We’ve been in China for seven months now and we’re starting to feel the need to travel again. We crave the thrill of hitting the road and discovering new places. Some folks are perfectly content working all year and taking short, two-week vacations. For us, though, staying put for more than a couple of months feels almost impossible. The world is always out there, calling us to explore. This time, we’re planning an extraordinary adventure that’s far from the usual tourist trails. Things could change in the next five months before we set off, but here’s our plan so far.
On July 22, we’ll wrap up our contracts teaching English in Yangzhou, China. After a few days of packing and shipping our stuff home, we’ll head to Beijing. From there, we’ll take the Trans-Mongolian Railway to Ulaanbaatar. We’ll spend 3-5 days exploring the Gobi Desert, and then we’ll make our way to Tsetserleg for a genuine Mongolian expedition. We plan to trek about 185 km along the Chuluut river to Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur (White Lake), camping and fishing along the way. This is a rarely traveled route for foreigners, so we’re excited about paving our own path. We’ll likely grab a GPS to keep from getting lost, but the river should be a good guide. Afterward, we’ll visit Mongolia’s top attraction: Khövsgöl Nuur, where we’ll embark on a horseback journey along the picturesque lakeshore.
Following a week or so at the lake, we’ll travel through Siberia on the Trans-Siberian Railway, visiting the historic Russian towns of Omsk, Tomsk, and Tobolsk. We won’t spend more than a week in Russia, as we’ll be heading into Central Asia, specifically the “Stan Countries.”
Our first stop after Russia will be Kazakhstan, where we’ll do some more trekking and visit the modern capital, Astana. Next, we’ll head to Kyrgyzstan for some more adventurous hikes and treks, on both foot and horseback. I’ve pre-ordered a fishing rod and reel here in China, so I’m looking forward to fishing in these countries, hoping to catch something like a Taimen.
We’ll then trek over a 4000-meter pass into Tajikistan, planning long alpine hikes in the famous Pamir mountains. After Tajikistan, we’ll fly to Uzbekistan to marvel at the central Asian architecture in cities like Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva.
From Uzbekistan, we’ll transit through Turkmenistan and then into Iran, where we’ll spend about a month before flying back to Canada for Christmas.
We always aim to venture off the beaten path, and this trip will take us to some of the least touristy places on Earth! We’re beyond excited and invite our followers to join us virtually. Along the way, we’ll be posting blogs, videos, tips, and budget travel information. This is going to be an incredible, independent outdoor adventure, and we can’t wait to share it with you!