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What you should know about 'Khuurug'

2,000 Years of History You Can Wear

The Secret of Mongolian Cashmere

The Five Stans: The Heart of Central Asia

Uzbekistan's Mighty Solar Furnace

Approaching the so-called ‘Institute of the Sun’ often feels like walking into the lair of a James Bond villain, or some top-secret military installation you’re not supposed to know about. In reality, this ‘Heliocomplex’ is Uzbekistan’s intriguingly strange Solar Furnace.

Why join us for the Naadam Festival?

Why visit Mongolia? Well, if you’re looking for a reason to travel to this incredible beautiful country filled with nomadic herders, snow-capped mountains, vast deserts, and never-ending steppe, then look no further than our Beyond the Steppe tour which will whisk you around the most beautiful parts of Mongolia, culminating with the famed Naadam Festival.

Abandoned Communism In Mongolia

For many people, Mongolia is a country of wide-open steppe, vast deserts, stunning mountains, and untouched wilderness roamed by wildlife; of course, it’s for this reason so many travellers venture to this country to discover the culture of one of the world’s last nomadic societies.

How To Get An Iranian Visa

Israeli passport holders can not visit Iran. Also, anyone with evidence that they have visited Israel in their passport can not enter Iran. If you have Israeli stamps, apply for a new passport.

Tehran | The Heart of Iran

Tehran is a city of history, revolution, religion and the heart, not only of the country but of the Iranian people. Tehran is a city of contrasts with ancient history hidden behind modern buildings; a bustling, busy, traffic-filled, chaotic settlement surrounded by distant, often snow-capped, majestic mountains.

Ashgabat | The Marble City

Often described as “over-the-top”, “outlandish” and “grandiose” as well as “Pyongyang meets Las Vegas”, the “Pyongyang of Central Asia” and “The Dictator’s Playground”, we at Absolute Nomads prefer the literal translation of Ashgabat, The City of Love.

Tajikistan’s Tunnel Of Death | Anzob Tunnel

When visiting Tajikistan, if you’re travelling from the north to the nation’s capital, Dushanbe, the odds are you will pass over the Zarafshan Mountain Range and travel through the 5km long infamous Anzob Tunnel, aka the Tunnel of Death.

Khoja Obi Garm | Tajikistan’s Soviet Sanatorium

In the early days of the Soviet Union, Lenin was concerned with how to motivate the workers of the nation; and so in 1920, Lenin famously decreed “Utilising the Crimea for the Medical Treatment of Working People.”

Iranian Lenj | Sailing Through The Ages

Go to any coastal area in the world and you will witness a history of man working with the ocean, and Iran is no different.

Dushanbe | A City Called Monday

From a small village, to a Soviet icon, and finally becoming a national capital, Dushanbe maybe not be the oldest city but it has quite a tale to tell.

Yangykala Canyon | Turkmenistan’s Fiery Fortress

The Yangykala Canyon: For most people, when travelling to Turkmenistan, they usually visit to see the Darvaza Gas Crater (The Gateway to Hell), or Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s white marbled gleaming capital. Not too aware; there is much else to see.

The 29 National Parks Of Mongolia

When booking a tour to Mongolia, you may notice that there’s often a national park or two included in almost all itineraries; here’s our summation of the Mongolian National Parks.

The Great Game & The Tournament Of Shadows

These days, if you search “The Great Game” online, and you’ll meet with a series of articles for World of Warcraft, Pacman. Minecraft and maybe Sonic the Hedgehog.

However, the Great Game couldn’t be further from these pixilated curios. Filled with intrigue, exploration, adventure, action and espionage, the Great Game had more than enough for a series of video games, several blockbuster movies and more than a few novels. 

Visiting the Caspian Sea

All countries bordering the Caspian Sea offer various options for viewing this natural marvel; from luxury tourist resorts, crumbling limestone cliffs and long sandy beaches. We’ve listed a few of our top picks for those keen on visiting the Caspian Sea.

The Caspian Sea Monster | Soviet Icons

During the 1960s, the Soviet Union began development on a truly monstrous vehicle, capable of travelling over water at 550 kph (342 mph) and transporting incredible amounts of cargo incredibly efficiently. Not quite a ship, not quite an aircraft, this new vehicle was a new type of experimental high speed transport which took advantage of a niche quirk in aerodynamics; the Ground Effect.

Who Was Lyudmila Pavlichenko? | Soviet Icons

Lyudmila was a woman who would break the mould of what people thought possible for her sex and show the world that more could be achieved, and you’d better beware throwing stereotypes in her direction!

Who Is Valentina Tereshkova? | Soviet Icons

Most people know about the first man in space, the first man on the moon and even the first satellite to orbit the earth; but not many know the first woman to venture into space: Valentina Tereshkova.

Who Was Leon Trotsky? | Soviet Icons

As part of our Soviet Icons series, we attempt to explain a little about the ill-fated legend of the Soviet Union; Leon Trotsky.

Ulaanbaatar | A Brief History Of Mongolia's Capital

For most travellers, one night is enough, and people leave either loving or hating this misunderstood capital. However, we would say try it a little longer. It may be the coldest capital in the world during the winter, but it is one of the most interesting, especially given its history.

What3Words | Navigating with the Nomads

What3words?  I hear you ask; and if I don’t, I’ve just informed you about the perfect phone app for travel! We at Absolute Nomads don’t usually do product reviews, but after living in Mongolia, we’ve discovered a great app, not only for travel in this remote and rugged country but also for further adventures. 

What is UNESCO?

You may wonder, as you read through our tour itineraries, what is UNESCO? You will no doubt have heard it mentioned on tour, in a few documentaries or even the evening news now and then.

Mongolian Food: Delicious or Scary

The majority of traditional Mongolian food is meat-based since meat is traditionally considered the perfect source of protein during the long, harsh winter months. Vegetables and other crops are also challenging to grow throughout much of the country.

The Tupolev ANT-20 | Soviet Icons

The Tupolev ANT-20 was a mammoth eight engine flying marvel, the largest aeroplane of its day, it was built as a flying propaganda machine. The ‘Tupolev ANT-20 Maxim Gorky’ was constructed to spread the communist message to the furthest reaches of the Soviet Union.

Who was Mikhail Koshkin? | Soviet Icons

As part of our ‘Soviet Icons’ series, we attempt to explain a little bit about the lesser-known Soviet legend Mikhail Koshkin.

Tupolev-144 - The Red Concorde | Soviet Icons

The Tupolev Tu-144 was the world’s first supersonic passenger jet. Despite this, the Tu-144 is much less well know that its western European cousin, the Concorde.

Who Was Joseph Stalin? | Soviet Icons

As part of our soviet Icons series, we attempt to explain a little about the controversial Russian legend, Joseph Stalin.

Who Was Vladimir Lenin? | Soviet Icons

As part of our Soviet Icons series, we attempt to explain a little about the Russian legend, Vladimir Lenin.

The UAZ-452: Communism’s Study Workhorse

The AK-47 of the motoring world, the UAZ-452 goes by many names, the ‘Bread Truck’ (Bukhanka), the ‘Scooby-Doo Van’ and even ‘The Pill’.

The Darvaza Gas Crater: Turkmenistan’s Gate To Hell

If you haven’t heard about this giant flaming pit in the Karakum Desert or want to know more, read on. 

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