Mongolia Travel Agents

We recently completed a cultural tour of Mongolia and had an amazing time. We went to Mongolia outside the peak period at the onset of winter but Crystal managed to put together an amazing itinerary over 13 days.

We travelled to west to stay with Kazak eagle hunters and to the north to stay with the Tsaatan reindeer herders. We also saw natural wonders including the Lake Khovsgol, Jargant river and the wild Takhi horses. A visit to Mongolia wouldn’t be complete without historical sites and memorials

Our guide, Zaya, was excellent, working overtime to make sure we were always comfortable. Zaya’s historical and cultural knowledge were an essential part of the immersive experience.

Travelling in rural Mongolia can be challenging given the sparse landscape and weather conditions. However, Zaya worked tirelessly with our drivers and the local communities to ensure our tour always went smoothly and without issues.

I would definitely recommend a trip to Mongolia with Crystal for anyone looking for an adventurous experience wrapped in a premium tour.

Zara was an excellent guide. The trip was really well managed. However, we feel that the itinerary could have been better managed- For eg. we could have done places closer to Ulaan Batar towards the end of the trip instead of the beginning especially as there was a lot of driving towards the second half of the trip. Further, it would have been helpful if we were informed about the fact that there were ensuite accommodation available as well.

We have traveled the world but have never found a better firm than Premium Travel Mongolia. We unhesitatingly recommend this firm to anyone who wants an educational, comfortable, entertaining and enlightening overview of this wonderful, ancient yet modern country.
Crystal was very responsive and custom-built a trip to match our needs. The trip throughout central Mongolia was extremely well planned, with multiple adventures every day. From stays at ger camps - from luxurious to just plain comfortable - climbing volcanos, relaxing in hot springs, visiting historic and cultural sites and riding horses and camels, we never lacked opportunities to learn about this amazing country. We even got to work with golden eagles and participate in Naadam in Dalan ZadGad and learn about all the fascinating events.
We were extremely privileged to have Suvd for our guide and Tsogtoo for our driver. The best of the best. They both have a great sense of humor and kept us laughing the whole time. He is a highly competent, calm and careful driver who keeps the car spotless every day. Suvd, who speaks excellent English and gets every joke, has a wealth of knowledge about Mongolia's history, culture, celebrations, sports, flora and fauna. Both struggled to teach us to play the ankle bone game which provided a fun way to relax at the end of the day. Suvd went above and beyond by ensuring that all the camp cooks respected my dietary restrictions.
At the end of the trip we were overcome to find that the team had organized a 46th anniversary gift for us - everything we will need to continue to play the ankle bone game back home! We will never forget this trip and unhesitatingly recommend

Hotel Reviews

Gobi Mirage

A very luxurious ger camp that feels like a hotel. Coffee shop, great restaurant, and entertainment by young, incredible local talent. Gers are very comfortable and showers are wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Especially appreciated the music from one of the young staff members who amazed us with his talent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Toilogt ger camp

A wonderful ger camp with a great restaurant and comfortable gers. Yaks walk through the camp during the day, and it is easy to do horseback riding or take a trip to the Wishing Island. There is even a local bunny.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Khustai national park - stopover

Khustai National Park

It is amazing to be able to see the world's only wild horses in their natural habitat. Guides were very helpful by showing us where to look and providing binoculars.

Khorgo Terkh national park

Tariat

Lake Khovsgol (Khuvsgul)

Mongolia

Leisure day in Lake Khovsgol

Mongolia

Karakorum (from Khorgo)

Kharkhorin

Ulaanbaatar city tour with Chinggis Equestrian Statue

Ulaanbaatar

Yol Gorge of Gurvan Saikhan mountain

Yol Valley

Tsagaan Suvarga (White stupa)

Mongolia

A day trip in Selenge province

Selenge

Orkhon Waterfall

Mongolia

Stunning Khongor sand dunes (from Bayanzag) 

Sevrei, Gobi

Amarbayasgalant monastery

Amarbayasgalant

Khovsgol - Jargalant

Mongolia

Bayanzag (Flaming cliffs) - a dinosaur native land

Bayanzag

Jargalant Hot springs

Jargalant

It was our fourth trip with KimKim. The Mongolian nature was amazing-mountains, sand dunes, traces of dinozaurs. We met amazing people , true Nomads of the XXIst century, but :
-our nice guide was rather an interpreter not a guide. With mediocre english and almost no knowledge of Mongolian history and culture. Each question asked cause an intense discussion with a driver and a short two sentenced answer. No background of every day schedule, no history, no ethnical background. This was the case for 2 guides, one in Ulan Bator (a nice young boy, knowing nothing about places we visited) and a lady who spend 3 weeks with us (guiding was a summer job for her).
-there was no real plan for the days we have been driving, no foto stops, unless asked for, no piknic
Driving through Africa, Asia , we know it is possible to organize almost everything in every country and that was the kind of service we have always been receiving by KimKim. Not this time. Paying 20 k USD for 3 weeks we were expecting a superior treatment in a country where the most expensive hotel is 250 USD/night (in UlanBatar), and where we slept mostly in gerds (far different from 5star tents in Africa). Remember in Mongolia average salary is about 500 USD/month, and food is 20-40 USD/per day /two persons in restaurant.
Final conclusion, we always try to find our best during the vacation , so we really rest, but that was not due to Crystal efforts.

Having had a previous trip to Mongolia end disastrously when the van we were using with a driver who spoke no English broke down for 36 hours in the wilderness (no phone signal, people, roads etc), I was apprehensive about coming back, so I chose Kim Kim and their partner company, Mongolian Secret History, to organise a 4 day tour of the things that I had missed on the last time I visited. I previously set up a tour themed around Genghis Khan, to see where he was born in Dadal, where he found the golden horn, the heart shaped lake where he proclaimed himself Mongol leader and the Mongol era intriguing walled necropolis of Oglogchiin Khorem, the Berenveen monastery and a Mongol war camp. The car breakdown of the last trip, which was caused by going through rivers several feet deep meant we hadn't seen the monastery and Oglogchiin Khorem, so a 4 day trip ensured that we did that.
The trip was initially postponed, as after booking in 2020, Covid struck, so I ended up going back this month (Sep 2023) mainly to see Oglogchiin Khorem, but also the monastery and deer stones nearby.
The communication from first Chris and later Oyunerdene was incredibly good - I loved being able to dial them up on the computer and ask questions; both were helpful and friendly throughout. The trip went pretty smoothly - itinerary as it said on the packet and pick ups/timings as planned.
Oglogchiin Khorem is really fascinating - I have visited 90 countries and have a keen interest in history, but walking round the 3 km of walls which stretch to high on the mountainside, made me really wonder what this Mongol era place contains - on the sides going up the mountain, the walls are 18 feet high and the effort to build this must have taken a huge effort - I spotted to ancient graves on the east side - wonder who is buried there. When the archaeologists do dig, I hope that grave robbers haven't beaten them to it - could Genghis Khan be buried somewhere in the complex - well the location is right in the heart of his homeland - midway between the heart shaped lake, where he found the golden horn and his birthplace in Dadal, so it is possible, but who knows, though the experts seem pretty sceptical. In any case, the walls are extensive and the views from the top spectacular, so for me it was well worth a visit.
Bereeven monastery was also interesting - the monastery dating to the 1700's does have some original outbuildings and was once home to 6,000 monks, but now has just one monk left - aged 76, you would feel he might be lonely, but while we were there, 2 other sets of visitors turned up, so maybe he actually has more company each day than most old people do. A beautiful location for the monastery too, with hills, lakes and rivers nearby.
So all in all a good trip and I can recommend Mongolian Secret History and Kim Kim - mainly because of the good back up support, but also because the driver and vehicle were good and they were happy for me to tell them what I wanted to do and then sort out the logistics for me.
If you are interested in Genghis Khan, this is a part of Mongolia that attracts few visitors, so the nomads are hospitable and my guide said that the nomads were very different to those in the tourist areas, who ask the tourists for money and treat them as cash cows - my hosts were welcoming and friendly. A bonus was seeing a horse branding occasion, something not at all set up for tourists, some westerners would baulk at this, but it is important to remember that for nomads, it is vital for them to be able to show that they own a particular animal, and they do without question take very good care of their animals.
Anyone wanting to see the sites of Genghis Khan should aim for the statue where he found the golden horn, the Mongol war camp nearby, the heart shaped lake, Oglogchiin Khorem and Dadal. That would probably mean a 5 day tour from Ulan Batar I'd have thought.
One additional bit of advice - if on a tight budget, if you like spicy food, try the Korean restaurants in Ulan Batar - you order one plate of food for around $5 and get about six other plates of sides free - my favourite place was on a road next to the State Department Store, going north from Peace Avenue on the east side of the store - the humble place called Korean Cafe had fabulous food and was dirt cheap.
I also stayed at Gana's Guest House on the western side of Ulan Batar - for $15.50 a night I got a comfortable en-suite room with hot water 24/7, in a ridiculously quiet area allowing a perfect night's sleep, with a comfortable bed and very nice owner, Gana, who allowed me to use his computer for free and store luggage. Previously I stayed more centrally and although it is probably around 15 minutes to walk to the dead centre of town, this location is better than staying centrally as central Ulan Batar is full of traffic and noise, so what you gain from being at the centre of things, you will lose in terms of too much noise and loss of sleep.
Overall a great trip and so I wanted to share to help other future travellers, as finding a good and reliable company can be a nightmare, as my previous trip showed.