Capital City Tashkent With a population of over 2 million people, capital Tashkent has a strong and rich history, and with some luck on its side, it should have a strong and rich future. Dating back to between the 5th and the 3rd centuries B.C., this area was settled by the peoples of ancient Persia (now Iran), the Chinese, the Turks, and many others. In early times it was known as the principality of Chach and then went through an Islamic period in the mid-seventh century under the Persian Zoroastrian Samanid dynasty (819–999). In 1219 Genghis Khan, founder and Great Khan (emperor) of the [MORE...]
Almaty Kazakhstan is is big. Very big! In fact, it is the world’s largest landlocked country by land area and the ninth largest country in the world. It is even larger than all of Western Europe. A country this big should be approached one step at a time. Start off with Kazakhstan’s former capital, and largest city, Almaty. Before the nation’s capital was moved in 1997 from Almaty in the south to Astana in the north, this is where the nation’s political power was concentrated. Nowadays Almaty is the commercial and cultural capital of Kazakhstan and is also the city with by far [MORE...]
Ascent to the base of the world’s highest mountain. Everest (8,848 m) and the many surrounding peaks are surreal. A 16-day hike passes by several Sherpa villages and glaciers. Hikers in the Nepalese Himalayas have two serious choices: The Khumbu (Everest) western region or the Annapurna eastern region. Globerovers has done both but spent more time in the Everest region. Both areas are great but if you can only do one, then it certainly will be a difficult decision which may be best answered by the flip of a coin. Still, the best advice from Globerovers is to do both. They are very different [MORE...]
Tibet is a land of monks, in Tibetan referred to as the Bhikkhu Tibet is a land of monks, in Tibetan referred to as the Bhikkhu, which is an ordained male Buddhist monastic and literally means “one who lives by alms”. Travel through the land of the Bhikkhu and explore the ancient cities and monasteries of Tibet. From Lhasa onto the Tibetan Plateau it is rich in mystery and ancient history. Tibet is home to numerous ancient Buddhist monasteries with a substantial number of resident monks. The so-called “Tibet Autonomous Region” (which is the area now referred to as “Tibet”), [MORE...]
Central Asia, and for now we are talking about Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, is an intrepid traveller’s playground. Here are so many off the beaten path destinations – well, wait, almost all of Central Asia is off the beaten path. Once you are out of the cities, everything is rugged and an adventurer’s heaven. Among the most interesting remote areas are in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Travel in Afghanistan is not particularly safe and great care should be taken in planning the best routes. Currently, the northeast along the border with [MORE...]
Whether you travel through the tropical south, the fertile central, the thermal-active west, or the mountainous north, Yunnan offers something for everyone. The Tibetan region in northern Yunnan has great trekking. [MORE...]
Located on Omotepe Island in the centre of Lake Nicaragua, Central America, Volcán Concepción is an active stratovolcano, and at times a violent volcano. Globerovers scaled this volcano in a 5.5 hour ascent and a 5 hour decent. A brave, outrageous, stupid, and extremely adventurous endeavour. [MORE...]
Walk the streets of historical Kochi, hike the tea and cardamom plantations of Munnar, spot tigers in the Periyar Tiger Reserve near Kumily, then relax for a few days in a houseboat on the Alleppey backwaters and the fine beaches of Varkala. [MORE...]
Ever dreamt about being on top of the world – geographically speaking? You have a few choices: northern parts of Canada, Greenland, Norway, or Russia. These are the only four countries which will take you close to the top of the world, and thus close to the North Pole. While a North Pole expedition would be the cherry on the cake, many of us can neither afford nor successfully complete such an adventure trip. Getting to the most northern reaches of Canada, Greenland, or Russia will require a substantial amount of money, preparation, and determination. The best option is Norway, and [MORE...]
There are many reasons to travel all over the Middle East (and arguably many reasons not to travel to the Middle East at all), though one of the strongest arguments in favour of travel is to explore the many ancient ruins. With a long history, the Middle East boasts some of the most incredible remnants of ancient civilisations. However, with war constantly raging at various burning points, one can only wonder how long these ruins will still be standing. Among the best ruins are those in Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, and Turkey. Palmyra, the ancient city in Syria, recently suffered damage [MORE...]
