ABOUT US Untamed Borders offers bespoke trips and small group tours to some of the most interesting regions of Central and South Asia. We specialise in trips to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, former Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus but also arrange private trips to other off the beaten track destinations. Untamed Borders uses specialist local guides to allow access to some of Asia’s harder to reach places. In the past few years we have taken our guests skiing in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan and arranged the first commercial trips in recent years to Chechnya, Dagestan and Mogadishu. We have arranged meetings with retired head-hunters in Nagaland on the Indian/Myanmar border and stayed with descendants of both Alexander the Great’s and Genghis Khan’s armies in Central Asia. In this booklet we introduce some of our favourite guiding destinations. If you are interested in taking a trip with Untamed Borders please get in touch. Happy travels, The Untamed Borders crew
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About us Contents Afghanistan Pakistan North East India Russia Uzbekistan Somalia Set or private itineraries …and beyond Our commitment
AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan has been a crossroads of civilisations for millenia. From Darius the Great to Alexander the Great, Marco Polo to George Bush. They have all been here and left their mark. It remains a place of world interest for both nervous politicians and intrepid tourists alike, renowned for its legendary hospitality to guests and equally legendary hostility to invaders. Any trip here is an adventure. Sights like the remains of the giant Buddha statues of Bamian, the Lapis Lazuli blue of the lakes at Band e Amir or the first sight of the almost unreachable Minaret of Jam are incredible. However, most people’s lasting memories of Afghanistan will reflect a more human scale, whether it be kids flying kites over Kabul, drinking tea with ex-mujahedin or chatting with catapult wielding Hazara children. A trip to Afghanistan offers the opportunity to see a country that has been off the tourist map for 30 years, to visit a place that is starkly beautiful and to interact with people and places mainly recognisable from news reports. Whether your interest in Afghanistan is its ancient or its modern history we know what you experience in this striking and hospitable country, recovering from decades of conflict, will stay with you for a lifetime.
AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan is a paradise for those with a love of the mountains and mountain people. The Hindu Kush mountain range bisects the country and is one of the least explored ranges in the world. The opportunities for adventurous ski touring, trekking and climbing are almost unlimited. The mountains are also home to a number of peaceful minority groups. The Hazara of Bamian, the Wakhi of the Wakhan and the Kyrgyz of The Afghan Pamir are all extremely hospitable and live in a world far removed from the troubles affecting the rest of the country. We are the first company to take commercial skiers to Afghanistan – a feat that was recognised when Untamed Borders received a letter of commendation from Afghanistan’s first female governor for our work in promoting ski tourism in Afghanistan. We have arranged for climbers to make the first ascents of previously unclimbed peaks and organised logistics for the first Afghan snowboarding film. We now offer a full range of outdoor mountain activities in Afghanistan from first ascents of peaks in the Hindu Kush to ski touring on vast frozen lakes. The combination of skiing, climbing or trekking little known or brand new routes, and an immersion into the timeless Afghan mountain culture makes for a heady mix.
Afghan trip options: • Join our annual cultural trips to Kabul, Bamian, Herat and Mazar e Sharif each Spring and Autumn. • Join our ground breaking ski touring trips to Bamian and the Koh e Baba mountain range. • Join our annual trekking trip to the Wakhan and Afghan Pamir region. …or contact us to arrange something special for you and your friends. For information on our Afghan trips go to the website www.untamedborders.com
PAKISTAN From the burning plains of Baluchistan to the top of K2, the world’s second highest mountain, Pakistan is the link between the steamy subcontinent and the wild mountains of Central Asia. Four of the great mountain ranges of the world collide in the north and the scenery is matched by an eclectic collection of people and cultures. The north is the area we know best and the area which, we think, holds most interest to visitors. Remains of the ancient Buddhist civilisation of Gandhara sit side by side with the sights and smells of the chaotic Pashtun capital of Peshawar. Walking on, around or up glaciers in the Karakorum, crossing rope bridges in the Pamirs and meeting isolated animist tribes in the Hindu Kush are just some of the things we pack into trips here every summer. Access to these areas has been made easier since the building of the remarkable Karakorum Highway 20 years ago but it is still an unexplored and overlooked destination for anyone wanting to experience real adventure. However, the incredible scenery takes second place in Pakistan to interactions with some of the most hospitable and generous people in the world.
Pakistan trip options: • Join our annual trip to the north of Pakistan taking in the Shandur Polo festival, the Kalasha valleys, the Hunza valley and the Karakorum Highway. • Join our annual trekking trip to K2 base camp and Concordia • Ask us to arrange a private trip to our home town of Peshawar …or contact us to arrange something special for you and your friends. For information on our Pakistan trips go to the website www.untamedborders.com
NORTH EAST INDIA Wedged between Tibet, Myanmar and Bangladesh the North East of India is a treasure trove of tribal groups, remote Tibetan monasteries, nature reserves and tea plantations. Many of the states require permits to visit them, both for foreigners and for other Indians. This restriction combined with its remoteness from the rest of India results in an outstanding area to visit, almost devoid of international tourists. As with our other destinations we believe that interaction with people is key to a memorable trip. Our relationship with local people allows us to join Adi tribesmen on a traditional jungle hunting trip, stay over night at a monastery with Buddhist nuns, meet a Bon Shaman and dine with men who were once head-hunters.
North East India trip options: • Join our annual edge of India trips to explore Arunchal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya. ‌or contact us to arrange something special for you and your friends in any part of India. For information on our India trips go to the website www.untamedborders.com
RUSSIA Russia. The world’s largest country. Stretching across two continents and nine time zones, much of Russia remains as cut off from western visitors today as it was under the Soviet Union. With dozens of mountain ranges, taiga, tundra, desert, steppe, a 37,000km coastline, shamans, a multitude of indigenous tribal and nomadic groups and vast areas of the country completely unconnected to any road or rail network - there is much more to experience in Russia than St Petersburg, Moscow and long train rides. Tapping into our guides’ many years experience we take our guests into parts of Russia that are rarely seen by Russians, let alone outsiders. We show you life in Europe’s only Buddhist Republic, explore Persian fortresses and delve into the taiga, a forest so vast it would envelope the USA. As always it is the people that make these trips unforgettable and our guests fondest memories are often the time spent with the nomadic Nenets reindeer herders of Arctic Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula or enjoying the warm hospitality of Chechens, Dagestanis and Ingush in Russia’s much misunderstood Caucasus states. If you are looking for travel inspiration and want to get truly off the beaten track then join us on a trip into Untamed Russia.
Russian trip options: • Join our annual ground breaking trip to Chechnya, Dagestan and Russia’s deep south. • Visit the pagan Nenets. Nomadic reindeer herders of the Yamal Peninsula, north of the Arctic circle. …or contact us to arrange something special for you and your friends in any part of Russia. For information on our Russia trips go to the website www.untamedborders.com
UZBEKISTAN Lying at the heart of Central Asia, Uzbekistan is the cradle of civilisation for the region. Timur ran his vast empire from here in the 14th century and architecture buffs will be in heaven when confronted by the epic scale of his legacy. The medieval cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are the jewels in the crown of Uzbekistan. Blue tiled mosques, towering minarets and grand palaces leave the visitor awed and humbled. A trip through Uzbekistan is a trip through the land of the silk road, passing bactrian camels, lonely forts and windswept desert landscapes. However, Uzbekistan is not just a Timurid museum. Modern day Uzbekistan is a balancing act between it’s traditional Islamic past and it’s post soviet future. Atmospheric markets selling prayer mats and Baltika beer, endless cotton fields and the sobering sight of the now nearly dry Aral Sea stand testament to the impact of those years. Viewing these sites is what makes a visit to Uzbekistan so memorable.
SOMALIA Sitting on the horn of Africa, Somalia is a link between the Arab world and the African. Isolated for two decades due to severe instability in the region, Somalia offers unique experiences. We currently take small groups to the capital, Mogadishu where our guests can explore the fading Italian architecture, explore the legendary Bakara market but above all feel the atmosphere of this city slowly recovering from years of neglect. Contact us for further information.
SET ITINERARIES We offer a small number of fixed itineraries each year. As well as visiting places of outstanding natural beauty, cultural interest and ensuring we meet and mix with the local population, we time these trips so they coincide with festivals, events or are simply the best time of year to visit. Each year we dedicate countless hours designing the next year’s itineraries and because the same people who conceived these adventures lead the trips, we believe our guests receive an exceptionally personal service. All of our set itineraries are designed for small groups and carried out by experienced guides.
PRIVATE ITINERARIES Do you have a very specific interest and want to delve a little deeper into a region? Do you have a film, photography or research project and need logistics, guiding and assistance? Are our set itinerary dates inconvenient or do you simply like to travel alone? If the answer to any of these questions is yes then contact us and we will offer options for a private trip. The majority of the trips we run are private trips with bespoke itineraries. You will have the freedom to do what you want when you want, and by travelling with our local guides you will get a much greater chance to mix with local people and immerse yourself in the culture. Have a look at our website, facebook page or contact us for more ideas.
…AND BEYOND Our network of guides, journalists, travellers, translators and fixers spreads far and wide. If you are seeking an extra special trip ask us to arrange a personalised visit to one of the below destinations: Kazakhstan • Camel herders, space launches and Mongol tombs Tajikistan • Take a ride on the Pamir highway through the home of the Ibex and the Snow Leopard. Iran • The world’s most beautiful square at Isfehan, the 2,500 year-old centre of the ancient Persian world at Persopolis and mud bricked Yazd. Xinjiang • Kashgar, K2 and the Taklamakan desert. Kyrgyzstan • Eagle hunters, alpine lakes and fermented sheep milk. India • With over a billion people, India offers so much more than the Taj Mahal and Goa. Iraq • Babylon, Baghdad and skiing in Kurdistan.
OUR COMMITMENT Our commitment to adventure Untamed Borders is the antithesis to the mass-market travel industry. We take individuals and small groups to destinations that see very few visitors and we work closely with local people from those regions. This allows our guests a truly authentic experience of the regions, people and cultures they meet. When our guests pick tea in Assam, dance at a Kalasha wedding or spend time with Afghan shepherds they are getting a 100% unadulterated experience.
Our commitment to the regions we visit Because we only visit places that receive few tourists we have a special responsibility to these regions and the people in them. We only travel in small groups, we use local guides and we encourage lots of interaction between our guests and the people of the places we visit. This approach ensures as much money as possible reaches the local community by utilising locally owned restaurants, accommodation, shops and hiring local people as guides, drivers and translators. We also believe in trying to make every guest interaction a cultural exchange. In short, we believe in a minimum impact maximum benefit approach.
Our commitment to safety As well as offering some incredible adventures for the intrepid traveller, some of our destinations offer equally unique risks and dangers. We take our guests security very seriously, staff frequently check safety reports and ensure they are aware of any potential problems. We take advice from many sources ranging from governments and independent security advisers to tribal chiefs and bus drivers. All of which allow us to make your trip memorable for all the right reasons. Text © 2013 • James Willcox Design & lay out • Britt Das | Maria Carrilero | www.brittdas.com Photography © 2013 • All photos by Untamed Borders and Chad Dear All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be copied, used, reprinted or sold without the written permission of the author.
CONTACT www.untamedborders.com www.facebook.com/untamedborders info@untamedborders.com +44(0) 7532 139504 12 Harnet Street, Sandwich, Kent, CT13 9ES United Kingdom Phone Pakistan + 92 (0) 91 - 5262251 + 92 (0) 345 9397639 Address Pakistan 1st Floor Samdani Plaza, 12 Saddar Road, Peshawar, Pakistan Website Facebook E-mail Phone UK Address UK
Untamed Borders is a England and Wales registered company. Company Number 6748438