This tour (7 days in Southern Mongolia) was well above and beyond what I expected. Most importantly the guide & driver were outstanding.
Our guide, Togossoo, who we called Toksa (there were five of us) is a very nice & attractive lady in her 30s. She was very informative, kept the group moving along at a good pace and was fun to be around as well. She even taught us a couple of Mongolian games which we played sometimes in the ger camps. The roads were in bad shape because of heavy rains so it was lucky that we had a driver as good as Atchura (probably spelling that wrong). Several times on the trip we found other vans or buses stuck in the mud but we managed to get through everything unscathed. Despite some extra time on the road because of the conditions we managed, I think, to do everything on the itinerary without feeling rushed.
The ger camps were comfortable and clean and some even had hotel rooms if that is what you prefer. The food was plentiful everywhere & the service was great. Some of the camps have basketball courts, so bring your game because I lost a one-on-one against a local.
I was switched to the seven-day tour because my first choice, an eight-day tour, was canceled. To make up for the one day I was given a day tour that included parts of Ulaanbaatar, the Gingis Khan monument & the park w/the turtle shaped rock formations. Two of the ladies on the seven-day tour were also on this tour.
Our guide was a sweet young student w/an intoxicating voice named Jenny. Jenny gave us a few other options as well & when we decided we wanted to see the Mongolian history museum she had the driver speed over there so that we arrived just before they stopped letting people in. She then took me through the entire museum while my two traveling companions went off on their own. She could have dropped us at our hotels after that but she asked if we wanted to go to the Zaisan tower. We said yes & Jenny waited at the car while I walked up & took in the view for a few minutes.
What more can you ask? I would recommend Discover Mongolia to anybody who is planning a visit
I had a trip in Mongolia with a group of friends, organized by Discover Mongolia Travel. Everything was well organized and we were able to get a real taste of Mongolian nature and way of life. Our guide Oyuna was really excellent - sharing a lot of facts about Mongolia and the places we have visited and always very patient and flexible as our group at times didn't stick very closely to the schedule.
The drivers were always smiling and very good at what they were supposed to do - get us safe in all destinations from the trip. Which is not an easy task on the gravel roads.
Thanks again to our guide Oyuna and our drivers.
I definitely recommend doing your Mongolia trip with these guys!
Having dreamed of visiting Mongolia for years, I finally decided to make it a reality. I knew I wanted to see as much of the country as I could, and being a horse person, I wanted to include the Naadam Festival. After extensive research I found the perfect tour with Discover Mongolia.
The pre-trip information was excellent, power plugs, what to pack, FAQs, and tips for tourists. Additional questions were quickly answered by email.
The first and last days of the tour were spent in UlaanBaatar with our delightful guide, Marla. This included trips to The National History Museum, a monastery, and War Memorial, and on the final night, front row seats, to a live performance.
The second day we flew to the Gobi and met our guide Togos and driver Nandin, they would be our companions for the next two weeks. Off to our first ger camp. The accommodations are basic, but comfortable and clean, the staff hard working and eager to please, this was a common thread throughout the trip. There's something magical about sleeping in a ger, I found it deep and restorative. While I don't consider myself a foodie, I couldn't help taking pictures of every course, every meal (3-4 at lunch and dinner). The presentation was beautiful and the taste even better, fresh and delicious, this too was prevalent throughout the trip.
As we headed north from the Gobi, the landscape changed daily. Mongolia is a vast, beautiful country, no better way to see it than drive. 5 in total, we were very comfortable in our incredible 4x4 Mitsubishi "soccer mom" van. How Nandin navigated is beyond me...no GPS, no road signs, no roads, and yet every day we arrived at our scheduled destination.
The highlights for me were the local Naadam Festival and our visit with the nomad family. While the Festival in UlaanBaatar is the biggie, I was quite happy at the local Festival in Kharkhorin. Somehow we ended up "backstage" in the VIP tent for the opening ceremony, thanks Nandin, here we rubbed shoulders with the local dignitaries, while Togos made sure we followed tradition. The smaller location allowed us to be in the midst of the the action, on the ground with riders racing past us to see the end of the 25k horse race, with the locals routing for their favorite wrestler, or watching the archers amazing feats of accuracy. If you want to experience the excitement of Naadam you do need to plan your trip for July. The nomad family visit was a true day in the life. The work is hard and seems never ending, but their sense of family, camaraderie, and tradition is strong. Their hospitality is second to none, a full table of food and drink was spread before you as soon as you stepped into the ger. This was before they shared a meal!
Mongolia has it all, a vibrant city in UB, sand dunes, dinosaurs, temples, monasteries, volcanoes, goats, sheep, cows, yaks, reindeer, camels, horses, fresh lakes, green landscapes, big blue skies, but what makes Mongolia so special is their people. Welcoming, accepting, and eager to share their country with you.
And while the the tour is well planned, the itinerary extensive, the accommodations, food, and sights incredible, it was Togos and Nandin that made it exceptional. It wasn't Togos' wealth of knowledge of the history, culture, or traditions, or Nandin's extraordinary driving skills, but the jokes and laughter we shared, and the true caring they displayed that have made this my number 1, favorite trip ever. I have friends in Mongolia and they have a friend in me! Thank you Discover Mongolia.
I have been visiting countries along the ancient Silk Road for some time now and this year I wanted to go to Mongolia. My earlier trips have been with big-name tour companies that specialise in small group tours. As I researched Mongolian tours I started reading about the company Discover Mongolia. I wrote them an email and got a wonderfully personalised response within a few hours, along with follow-up emails providing more information about their tours and about the country. Because of this, I decided to support this Mongolian tourism provider. This was the best decision I could have made!
I chose the '16 day discover Mongolia tour with local Naadam festival' and an additional day to visit the Chinggis Khaan statue. I wanted to see as much of the country as I could in the time I had available and this tour allowed me to do that. Originally I wanted to go to the national Naadam festival in the capital city, but I am so glad that I opted for a local festival instead. This meant I got to enjoy the festival activities up close and was not stuck in a stadium seat or caught in huge crowds. Instead, I was only a few feet from the wrestlers, stood alongside as the young riders finished their 25k horse race and joined with Mongolian families as they cheered for their local heroes.
Several things about the Discover Mongolia tour that impressed me.
(1) It truly was a small group tour. There were three of us plus the guide and the driver in a 4x4 van that could comfortably fit eight.
(2) The quality of the tour surpassed my expectations and my experiences of tour group travel. The guides and the drivers made all the difference to this tour. Oyuna was our country guide and she was so knowledgeable, delightfully humourous and responsive to our group, which consisted of three very different strangers. We had interests outside the planned schedule: I wanted to see petroglyphs, another person was interested in archery, while the third member of our group wanted to spend more time with nomad families. Oyuna made it happen for us. Our driver Nyama was also very impressive. With no formal roads, no road signs nor GPS, this wonderful man took us safely through the most amazing rugged terrain. His lovely personality and sense of humour added another dimension to our journey. Marla was a great guide in the city of Ulaanbaatar and my personal guide for the Chinggis Khann statue, and she tailored our experience to match our personal interests and desires too.
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(3) The company demonstrated that it puts the customer first. I had booked an additional day with a full itinerary to be added to my trip. Towards the end of my 16-day tour in Mongolia, I realised I wanted to change the activities of this last day. One day out from this date, Discover Mongolia tailored a new schedule taking my interests into consideration at no additional cost and with no problems.
(4) What I came to appreciate about the Discover Mongolia company was their desire to be the best tourism provider in Mongolia. This was obvious by the level of support and training they gave to their staff so customers receive quality experiences. In addition, we met Dalai, management staff from Discovery Mongolia, who joined us at the local Naadam festival and took the opportunity to gather our individual comments about the trip.
The final thoughts that I want to share are for the benefit of potential customers. Mongolia is a beautiful country with lots of varied experiences to offer so do your research and choose a tour that matches your interests. Mongolia is a developing country and Discover Mongolia offers real-life adventures so be prepared for this, and enjoy the challenges and savor the experiences that may possibly place you out of your comfort zone.
Would I take another tour with Discover Mongolia? Yes definitely!
After seeing only overwhemingly positive reviews I decided to book this trip with Discover Mongolia. I'm happy to have made that choice, as it greatly exceeded my expectations.
First, the pre-trip interaction with the team was really good, they are truly professional.
The itinerary was very long an covered a lot of ground, there were many amazing places to see. Mongolia is a huge country, mostly untouched, and the vastness and beauty of the scenery are overwhelming. Accomodation in the tourist camps, featuring the traditional nomad dwelling called ger is basic, but clean and I had the best sleep ever in those. Food was excellent and in generous portions. I have to add that all the food in Mongolia tastes a lot better than anywhere else, due to the fact that it's all grass fed, free range, organic, bio, eco you name it/ 100% natural. I would advise to taste the fermented mare milk with caution though, as it can cause some digestive disruptions to those not used to it.
The nomad family visits were very enjoyable, people in this country are very welcoming and accomodating. It was a truly immersive experience to witness the nomad families way of life first hand. I was truly pleased to see that nothing here is geared towards tourists, it's as natural as it can be. I never had that feeling like in other places that are more touristy that someone is out to get my money. 100% genuine.
I must confess before visiting Mongolia I knew very little about it. It was one of those misterious places that seem so far to get to. Yet as I discovered and learned more about it and the people, I must say it is my favourite country so far. Truly amazing people, amazing history and culture.
Our guides were truly amazing. Our main guide for most of the trip, Oyuna, did everything and more for us to feel welcome, tended to every need and made sure the enjoyment of the trip is not hindered by those issues that arise during every trip. On one occasion she managed to move us to a better camp, seeing that the camp we were initially supposed to stay at wasn't looking that great. Also she arranged at my request a have a go with a Monglian bow at the Naadam festival, a thing which wasn't in the itinerary, nor a thing available for the public at the event. For that, I am truly grateful.
One thing noteworthy is that Mongolia lacks infrastructure, so mostly you're doing off-road. For that, you need someone who knows where they are going and how to drive. Enter Nyama, our driver, who was truly amazing. We never got stuck, we never got lost. I have no idea how he knew where he was going since he didn't use any maps or GPS. He also fixed the car quickly when needed. An excellent professional.
We had a different guide for the city, Marla, but the same applies, did everything to make us feel welcome and to truly enjoy the trip. Answered all our questions and was very knowleadgeable and went well above and beyond for us. She managed to get us front row seats to a Mongolian performance arts show, which was glorious, and seats were on a first come first served basis.
I must say that I never felt more welcome anywhere. The level of service that Discover Mongolia provides is exemplary and puts to shame a lot of western agencies. They should go there to learn customer service.
My friend and I decided on a private tour following the Discover Mongolia Tour 14 days package. We have requested to visit a local school and to stay overnight with a nomad family which they accommodated us.
We arrived at UB in the evening where our driver, Edi met us at airport. He assisted us to change currency and settled our SIM card issue. We are so grateful for his help. The next day, our lovely guide Monica, took us sight seeing in Ulaanbaatar. Monica and Edi were very warm and friendly and we enjoyed their company very much.
Next days, we took the domestic flight to North Mongolia where we met our main guide Togos. Togos is an amazing guide. She speaks fluent English and takes great care of us. As I am on a LCHF diet, Togos took great pains to memorize what I could eat and could not eat so that she could arrange for my food every day. Over the days, we have grown to be friends for life.
Our driver Nyamlai was really THE MAN! He had to look after us ladies all the time. From chasing flies out of our Ger, to taking photos, repairing vehicle, carrying luggage, and even pulling me up the sand dunes so that I could make it to the top. Even with his limited English, he often jokes and is fun to be with.
We met many other tour groups on our journey who traveled similar route but I would highly recommend Discover Mongolia Travel because of the amazing people who made all the difference to my trip. Thank you Togos, Monica, Edi & Nyamlai. Miss you and love you all lots!
