Ecological tours in Uzbekistan

Often ecological types of tourism include adventure tourism (trekking, horse riding, camel safari, biking, etc). However eco-tourism not always implies adventures as they are. Therefore, we consider "adventure tourism" as a separate category of tourism, more active and associated with overcoming a variety of natural obstacles, and even with a certain role of extreme.

Eco-tourists in Uzbekistan are attracted by special sights of inanimate nature, unique landscapes, geomorphological, hydrological and other objects (mountains and canyons, caves, lakes and rivers), exotic biotic communities (juniper or riparian forests, spring-blooming desert, Ustyurt Plateau, etc.) , endemics of flora and fauna. During the eco-tours in Uzbekistan tourists also get acquainted with the culture, history and ethnographic features of regions inseparable from the natural environment.

Nature of Uzbekistan is uncommonly diverse and represented by mountain systems of Tian-Sham and Hissar-Alay, steppes, Kyzyl-Kum desert, riparian and juniper forests.

There are 8 reserves, 2 National parks, Nijne-Amudaryinski state bio-reserve, 9 state preserves in Uzbekistan. The total area of protected natural areas is 20,520 km2 (5% of the territory of Uzbekistan).

Fauna of Uzbekistan has more than 600 species of vertebrates, including 97 species of mammals, 424 species of birds, 58 species of reptiles. Flora of Uzbekistan is represented by more than 4,100 species of higher plants. Part of the rare animals can also be seen in Ecocenter "Jeyran" Zerafshan, Nurota, Amudarya, Surhandarya reserves. Here are working on reproductions of rare animals: sheep of Severtsev, horned goats (Markhor), jeyrans (antelopes), Przewalski"s horse, wild asses, bustards.

Asia Adventures provides the following kinds of eco-tourism in Uzbekistan:

- ornithological tours;
- botanical tours;
- entomological tours;
- walking in national parks and nature reserves.

Ornithological and botanical tours are especially popular in Uzbekistan. In recent years more and more popular is the inclusion of 1-2 days walking in the mountains of Uzbekistan into common sightseeing tours.