People who have ridden with us sent the following thoughts and comments.
Ro (May 2007 trip to Zavkhan, from the UK)
I really, really want to come back to Mongolia. I thought that the feeling would wear off but it hasn't - I just had such a good time and it's the best antidote for the serious job that I spend the rest of the year doing.
Kay (May 2007 trip to Zavkhan, from the UK)
Thank you for an absolutely superb time in Mongolia. We've just got our photos back, and are reminiscing fondly about what a great time we had. I didn't think the photos would do it justice, but I'm pleasantly surprised.
Charlotte (June 2007 trip to Zavkhan, from Holland)
The trip with Zavkhan Trekking made my long cherished dream come true. A unique way to explore the vast landscapes and to experience many of the treasures the country offers.
The Mongolians were extremely cooperative and friendly; Ogi and Jenya were charming, and had a great knowledge about their country and history; it was nice to hear from them about it.
Thea (June 2007 trip to Zavkhan, from the UK)
I would certainly recommend your trip and you can give my email to people who are interested and want to talk to someone beforehand.
Jenya and Ogi are a lovely couple and could tell us quite a bit about the customs of the Mongolians. There English was good. It was a pleasure to have them around and it was sad to say goodbye to everybody.
Louise (June 2007 trip to Zavkhan, from Bermuda)
Even if you don't ride, if you have a sense of adventure, enjoy a challenge and love the great outdoors, then this is the trip for you. The vast landscape, the kind people and the different culture make this an experience of a lifetime. Go for it!
The Mongolians were pleasant, helpful, interesting. Jenya and Ogi were really good at trying to explain the culture and background of their lovely country.
The food: Quality, quantity and variety perfect. Never eaten so well!
The terrain was varied, challenging enough for a beginner, beautiful, awesome.
Heidi (2nd June 2007 trip to Zavkhan, from USA)
Thanks to the entire gang: John, Jenya, Delger, Yadgaa, Sam and everyone who made this trip happen for us. It was so great to finally make it to Mongolia... and without any disappointments. It really was off the beaten path and we loved the interaction with the locals. The entire trip was just perfect and everyone involved just wonderful. We can't stop telling our friends about it.
Paula (July 2007 trip to Zavkhan, from the UK)
Thank you so much for such a wonderful holiday - it was a truly amazing experience and the horse riding was simply wonderful...I am currently raving to anyone who will listen about the holiday.
Mark (July 2007 trip to Zavkhan, from USA)
Thanks again for a once in a lifetime memorable journey.
Emily (Packhorse and Altai exploratory trips 2007, from New Zealand)
I miss Mongolia! Had I but money enough and time, I'd sign up for a couple more trips next year......one can dream.
Read more from Emily (and some great photos) on her blog.
Elise (Packhorse trip 2007, from France)
Loved every bit of the trip and thank you all for being such a great team!
Barbara (Packhorse trip 2007, from New Zealand)
Hi guys, just wanted to say what a fantastic bunch you all were, I loved every single minute of our trek and haven't stopped raving about it to everyone I've met....thanks for all being such good company.....crikey we had some good laughs!
Dan (Packhorse trip 2007, from USA)
Just wanted to thank you guys again for a fabulous trip. The two of you are top notch people, very well organised and professional, and have a well tuned ability to find beautiful places, plan delicious meals, and to adapt to all the challenges that shepparding 7 "whities" through rural Mongolia entails. Please keep in touch.
Sarah (2006, from the UK)
This was the perfect adventure. In just a few days it was possible to have more once in a life time experiences than many years of traveling can provide. We trekked on local herd horses through rivers, stunning forests and along valleys dotted with just 1 or 2 gers. At night we were welcomed freely into nomads homes and experienced true Mongolian hospitality. While camping, we were often joined round the fire by curious locals. We even witnessed nomads in the process of moving and managed a ride on their removal trucks - the camels.
I was disappointed when I first arrived in Mongolia as all the hostels and tour companies sold virtually identical trips on tourist routes. Zavkhan provides a unique opportunity to escape these areas of Mongolia. It also contains a variety of Mongolian landscapes - from never-ending green plains to sand dunes surrounding deserted turquoise lakes - great for a swim or a wash!
In addition to this setting, John and his guides are relaxed and entertaining. We always felt safe and in capable hands. John is the sort of person you always need to help with the tents, start the fire and even make you that 1st cup of hot tea in the morning. Even better is the enthusiasm to explore which means that you will be certain to visit places untouched by previous trips.
Ellen (2006, from the UK)
I have already recommended Mongolia to everyone I have spoken to about it and would definitely recommend Zavkhan trekking to people who wanted to ride in Mongolia. The region is stunning and so unspoilt and the people are the most genuinely hospitable I have ever met. There were a few hiccups along the way but for me the riding, country and people more than made up for any of the problems. I would love to go back again! Thanks for such a great trip!
West (2006, from the UK)
This was such a fantastic trip. One day you're standing at the edge of a crystal blue lake edged by huge sand-dunes, rolling hills and mountains. The next you're galloping along in the great open grasslands with no fence or barrier to hinder your progress. Well recommended!
Read more from West on his blog.
Jenny (2004, from New Zealand)
Our Mongolian trip was not a luxury vacation but an in-depth, in your face, live and breathe it, real life ADVENTURE! For most of our trip we were pretty much the only foreigners around, which was the true beauty of it - the locals spent as much time studying us as we did them. Those of us that had previous riding experience grew to love our horses - those that didn't, certainly learned to respect them! The horses are tiny but tough, and they go like stink! It is tremendous fun to have a dozen people screaming across the steppes at a full gallop in a great horde, yelling arriba and yawie! Just like the wild west!
The local food is, ah, interesting, but fortunately largely avoidable. The roads have to be seen to be believed. The Vodka is cheap, it's everywhere, it defines the nation, it tastes pretty good, and it's rude to say no! The people are tremendous, and at times hilarious, and seem to love to be part of the adventure. The country is full of history, humour, scenery, and even a National Park with the world's only truly wild horses (Takhi) - not to mention the wolves, vultures and marmots.
A brief look around the capital reveals the Natural History museum (which houses the world's largest collection of badly stuffed animals, camel porn, meteorites and dinosaurs, and some cool cosmonaut stuff), a monastery, a palace, and a permanent circus. There are souvenirs (mostly equine) to shop for, or you can take on the local pickpockets at the market!
Mongolia was effectively a camping trip in an exotic land, with horses. I haven't laughed as much in years. Pack your patience, your sense of adventure and your sense of humour, and look forward to the experience of a lifetime! I was very sad to leave - what a brilliant country, and a well-organised trip!
Sam G (2004, from New Zealand)
I found it a great cultural experience, as you get to interact with and get to know the locals, eat in traditional gers. The whole thing the chaos of Ulaan Baatar and travelling through countryside both by van and horse is definitely an experience you won't get anywhere else. Visiting isolated villages fortified against the wind, and families living in traditional gers miles from the nearest neighbours. Its completely off the beaten track in a way that's hard to find these days.
Ruins and burial mounds from an even earlier culture. Amazing sunsets, great scenery wide open spaces with very few people. Unique mountains and forests. Hot spas to relax in and the end of a hard day on the horse. Very high standard of leadership and organisation despite the difficulties of travel in the countryside. It would be impossible without the skills of John and Sam to arrange all the transport, horses, guides, food etc without their contacts, understanding of the country itself and language skills.
This trip was a good chance to reflect for me. A real chance to unwind from the pressures of day to day life and get back to basics and worry about the simple things and enjoy the easy pleasure of travelling around by horse. Travel by horseback suits the scale of Mongolia and certainly is the best way to travel around and get to know the place. Great for horse lovers to indulge their passion by getting to know a horse pretty well during the trip. Amazing wildlife - wild horses, herds of yaks, marmots. The capital, Ulaan Baatar is an amazing chaotic crumbling ex-Soviet city that really has to be experienced to be believed.
Pete (2004, from New Zealand)
For some time after leaving Mongolia, I felt strongly that I didn't want to return there. Not because it wasn't brilliant; not because I hadn't enjoyed it immensely — it WAS brilliant; I HAD enjoyed it immensely — but because I simply couldn't imagine any subsequent trip living up to what I'd just experienced. You can go to Mongolia, hook up with a tour, pay through the nose and see the tourist version. Or, you can wing it, hoping to find a jeep or furgon to rent; hoping you'll be lucky and end up somewhere away from the crowds, somewhere that feels like what you hoped for and dreamed of, where you're more an event than a mobile wallet, and if you're lucky you might achieve that. But hope and luck aren't always sufficient substitutes for knowledge and nous. In Mongolia, I supplied the hope and John, Sam and their friends supplied the knowledge and nous. The luck? Well, that followed inevitably.
The style of the trip suited me wonderfully, striking an excellent balance between, on one hand, the security of having competent people organising the vital arrangements and, on the other, being an integral part of deciding what we'd do and when and how we'd do it. The upshot was that I had a sense of freedom and spontaneity that I don't believe I'd have felt otherwise —certainly not on a conventional tour and probably not if I'd been struggling with making all my own arrangements via gesticulation, pointing and trial-and-error.
But apart from those considerations, there's something else. Quite simply, I didn't want to return to Mongolia with any other group of people. But, while I might have left Mongolia and those amazing friends, they haven't left me, and now that Zavkhan Trekking's up and running, maybe I can find a way to get back there.
(Pete has further reflections from the trip on his blog)
Nancy (2004, from New Zealand)
Mongolia was an amazing place to visit – completely different to any other country I’ve been to before. The appeal is its simple, welcoming people and vast, natural environment which is largely unspoilt by development or tourism.
John and Sam, with their relaxed easy-going approach did a great job of organizing everything and getting us around a country that can be difficult at times due to lack of basic amenities and infrastructure. The best part of the trip for me was being able to go to parts of Mongolia that most other tourists don’t get to see. This resulted in an unforgettable experience by being able to see Mongolia as it really is and being able to interact with the Mongolian people as they really are.