After abandoning his law studies in Australia, Tim Cope went to Finland to study to be a wilderness guide. His father had sparked a love of adventure in him, many years before.

Completing his studies, learning the Russian language and embarking on other adventures in Russia and Siberia, Tim began a new challenge – a three year journey on horseback from Mongolia to Hungary across the Eurasian Steppe.

Travelling with horses, refusing to carry a gun and keen to learn everything he could about the Mongolian Nomads that he’d admired for years, he set off. The same journey was taken by Genghis Khan hundreds of years before in the early 13th century. Freezing temperatures, blizzards, storms, scorching heat, flu, thieves and unfathomable kindness were all part of this new adventure.

In one of his stops along the way, a young, skinny, black dog called Tigon ‘adopted’ Tim, and although Tim thought he would be a hindrance more than a help, Tigon was soon to become his best friend.

Their travels with horses with their own unique personalities, through Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Crimea, Ukraine, and Hungary to the Danube River, across endless plains, mountains, ice and snow, threw daily challenges at them. They also made life-long friends.

As I read Tim & Tigon, I felt as though I was right beside them, but at the same time was relieved I wasn’t. The strength, determination and fortitude to travel through unknown lands, deal with dangerous, drunken (vodka) men, sick or injured animals and life-threatening weather conditions, was a thrilling, heartbreaking, but always interesting read. Adventurers, animal lovers and anyone after a really good (true) story will love this as much as I did.

A collection of Tim’s colour photos of his travels are included in the centre of the book.

Author – Tim Cope

Age – 12+

(Non-Fiction, Australian, Adventurer, Animals, Horses, Dogs, Camping, Mongolia, Ghengis Khan, Nomads, Travel)