My next trip is something of a dream journey, something that I’ve been planning for years! As you’re reading this, I’m making my way down to Mongolia and starting an epic journey through Central Asia. For a long time I’ve been dreaming of exploring this region that just seems so enigmatic with its golden sand dunes, vast steppes, yurts and Silk Road history. The ‘Stans’ have been on my bucket list for years and I’m so blessed to be able to fulfill it now.
Nomadic Mongolia
For the next two weeks, I’ll be traveling with Canadian tour operator G Adventures on their Nomadic Mongolia trip. I’ve been partners with G Adventures for over four years now and have traveled with them to Antarctica, Arctic, Nepal, Brazil, and New Zealand. Every single trip has been outstanding and I know this won’t be an exception! I’d originally wanted to coincide my trip with the annual Nadaam Festival but a pity I couldn’t make it in July. Nonetheless, I’m sure Mongolia will be amazing with its landscapes and culture.
We’ll begin our trip in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, known as one of the most drab looking cities in the world. There should be plenty of time to wander around the city and see its main monsteries and museums. Our main aim is to see the backcountry of Mongolia so we’ll be leaving the city for the steppes of the Dungobi Aimag region – Middle Gobi – for our first ger stay. Traditional Mongolian ger is a sort of tent that consists of wooden frames covered with layers of felt — I’ve stayed in one before but I can’t wait experience the real thing.
Next, we’ll continue on to the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National park to hopefully spot some vultures, wild Argali sheep, desert gazelles and Golden eagles, then the journey takes us to Khongoriin Els – the biggest sand dunes in the area. The drive is probably going to be a spectacular one with landscapes dotted by mountain ranges, steppes, sand dunes and forests. Some of the things I’m most looking forward to are visiting the 17th century monasteries in Delger Khangai Mountains area, experiencing the nomadic lifestyle and Mongolian barbecue on the steppes, and riding the Takhi horses in Khustai National Park.
Flickr photo by Baron Reznik
Traveling the Silk Road by Land
From Mongolia, I’ll fly to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for the second half of my trip, a 63-day overland journey on the Silk Road with Oasis Overland. This camping trip looks like quite the expedition as it’ll bring us through six countries: the ‘Stans’, Iran and Turkey. We’ll follow in the footsteps of Alexander the Great and Marco Polo along ancient trading routes, visiting some of the oldest cities in the world steeped in history and legend. I’m no stranger to overlanding/camping with a group and I love the camaraderie that comes with working and traveling as a team.
Before the trip starts, I have a week free to explore Kyrgyzstan on my own. One week is hardly enough time to see the country (plus I need to take some time out in Bishkek to get my visas) but I’ll make the most of what I have. What I’m most excited about is being there to celebrate Kyrgyzstan’s Independence Day (31st August). A friend of mine who lives there told me it’s quite a huge event, with lots of horse-racing, concerts, national games and fireworks. I might also take a trip out to Song-Kul Lake or Ala Archa National Park to do some hiking.
The overland journey begins with a drive towards the Kazakhstan border. Sadly we will only have around four days in Kazakhstan, most of which will be spent around Aksu-Dzhabagly Nature Reserve. This1319-sq-km patch of valleys and mountains is the longest established (1926) and one of the most visited of Kazakhstan’s nature reserves. It’s home to bears, ibex, argali sheep, paradise flycatchers and golden eagles. The scenery, a mix of green valleys with rushing rivers, snow-capped peaks and high-level glaciers, is supposed to be gorgeous.
Flickr image by Dwrawlinson
Ancient Cities and Silk Road Treasures
Next, we’ll cross over to Uzbekistan, where we will spend about 10 days exploring the ancient cities including Samarkand, Tashkent, Bukara and Khiva. Samarkand, the second largest city in the country, is almost 2,500 years old and it’s as old as Babylon or Rome. No trip here is complete without a wander around the three edifices of the Registan, once Medieval Samarkand’s commercial plaza and today said to be the most awesome sight in Central Asia. Khiva is another town with much historical influence, that was also on the great silk route. This unique monument town, which is a World Heritage Site, has more minarets than any other place in Asia.
Continuing north, we will then head into Turkmenistan. On our journey to Ashgabat, there is a grueling desert crossing that could take a few days but I was told we will be well rewarded with camping out at night in one of the world’s most remote environments. I’m also really looking forward to visiting the famous Gas Craters at Darvaza – a result of Soviet-era gas exploration!
Flickr photo by Adam_Jones
Mysterious Persia
Iran will be our next destination and we’ll spend around two weeks there. I’ve heard so many people sing praises of this country and its hospitable people, it’s hard not to have high expectations for it. Our first stop here is Mashhad, the second most visited pilgrim city in the Islamic world (besides Mecca). The holy city, meaning The Place of Martyrdom in Arabic is said to have over 20 million pilgrims a year visiting the Imam Reza shrine. Yazd is next on our list and with its mudbrick old town and winding lanes, it’s one of Iran’s highlights.
As we journey south west, we will be visiting one of the remaining Caravanserais, which were used as overnight stopping points for the Camel trains on the old Silk Road. We’ll then arrive in Shiraz, once famous for its vineyards, now more well known for its exquisite mosques and mausoleums. Journeying north we follow in Alexander the Great’s footsteps to visit Persepolis, which is often compared to other ancient constructions such as Angkor Wat or the Great Pyramids.
Flickr image by Sergi Hill
Eventually, we reach our final country, Turkey. I’ve traveled to Turkey several times but never to eastern Turkey, so I’m quite interested in seeing this little traveled part of the country. We’ll spend a couple of days in the Kars area, close to the Armenian border, and then up to Mount Nemrut where we climb to its 2150m peak – where the statues of the gods of antiquity lie scattered at the summit. While the group continues on to Istanbul, I will end my journey at Cappadocia, where I hope to spend some time getting reacquainted with this unique part of Turkey that I love.
So that’s about the gist of what I’ll be doing on this two-month long trip in Central Asia. I can’t believe I’m finally doing this, it’s a dream come true!
During the trip, I’ll be sharing live updates on our social channels, internet-permitting. You can follow my journey on Twitter @WildJunket or on our Facebook page using the hashtag#WJSilkRoad.
Disclosure: My Mongolia trip was provided by G Adventures as part of the Wanderers in Residence program and Oasis Overland provided me with a discount for the Central Asia overland trip. As always, the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
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