Alluring Albania: 7 Reasons to Visit

Alluring Albania: 7 Reasons to Visit
Kelly Guerra / November 20, 2019
The Balkans

Since stepping out from behind the Iron Curtain, Albania has gone from closed-off Communist country to hidden gem of the travel industry. It’s no surprise that publications like Harper’s Bazaar, the Financial Times, and National Geographic (to name a few) have listed it as one of their top places to visit. With beautiful sandy beaches, sweeping mountain views, rich history, and warm hospitality, it’s easy to fall in love with the enchanting Land of Eagles. Here are some of the things that make Albania so alluring! Read More

6 Ways to Explore the Silk Road by Private Train

6 Ways to Explore the Silk Road by Private Train
MIR Corporation / October 30, 2019
Central Asia

During our 30 years of operation, we’ve seen interest in travel to Central Asia skyrocket, and we couldn’t be happier that one of our longtime favorite regions has grown in popularity. The Five ‘Stans are rich repositories of treasures waiting to be discovered. And MIR has mined years of expertise and insider knowledge about them. Read More

MIR’s Uzbekistan & Silk Road Expertise Spotlighted in AFAR Magazine

MIR’s Uzbekistan & Silk Road Expertise Spotlighted in AFAR Magazine
MIR Corporation / October 21, 2019
Silk Road

Anya von Bremzen is an award-winning food writer and the author of such delectable cookbooks as Please to the Table and Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking. A passionate foodie, world traveler, and expert on the cultures and cuisines of Russia and the former Soviet Republics, Anya fell in love with the country of Uzbekistan in Central Asia on a trip there in the early 1990s, when it was still a part of the Soviet Union. Ever since that first visit, she dreamed of one day making her return to the Silk Road. After two decades of waiting, news of Uzbekistan's progressive political and economic changes made over the last few years ultimately convinced Anya that now was the perfect time to revisit. She embarked on a custom-made Silk Road sampler through the modern capital, Tashkent, as well as the legendary oasis cities of Bukhara and Samarkand, all arranged with the help of MIR Corporation. Anya shared her experiences of her ultimate Uzbekistan adventure in the November/December issue of AFAR Magazine. Read More

Postcard from the Road: A Visit to Remote Villages in Kyrgyzstan

Postcard from the Road: A Visit to Remote Villages in Kyrgyzstan
MIR Corporation / September 20, 2019
Silk Road

Tour Manager Michel Behar shared some photos from the road while traveling on MIR’s Pamir Highway: From the Tien Shan to the High Pamirs small group tour in August. While journeying through remote villages on "the Silk Road Less Traveled," Michel and his tour group met with several families of semi-nomads in Kyrgyzstan. Read More

Postcard from the Road: A Mystical Shaman Ceremony in the Remote Siberian Wilderness

Postcard from the Road: A Mystical Shaman Ceremony in the Remote Siberian Wilderness
MIR Corporation / August 19, 2019
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Russia

While in Kyzyl, a small Siberian village in remote Tuva, Tatiana took one of our favorite photos from her trip: a photo of a shaman ceremony. The photo was taken about halfway through the trip, when the group met with a shaman for a demonstration of an authentic ceremony. Tuvan shamanism is based on an animistic spiritual belief that used to be an integral part of Tuvan life and, to some extent, still is. Shamans intercede for people with the spirit world, the unseen world that pervades the Tuvan’s environment. Read More

Postcard from the Road: Clients Try Their Hand at Traditional Woodcrafts in a Small North Caucasus Village

Postcard from the Road: Clients Try Their Hand at Traditional Woodcrafts in a Small North Caucasus Village
MIR Corporation / August 7, 2019
Russia

Tour Manager Michel Behar checked-in from the road while on MIR’s Return to the North Caucasus small group tour. Michel and his tour group in five jeeps were traveling between Derbent and Makhachkala in the North Caucasian Republic of Dagestan when they made a stop up a winding road to a small village called Untsukul. Upon arrival, they were met by Shamil Nurmagomedov, a fourth generation woodcarver and one of five master craftsmen left in Untsukul. Shamil gave Michel and his group an inside peek into his one-of-a-kind craft. Read More

Postcard from the Road: A Photo Finish at the Naadam Festival in Mongolia

Postcard from the Road: A Photo Finish at the Naadam Festival in Mongolia
MIR Corporation / July 30, 2019
Mongolia

Tour Manager Tatiana Pokalova sent us this postcard from the road while on MIR’s Mongolia to Moscow: A Trans-Siberian Railway Adventure small group tour. Find out what’s happening here and in other photos taken on the regularly scheduled Trans-Siberian train traveling over a dramatic and variegated route. Read More

5 New UNESCO World Heritage Sites to Add to Your 2020 Bucket List

5 New UNESCO World Heritage Sites to Add to Your 2020 Bucket List
MIR Corporation / July 22, 2019
UNESCO

Each year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee considers a new assortment of sites to add to its list of awe-inspiring places around the globe. These sites are carefully selected based on a strict set of criteria determining their cultural or natural significance and “outstanding universal value” to humanity. Some have been on the UNESCO Tentative List for years, waiting for their turn to shine. In 2019, the UNESCO committee added 29 new sites to its list, and significantly expanded an older one. Read More

Cruise the North Pole: The Ultimate Journey on Top of the World

Cruise the North Pole: The Ultimate Journey on Top of the World
MIR Corporation / June 28, 2019
Remote and Undiscovered

For hundreds of years, travel to the North Pole represented the pinnacle of pioneering endeavors. This remote, icy realm on top of the world stirred the hearts and minds of countless adventurers, daring them to discover the vast wilderness of the Arctic North. Even today, many consider the chance to reach 90ºN as an astounding travel achievement worthy of adding to their bucket lists. Now you can be one of the few to experience life at its most mysterious on MIR's once-in-a-lifetime voyage to the North Pole. Retrace the path of early polar explorers as you cruise aboard the world’s largest icebreaker, keeping a lookout for the astonishing array of wildlife in the Arctic and enjoying fantastic views of an endless, frozen icescape. Read More