Who will be tour guide & driver?

TOUR DRIVERS

Our drivers, the owners of the vehicles you will be driven in, are fabulous mechanics, navigators, and excellent drivers, and have many years’ experience of driving travelers throughout Mongolia. Some of our drivers have been working for us for over ten years; though in the peak season we also recruit some additional drivers to the team. Our drivers usually don’t speak foreign languages, but all of them have strong interpersonal skills and very good intuition. They do their very best to accommodate the needs of the travelers and ensure you get the very best out of your experience. They know when you need to stop, whether it is for a photo, a toilet break, or to stretch your muscles after a long period of driving. The drivers are an inseparable part of our team. At the head of each group of drivers is a lead driver who is familiar, not only with the travel route and anything surrounding it but also responsible for supervising the other drivers and making sure they operate under the company’s spirit and within our strict code of conduct.

TOUR GUIDES

The short travel season here in Mongolia does not allow tour-guiding to become a full-time profession. Hence, the vast majority of our guides are young students who work as a guide for 3-4 years until they graduate. After leaving university, they then seek a more stable position, which provides a yearly income. We, therefore, run our own lengthy travel guide training, where we try to provide the prospective guides with the skills to be more effective. As well as knowledge of the country’s history, geography, and current affairs, we focus on subjects such as foreign language skills, cross-cultural differences, and first-aid provision.

A distinct advantage every Mongolian brings to a profession such as tour-guiding is the unconditional maternal-like care to guests. This derives from the fundamental values of the nomadic culture. Mongolians have an almost compulsive need to meet expectations and to take great care of each of their guests. Each year we receive around 100 applications to be a travel guide. Of these, around 30 begin the long training process. Only 5 or 6 guides complete their training and become an apprentice. New guides usually run 2 to 3 trips as an apprentice, before leading their own travel group. We do our utmost to prepare our guides to carry out their duties and responsibilities. If your guide is an apprentice, please bear in mind that we all have to make a start somewhere, and your patience and encouragement will be gratefully accepted.