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Issyk lake is about 2 hours drive from Almaty in the Trans Ili-Alatau’s mountain range. It is a glacial lake that sits within the Issyk Gorge. From the carpark it takes about 20 minutes easy walking to the shore of the lake. Although you can also get a golf cart there and back for 500…
The drive from Otrar to Shymkent took around 3 hours and the flat unchanging landscape over such a long period of time gives you a sense of just how big and empty this country really is. The photo below shows what our view was for pretty much 90% of the time! We did not have…
This afternoon we visited the archeological ruins of Otrar, an ancient Silk Road city in southern Kazakhstan. Between the 9th and 12th centuries it was a booming fortress city, successful because of its location at the confluence of the Syr Darya and Arys rivers and a point of convergence for many different caravan routes coming…
Ahmed Yasawi was a Turkic poet, and Sufi mystic and spiritual leader who played a significant role in the spread of Islam across Central Asia. He was born in the 12th century, nearby Shymkent in southern Kazakhstan. He was the first poet to translate Islamic mystic poetry into the Turkic language, which made his ideas…
As part of our tour of Astana we visited the museum of a renowned local jeweller called Berik Alibay. Inside his museum he has collected a huge range of historical Kazakh artifacts ranging from typical household items to clothing, jewellery and warrior weapons. Later in the trip we will be staying in traditional yurts so…
My journey through Kazakhstan is starting in Astana. Previously known as Nur-Sultan. And before that Astana. And before that Akmola, Tselinograd and Akmolinsk. The changes in name are an way easy to track the city’s key historical events. Astana is not an old city. Really its only been in existence since 1830 and even then…
Transferring between flights can be stressful. Even if you have plenty of time, it’s difficult to fight the urge to rush to the gate. Inevitably finding that you then have an hour or so to spare. But sometimes you don’t have that long and you are at the mercy of your first flight taking off…
After a few days to reflect on my adventure to Kenya and Tanzania, I have put together some thoughts on my trip for anyone thinking to come to East Africa on safari. I’ll caveat by saying, some of the information below is specific to East Africa and some is more generalised and can apply to…
Throughout my time in Kenya and Tanzania, it was interesting to see and understand the impact of invasive species in the national parks. An invasive species can decimate the population of native species in an area and change the balance of an ecosystem forever. Sometimes their introduction is accidently, other times it is done on…
My trip to Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar is sadly over. I had the absolute best time and it is up there with one of my favorite trips so far this year. I only plan to be home for a few days and then I am off on my next adventure – to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.…
Day 13 (10th August 2025) I kept track of all the animals we have seen over the last 2 weeks travelling through Kenya and Tanzania and bar a few missing birds that I didn’t get a chance to write down, I estimate we saw around 80 species. We got the big 5 and the ugly…
Day 14 (10th August 2025) African tribal masks are one of the most recognisable and diverse art forms on the continent and are deeply tied to the cultural identity and spirituality of the communities they come from. They are not just decorative objects, they are functional, symbolic and sacred. Masks are worn during many different…
Day 14 (10th August 2025) Today is our last day and we are travelling back from Ngorongoro Conservation Area to Arusha. On our way back we will be stopping to see the work of the Clean Stove Project. G Adventures has projects all over the world that it supports as a way of giving back…
Colette's Grand Detour 