Sandwiched between Russia, China, and Kazakhstan, is Mongolia - a beautiful country noted for its nomadic people and culture. These nomads, who are superb horsemen, celebrate a time-honored tradition of hunting with trained Golden Eagles from horseback, for fox and hare. Join nature photographer and world traveler Ty Smedes as he narrates a slide presentation exploring the Mongolian countryside, while experiencing the rich culture as a guest of local nomadic people. We'll also journey far to the south of the country, to explore the Flaming Cliffs, and renowned Gobi Desert, where seemingly endless sand dunes and the Bactrian Camel herders reign.

About Ty:
Ty’s photos have been published by many major magazines and book publishers. He specializes in landscape, wildlife, and prairie wildflower images. As a feature writer for the Iowa DNR’s Iowa Outdoors Magazine, his goal is to write and photograph many of the lesser known birds, animals, and places. Ty has taught nature photography classes and is as an experienced Photo-Tour leader, having led nature photography tours to Yellowstone and Teton parks, as well as the Eastern Sierras, during the fall season. He was also co-leader of a nature photography tour to Brasil in 1996 and has led nature photography tours to East Africa in 2005, 2008, and 2010, Botswana in 2006, 2013, and 2014, and Zambia in 2016. Antarctic and near Antarctic travel includes the Falklands, South Georgia Island, and the Antarctic Peninsula in 2014, with a return trip to South Georgia Island in 2015. A tour of West Papua New Guinea followed in 2017. Information regarding Ty’s three books - “Capturing Iowa’s Seasons,” “The Return of Iowa’s Bald Eagles – 2nd Edition,” and “Iowa’s Wild Beauty” can be found on his website at www.smedesphoto.com.