The ZT Team: Mongolia, New Zealand, and beyond

Founders

John and Sam are based in New Zealand, but have been travelling to Mongolia, and the wider Central Asian region, since 2000. John learnt to ride in Mongolia, so his riding style gets some funny looks back home. Sam learnt her horse skills at Kowhai Riding School and often despairs at John's refusal to ride ‘properly’ (in Mongolia it‘s all about getting the horse to do what you want, not whether you are sitting up straight, elbows in...).

Founders

Jenya and Ogi are Mongolian and have been working with John and Sam since the start. There's almost nowhere in Mongolia that Jenya hasn't ventured, and he has a talent for finding the most far-flung and beautiful corners of the country. Running a business in Mongolia is not for the faint-hearted, but over many years Ogi has built up relationships with all the right people to get things done.

Trip Manager

Amangul manages our trips in the far west of Mongolia, and in Kazakhstan, and is something of a local celebrity, famous for her singing and playing of the two-stringed dombra. She is a fearless horse rider, and when she's in charge, you know everything is going to be fine. Her balzak (rather like a deep-fried donut) are fabulous too.

Operations Manager

Jen joined the team in 2008. Originally from the US, she spent several years living in Russia, then Kyrgyzstan, sometimes on the high seas, and currently on her farm in Maine. As nomadic as any Mongolian. A very experienced horsewoman, she rides like a Mongolian, which immediately earns her the respect of the local people. If you follow our social media that's Jen's work, but she prefers to be in the saddle, galloping toward the horizon and dreaming up new trips.

Office Manager & Driver

Bumbaa is the one who makes everything run smoothly in Mongolia (a huge challenge!). From our Ulaanbaatar office she ensures we have everything we need before heading in to the countryside, from flights to food.

Bumbaa's partner Sainaa makes it happen on the ground. He drives on our trips and manages the ZT vehicle fleet.

Guide

Anar lives in Ulaanbaatar, but like most Mongolians he is more than happy to don a traditional del, jump on a horse, and ride off into the wilderness. With his knowledge and humour, he is the perfect person to introduce you to Mongolia's culture. 

Trip Manager/Guide

Haldi is our main man in Zavkhan, managing the team and guiding trips. He's very much a countryside man (although based in Ulaanbaatar), as familiar with the traditional nomadic life as any herder, and a great horse rider. An all-round fantastic person to travel with.

Wranglers

Our main guys in Zavkhan - they go all the way back to the start. If you are up for some fast riding, Adiya is always keen - if you are lucky he will let you ride his own horse, the Mongolian equivalent of a Ferrari. His father Dondov keeps things under control and is more than happy to meander along enjoying the scenery. Tsoj is the joker of the team, always seeing the funny side of life.

Guide, and Cook

A veteran ZT translator born in Zavkhan Province, Mandy has guided and translated in all our Mongolia locations since 2009. She also works as an officer at Mercy Corps and cares for her 8 yr old son Tulgudur.

Married to Mandy, Lkhagvaa joined ZT in 2013 and has become known for bold cooking moves like Mongolian countryside-style sushi. He loves travelling, experimental cooking, and practicing his English with our guests.

Driver

Technically Ganbaa is now retired but he has been with us for so long (we met him in 2000), that he deserves an honorary place here. Widely recognised as the best driver in Mongolia, he has now passed on his skills, and his trusty furgon, to son-in-law Byambaa.

Guides and wranglers

In Kazakhstan we work with the rangers of Katon-Karagay National Park. There are several different teams we travel with, depending on our route. We especially enjoy the company of Baijan's team who patrol north up to the Russian border. They are proud of the work they do, protecting the park, and are more than happy to take time off from patrolling to show us their favourite spots.

Guides & wranglers

In Sakha we work with Duguidan, Simeon, Irina and their family and friends. When they are not herding horses amongst the forest and swamps of the taiga, they are off hunting for moose and bears. We first met them in 2018, and are looking forward to exploring more of their wild and remote homeland together.