Choosing a summer holiday spot can be hard from Hong Kong, since it’s so well placed for accessing a huge range of destinations. Here are two very different suggestions from the travel specialists at Jebsen Holidays.
1# Magic of Mongolia
Festival-going
Naadam is a traditional festival held throughout Mongolia in July each year. Locals refer to the festival as Eriin Gurvan Naadam, which means “the three games of men”, referring to Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery. As the country’s biggest festival by some margin, Naadam is obviously a fantastic sight to witness as a tourist. The good news is, if you want to experience a taste of it but you can’t get there in July (the summer travel season runs from approximately 1 June to 15 September), the Jebsen team can organise a “mini Naadam” as part of your itinerary.
Bird-watching
Mongolia is a paradise for bird watchers, with the countless lakes and rivers attracting thousands of different species. In the Gobi Desert, for example, there is the wonderful lammergeier (bearded vulture), the Henderson’s ground jay (which runs around sand dunes, a bit like a roadrunner in the US), the saxaul sparrow (like a brightly-coloured house sparrow but living in the unique saxaul forests in the deserts), and many others. Khustai National Park is a unique place to watch birds – especially birds of prey. Well over 200 species have been observed in the park, among them the eagle, vulture, hawk, falcon, Amur falcon and Himalayan vulture.
Stay in a Yurt
A traditional yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger (Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. If you stay in a ger on a Jebsen itinerary, it will be what’s known as an “eco-friendly” one; that’s because everything used in the building or upkeep of the ger is from either a natural product or an animal skin or wool. Learning how the nomads build up a ger is one of the must-sees on any visit to Mongolia
2# Ideal for families
Whether your child is seven months or 17 years old, it’s hard to look past a Club Med resort for a truly relaxing family holiday. It’s not just relaxation, though – if you’re up for it (and the kids surely will be), Club Med offers stimulation, exploration and activity, too – and all in the safest of environments. From baby gyms to creative workshops, and flying trapezes to hikes in nature, the resorts’ qualified staff – known as “GOs” from the French gentil organisateur (“nice organisers”) – will adapt to the rhythm and personality of every young guest to make their holiday a magical one.
Early Bird offers
Plan ahead for your summer holiday and take advantage of Jebsen’s allinclusive packages to one of four Club Med resorts in the region: Club Med Sanya in China, Club Med Bintan in Indonesia, Club Med Tomamu Hokkaido in Japan or Club Med Finolhu Villas in the Maldives.
The packages include:
• return flights
• three nights of accommodation
• round-trip resort transfers
• three meals daily
• all sporting facilities with a range of tuition available
• children’s club facilities (not valid at Finolhu Villas)
• evening entertainment Ask about special prices for guests aged from 12 to 17 years If you’re after a longer stay, Jebsen has trips to these Club Med resorts and more, from France and Italy to Mauritius and Malaysia.
For more details of trips and itineraries, contact the team at Jebsen Holidays at 3180 6799 or enquiries@jebsenholidays.com, or visit jebsenholidays.com.
See more in our Travel section!
Your holiday hotspot checklist
Six quick getaways from Hong Kong
This article first appeared in the April/May 2018 issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.
