Tibetan Plateau and Xinjiang

Taklamakan Desert, Tien Shan, Qinghai, Lhasa and Lord Derby's Parakeets of East Tibet

7th - 26th June 2025

Leader: Mike Nelson

The Tibetan Plateau is truly the Roof of the World and during our epic journey from Qinghai in the northeastern part of the plateau to the historic city of Lhasa, we will be visiting areas only rarely explored by western birders, with an excellent chance of finding all the birds endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. Amidst extraordinary scenery we will seek out Przevalski's Finch, Sillem's Mountain Finch, Ala Shan Redstart, Ground Tit, Henderson's Ground Jay, Roborovski's Rosefinch, Kozlov's Bunting, Kozlov's Babax, Tibetan Sandgrouse, Szecheny's Partridge, Gansu Leaf Warbler and many equally mouthwatering species. As we enter the 'Tibetan autonomous region' we will look for some very restricted specialities; Tibetan Eared-Pheasant, Prince Henri's Laughingthrush, Giant Babax and even travel to easternmost Tibet in search of the range-restricted, pine-loving Lord Derby's Parakeet.

Ending in Xinjiang, the westernmost province of China, will go in search of Biddulph's Ground Jay, endemic to the Taklamakan Desert, along with a fine supporting cast of Tarim Babbler, Desert Whitethroat, White-winged Woodpecker, Saxual Sparrow and Azure Tit. A day in the Tian Shan we could also encounter several Central Asian specialities including Eversmann's and Blue-capped Redstart, Black-throated Accentor, Red-mantled Rosefinch and Red-fronted Serin.

‍Day 1:
Arrivals into Urumqi International Airport (URC). Night at Urumqi.

Day 2:
A full day in the foothills of the Tian Shan in search of a few specialities of Central Asia that just creep into China along this mountain range. Red-headed Bunting, Eversmann’s and Blue-capped Redstarts, humei Hume’s Leaf Warbler, Fire-fronted Serin, Three-toed Woodpecker, Black-throated Accentor and Azure Tit are the most notable. There is also an outside possibility of Red-mantled Rosefinch.
A distinct Eurasian flavour contrasts markedly with the rest of China as Mistle Thrush, Eurasian Grasshopper Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Great Tit, Common Quail, Eurasian Blackbird and Barred Warbler are all to be found.
Night in Urumqi.

Day 3:
First morning flight from Urumqi Airport south over the Tian Shan to Korla, on arrival drive on to Luntai for late lunch.
We have the rest of the afternoon and the following day in-and-around the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, an area of 337,000 sqkm, boarded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, Pamir’s and Tian Shan to the north and west, and the mighty Gobi Desert to the east. The reason for being here is simple – Biddulph’s Ground-jay, endemic to the Taklamakan. As well as the ground-jay, which can occasionally be found running across and by the road that cuts through the desert, we bird where there is any available scrub in search of some other specialities of the region, including Tarim Babbler, Saxaul Sparrow, White-winged Woodpecker, Desert Whitethroat (currently lumped back in Lesser Whitethroat) and Azure Tit. Night in Luntai.

Day 4:
A morning in-and-around the Taklamakan Desert for whatever species remain from yesterday, before returning to Korla. From Korla we fly to Chengdu. Night in Chengdu.

Day 5:
Morning flight from Linzhi Airport, situated in southeast Tibet, less than 15km from the Arunachal Pradesh (Indian) border. A full afternoon birding around Nyingchi primarily for Lord Derby’s Parakeet. Vigilant scanning will be required as we make regular stops in the hope of finding parakeets perched or flying-by. The endemic Prince Henri’s Laughingthrushes and Giant Babax also occur around here, though are much easier around Lhasa. In addition, Black-headed Greenfinch, Daurian Redstart, Giant Laughingthrush, Rufous-fronted Bushtit, Blyth’s Leaf Warbler and Brown and Grey-headed Bullfinch are also found in this area, and on past tours we’ve even found Firethroat, Grey Nightjar, Indian Blue Robin and Tibetan Eared Pheasant though birding is surprisingly slow in this beautiful area. Night in Linzhi.
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Day 6:
Following early morning, primarily in search of Lord Derby’s Parakeet, we drive west to Lhasa. We make a couple of stops on the way, even making a brief stop at a 5,000m high pass, and depending how we’re doing for time our first snowfinches and other high plateau species possible before arriving at our hotel in the evening. Night at Lhasa.

Day 7:
Visiting a nearby monastery for the morning in our quest for one of the main targets on this tour; Tibetan Eared-Pheasant. The nearby bushes and village area are packed full of birds; Prince Henri’s Laughingthrush is common, as are Tibetan Blackbird, Streaked Rosefinch, Severtzov’s Tit-warbler, Brown Accentor, Tibetan Partridge, Red-billed Chough and we should also see family parties of Giant Babax. Sometimes, Tibetan Snowcock is also present.
During the afternoon we visit the magnificent Potala Palace, immersing ourselves in one of the most iconic buildings in the world, built in the 7^th century(though reconstructed continually due to the battles and wars lasting until the 17^th century) – note we visit only the outside, not inside. Following this, we also visit Jokhang Temple should time allow, witnessing the numerous pilgrims prostrating themselves outside, and enjoying a stroll outside the temple and the numerous buddhas on show. The surrounding streets are lined with colourful faces and scenes, revealing a side to Tibet beyond the birds which makes this such a special tour. Please note: for those wishing to visit the inside of the Jokhang Temple, an entrance fee is charged (80RMB per visitor in 2019). Night at Lhasa.

Day 8:
Early morning drive to airport for flight to Yushu, situated in southeast Qinghai. Upon arriving in Yushu we head off in search of Great Rosefinch, Black-winged Snowfinch and Ibisbill. Ground-tit and both Rufous-necked and White-rumped Snowfinch are plentiful – birds we will see on a near daily basis from here on. Driving south to Nangqian, if time allows, we stop in search of Red-fronted Rosefinch with additional chances of Ibisbill as we snake our way through some of the most magnificent scenery China has to offer – which is saying something! Night in Nangqian.

Day 9:
Our destination today is Kanda Shan perched at over 4,500m (35km / 90 mins) which is well known as one of the few accessible locations to search for Kozlov’s Bunting. Other species of interest here might include Chinese Rubythroat, Severtzov’s Tit-warbler, Yellow-billed Chough and Tibetan Snowcock, and as we make our way lower down during the afternoon, White Eared-Pheasant, Szechenyi’s (Buff-throated) Monal Partridge, Sichuan Tit, Kozlov’s Babax and Tibetan Partridge are all possible. Blue Sheep are often present in numbers too. Night in Nangqian.

Day 10:
Today we make a day-trip to nearby Beizha Forest where we will be searching for specialities such as Szechenyi’s Monal Partridge and Kozlov’s Babax, while a distinctly Sichuan-orientation to the birdlife includes White Eared-Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Kozlov’s Babax, Crested Tit-warbler, Three-toed Woodpecker, Chinese Fulvetta, Sichuan Tit, Sichuan Leaf Warbler, Black Woodpecker and Giant Laughingthrush on the sparsely forested slopes. In addition, a few scarce species we have recorded here in the past include Three-banded Rosefinch and Przevalski’s Nuthatch. Night in Nangqian.

Day 11:
Today is largely a travel day as we make our way across the plateau for an overnight stay in Qumalai. Where we stop largely depends on what we might have missed between Yushu and Nangqian – Great Rosefinch and Ibisbill can be revisited - but a large wetland high on the plateau is a stronghold of Black-necked Crane, with several pairs usually on view, and Bar-headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Common Tern while the high passes give us a chance of Prince Henri’s Snowfinch, Chinese Rubythroat and Red-fronted Rosefinch. On the open plateau, Saker Falcon, Upland Buzzard, Kiang and Tibetan Gazelle should all appear at some point, and occasionally in good numbers. Night in Qumalai.

Day 12:
We continue west across the plateau today to join with the main Qinghai-Tibet highway. We spend most of the morning passing through the vast plain of the Hor Xii National Nature Reserve, with a backdrop of the snow capped Qiajajima massif, dominated by Yuzhu Feng, at 6,186m – it is quite stunning. Out on the plain, numbers of Kiang and Tibetan Gazelle are likely to be high, as are Saker and Upland Buzzard, while we have a very good chance of finding a few Tibetan Antelope. On the stonier ground we take a walk, in search of one of the most important birds of the trip – Tibetan Sandgrouse.
The afternoon we drive to a small village on the edge of the Wild Yak Valley, amid a stunning arid landscape more reminiscent of Central Asia with a further chance of Great Rosefinch. Night in Xidatan.

Day 13:
Today is an exciting, but long day, as we visit Wild Yak Valley. For those keen enough, we depart in the early hours, drive to meet our 4wd vehicles and drive up to the top of the valley along a paved road, then we go along a rough road on to the stony plateau at 5,000m and spend the mid-morning to early afternoon searching for Sillem’s Rosefinch, a long-lost species till its rediscovery here. It’s a vast area, so seeing the bird is far from a guarantee, but we will at least see Roborovski’s Rosefinch here. Mammals are a highlight here, and we will concentrate on this on our return from rosefinch searching - Wild Yak, Wolf, Tibetan Antelope and Argali are all possible – even Snow Leopard and Eurasian Lynx are found in healthy numbers here. For those not wanting to, can spend a more relaxing day around the valley bottom. Night in Xidatan.

Day 14:
We move north then east to Dulan. This stretch of road is newly constructed through great open habitat, will make stops that appear to be of interest, most notably for Henderson’s/Mongolian Ground-jay, Mongolian Finch and possibly Goitered Gazelle, with margalanic Lesser Whitethroat also possible. Night at Dulan.

Days 15:
Morning in the Dulan Mountains for Ala Shan/Przewalski’s Redstart. At breakfast, a scan across the plain gives us a chance of Goitered Gazelle, followed by a walk to the juniper-dominated valleys. Though the redstart is our primary aim, we could also see Pine Bunting, Tibetan Grey Shrike, White-throated Redstart, White-winged Grosbeak and Przewalski’s Partridge, while any grassy areas Daurian Partridge is possible. We carry on east to Chaka for lunch. Afternoon around the edges of the vast Chaka Salt Lake, our targets here being Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Blanford’s Snowfinch, Mongolian Finch, Asian Short-toed Lark and most importantly, Henderson’s Ground-jay. Night at Chaka.

Day 16:
Morning visit to Rubber Mountain for Przewalski’s Pinktail (otherwise known as Przewalski’s/Pink-tailed Rosefinch/Finch/Bunting – take your pick!), a prime target for many now that it is placed in its own, monotypic family, Urocynchramidae. Other species likely to be encountered in these areas are Guldenstadt’s Redstart, Robin Accentor, Smoky Warbler, Severtzov’s Tit-warbler, White-browed Tit as well as a fine selection of snowfinches, larks and the ubiquitous Ground-tit. Our afternoon depends entirely on how we’ve fared thus far with our targets, revisiting any areas we need to, or visiting the shore of Koko Nur (Qinghai Lake), with Tibetan Lark and Black-necked Cranes scattered about. Night at Chaka.

Day 17:
After early morning birding around Chaka, we drive east yet again, to the town of Gonghe, on the northern shore of Koko Nur for an overnight stay. All the classic plateau/lakeside species are possible here, Black-necked Cranes, Tibetan Lark, Hume’s Short-toed Lark, snowfinches, before heading across to Gonghe, for margalanic Lesser Whitethroat and Pale Rosefinch, while Mongolian Finch, and an array of other species we have previously searched for, possible. Night at Gonghe.

Day 18:
Depending on previous days success, at some point we’ll leave the plateau behind and head to the hustle-and-bustle of Xining. Likely in time for late afternoon birding around the eroded hills on the outskirts of the city in search of Pale Rosefinch, Meadow Bunting and Pied Wheatear. Night at Xining.

Day 19:
Morning birding at Dong Xia (2,600-2,900m) to the north of Xining. The area is host to several species with restricted ranges which are unlikely to be found elsewhere on the tour. The most significant is Gansu Leaf Warbler which has a small breeding range concentrated in this area of Qinghai and adjacent Gansu province. Other species which we will be looking out for include Przevalski’s and Chinese Nuthatch, the localized Qilian Bluetail (a very recent split from Red-flanked Bluetail), Chinese Thrush, Siberian Rubythroat, Yellow-streaked Warbler and the delightful Crested Tit-warbler. In the afternoon we will return to Xining and visit the eroded hills on the outskirts of the city in search of Pale Rosefinch, Meadow Bunting and Pied Wheatear if we didn’t have time the previous afternoon. Night at Xining.

Day 20:
Departuresfrom Xining International Airport (XNN).