Mongolia's Naadam Festival tour at Lake Khovsgol

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

Despite covering large distances on this adventure no internal flights have been utilised in order to reduce the carbon footprint of the adventure.

The traditional Mongolian ger tents clients stay in in the countryside have stoves to keep them warm - the fuel used is a mixture of dried yak dung (super-renewable!) and wood from local forests. Some of them also have solar panels.

All of the food on this adventure is locally sourced from Mongolia itself with vegetarian options for clients available also.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

The ger tents are used as the nomadic Mongolians need to move around to allow sustainable grazing for their flocks of sheep, goats, horses, camels & yaks. The Mongols move to keep their animals alive and our clients get to experience this with them.

This adventure includes stays at the picturesque Lake Khovsgol & Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake. The communities here ensure that the lakes remain clean and unpolluted to support the birdlife and other species that live in and around the lakes. By bringing tourism to these remote regions we are helping to financially support the communities that safeguard these ecosystems.

Finally, we are very proud to have partnered with Water-To-Go, specialists in personal and expedition water purification, instantly, and on-demand. Their unique, 350L water bottles incorporate advanced filtration technology to convert even the dirtiest water to drinking water as you fill up.

Being able to produce safe drinking water from sources off the beaten track, of sometimes dubious quality, offers incredible benefits to our adventure travellers and eliminates the need for single-use plastic bottles. We subsidise this product to make it more accessible to you.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

All of the hotels on this trip are Mongolian-owned. The rest of the time clients will be staying in ger camps which are directly owned and run by local families.

The Naadam Festival is a time when the community will bring many traditional craft items and clothing to be sold and we encourage clients to purchase these from the makers directly.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

All of the guides and support staff on this adventure are Mongolian and receive over the minimum wage of the country. Tipping is encouraged (gently and tastefully) as a positive way of rewarding good service, and is a highly beneficial additional source of income for the staff.

Our local Mongolian tour company partners also employs an above-average number of women guides and support staff - opening up important economic opportunities for women in the country through tourism. This is often due to their advanced skills in speaking English and other foreign languages which is a highly sought-after skill in the growing tourism industry.

This trip suitable for people with limited mobility, vision or hearing; or cognitive issues as despite taking place in beautiful rural settings - the physical demands on clients are limited as this is a culturally-focussed tour.