Hazar Nature Reserve

The Hazar reserve covers shallow bays and coastal flats on the southeastern Caspian south of Turkmenbashi, and it matters because those shallows hold very large numbers of wintering waterbirds: ducks, geese, flamingos, swans and waders that come down from the north when the northern Caspian freezes. It is a Ramsar site. Caspian seals also use the area. The shore is bare and the reserve has almost no infrastructure. The reserve was established in the 1930s and has been monitored more or less continuously since, which makes its bird counts one of the longer runs of data on the Caspian.

What you actually see

• The wintering waterbirds - large concentrations of ducks, geese and flamingos.
• The shallow bays - the coastal flats the birds feed on.
• The Caspian seals - the animals using the waters off the reserve.
• The bare coast - desert running straight down to the sea.

When to go

November to March is the wintering season and the reason to come. Summer has far fewer birds and extreme heat. Permits take time to arrange.

Honest expectations

Permits are required and take arranging. There are no facilities, hides or marked routes. Caspian water levels have been falling and habitat is changing.

Nearby

Awaza is north, and Turkmenbashi is beyond it.