Lectures – Tamar Valkenier

Mongolia

Solotrekking the Altai mountains with horse, camel and dog

An almost unimaginable grandeur of an adventure: in four months Tamar travelled 1600 kilometers through the Altai mountains of Mongolia, home of the eagle hunters. She bought and trained her own horse, camel and dog and trekked through one of the most remote places on earth. Extreme weather conditions, a nearly fatal accident, runaway camels and the impressive warmth of the nomads scattered around the landscape. Several times each year Tamar returns to the area, one special family of eagle hunters and her own animals. In this leture Tamar takes you there. Through stories, pictures and more, you will travel with her through the preparations needed for such an undertaking, its hardship and mostly its beauties.An almost unimaginable grandeur of an adventure: in four months Tamar travelled 1600 kilometers through the Altai mountains of Mongolia, home of the eagle hunters. She bought and trained her own horse, camel and dog and trekked through one of the most remote places on earth. Extreme weather conditions, a nearly fatal accident, runaway camels and the impressive warmth of the nomads scattered around the landscape. Several times each year Tamar returns to the area, one special family of eagle hunters and her own animals. In this leture Tamar takes you there. Through stories, pictures and more, you will travel with her through the preparations needed for such an undertaking, its hardship and mostly its beauties.

New-Zealand

An epic female hunting expedition

Miriam Lancewood (author Woman in the Wilderness) and I embarked on an epic survival challenge in the Southern Alps of New-Zealand. As two dutch girls, with two guns and a fishing rod we were determined to cross the main divide, while hunting and gathering our own food. 2,5 months we did not see any civilization and had to endure cold, hunger, fatigue, and fear, while facing the harsh conditions of the alpine environment. I'll adress the ethical considerations regarding hunting, regarding throwing yourselfs in a survival situation, what hunger and fatigue do to the mind and the body, as well as to friendship and comeradery.

Jordan

Walking 650km with my donkey

Me and my donkey Yustra, we walked 650 kilometers through Jordan. From Um Qais (near the Syrian border) to Aqaba (at the Red Sea). From the wet green hills in the north, through the barren midlands with its deep wadi's, to the full-blown desert in the south. A struggle to find enough water, a pleasure to find bedouines who loved Yustra and always invited us in. We enjoyed sites like Mozes'remembrance church, Dana nature reserve, the Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum before I had to part from my beloved companion. What it is like to travel with a donkey? Why I chose to do so? What I did when she ran off with all my gear? What happened to Yustra in the end? I'll tell you all about it.

world

The life of a full-time adventuress

This bike is where it all started. In 2015, at the age of 28, I retired from my job as an investigative psychologist with the Dutch National Police. I built this bicycle and with it I travelled the world for two years. I traded my bicycle for horses, ski's, hiking boots, a donkey, a camel, climbing gear. I tumbled from one adventure in the next, increasingly more remote and more extreme. I am homeless and jobless, but feel richer than ever. All dreams fulfilled, I keep imagining new dreams and fulfilling them. Nature is soul enriching, connection with animals heartwarming and the peoples of this planet endlessly fascinating. But what about the future? Isn't it dangerous? How do you pay for it? Is it enough meaningful? What if you get sick? Don't you miss home? And how about love? I discuss with you the beauties ánd the challenges of my extraordinary life.