My Honest Review of Our Trip with Vacations Mongolia

People thought I was crazy for going to Mongolia with my toddler. Sure, it’s quite far from DC, it’s not a place Americans typically visit, and I didn’t know anyone there. But why would those be reasons not to visit a place so mythical, so beautiful, and so vastly different from anywhere else in the world? We loved our trip, and I wouldn’t trade our time there for anywhere else! Why was it such a great trip? We went with a great company. Here is my honest review of Vacations Mongolia!

The Booking

Booking with Vacations Mongolia was very easy. They have plenty of tour itineraries to choose from on their website, but because of my timeframe (7 days) and the fact that I was traveling with my toddler daughter, I needed some tweaks to create an itinerary that worked for us. Jansaya and Seilbek understood our needs and made sure to accommodate us. We e-mailed several times until we got the details right, and that was that!

More here: Tips for Your First Trip to Mongolia

The Itinerary

While Mongolia can easily become a two- or three-week trip, we only had seven days (including travel days) and wanted to make the most of it. Our itinerary was just the right amount of active and restful, and we were always able to make an accommodation for my daughter’s afternoon nap time. The first day was a travel day with a late arrival. The last day was also a travel day, with a reasonable departure. We spent our first full day in Ulaanbaatar. Day two was a road trip east to Nalaikh, visiting the sites and riding two-hump camels before ending the day at the Chinggis Khaan statue. We visited a nomadic family to see what life in a yurt (or Ger) is like, and ride horses before sharing a traditional Mongolian meal on our third day. We enjoyed our last two full days back in Ulaanbaatar, visiting temples and museums.

Read next: The Best Food We Ate in Mongolia

The Pick-up

Our airport pick-up was seamless. After landing, clearing passport control and customs, and picking up my luggage, Jansaya and Seilbek were there to greet us and help get our baggage to the car. The drive to Ulaanbaatar was about two hours, so I was grateful for the pick-up so I didn’t have to navigate the drive on my own, at night, after quite a long day. This was included in our package with Vacations Mongolia.

Keep reading: Our Favorite Animals in Mongolia

The Daily Touring

Each day, either Jansaya or Seilbek, or both, came to pick us up at our hotel and take us out for the day. They were excited to show us their country and all the unique things about it. It’s fun to go anywhere with people who are excited about the place you’re seeing for the first time, and even more so when those people are knowledgeable locals.

We got great information about all the places we visited, and were able to pepper our guides with questions about the sites, national politics (“What are Mongolia’s relationships like with Russia and China?), and Mongolian culture. I’m so glad we went with Vacations Mongolia instead of trying to do it ourselves. Our experience was much better with locals, as most trips are. Another bonus of having Jansaya or Seilbek with us? always having a translator. English is not uncommon in Mongolia, but it’s not widely-spoken enough that we could travel there easily without speaking the language ourselves, or without a translator.

More here: The Best Things to Do in Ulaanbaatar

What about Your Daughter?

Travel with a toddler means compromising and making the most of it on the fly. You might get nap trapped, she might refuse to eat what’s available, there may well be a blow-out involved. As a single parent, everything is my responsibility. I may have to skip something I was looking forward to, or I may have to hold her on my lap and end up with food on my clothes at lunch. And dinner. And maybe breakfast. But Jansays and Seilbek were always willing to step in and help, so that I could enjoy every experience.

When my daughter Iris fell asleep in the car, Seilbek volunteered to stay with her while my friend and I rode two-hump camels, something you can only do in Mongolia! When I was so excited to go horseback riding on the Mongolian Steppe with a Nomadic family, Jansaya chose to hang out with Iris and introduce her to the baby sheep. When Iris needed a fresh diaper without a changing table in sight, they made a place for me to do so safely in the back of the car–a better option than on the ground, for sure! Iris felt completely safe with Seilbek and Jansaya, and that made me feel good about every aspect of traveling to Mongolia with her as a solo parent.

Keep reading: How to Spend a Month Abroad with a Toddler (even as a single parent!)

The Drop Off

Our time in Mongolia didn’t end with a curb-side drop-off and a wave goodbye. Jansaya helped us with our luggage, as well as walked in with us to the check-in desk. And it’s a good thing she did. Our flight had just been detrimentally delayed (from a 10:55am departure to midnight, and then 2:00am!), so I needed to find a new flight. Jansaya stayed with me while we worked together with the airline staff to change our flight, including toting our luggage across the airport to check in for our new flight on Air China.

As a seasoned traveler who is very familiar with last-minute, out-of-my-control changes, I’m sure I could have gotten it figured out on my own. But with toddler in tow, lots of luggage (car seat, check-in roller, carry-on roller, weekender bag, and diaper bag) and potential miscommunications, I was grateful for Jansaya’s extra hands, extra eyes, and language skills to ensure we got on our way successfully. Vacations Mongolia’s practice of dropping us off, not at the curb, but going with us through check-in, at luggage drop-off, and to security, shows true professionalism and commitment to the client experience.

Helpful info: Should you Buy an Airplane Seat for Your Baby?

The Overall Experience

When you leave a place wishing you had just a few more days, you know it was a positive experience. I wish we could have spent another week exploring more of this wild, unique country that has so much to offer. I don’t think we would have had the same experience with another company. I reached out to several–one even told me it’s not the best time of year to visit Mongolia, so we just shouldn’t come! I’m so glad we found Vacations Mongolia, and I hope you’ll book your trip with them, too!

Read next: The Top 7 Reasons Why Single Parents Should Travel with Their Kids

Huge thanks to Vacations Mongolia for partial sponsorship of this post! All opinions my own.

Want more? Check out my dedicated Mongolia Page!

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