A wonder of the world and about as famous as it gets. A must for anyone visiting Egypt and, whilst the setting on the outskirts of Cairo may not be a magical as you’d expect, this only partially takes the shine off seeing a true mountain of human achievement
I visited all the way back in 2009, so won’t go into much detail, but I’ve listed my main tips below for how to have the best experience
You don’t have to head that far out of Ulan Bator to get a real feeling for the wilderness of Mongolia. Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is only 55km / 35miles from the busy, polluted city, yet feels light years away. Once you’re there, there is some fantastic hiking, traditional Buddhist temples nestled in the hills, and the opportunity to stay overnight in the Mongolian Gers (felt yurt huts). Whilst not as remote as some destinations in Mongolia, there are various spots that give you those giant views across the seemingly endless steppes and allow you to spend time with people that are still living the subsistence lifestyle much the same as hundreds of years before. A must if either staying in Ulan Bator or passing through on the Trans-Siberian Railway
I’ve listed some travel tips below, but the main tip I would give is to make sure you spend your evening(s) in one of the Mongolian Gers. Not one that is surrounded by village infrastructure, but one that is isolated and with no other gers in sight – it gives you a feel of what it must be like to live in the isolation here and was our highlight of the trip
The north shore of Lake Issyk-Kol is the main tourist destination for most Russian and Central Asian tourists coming to Kyrgyzstan with its beach scene, water sports and booming bars. But, unless you’re from the nearby region where coastal beaches are at a premium, I doubt that will really appeal to you – most likely it will just come across as a tacky resort
That being said, if you’re travelling from Bishkek to Karakol (for the hiking in the nearby Ak-Suu mountain region), its still worth stopping off at Cholpon-Ata for the horse-ride around the lake and up to the 3500 year old petroglyps on the glacial boulders just north of town. Don’t stay much longer though
From Hohhot there are a series of standard tours that take you to a few of the places nearby area, but primarily to the Xilamuren grassland, where you can see local horse riding, and Resonant Sand Gorge of the Kubuqi Desert, where you can slide down the dune and generally play around in a full-on desert. All of this with a night staying in one of the traditional Mongolian Yurts
The whole experience is relatively fun as you do get to see some great countryside, but unfortunately most of these tours are very much catered for the domestic tourist market, which means large numbers of fellow tourists, often spaces concreted over to make way for the masses, manufactured “traditional horse riding shows”, and, of course, the serene-breaking megaphones.
I’d say give it a go if a bit tight on money and don’t mind the mass tourist nature, but otherwise see if you can get a tour company that takes you further afield so that you can escape the crowds and see some of the more traditional Mongolian culture rather than the Chinese branded version
When in Broome, it’s all about the sunset from Cable Beach. Beautiful white sand, perfectly west-facing beach and water often at bath temperature – utterly gorgeous. Take one of the touristy camel rides; or just sit back with a bottle of something and watch the wonderful change in colours
Tip – head to north of the rocks for the best views
