of at least 40 churches, chapels and mausoleums to date.
Breakfast and continuation to Altındere Valley via Maçka. We will take time to explore the area around Sumela Monastery and Altindere Valley. The Monastery of Sumela is a Greek Orthodox monastery at the foot of a steep cliff facing the Altindere valley. Founded in the year 386 AD during the reign of the Emperor Theodosius I., legend has it that two priests undertook the founding of the monastery on the site after having discovered a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave on the mountain. With its natural values, Altındere Valley National Park is a famous area and was declared a national park in 1987; the valley is coated in a rich variety of flora and it is also notable for the diversity of its fauna. We take time to watch out for Green Warbler, Dipper, Coal Tit, the sparrow hawk, eagle owl, falcon, short-eared owl, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Treecreeper and Jay. 
