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We customize your journey based on your group’s preferences and needs, including season of the year, types of accommodation, destination(s), activities planned, number of guests, and number of nights.
We specialize in multi-day eco-friendly tours and authentic cultural experiences in all parts of Mongolia, no matter how remote. Our team on the ground is 100% local and knows the land and its peoples intimately.
Send us an Enquiry on the Contact Us page and we will provide a quote based on your information.
Our clients may also take the opportunity to receive an early bird discount of 10% for bookings made 6+ months in advance.
Children up to 2 years old travel free, 3-8 years old get 50% off and 9-12 years old get 20% off.
Price quotes do not include international or domestic flights, personal travel insurance, or any costs associated with a group’s special requirements.
If you decide to book a tour, we will ask you to pay a deposit of 30% of the price quote. Final payment is due 15 days prior to the trip departure date.
We are 100% locally owned and staffed as a small business and price ourselves significantly more affordable than many foreign-owned or managed tour companies.
Visiting a nomadic eagle hunter’s family in the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park in Western Mongolia is the most popular destination activity and can be combined with trekking, a glacier visit, horseback riding, and fishing.
The West is a vast, sparsely populated region also inhabited by some of Mongolia’s ethnic minorities such as the Kazakhs. Approximately 5,000 tourists, domestic and international, visit Western Mongolia a year. This is a beautiful and isolated place that rarely receives visitors.
Popular photography tours include following nomadic families’ winter migration or a visit to Northern Mongolia’s reindeer herder peoples.
Due to the remoteness of many of our destinations, part of most journeys involves the use of an off-road 4×4 vehicle as the countryside of Mongolia does not have many roads, nor are the existing roads usually well paved. We can opt for a more costly and stable Land Cruiser or use a classic Russian van model with slightly more space.
Most tours also include partial days where we will travel on foot to enjoy the fresh air and vast blue skies.
Often guests will get to experience horseback riding and for some tours, riding on a reindeer or a bactrian camel.
When you stay for a night in the city or towns, you will have the option to stay in a shared local hotel or in a tour camp, depending on your itinerary. Hotel and camps are clean, have a shower, bar, and restaurant. Single hotel rooms on tour aren’t included in our landed costs, but are sometimes available during transit stops for a night in the city or town.
On the road, we will sleep in a traditional Mongolian Ger, in a tent, a teepee (in the case of visiting the Reindeer Herder people of Northern Mongolia), or sometimes in a small town hotel.
Mongolia is very safe regarding petty crimes – things like pickpockets or purse slashers don’t really exist here.
The only place that you should be a bit cautious about is Ulaanbaatar. As Mongolia’s largest city, it has a few crowded tourist hot spots that could be targeted by people looking to steal from tourists.
Be mindful of your belongings in busy malls such as the State Department Store or the Ulaanbaatar Department Store. The same goes for the local bazaars that are scattered throughout the city.
The Mongolian countryside is very sparsely populated and lacks a lot of infrastructure and can often have unstable and extreme weather. If you bring your prescription medications, appropriate warm and waterproof footwear/clothing, and extra layers for Fall and Winter months, you will not be in any serious danger.
An encounter with any dangerous animals such as snow leopards, bears, or wolves is extremely rare.
Mongolia was fortunate to take early action in January and as of July 1 2020, has not had any local transmissions or local deaths.
https://medium.com/@indica/covid-underdogs-mongolia-3b0c162427c2
The countryside of Mongolia has a lot of nice activities such as hiking, climbing and horseback riding in Altai national park, which will require some physical preparations.
Generally you don’t need to be especially physically fit to travel Mongolia and when we have days of trekking or riding, we can be flexible on the duration and distances. That said, the more fit you are, the more physical activities you will be able to enjoy comfortably and for longer.
Almost every small village has a cell phone signal and 4G network in Mongolia. Though when we travel deep into national park remote areas connections will be unavailable or unstable. We can still try to get a cell phone connection from higher ground. Global satellite phones usually work fine throughout Mongolia.
We recommend bringing power banks or solar chargers for a trip to the Mongolian countryside. For gadgets compatible with 12V, we provide a car battery for charging during the trip. For larger group tours of 8+ guests we bring an electric generator with us.
If you are planning your next vacation to Mongolia, here are a few things that you must have in your kit, to make your trip a fulfilling and a comfortable experience. Since the weather in Mongolia is highly unpredictable, you need to be prepared for anything including strong winds, rain, and/or snow.
Baggage:
We recommend each guest bring a medium to large size backpack and a duffle bag for extras.
If possible the material should be made of nylon with long zippers and handles, as well as waterproofing or water-resistance. You can bring a small lock for each bag, for when we travel through airports in particular.
Clothes:
Technical Supplies:
Others:
Trekking limit per day is around 14km to 17km max, and we can choose routes or distances that are much shorter than that if desired by your group.
There are three options to get to western Mongolia:
To visit the reindeer hunters in Northern Mongolia, we drive or fly from UB to Murun.
We provide a group travel First Aid Kit and some towns in the countryside have a basic clinic and local doctor(s). Some activities carry more risk than others, such as horseback riding or mountain summiting, but we do not push any guests to try anything that they are not comfortable with or that they are unlikely to be able to physically do safely and properly.
Modern and large medical facilities are not available outside of Ulaanbaatar and we highly recommend each traveler purchase extensive travel insurance ahead of the journey.
Sayat Travel is an eco-friendly tour company founded almost 10 years ago in Mongolia, dedicated to showcasing the incredible beauty of the country and it’s unique cultural traditions with the outside world. On all our tours we practice a “Leave No Trace” policy and expect our guests to help us protect the environment we are visiting.
We know the local nomadic families we work with personally and make sure they receive appropriate support and compensation for any visits and activities, keeping tourism dollars within the rural community that needs it most.
Warm layers of clothing are critical for any trip to Mongolia. Days are warm and nights are a bit chilly, even if you travel in summer in the Gobi. In winter months the temperature can get down to -25 Celcius or lower, with strong winds and snow common.
Clothing must-haves:
You can also buy the finest cashmere products in Mongolia at reasonable prices. https://www.facebook.com/EvsegCashmere/
Your https://shop.lonelyplanet.com/products/mongolia-travel-guide-8.
Snakes and insects are not a big problem for Mongolia, but there are mosquitoes in Mongolia so make sure you bring mosquito repellent.
During your tour you will visit small villages and local nomadic Yurt/Ger shops where nomadic families visit for common community supplies. Everything can be found in these small shops except fruits and vegetables.
We will make sure that your products/ fruit and vegetables/ will last until the end of tour.
The weather in Mongolia can be characterized as dry, cold, and sunny. Because the country is so far removed from the regulating influence of any oceans, the continental Mongolia climate brings great extremes in weather.
Western Mongolia compared to other parts of Mongolia is a bit cooler, the daytime temperature in the Altai National park fluctuates 15C to 18C. In the park the temperature is unstable, and always a bit windy.
This weather is suitable for activities like hiking, climbing, horseback ride, driving and fishing. Winter temperatures can drop to -25C and below at night.
A tourist Visa is required for all nationalities except citizens of the following 24 countries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Mongolia
Visas are available from the Mongolian embassy in your country. If there is no Mongolia embassy in your country, one month visas can be obtained on the spot once you arrive at the airport or railway station.
We will supply an official confirmation letter (by email or post) for your visa application once you book any journey with us.
We can help your group book domestic flights at your convenience. Price quotes for tours can include or exclude the cost of domestic flights accordingly.
https://www.aeromongolia.mn or https://www.hunnuair.com/
For international flights you can check: http://miat.com/
First-time travelers always ask about the appropriate amount of tips for local staff.
Though by definition a tip is never legally required, it is recommended when you are on tour. This is not spoiling the market or ruining hospitality, it is simply being fair and supporting the local community.
Tips will vary depending on the length and complexity of the trip, the number of staff on the trip and the number of clients on the trip. Generally, groups like to meet together before the end of the tour to discuss how much they would like to tip each staff member based on their individual trek experience.
Tipping in hotels and restaurants is up to the individual, 10% never goes wrong here.
Western Mongolia, the same as in other parts of Mongolia has its unique customs and traditions. If someone offers something for example food or drink you need to accept it. Most of the time the host will push you to have more, which is normal in western Mongolian households.
In Ulaanbaatar, you will be dining at fine European and Asian cuisine restaurants. Mutton, beef, rice and noodles form the basis of the Mongolian diet, so your basic meals on any tour will be based around these local staples. However, the trail rations may include vegetables, eggs, peanut butter, cheese and sometimes yak! On some days there will be lunchboxes from camp as there are no camps or eating places on the journey to cook lunch.
It is good food for cold weather and long walks, and our experience has been that guests are happy with the choices and ingredients.
We are happy to amend the selection with locally available alternatives depending on your needs, and can cook most types of food you would like to bring with you (i.e. Mac n’ Cheese).
We provide a group First Aid kit but also encourage each traveler to bring along the following:
Yes we recommend getting comprehensive travel insurance with a policy covering the types of activities you would like to engage in, i.e. trekking, horseback riding, etc.
You can bring a drone and there aren’t restrictions for using it, except obvious restricted areas such as military bases, airports, or at the national border.
Yes you can bring a child under 15 years old to Mongolia on many types of tours, but some tours during certain times of the year may not be recommended for children.
In the event of cancellation:
We believe in old-fashioned values and being yourself, so we will only tell the truth about who we are. Our travel agency " Sayat Travel" is an eco-friendly and professional small team built on the service foundations of reliability and honesty, and delivering authentic unforgettable experiences for our guests.
We believe that our guests should receive the most convenient and tailored tour plan suited for them, and we strive to ensure all concerns and discomforts are minimized. We guarantee our tourists an individual approach and quality service at every step.
We believe in old-fashioned values and being yourself, so we will only tell the truth about who we are. Our travel agency " Sayat Travel" is an eco-friendly and professional small team built on the service foundations of reliability and honesty, and delivering authentic unforgettable experiences for our guests.
We believe that our guests should receive the most convenient and tailored tour plan suited for them, and we strive to ensure all concerns and discomforts are minimized. We guarantee our tourists an individual approach and quality service at every step.
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