Category: Small Group Discoveries

Asia & PacificSmall Group Discoveries

Mongolia’s Cultural Touchstones

on October 18, 2016

Mongolia’s national flag tells a story. In its left bar, the Soyombo stands proud, a symbol of Buddhism—the sun, moon, stars, and heavens represented in ornate geometric form. It seems simple enough, this national proclamation of united religion. But it stands for a victorious triumph after a long 20th-century struggle under Communism.

In 1924, Mongolia was home to 100,000 Buddhist monks. But as Communism took hold from neighboring Russia, 700 monasteries were closed or destroyed, Buddhist teachings were repressed and monks were killed. By 1990, 110 monks lived quietly in hidden monasteries. A year later, with the fall of Communism, that all changed. Buddhism once again rose as Mongolia’s dominant religion, and other religions such as shamanism also emerged from the shadows.

It’s a long, dark chapter, one that underscores the unwavering passion of a peaceful people. And it holds a lesson: Don’t let Genghis Khan, Kublai Kahn, and the warring ways of the Mongolian Empire fool you. Mongolians are peace-loving, big-hearted, and eager to share their culture with visitors.

Mongolians of today are not defined by borders, but by openness; it might be the wide spaces and vast steppes in which they live that lulls them into kindness. That’s why you’re likely to get invited into many a ger (the circular, tented structures they call home—again, no harsh straight lines here) for tea, mutton soup, or a cup of airag, fermented mare’s milk. Fried dumplings, called khuushuur, might also be on the menu. To be sure, Mongolian cuisine is simple, derived as it is from nomadic ways that require the most efficient use of livestock and humble harvests. And don’t be surprised if you’re invited to wash it all down with Mongolian grain vodka, a holdover from Russia’s occupation.

Seasonal festivals similarly take their cues from a rugged past. The Naadam, for instance, is perhaps Mongolia’s most famous national sport gathering. For three days each July, towns all over the country participate in Olympic-style games of strength and endurance.

Naadam is known locally as “Eriin Gurvan Naadam,” or the Three Games of Men: wrestling, horse racing, and archery. In these modern times, the Games’ title is no longer accurate as women now participate in the latter two. (The wrestling costume, an open-fronted jacket called a zodog, ensures that women do not try to enter that competition.) Naadam is a tradition that dates back 1,000 years, and the events are based on the traditional hunting culture of the Mongolian army. At the largest venue for the Games, in Ulaanbaatar, more than 600 horses stampede across the steppe for ten miles.

The Golden Eagle Festival—founded very recently, in 2000—demonstrates another symbol of military might: the event’s namesake bird. This powerful raptor has long been used to hunt for food and pelts, and each October the best falconers descend on a valley in the Altai Mountains to show off the speed, agility, and accuracy of their birds.

No doubt music plays a part in these celebrations, and most certainly at more intimate gatherings. Like so much of Mongolian culture, the country’s music has firm roots in nature and nomadism. The nation’s most famous instrument—the morin khur, a bowed stringed instrument with a boxy base and long neck—is said to produce a sound resembling a neighing horse or, even more poetically, a breeze blowing through the grasslands. Khoomei, or throat singing, is a haunting multi-tone melody produced deep in the throat. “Long song”—so named not because of a song’s length but because of each syllable’s length within the song—also plays a crucial part in the Mongolian songbook.

Experience Mongolia’s rich and welcoming culture during our Mongolia & the Gobi Desert trip. Click here to learn more!

Asia & PacificSmall Group Discoveries

Notes on an Itinerant People

on October 12, 2016

Mongolia’s Nomads Cling to a Treasured Way of Life

In the annals of travel, one of the oft-quoted explorers, Marco Polo, is reported to have said on his death bed, “I did not tell half of what I saw. No one would have believed it.”
The 13th-century adventurer journeyed to the exotic ends of the world and returned home with stories of double-humped camels and long-haired cattle. Indeed, many of his readers believed his stories were outrageous and called him a liar. Surely, they said, such bizarre creatures could not roam the earth!

Of course, the four-legged wonders that Marco Polo witnessed in Mongolia were emblematic of a larger and far more exotic world than anyone back home in the civilized Venetian Republic could have dreamed. Imagine, for instance, a people who never stayed in one place … who lived off the land completely with no sense of permanent, centralized community … who lived in round huts made of animal pelts that could be disassembled quickly when it was time to move on to their next home. “No one would have believed it,” the traveler wrote. Indeed, Mongolia’s rugged culture and its people’s itinerant ways must be seen to be believed. And Discovery Tours invites you to do just that.

An Ancient Capital on the Move
The history of Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, says a lot about the nomadic culture that still survives today. Typically, young countries establish capitals in order to centralize government functions and develop a national and cultural pride of place. Not so in Ulaanbaatar. This fledgling capital was founded in 1639 as a mobile monastery, a seat for the first Tibetan lama of Mongolia, Zanabazar. Simply put, this capital city was nomadic, moving from place to place as the need for supplies dictated.

It must have been quite a site to see a capital city on the move; thousands of gers—the round tent-like structures that served as homes—would have been broken down, packed away, and loaded into a massive caravan of wheeled carts pulled by horses, yaks, and reindeer. It was an epic seasonal exodus that led to temporary establishments along the Selenge, Orkhon, and Tuul rivers. To Western eyes, it seems like it would have been a hard life, and perhaps it was. But the lama preferred his capital to be mobile so that his monastery could better serve its people. Then there was the added benefit of being able to relocate quickly to Inner Mongolia during the Dzungar Wars in the late 17th century.

All told, Ulaanbaatar settled in 24 places. Its shortest stay was less than a year; its longest was 34 years. In 1778, as the U.S. was stepping into independence, the city settled in its current location where the Selbe and Tuul rivers meet.

So a nomadic lifestyle would seem to be coursing through Mongolians’ blood, if not coded into their DNA. Many still move with their livestock two-to-four times a year as their livelihood depends on the health of their horses, yaks, and reindeer. After all, greener pastures mean a healthier diet. It’s a life dictated by the cycle of seasons, and many might tell you that it comes with a freedom as wide as the endless steppes.

Ger: the Basis for Nomadic Life
Of course, in order to move about so often, one needs the Mongolian version of a mobile home. The round, tent-like ger is just that. You might know these simple structures as yurts, an equally accurate term that was used by Russians when they occupied Mongolia in the 20th century. So perfect is the structure of the ger for nomadic life that it hasn’t changed in 1,000 years—a circular lattice skeleton; a central wooden dome, kind of a large inverted dish set on pillars; a series of radial ribs connecting the dome and the lattice; all covered with animal pelts.

The ger, in fact, may be the closest tie that American culture—and other cultures around the world—have to Mongolia. They are not unfamiliar structures, thanks in part to William Coperwaite, a Harvard educator from Maine who was first inspired to build these round huts in the 1960s after reading a National Geographic article chronicling the Mongolian journey of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. But many of these so-called replicas, found at campgrounds or ski resorts around the world, are made with higher-grade materials and stand as permanent structures, so they are far from authentic or culturally accurate.

The Steed of the Steppes
Mongolia is two-and-a-half times the size of Texas. And just like in that southern state, its people relied on the horse for transportation from the country’s earliest days. Camels and reindeer may also have gotten people where they needed to go, but horses provided greater speed compared to these pack animals. So you can imagine that nomadic cultures evolved to become very horse-centric.

The timeless image of the Mongolian horseman is the leathery-skinned loner cantering astride his steed on a grassy steppe, his deel or robe dancing on a breeze. It is an intimate connection between herder and horse. Some riders carve their saddles from wood and adorn them with silver. And the horse’s mane is braided into rope. But horse and rider most thrillingly take center stage each year during the horse races of Naadam.

A Culture on the Edge
Few nomadic people remain in the world, so this Mongolian culture is precious. Many factors are contributing to their dwindling numbers. Mongolia’s economy, for one, is showing great promise. So the younger generation is being drawn to larger cities to pursue 21st-century careers. Climate change is also creating a shift in the environment as deserts reach out to strangle fertile grasslands, threatening grazing land, herds, and the nomadic way of life. Recent winters have been harsh, too, driving herders to opt for lives in mining towns and more urban comforts.

Still, the vast majority of Mongolia’s landscapes remains innocent and unspoiled and pure. And its nomads remain as much a part of the season’s cycles as the shifting winds.

Witness Mongolia’s nomadic culture during our Mongolia & the Gobi Desert trip. Click here for trip details!

Small Group DiscoveriesUSA & Canada

Experience the Staggering Beauty of America’s Last Frontier

on September 28, 2016

The year was 1959. The United States had already owned the land that comprises today’s Alaska for nearly a century, having purchased it from Russian Czar Alexander II in 1867. In 1912, the far-flung area became organized as an official territory, though it wasn’t admitted as the 49th state for another 47 years under the Eisenhower administration.

The largest state in America (twice the size of Texas), Alaska is also the nation’s third-least populous. By comparison, consider that the population of New York City numbers around 8.5 million over about 305 square miles. In Alaska, a mere 750,000 people are spread over 663,000 square miles. To say that the state is sparsely populated is an understatement, one that explains why its vast and unending wilderness stands among the most unspoiled and pristine expanses on Earth.

Without question, its two most fabled national parklands stand out for their magnificent scenery. Discovery Tours is thrilled to show them to you during one of our latest small group adventures.

Denali National Park

Few places embody Alaska’s untouched and dramatic beauty like Denali National Park. The 6-million acre park and preserve center around the highest peak in North America, once known as Mt. McKinley but renamed “Denali,” meaning “the high one” in the language of the local Koyukon people. The 2015 name change generated a fair amount of controversy. But you’re sure to agree that, no matter what you call it, the exquisite splendor of the peak and its surrounding wilderness defy any language.

Our small group journeys to the park in the most dramatic fashion: by deluxe dome railroad car. This spellbinding route is one of the most scenic train rides in the United States, stopping along the way in remote mountain towns where locals are as likely to board with luggage as with huskies. You will traverse magical woodlands, vast tundra and craggy peaks dusted with snow en route to the park, where more dazzling vistas await.

Denali National Park hosts a leg or two of the world-famous Iditarod, the “Last Great Race on Earth.” During your stay, you’ll have the chance to meet with a sled-dog musher and his team of four-legged racers who habitually careen over rugged mountains and across frozen rivers. After your visit with the hardy team, you’ll get a taste of the wild terrain over which they race when you drive through the expansive and legendary tundra itself. Grizzlies, moose and eagles call this untamed, subarctic wilderness home, roaming freely in the shadow of Denali and the majestic Alaska Range. For the most serene experience, your small group is invited to leave your touring vehicle behind and embark some sturdy rafts for a gentle float down the glacier-fed Nenana River. Few experiences compare to drifting in silence through such a breathtaking and inspiring landscape.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

The beauty of any visit to Alaska is that you are constantly immersed in the wonder of your destination. Everywhere you look, during every waking moment, you encounter panoramas more spectacular than the last. All the more wondrous is the time we spend above the treeline admiring the alpine vistas, which we’ll do as we drive to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest park in the United States. Secluded valleys, madly flowing rivers and rich wildlife make this wilderness area hugging the Canadian border truly special.

Small mining towns were built in valley crevices and on mountain slopes as prospectors seeking gold and copper arrived in the area’s early days. Today, what remains of these towns such as Chitina and Kennicott provide a fascinating glimpse of yesterday. But the highlight of your stay in Wrangell-St. Elias may not be the time you’ll spend on the ground, but the bird’s-eye view you’ll have from high above.

You’ll take wing in a small plane over some of the most breathtaking terrain in the world, flying over mountain peaks, massive glaciers and rushing rivers. All around you, snow-covered rock walls spill down into graceful valleys and ravines and fantastic rock formations dot the landscape. You might even spot flocks of Dall sheep or mountain goats carefully traversing cliff sides.

Your destination is the airfield in McCarthy, a modest town nestled in the middle of the park and surrounded by more 14,000-foot peaks and more glaciers than any other place in North America. This is one of the most unique and thrilling experiences you’ll likely ever enjoy. But to Alaskans, travel by small plane is commonplace: Cities and towns are so far apart here that travel by car is not only impractical but sometimes impossible as many remote regions cannot even be accessed by road.

But such is Alaska: rugged, remote and astonishing. And throughout your Discovery Tours adventure – whether you’re walking atop glaciers or ascending Mt. Alyeska by tram, cruising the pristine waters of Prince William Sound or visiting a reindeer ranch, experiencing native heritage, meeting an Alaskan native elder in Fairbanks or touring the Native Heritage Center of Anchorage – you’re sure to be mesmerized by this unique and spellbinding state that seems a nation unto itself.

Experience Alaska in with Gate 1 Travel and have an unforgettable experience in the heart of the North!

Small Group Discoveries

Preserving Alaska’s Magnificent Wildlife at AWCC

on September 26, 2016

The vast tundra and soaring slopes of Alaska host an endless array of wildlife, from bears to moose, from reindeer to fox. As you might witness for yourself throughout our Alaska’s Natural Beauty adventure, they are all very much at home here and as much a part of the landscape as the mountains peaks that pierce the sky. But some of these majestic creatures need help. Perhaps they’ve been misplaced by development or rescued from being illegally kept as pets. That’s where the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) steps in. Since 1993, it has been a protective refuge for animals that cannot survive in the wild.

Our small group has the privilege of visiting this nonprofit shelter for animals-in-need. Its mission is to preserve the region’s magnificent wildlife through public education, all while providing a safe haven and quality care for the injured and the orphaned.

Some animals are reared here as babies and prepared to be released into the wild. One dramatic story illustrates the importance of the conservation’s work. In 1941, the wood bison, North America’s largest land mammal, was declared extinct after over-hunting. But in 1957, a small herd was discovered. In 2003, the Conservation Center took in about a dozen of these remarkable animals from the Yukon and embarked on a carefully executed breeding and re-introduction plan. Today, the wood bison thrives in its natural habitat. A group of elk, too, was successfully re-released on Akun Island by the AWCC.

During your visit to AWCC, you’re likely to see reindeer, porcupine, bears, lynx, moose and more. Mind you, this is not a zoo; rather, the residents here roam fairly freely in large enclosures that are designed to resemble the natural environment. You’ll navigate your way through this spectacular menagerie on boardwalks and trails. The magnificent facility, set amidst mountains and glaciers, stretches out across 200 acres along the shores of Turnagain Arm.

The Center’s ultimate goal is to teach its residents to fend for themselves so they can roam free in the wild. That bald eagle you might see swooping down for salmon just might be in training. The coyote peering out from behind a bush may be putting its newly acquired survival skills to work. But not all animals will graduate into the natural world. Some simply never learn the skills or have physical limitations, leaving them to take up permanent residence here.

Hugo, for instance, is considered the Queen of the Conservancy. The young grizzly was discovered alone, hungry and injured with 150 porcupine quills in her paws. Upon arrival, she was nurtured back to health, but her injuries will keep her here. And that seems fine with her; she has 20 acres to call her own. At mealtime, a fresh piece of salmon might be left on the roof of a small cabin within her enclosure. Should you pass by while she’s dining, you’re sure to gain a deep respect for the size and might of a grizzly.

We hope you’ll experience this very special refuge for Alaska’s wildlife for yourself. Join us on our new Alaska’s Natural Beauty.

Small Group DiscoveriesUSA & Canada

Cruise Amidst Alaska’s Magnificent Beauty

on September 23, 2016

Imagine waters so calm that they mirror the snow-capped mountains and towering glaciers that hug their shores … a secluded body of water fed by cascading waterfalls that is host to an array of wildlife … a tranquil paradise where eagles take wing above and adorable seals frolic below. This is Prince William Sound, one of Alaska’s most spellbinding scenic wonders, and in a Discovery Tour small group, you’ll have the chance to cruise upon its glassy surface amidst one of the majestic landscapes you’re ever likely to set your eyes upon.

This spectacular pocket of Alaska was named for King George III’s son, Prince William Henry, in 1778, after international explorer James Cook came upon it. At the time, the prince was just 13 years old and was a decidedly young midshipman in the Royal Navy. As for Cook, he went on to chart North America’s northwestern coast and emerged as the first cartographer to ever place these far-flung, unspoiled reaches on a map.

Prince William Sound embodies the unspoiled majesty of Alaska still. Its surrounding shores are part of the Chugach National Forest, the second largest in the United States. As you cruise these waters, you’ll pass remote islands and astonishing fjords carved by millennia of glacial activity. This remains one of the most dramatic spots in the world to witness tidewater glaciers that tower hundreds of feet right at the shore and to see a swell of waterfalls making their final fall into the seawaters.

Besides the glaciers themselves, you will see ample evidence of the colossal work they’ve done over thousands of years. Starkly beautiful, barren hillsides tell the story of the ice wall’s slow retreat. And just below the water’s surface, ancient moraines– boulder and soil deposits left behind as glaciers drew back – mark the spots to which they once reached. It all makes for a remarkable and fascinating geological snapshot of the centuries.

As you cruise, you’ll learn that there is no other place on the planet that equals Prince William Sound for its earth-sculpting drama. This is the world’s densest concentration of tidewater glaciers, and many of them reach twelve miles inland and upward to ice-covered peaks, some of them 9,000 feet tall. As you explore, a diverse array of wildlife watches over your ship: bald eagles, countless seabirds, otters, seals and Dall’s porpoises among them. Occasionally, your naturalist will even spot whales. And there’s always a chance that you’ll witness the spectacle of a calving glacier as it splinters into the sea with a tremendous plunge.

Join Discovery Tours for the cruise of a lifetime in Prince William Sound during one of our newest adventures, Alaska’s Natural Beauty.

Small Group DiscoveriesUSA & Canada

A Unique Glacier Adventure in Alaska

on September 15, 2016

As peak experiences go, few can match hiking on the gleaming surface of a glacier. Crisp, clean air embraces you at every step. Snow-covered slopes rise for miles to dramatic peaks. And the only sound you hear is the crunch of your crampons digging into the snow and ice. It is tranquility and serenity at its most sublime.

Thanks to the small group size of our Discovery Tours trips, you can do all of this along the breathtaking Wrangell range in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park. One of America’s natural treasures, the park was established in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter. Remarkably, the park is larger than the nation of Switzerland.

Root Glacier is one of North America’s few accessible glaciers, and your adventure with Discovery Tours leads you into a virtually untouched and pristine wilderness. Because this majestic mountain range is almost completed draped in white glaciers, geological studies have never been conducted of the rocky contours of its slopes. Despite this lack of in-depth surveys, it is believed that the mountain range has an ancient, eroded wall that once surrounded a volcano’s crater. In this primitive environment, it’s easy to imagine a time eons ago when lava and fire exploded into the sky and poured down the mountainsides.

Root Glacier is more than a mile wide and flows for 15 miles through the dramatic valleys. As you can imagine, this surely once played a part in the lives of the people of Kennecott, an abandoned mining camp where copper was once extracted. Today, the camp is a National Historic Landmark District, rich in history and lore. A fascinating walk among its preserved shacks and work houses will get you acquainted with this often overlooked corner of the United States.

Your glacier walk begins right from the old mining camp. With your guide, you will strap on crampons and venture onto the thick ice floe. All around you, a white wonderland of unforgettable beauty stretches upward and outward as your guide helps you understand the glacier’s minuscule movements and the ways it has carved out this magnificent landscape. Above you, Mt. Blackburn soars into the sky, the highest peak in the park. As you explore, you’ll walk past the stunning, mile-high Stairway Icefall, a 7,000-foot vertical wall of ice alongside the shores of Erie Lake. This is just one spectacular natural feature you’ll marvel at during your walk. Turquoise blue pools and massive formations of ice sculpted by the elements mark your progress during this truly incredible outing.

Latin AmericaSmall Group Discoveries

Bolivia: Straddling Past and Future

on August 24, 2016

Deep in the historic center of La Paz, Bolivia’s bustling and thriving capital, the Mercado de Brujas, or the Witchcraft Market, clings to centuries-old traditions. Its herbal tea infusions, coca leaves and colorful alpaca sweaters place it on par with most any other Andean marketplace. But closer inspection reveals the more peculiar items that have helped to give this unusual emporium its name. Dried toucan beaks and snake skins might help the buyer cast spells. And sullus, dried llama fetuses, can be purchased as traditional offerings to the earth goddess Pachamama. There’s a reason this most unusual of markets still thrives after centuries of calming the spirits. Bolivia, though moving ever-forward into the 21st century, holds fast to the history and traditions that have helped shape its cultural identity.

People of the Gods

Though Bolivia has been inhabited for at least 5,000 years, the first society emerged here with the arrival of the Aymara people in 1500 BC. By 300 AD, these settlers had grown into a regional powerhouse as the Tiwanaku Empire. Because they had a corner on the llama market and controlled the flow of food trade, they were able to bring dozens of indigenous cultures under their rule. Its capital city, also named Tiwanaku, was home to 30,000 people at its peak.

You may still see evidence of that era’s grandeur in La Paz, where an open-air museum reveals some of the highlights of the Tiwanaku. Chief among these is the 10-ton Gate of the Sun, an impressive arch carved from a single slab of stone and etched with condor heads and the mythic Lord of the Walking Sticks. Here, it’s easy to sense one of the earliest expressions of Bolivia’s belief in the spirit world. But even as Tiwanaku fell, otherwordly beings maintained their influence.

In the late 14th century, the Incas wrested control of the region away from the Aymara and Bolivia became part of the Incan Empire. Copacabana on the shore of Lake Titicaca is perhaps the most memorable place to soak up the spell of that time. Crossing the shimmering water by boat to the Isla del Sol (the Island of the Sun), you can discover the spot where, according to Inca legend, the creator of the universe rose from the lake and threw the sun into the heavens. The island, unpaved and wild, remains dotted with mysterious pre-Columbian ruins to this day.

Colonial Highs & Lows

The Inca period didn’t last long. The arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century led to a European-style building boom, as salt and silver mining yielded great wealth. The epicenter of the Spanish heyday was Potosi, perched at 13,400 feet above sea level. At one point, Potosi produced 60% of the world’s silver, had its own mint, and boasted 200,000 residents. A saying that spread across South America spoke to the growing city’s prosperity: “to be worth a Potosí” meant to really be worth something. Seeing its grand churches and ornate colonial architecture now, it’s easy to imagine the era. The same may be said of elegant Sucre, Bolivia’s original capital city. Here, all buildings are whitewashed by government decree and stone patios call to mind the architecture of Catalan.

Sadly, the wealth of Potosi and Sucre flowed only into the coffers of Spain and Spanish descendants. Indigenous people reaped no wealth from the fruits of their land. You might think the brujas from the Witchcraft Market would have cast an evil spell on the colonialists. Instead, the indigenous people turned to Simon Bolivar, the h American revolutionary who led the battle for independence in 1825. Their sovereignty won, the people named the country for their national hero. In Sucre, the 17th-century Liberty House preserves the signed independence documents which you can still view today. As for Bolivar, he didn’t stay—the newly free people offered him the presidency, but he was already president of Colombia.

Bolivian Tradition Lives On

Today, Bolivia is a democratic republic, ruled by its first-ever indigenous President, Evo Morales. As you can tell from its Witchcraft Market, the nation continues to embrace its many cultures. Thirty-six languages are officially spoken here. Other traditional goods are on display in the village markets of Candelaria and Tarabuco. In a Discovery Tours small group, we can fully experience the singular story of Bolivia, from remote ruins and witches’ stalls to colonial-flavored towns and modern cities.

Explore the beauty and mystery of Bolivia with Gate 1 Travel.

Latin AmericaSmall Group Discoveries

Like Nowhere on Earth: Bolivia’s Uyuni Salt Flats

on August 22, 2016

Sprawling some 4,000 square miles, the stunningly white salt flats of Uyuni, Bolivia, are a feast for the eyes—an ever-changing, mirage-like phenomenon. In the brightest daylight they appear to shimmer like a lake. In the slant glow of sunrise or sunset, they look more like a moonscape. Just a hint of rain can transform them into a glassy—but quite temporary—sea so shallow that explorers look to be walking on water. Not surprisingly, this is one of the most photographed locales in South America.

These are not only the world’s largest salt flats; they are also the highest, resting at a crest in the Andes 11,995 feet above sea level. The salar de Uyuni was formed by the gradual drying of a massive lake on the Bolivian altiplano some 40,000 years ago. Estimates suggest that the salar contains as much as 10 billion tons of salt. Local miners have been chipping away at it slowly, to the tune of 25,000 tons a year. (There’s no danger of ruining the landscape: It would take 100,000 years to carve away even the top quarter of the salt surface.) All the miners belong to a single cooperative that distributes the profits equally, resulting in a concerted effort to mine the landscape wisely.

Salt isn’t the only commodity for which Uyuni is known. The flats are home to roughly 40% of earth’s lithium reserves. China previously dominated the industry that produces lithium for batteries, but Bolivia joined the market this year and hopes to soon be a competitor. It is already a player in the trade of borax, which is abundant in the salar as well.

As austere and serene as the flats might seem, Uyuni was once a rail hub for Bolivia, its trains especially important for the mining industry. From the late 1800’s to the 1940’s, trains from Chile to La Paz passed through Uyuni, and by the dawn of the 20th century, there was talk of an expanded network with more lines and departures here. But regional tensions—Chile was in constant conflict with Peru and Bolivia—put an end to that dream. Instead, the opposite happened: Uyuni became home to the Great Train Graveyard, where out-of-service locomotives from not only South America but Great Britain were abandoned to history. Corrosion was unavoidable in the face of endless salt winds, and the result is a fascinating desertscape of ochre skeletons sinking into the sand.

Because of the vast scope of the salar, the graveyard seems to disappear from a distance. In fact, the eye is often fooled here as the landscape appears to fade into nothing but a pale glow that stretches beyond sight. That’s the result of the incredible degree of flatness—only a few feet in variation across thousands of miles. If you think this sounds like an otherworldly terrain, you wouldn’t be too far off: NASA uses the salar as a calibration tool for satellites, capitalizing on its reflectiveness and stability to test distances from earth.

Not surprisingly, many thousands of travelers seek out this natural wonder every year. Because Discovery Tours strictly caps the size of our small group, our footprint is small too. We tread lightly, careful to respect the fragile environment, making sure its beauty remains undisturbed for the next travelers lucky enough to experience this captivating wonder.

Visit the Uyuni Salt Flats during our Bolivia & Peru: Andean & Amazonian Culture trip.

Latin AmericaSmall Group Discoveries

The Mystery of Machu Picchu

on August 19, 2016

Straddling a saddleback mountain, the magnificent “Lost City” of Machu Picchu is one of travel’s great milestones, to say nothing of its place as one of the world’s great mysteries. Its precise architecture, erected without mortar, has proven itself capable over its 400-plus years of withstanding earthquakes. Even more remarkable, the saddleback on which it rests was not a natural formation; it had to be sculpted to meet the needs of its brilliant Incan city planner. Earth and massive dry stones had to be moved, foundations laid, rocks crushed for drainage. All this work was accomplished by a society without iron tools, work animals, or wheels. No one really knows how they did it.

But they did. And in the century since it was discovered by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham, scientists have made some fascinating conclusions about the site’s layout, conclusions that illustrate the size and scope of the place.

Machu Picchu was built to include an urban sector and an agricultural sector. More than this, it had an upper town and a lower. As you might expect, temples were part of the upper town and storage warehouses were in the lower.

About 200 buildings are spread out across wide terraces that step down from the saddle, with a massive central square at the middle. Terraces were also used for irrigation and gardens. Stone stairways linked many of the terraces. In the east, the citizens’ houses draped down the mountain. On the other side of the square were various religious and ceremonial buildings.

Plenty of mystery also surrounds the significance of Machu Picchu to the Inca. A newer theory disregards the idea that people lived on the mountain and says instead that the site was a grand religious place, like a Mecca, that marked the end of a ceremonial pilgrimage, and the Inca Trail was laid out on an intentionally arduous path whose spectacular vistas are meant to reward the long, hard walk.

Other theories suggest that the site’s most important structures were oriented to coincide with the location of nearby holy mountains and with the location of the sun during solstices and equinoxes. One idea goes so far as to suggest that the city itself was built upon this very site so that it would be encircled by the Urubamba River, which the Inca considered holy. Or, perhaps, goes another theory, it was a royal retreat – the equivalent of a hunting lodge where the Inca Emperor Pachacuti could escape to relax and entertain guests.

Much of the wonder of Machu Picchu, of course, rests in its very mystery. Were we to strip the mystery and intrigue away, then where would its allure lie? Do we really want to know with certainty why Machu Picchu exists, or how it was constructed? Better, perhaps, to leave its grand and magnificent design to the imagination.

Latin AmericaSmall Group Discoveries

The Other Side of Peru

on August 15, 2016

Andean Vistas, Unspoiled Cultures & Seldom-Seen Ruins

Snow-capped Andean peaks scrape at the sky. A patchwork of checkered farmland – neat squares of emeralds, olives, and browns – stretches over vast valleys, then climb hillsides to altiplano plateaus. Pristine alpine streams race through fields. There is something ethereal at work in the tranquil countryside of Peru. And once you lay your eyes on such sublime beauty, it may come as no surprise that in the religion of the ancient Inca (and many of their modern-day descendants), these forces of nature – mountains and streams and valleys – are revered as apus, or spirits.

For today’s traveler, the most profound way to get in touch with the Inca’s spiritual side is to venture beyond the typical sites and head deeper into this unspoiled country. Don’t get us wrong – we know that no trip to Peru is complete without explorations of Machu Picchu and the Incan capital of Cusco, and we’re sure to bring you to these magnificent places. But behind these cultural treasures, away from the well-trodden tourist paths, another side of Peru beckons … a side embraced by apus, and graced by a history rich in colonial and indigenous heritage.

Behold a Gleaming City of White
The southern outpost of Arequipa is the perfect starting point for deeper Peruvian explorations. Its geographic isolation has allowed it to evolve with little outside influence; today, the city remains a unique and fascinating mix of Spanish and indigenous descendants. In fact, when UNESCO bestowed World Heritage status on Arequipa, it called the city’s historic center “a masterpiece of the European creative coalition and native characteristics.”

This praise owes much to the beauty of the city’s architecture. Its pearl-white colonial buildings gleam in the Peruvian sun; Spaniards built their city from the sillar – cream-colored volcanic rock – that carved this Andean region over millennia. The striking cityscape has earned Arequipa the nickname, “Ciudad Blanca,” or White City. You can almost imagine that its buildings literally rose out of the earthen rock.

From the Depths of Colca Canyon to the Heights of Lake Titicaca
The landscape surrounding Arequipa, formed by a string of 80 volcanoes and epic tectonic shifts, is at once peaceful and dramatic. Andean peaks are everywhere, as we’ll discover during magnificent drives past pre-Inca farming terraces that climb fertile slopes. But one of our most memorable stops won’t have you looking up at mountains, but down into the yawning crevice of the Colca Canyon. This impressive crag in the earth is more than twice as deep as Arizona’s Grand Canyon; its walls, though not as steep, drop 13,650 feet from the rim. We keep our eyes open for the Andean condor as it rides air currents wafting up from the canyon floor.

Our route traverses the beauty of southeastern Peru. It’s not uncommon to come across shepherds herding their sheep or alpacas across these immense plains. It is a classic Peruvian tableau, despite that the horses they ride are not Peruvian at all, but were brought here by the Spanish. But on the lake known as Lagunillas, plenty of indigenous flora and birdlife hug the shores – no imports here! It is a startling pool of blue amidst a solitary landscape.

Despite Lagunillas’ undeniable beauty, another body of water captures our interest, the highest navigable lake in the world: Lake Titicaca, which straddles the Peruvian and Bolivian border. The small city of Puno is our base for exploring the home of the legendary Uros people, a resourceful tribe that centuries ago built vast rafts from the lake’s tough totora reeds so they could escape the wrath of an approaching enemy. On their newly made flotilla-homes, they cast off from shore to avoid decimation. As threats grew on other shores, they simply relocated their Islas Flotantes, or Floating Islands, to another part of the massive lake. The Uros were eventually conquered by the Inca, but their reed-island cultures survived. Today, they no longer have reason to move around like lake nomads. The threat of marauding tribes is gone, yet 44 of their islands – a rich and revered part of their heritage and lifestyle – remain.

Beyond Machu Picchu: Uncovering an Ancient Past
Near Puno, the fascinating Peruvian burial site of Sillustani comes into view amidst a barren landscape. It might at first appear to be a series of smokestacks. But these stone towers were actually funereal chambers for elite members of the Aymara people. An entire family was placed into each tower, called “uta Amaya,” or “houses of the soul” by the Aymara. Openings on the tombs all faced east, where the sun was reborn each day. The more remarkable features of Sillustani are the carved stones that comprise each tower. With their cut rectangular edges and uniform size, the craftsmanship behind them is considered more complex than that used by the Inca, even though the Aymara pre-dated them.

Of course, the Inca were brilliant engineers too, as we see at the seldom-visited complex of Raqchi, one of holiest sites in the Inca Empire. This temple was enormous, more than 25,000 square feet and covered by what was perhaps the largest single roof of the empire. Priests lived in adjoining quarters, and 100 round granary houses held corn and quinoa that were likely used in ceremonies. Incas worshipped here by the thousands.

We can be thankful that even the conquistadors saw Raqchi fit to at least partially preserve. But the contributions of the Spanish throughout Peru are also breathtaking. Off the beaten path, 30 miles from Cusco, the 17th-century church of Andahuaylillas stands as testament to their artistic and religious heritage. Don’t be fooled by the nondescript exterior of this cathedral. Inside, the artwork is dazzling. A rich mix of red and gold hues surrounds a gilded altar. Its painted ceilings and frescoed walls have inspired some to compare this church to the Sistine Chapel.

Untouched cultures … spectacular natural beauty … little-known pockets of rich history. This is the other side of Peru, and our small groups allow unfettered access to its glories. Read more about our Peruvian Legends tour and call to reserve your space today!

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