Tehran-BandarAbbas-Minab-Jask-Minab-BandarAbbas-Tehran
Day 01: Arrival in Tehran
We kindly congratulate you upon your delicate choice! Right on your arrival, we will pick you up at IKA International Airport and transfer you to the hotel. Afterward, according your arrival, we visit some highlights around Tehran including GhanbarAbad, EshghAbad or Salehieh
O/N Tehran / Hotel
Day 02: Tehran
Today we have birdwatching in Park-e Shahr. Afterward, we will enjoy ourselves while visiting Golestan Palace (WHS) one of the oldest of the historic monuments in the city of Tehran. Next we visit National Museum of Iran which holds an incredibly wide range of per-Islamic as well as post-Islamic remaining works including pottery vessels, metal objects, textile remains, and some rare books and coins.
Day 03: Tehran- Bandar Abbas
We will pick you up at IKA International Airport and transfer with tour guide to Mehrabad airport for morning flight to Bandar Abbas, as available! Bandar Abbas is one of the Iran major southern cities, situated on the shores of Persian Gulf. Habitats here consist of stony out-washed plains with scattered vegetation and bushes, almond and pistachio woodlands and cliffs. Upon arrival; if we are lucky we can find great knot and broad-billed sandpiper among many lesser and greater sand plovers, grey and Kentish plovers, common greenshank, common redshank, Whimbrel, Temminck’s stint, sanderling, Eurasian spoonbill, Caspian terns, great cormorant, green sandpiper, black-tailed and bar-tailed godwits and Eurasian oystercatcher.
O/N Bandar Abbas / Hotel
Day 04: Bandar Abbas – Minab
In the early morning, we go to visit Geno Protected Area. Geno has mountains as high as 3,000 meters above sea level, and in light of this, has a unique climatic and biosphere conditions within the Persian Gulf region. In this area you see mammals such as: gazelle, gray wolf, bear, fox, leopard, wild boar, hyena, jackal, rabbit, and birds such as grey partridge, eagle, falcon, Eurasian collared dove, see-see partridge, common wood pigeon, cinereous vulture, lark, pipit, common house martin, white-eared bulbul. We have lunch and drive to Minab, after taking a rest, we visit Minab County.
O/N Minab / tourist inn
Day 05: Minab
Early morning starts with birdwatching in a different habitats north-east of Minab. The new place is more open plateau with scattered bushes ideal for grey francolin, chestnut-bellied and crowned Sandgrouses, Upcher’s warbler, Rofous tailed scrub robin and with luck grey-necked bunting. Return back to Minab for mid-day rest and lunch. Later in the afternoon, we will visit areas south of Minab near the mouth of local rivers for more waders and water birds
O/N Minab / tourist inn
Day 06: Minab – Jask
This morning we headed east from Minab along a track through a dry, flat plain. Stopping for an al fresco breakfast we soon located common birds such as Purple Sunbird, Yellow-throated Sparrow and White-eared Bulbul. Turkestan, Woodchat and Bay-backed Shrikes all showed well by the road and a Grey Francolin scurried along. A few minutes’ up the track a pair of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse flew overhead, and further exploration of this area proved highly productive with three more Chestnut-bellied and up to 20 Crowned Sandgrouse and excellent views of two tail-swinging Upcher’s Warblers, plus several each of Desert Lark and Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin. We walked down towards a reservoir, adding Eastern Orphean Warbler, four European Turtle Doves and a Steppe Grey Shrike. At the water’s edge Grey-necked and Striolated Buntings came down to drink, a pair each of Temminck’s Stint and Kentish Plover were on the mud, a Red-wattled Lapwing looked down from the scree above and a Purple Heron flew over. Out on the water were a dozen Great Crested Grebes and fishing Little Tern. An unexpected bonus before lunch came in the shape of meeting a local man who knew the whereabouts of a ‘horned owl’. He very kindly led us to the roosting site of a Pallid Scops-Owl and we enjoyed excellent views. In the afternoon we took a boat out into the creeks, mangroves and mudflats south of Minab. Sand Larks performed well around the boatyard. We logged 17 species of waders, including eight Crab Plovers, a super breeding-plumaged Broad-billed Sandpiper and more than 100 Terek Sandpipers. Great views were had of Dalmatian Pelican, Greater Spotted Eagle, Common Kingfisher and Western Reef Heron. Over 60 Greater Flamingos paraded on the mud, 11 Eurasian Spoonbills flew overhead and larids included Great Black-headed and Heuglin’s Gulls and Saunders’s, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns. A dusk flight of White Wagtails rounded off the day as we set foot back on dry land.
O/N Jask / tourist inn
Day 07: Jask
Early morning we have birdwatching in Jask, where palm gardens and local orchards create an ideal habitat for many woodland birds: oriental honey-buzzard, spotted owlet, eastern Olivacious warbler, red-wattled lapwing, Indian roller, lesser whitethroat, very common purple sunbird and the rare. In the drier habitats and Wadis we may find graceful Prinia, very common little green bee-eater and white-eared bulbul, Turkestan and bay-backed shrikes, pallid swift, pale crag-martin, eastern Orphean warbler, Indian Silverbill, afghan babbler and variable wheatears. After lunch and some rest, we will drive shortly to reach mangrove forests for further birding. Mangroves of this region are perfect habitats near the mouth of local rivers where mangroves, Avicennia marina, grows on very long shores of the river mouth. The area is one of the best and most pristine environments of this kind in the Persian Gulf shores and excellent habitat for important Indian pond heron, Dalmatian Pelikan and great stone-curlew. With luck we may encounter with few crab plovers still remain following the migration season. The other birds to expect are oriental white-eye occurring among the lush mangroves and a wide range of herons along the shoreline.
O/N Jask / tourist inn
Day 08: Jask – Gurzang – Minab
In the early morning we drive to Gurzang and Tiab and have birdwatching in these wonderful places. We will see Dromas ardeola, Heron
Day 09: Minab-Bandar Abbas
Drive to Bandar Abbas for flight to Tehran, as available. If time permits, we will bird in areas near Bandar Abbas.
O/N Tehran / Hotel
Day 10: Tehran – Departure
Today is the last day you are in Iran, There are no activities planned for the final day and you are free to depart at any time. Please note you must check out of the hotel by 12 pm. We directly drive to airport for departure.
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