About Central Asia Birding

Central Asia Birding was founded in June 2006 by Machiel Valkenburg and his wife Madina Dyussebayeva. Machiel visited the region for the first time in the spring of 2005 and, being a devoted birder, was completely hooked to this mighty region.

Madina and Machiel came to the decision to establish Central Asia Birding, as they wanted to share their experience with other interested bird- and nature travellers. Madina worked for more than six years in the tourism industry in Kazakhstan, organizing and guiding many tours. Machiel devoted his life from an early age to birdwatching, travelling extensively in pursuit of birds. From his sixteenth year, he already travelled within and outside Europe, with birds as the main reason for choosing a destination. Later on, after studying landscape ecology, he added butterflies and nature in general to his interests. It seemed a perfect mix to Madina and Machiel to combine their interests and experiences and to launch Central Asia Birding. CAB has its main office in Almaty, in the very heart of Central Asia.

Since May 2007 Central Asia Birding has organized successful bird and nature tours in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Trip reports can be downloaded on the page Travel reports. More interesting trips are planned!

Our service

Central Asia Birding was born out of our passion for nature in Central Asia and has resulted in us being able to offer fantastic bird and nature tours to the whole region. We would be very happy to help you to organize and design your nature or birdwatching holiday to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Mongolia or a combination of these countries.

Over the years, we have gathered great experience and knowledge of the avifauna and nature reserves of Central Asia. In addition, we have a large network of reliable partners at our disposal to help us with the creation of the perfect nature and/or bird watching holiday, to countries that are normally difficult to access.

About our tours

The tours are all-inclusive, meaning that all expenses are covered from arrival to departure. There are only limited extra costs for you, for example for some personal expenses for souvenirs, tips and/or alcoholic beverages.

All groups are accompanied by a bird guide with expertise in birds and/or, depending on the theme of the trip, by a local botanist and/or entomologist.

In addition the group will be accompanied by a tour manager who speaks the native language and who will handle logistic matters during the trip.  This tour manager is usually of local origin and a student at a tourism university. He/she will be able to tell you much about the way of life and culture of the country. Usually, an extended lunch, which may include potatoes, meat and vegetables, supplemented with salads, bread and fruit, is conveniently consumed in the field. There are always enough cooled water and non-alcoholic beverages available.

Our tours are well provided; the cost of our service covers the following:

o Airport transfers
o All transport.
o All accommodation in hotels, tents and yurt camps.
o All meals plus enough mineral water for everyone (up to 3 l. per person per day).
o Expert tour leaders and expert local guides.
o Tour managers/translators.
o Entrance to national parks.

The cost of our service does not cover the following:

o International flight to/from Central Asia.
o Travel insurance and health insurance.
o Personal expenses, telephone, tips and alcoholic beverages.
o Visa costs.
o Cost for use of professional cameras in national parks.

Fixed departure tours

Central Asia Birding has several years of experience in organizing bird and nature travel in Central Asia. We offer fixed departure tours for small groups with a maximum of 10 participants visiting multiple destinations in Central Asia. For the full travel range, look at our Travel Schedule page.

Individual tours

Central Asia Birding offers not only fixed departure tours but also organized individual tours for those who want to experience the flora and fauna of Central Asia on their own or with their own little group. We can arrange a tour based on one of the available tours or we can also design an itinerary at your request. Let us know your wishes and we’ll try to accommodate you as much as possible!

 If you have any further questions, you can always contact us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . This email address is protected against spam.