DREAMING of doing something different in 2018?

Now's your chance, as the legendary Dorset explorer Colonel John Blashford-Snell has announced his latest expedition - a three-week journey through Mongolia.

Now in his 82nd year, the UK's foremost adventurer will lead a party through some of the remote East Asian country's highest mountain ranges, including the Altai where they will conduct archaeological surveys, botanical studies and zoological quests.

"We shall also give medical aid to the local communities and provide reading glasses and school books," said Col Snell, who has lead more than 100 expeditions to areas including the first descent of the infamous Blue Nile where he invented white-water rafting.

The team will be up to 21 strong and is planned to include doctors, a dentist, engineers, biologists and those interested in giving aid to communities.

"The Mongolian Altai region is rich in archaeological sites dating back to the Palaeolithic era," said Col Snell, who lives near Shaftesbury. "A cave complex near to the Baatar peaks shows evidence of human habitation dating back to 40,000 years ago and elaborate graves of Scythian warriors and princesses are found throughout the area."

The region is home to a number of rare wild animals including snow leopards and lynx as well as Argali sheep, ibex, Maral (large Siberian Elk like deer), brown bear, marmot, fox and wolf. However, the expedition is hoping to help locate the rare and endangered snub-nosed Saiga antelope, of which only a few thousand are believed to exist.

During the Bataar Mountains leg of the journey the expedition will be on horseback . "We'll ride for seven or eight days and camp at various altitudes," said Col Blashford-Snell. "The temperatures will rise to 20 degrees centigrade but nights may be cold and at the higher altitudes frost may occur."

At the end of the expedition the party will spend two days in the Hustain Park studying the Przewalski horses. The critically endangered creatures live in an area 110 kilometres west of Ulaan Baatar where the journey begins and ends.

*More details from jbs@ses-explore.org