Special Feature   Cultural tour of Central Mongolia Remote, stunning Mongolia, bounded by Russia and China, occupies 1.5 million square kilometres of the Central Asian plateau. With a tiny population, half of whom are nomadic, the country sustains some of the last pristine ecosystems on Earth. This beautiful region was once a crucial segment of the Silk Route, an ancient network of trade in precious silks and spices as well as knowledge and culture. Trade fuelled the great Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan and a rich Tibetan-Buddhism became woven into its ancient Shamanistic practices. But Imperial China and Tsarist Russia in turn conquered and made Mongolia a vassal State. During the Stalinist era, Buddhist monasteries were destroyed and religious expression was severely curtailed. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 brought about a significant resurgence of Buddhism. Priceless artefacts, hidden from waves of invaders, were restored to the monasteries and Mongolia now is home to some of the finest collections of Buddhist art found in Asia. Cultural historian Zara Fleming leads this adventurous journey, staying in traditional gers. DAY 1 London - Berlin - Depart for one night stay in this remarkable city. Visit the fine Buddhist collections in the Museum of Indian Arts. DAY 2 Berlin - Ulaanbataar - Overnight flight. DAY 3 Ulaanbataar - 2-night hotel stay close to Sukhbaatar Square. Afternoon visit to the Bogd Khan Winter Palace, then the Chojin Lam temple. DAY 4 Ulaanbataar - Morning visit Gandantegchinlen Hid, the most important monastery in Mongolia. Afternoon in the Fine Art museum and the Museum of National History. DAY 5 Ulaanbataar - Khustain Noroo - Jeep to Altan Bulag, 50km from Ulaanbaatar to spend the day with a nomadic family. Continue to Khustain Noroo Natural Reserve (50km) where wild horses - takhi - thrive. DAY 6 Khustain Noroo - Khogno Khan - Search with guides for the takhi. Afternoon jeep to Khogno Khan (200km). 2-night stay in dramatic setting. DAY 7 Khogno Khan Hike round Khogno Khan Mountain to a small temple built beside ruins of an ancient monastery. Optional horse ride. DAY 8 Khogno Khan - Kharkhorin - Jeep to Kharkhorin (90km), where Genghis Khan established the 13th century capital of the Mongol Empire. All day at Erdene Zuu monastery, the Mongolian centre of Buddhism. Evening hike to a hillside monument depicting Mongol world empires. 2-night stay on the Orkhon River. DAY 9 Kharkhorin - Jeep to Batulzi district (70km) to walk up the mountain to Tuvkhun Hid, a recently restored monastery where the first Bogd Gegeen, Zanabazar, meditated. DAY 10 Kharkhorin - Tsenkher - Jeep into the Khangai Mountains to Tsenkher hot springs (120km), where one can bathe in the outdoor mineral baths beside the forest. Afternoon visiting a nomadic family. DAY 11 Tsenkher - Tsetserkeg - Ikh Tamir - Jeep to Tsetserleg, the capital town of Arkhangai province (30km). Visit the local museum, market and the felt making factory. Afternoon drive over Bulgan mountain to Ikh Tamir (27km). 2-night stay by the sacred Taikhir stone. DAY 12 Ikh Tamir - A leisure day for personal pursuits, horse riding, writing/painting, or make a short excursion to Khorgiin Uzur (18km) to examine ancient stone sculptures. DAY 13 Ikh Tamir - Elsen Tasarkhai (250km) - Drive to an area of great dunes and desert vegetation. Explore the dunes on foot/camel/horseback. DAY 14 Elsen Tasarkhai - Ulaanbaatar - Return to the capital. DAY 15 Ulaanbaatar - Farewell performance of traditional music and dance. DAY 16 Ulaanbaatar - London - Morning flight via Berlin arriving London in the afternoon. DURATION - 16 Days: 21st July - 5th August 2007 PRICE £2770 SINGLE SUPPLEMENT £325 INCLUDED - Flights. Airport taxes. UK specialist leader, transfers and transportation by 4WD vehicles. Local guides and entrance fees. Services of English speaking interpreter. 3/4*hotel in Berlin/Guesthouse in Ulaanbaatar. With Breakfast. Full board days 4-13. NOT INCLUDED - Visa costs £55. Travel insurance £62. Gratuities. UK departure tax £20.

Mongolia, in the steppes of Genghis Khan, a mythical land

Mongolia, the very name evokes images of Genghis Khan’s Golden Horde galloping through endless steppes, nomadic warriors who inspired an admirable awe.

The epic tales of the Mongol Empire reached the West in the writings of intrepid travelers, such as the great Venetian merchant Marco Polo and the Franciscan monk Guillaume de Rubruck and still now the Mongol dream feed the Western imagination.

Present-day Mongolia, shut in by the Russian bear and the Chinese dragon, is only a small part of the Great Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries, which stretched from the Danube to the Yellow River, the largest continuous empire in the History of the world. Of the 4 millions Mongols, only a little more than 2.7 million people live in the Mongolia, the rest live in Russia and in China, Inner Mongolia (an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China largely settled by ethnic Chinese). The Mongolia (Outer) Mongolia or Khalkha, a sovereign nation, founded in 1921 but emerging only recently from the Soviet Union influence is locked between the Great Wall in the south and lake Baikal (Siberia’s borders) in the North, and it is larger than Britain, France, Germany and Italy together.

Mongolia, in the steppes of Genghis Khan, a nomad land

On the vast expanse of the steppes, the beauty and wonder of the Mongolia are intertwined with the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle, which is renowned for its hospitality. Here life has little changed through the passage of time. Mongolian culture is shaped by the nomadic experience, where the traditional dwelling is the ger, or yurt. Life in the ger is the focal point of many customs and traditions, as made famous by Genghis Khan.

The drama and natural beauty of nomadic life is a source of inspiration for many visitors to Mongolia, both the soft adventurers interested in exploring the nomadic lifestyle, and the intrepid travelers interested in more rigorous activities, such as horse-riding and trekking.