Colette's Grand Detour

I am heading to Mongolia for 2 weeks. This will be my 100th country visited which I have managed to do just before my 40th birthday later this year. I have specifically picked the dates I am visiting to coincide with the Naadam Festival – Mongolia’s most important national celebration, held every July to commemorate the country’s independence and honor the traditions of its nomadic heritage.

The Intrepid tour I am joining starts in Ulaanbaatar (the capital of Mongolia), then heads out to the training camps as competitors prepare for the ‘Three Manly Games’ of the festival – wrestling, horse racing and archery. After this we will head west to the ancient capital of the country – Kharakorum, then to Ongiin Khid where we will visit 2 destroyed monasteries. After this we will head to the Gobi Desert, to see the flaming cliffs of Bayanzag, the giant sand dunes of Khongor, and the Yol Valley. Along the way back to Ulaanbaatar we will see a huge range of the incredible scenery that Mongolia is famous for. And finally we will have 2 full days at the Naadam Festival, attending the opening ceremony and various competitions. I can’t wait!

I have gotten a little behind on my blogging! I didn’t finish writing up and publishing our last days in Argentina – visiting Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires. And since then I have taken a Christmas river cruise down the Rhine, spent New Years in Tunisia exploring Roman ruins, spent Easter in Italty – Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, visited Ghana, Togo and Benin in West Africa and finally had a long weekend in Lyon (France). So I have a lot of adventures to catch up on. In between all of this I started my new job, which thankfully offers generous leave, allowing me to continue exploring the world!