About Zavkhan Trekking

How we started

John first came to Mongolia in 2000, bought a horse and spent 6 months riding through this amazing country. During his travels he met Jenya, locally born and bred and passionate about his native land. During nights spent sharing a tent in the Gobi, a plan was hatched.

Bringing in John's partner Sam, and Jenya's partner Ogi, we ran our first trip to Mongolia in 2004 by convincing a group of friends to join us on an exploratory riding trip. A great time was had by all, and Zavkhan Trekking was born. Over the past 20 years we have built up a wonderful team of local people, who are dedicated to sharing their country and culture with you.

What we do

Zavkhan Trekking provides authentic, hands-on horse trekking and hiking experiences. We travel well off the tourist trail and into remote areas, so you will need to 'rough it' when necessary. There are no hotels with hot showers and flushing toilets, but we aim to provide a level of service to look forward to after a hard day of adventure.

We camp under the stars and cook over an open fire each night. Our campfire cuisine mixes traditional dishes with more familiar curries, risottos and vegetarian meals. We always aim to get to a well-watered campsite at the end of each day, where you can wash and often swim.

Along the way, there will be opportunities to look for wildlife, meet the locals, or just relax and enjoy the view. Sometimes we'll have a support vehicle with us to carry our gear, but while it finds its own way, we can be off following horse-only trails, meeting up at the end of the day. Other times we will load up the pack-horses and head to where the vehicles can't reach.

Our local team will be your travelling companions during your trip. They are real people born and raised in the area, often still living a nomadic lifestyle - they are not polished tour staff from the city. Don't expect them to hold your hand, but they will immerse you in their culture and make sure you have an unforgettable experience.

But I don't do organised group tours

Our treks are not your typical 'organised group tour'. Those three words can conjure up visions of rigid itineraries, hitting all the tourist hot-spots, and only meeting the locals when they serve your meal. That's not us.

We call our trip-style 'non-itinerised', which means that once we set off, we don't need to follow a fixed route, allowing us to make the most of whatever adventures come our way. While we always start out with a plan (we do need to get you back home at some point!), the places we travel have a lot of potential for unexpected events to add to the fun.

Our trips are not for everyone - if you're not sure you will enjoy this style of travel please talk to us.