Lena Pillars Nature Park, Russia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Lena Pillars Nature Park, Russia

Weather: Partly cloudy, 62/77F.

Route: From Lake Baikal 1,416 km NE.

Significance: These pillars along the Lena river are made from alternating layers of rocks, and formed by the freeze and thaw cycle in Siberia.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Image:

The pillars of the Lena river (from whc.unesco.org)

Lake Baikal, Russia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Lake Baikal, Russia

Weather: Partly to mostly cloudy, 45/60F.

Route: From Burkhan Khaldun 510 km north.

Significance: Lake Baikal is the largest lake by volume in the world. It is has more volume than all the Great Lakes of North America combined. It contains 25% of all surface fresh water in the world. It has incredible endemic animals, such as the only fresh water seals in the world.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

A view of the lake (from whc.unesco.org)

The incredible freshwater seals of lake Baikal (from slate.com)

Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain, Mongolia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain, Mongolia

Weather: Sunshine and clouds mixed, 53/74F.

Route: From Kharhorin 479 km NE.

Significance: This is purportedly the birth place and burial place of Ghengis Khan. Mountain worship is common in Mongolia, it has integrated with Buddhism.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain (from discovermongolia.com)

An ovoo of shamanic worship (from whc.unesco.org)

Orkhon Valley, Mongolia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Orkhon Valley, Mongolia

Weather: Thunderstorms likely, 47/65F.

Route: From Magao Caves 1,023 km NE.

Significance: These are the famous Mongol grasslands, that includes Kharkorum - that in the 13th century was the capital of the Ghengis Khan's empire.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Erdene Zuu Monastery (from whc.unesco.org)

13th century stone turtle (from whc.unesco.org)

Mogao Caves, China - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Place: Mogao Caves, China

Weather: Thunderstorms early, 67/85F.

Route: From Tanbaly 1,643 km east.

Significance: The caves have decorations from over a thousand years. Most of the art is celebrating the Buddha.  The caves are at an important place on the silk road.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

Elaborate decorations in front of one of the caves (from whc.unesco.org)

Paintings and statues inside one of the caves (from whc.unesco.org)

Tanbaly, Kazakhstan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Tanbaly, Kazakhstan

Weather: Sunny, 65/87F.

Route: From Osh 913 km NNE on A365.

Significance: In the Tanbaly gorge are over 5,000 petroglyphs from the last 3,000 years. Most show animals important to the people there.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

The Tanbaly Gorge (from whc.unesco.org)

Example of petroglyphs in the gorge (from whc.unesco.org)

Osh, Kyrgyzstan

 Place: Osh, Kyrgyzstan

Weather: Mainly sunny, 63/85F.

Route: From Dushanbe 661 km NE on A372 and M41.

Population: 322,164

Things to do: Sulaiman Mountain (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Lenin Park, Museum Sulaiman Too, Mausoleum of Asaf ibn Burkhiy, Mosque of Ravat Abdullakhan.

Images:

Sulaiman-Too Museum (from whc.unesco.org)

Sulaiman-Too Mosque (from whc.unesco.org)