Georgia


Autumn Migration in the magnificent Greater Caucasus

Friday 24^th - Tuesday 28^th September 2010 (5 days)

Cost per person according to group size:

This tour is run using our unique sliding price scale, where the more people who come on a trip, the less you pay – this makes our tours truly great value as our starting price for 3/4 participants already compares favourably to that of similar trips.
Also, if you have travelled with Altiplano before you will get a 5% reduction on the prices below.

9-10 participants - £950

7-8   participants - £995

5-6   participants - £1,080

3-4   participants - £1,239  (2 booked so far - max. 8 places left)

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow
Depart London Heathrow on a morning flight to Batumi via Istanbul.
Arrive in Georgia in mid-afternoon where we shall transfer to our accommodation.


Day 2 Batumi
We shall have an early start and head straight up to a mountain top raptor counting station. This is a short drive of about thirty minutes from our hotel, followed by a ten minute walk.

The Batumi bottleneck is one of the most important birdwatching sites in Eastern Europe, where migratory birds concentrate en route to Africa and southern Asia.
The bottleneck occurs at the location where the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus, covered with humid relic forest, descend to the Black Sea coast and it holds the highest density of migrating birds in the Caucasus region.

Each autumn thousands of birds of prey, soaring the thermals, migrate through this site. Common Buzzards are the dominant species, but many Black Kites, European Honey Buzzards, Northern, Montagu’ s, Pallid and Western Marsh Harriers, Eurasian and Levant Sparrowhawks, Eurasian Hobby, Red– footed Falcon, Merlin, Osprey, Short– toed Snake Eagle, Lesser Spotted, Greater Spotted, Eastern Imperial, Steppe, Booted, and White– tailed Eagles can all be seen

Smaller numbers of Northern Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle, and Rough– legged Buzzard are also regularly spotted.
Other species to watch for include storks and pelicans as well as a good variety of waterfowl and shorebirds.

During the count in 2008 the numbers of migrating birds included about 812,000 raptors and around 3000 non-raptors. In 2009 the count reached 850,888 and around 2,600 respectively.


Day 3 Batumi- Kolkheti National Park
After breakfast we leave Batumi for the 50km. drive to the town of Poti.
Here we shall explore an area of wetland forest, lying west of the Black Sea coast, east of the town of Poti and south of the mouth of the river Rioni (Phasis).
Recently designated a National Park, the wetlands enclose a geographic centre historically known as Kolcheti (Colchis), famous from the legend of ‘Jason and the Argonauts’.

The atttraction for the birdwatchers in Kolkheti wetlands are; Red– necked and Black– necked Grebe, Squacco Heron, Great White Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Lesser White–fronted Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Marsh Sandpiper, and Great Snipe plus many species of ducks and waders as well as Great black–headed (Pallas’s) Gull, Gull–billed & White–winged Terns, White–headed Duck, White–tailed Sea Eagle and Greater Spotted Eagle.

We shall take a boat trip through the national park to visiting the best birding sites.


Day 4. Batumi to River Chorokhi
We will make an early start and drive some 30 km from Batumi towards the Turkish border to visit one of the most beautiful and interesting gorges in the Achara region; it is here that one of Georgia’s largest rivers, the Chorokhi enters in Black Sea.
Sadly, the wetlands of the Chorokhi Delta are largely degraded as result of human impact, however some fragments still remain intact.
The site comprises the wide Chorokhi Delta and estuary together with low-lying, undulating plains on both sides of the river, which are seasonally flooded by both salt and fresh water.
The Chorokhi delta is an excellent place for migratory waterfowl and passerines.

Day 5 Batumi to London
Transfer to Batumi airport for our flight back to London.