Our lovely Head of Operations, Matt, has just been to Mongolia (also a favourite destination of Wendy Wu herself) on the first departure of ‘Best of Mongolia’. We asked him to share some stories and photographs from his adventures exclusively with Loyalty Club members.
Home of Genghis, gers and the Gobi, Mongolia is one of our most ‘off-the-beaten-track’ destinations, and one which offers the experience of a lifetime.
What made you choose this trip to Mongolia?
In September 2024, I joined the WWT epic Journey through Central Asia, which goes to the Five Stans, and absolutely loved it, so Mongolia seemed like it should be the next place on the list! I like the fact that it is off-the-beaten-track and so a lesser travelled destination and, like the ‘Stans, has vast landscapes to explore. I also wanted to try out all of the unique experiences that Mongolia offers, like staying in ger camps and getting to travel around by 4×4, as so many of the destinations are off road – it felt like a proper expedition.
What were the highlights of the trip?
First and foremost the absolutely incredible landscapes – every day there were multiple panoramas that would take your breath away. Putting that aside, I have to say that the accommodation was my highlight, I loved the ger camps! We stayed in both premium and standard and both made such a nice change to standard hotels. They were also in really rural locations, the sort of places you wouldn’t usually get to stay unless you were basic camping, and all had a warm and friendly, family-run feel.
I also loved the Gobi Desert, especially as we were able to dine alfresco with incredible desert views (as you’ll see in the picture above) – this wasn’t officially on the itinerary, but I have suggested that we include it in the future. I also really enjoyed the authentic experiences that were included, like visiting a nomad family in their ger. They were so welcoming, and we got to learn a little bit about their way of life.
I also must mention our guide, Zaya Erdenezaya, who is currently leading our second Best of Mongolia tour! She was so knowledgeable about Mongolia’s history, culture and way of life. We learnt so much from her.
What tips would you give to anyone who wants to travel to Mongolia with WWT?
1. Go for it now, before it gets discovered – there were very few tourists there as we travelled around.
2. It’s not a ‘foodie’ destination, but what it lacks in that respect is more than made up for in all the other aspects that it has to offer.
3. You’ll need a good level of fitness to really enjoy a holiday in Mongolia. Also bear in mind that there are long travel days off road in 4x4s, but this is an experience in itself, as none of the roads we travelled on outside of Ulaanbaatar were paved!
