lake tudakul

[wombat]

Does anybody have any knowledge or experience of camping spots at lake tudakul, near Bukhara? Or lodges at the lake? Anybody been birdwatching there and have some tips to share?

[wombat]

(answering my own question, 2 months later...)
Took a taxi from Bukhara. Got price down from US$50, to UZ50,000. One way. "Lake Tudakul" to locals means beachside topchans and grilling lambs. Taxi dropped us at some lakeside resort-ish place, which was closed for some VIP, then drove us further round to the right to another similar setup. (Great if you have never seen a decent beach and plan to eat sashlik all day, but would see nothing more than seagulls and crows). There was an entrance fee (of course) but as this wasn't our plan, we just left.
We walked around the lake shore, continuing to the right. Initially not alot of feathered action, but after an hour of walking, we starting to see large numbers of water birds.
So, if you want to see birds, have your taxi turn right when he gets to the lake, and go past the crappy beachside places. And walk.
Coming back, we were very lucky and shared a taxi with a young local couple who'd been acting like young couples at the beach. Could have had a long walk back without them.
(I was in Sherzod's office a few days before that incidentally. Decent fellow, and the Nuratau mountains and villages were well worth the diversion from Samarkand.)

[steven]

Thanks, duly noted! Did you see a notable bird? I believe Turkestan Ground-Jay and the Turkestan Tit (might become my future stage name) are the 2 most sought-after in Uzbekistan.

[steven]

Not sure where I once copied this from, but I found this in my notes. As I am working on our Bukhara guide, I thought I would share them here --

Lake Tudakul: It is a good idea to leave early. to have a great time on the beach or better lake shore. you should be there around 9am. That is easy to obtain due to the only 45min taxi ride from buchara.

The water is in June /July approximately 25 to 28 degrees.... That's not too bad. By 11am the crowds especially on Sunday will roam from everywhere and buchara... And the day gets anyway hot. It's nice and unique to here and walk through the desert which is definitely touching the Shores of the lake. In 2019 you could find a good taxi including waiting time for around 20 €

To beat the heat in the Kyzylkum Desert, cool off with some wild swimming on Lake Tudakul, located not far from the historic city of Bukhara. There’s a Soviet-era holiday resort on the lake’s southwestern shore, but you don’t have to be staying there to access the facilities. Alternatively, there are plenty of other, quieter spots where you can stop, strip down to your bathing suit and swim.