Most Inspirational Moment
Naadam Opening Ceremony. So much going on you didn't know which way to look, followed by the archery competition.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Anur He was very helpful and friendly, and his English excellent. This was his first time leading an European group, as opposed to a Chinese or Japanese group. I think he was somewhat shell shocked by the amount of information we wanted from him. Communication, however, was an issue as information seemed to happen by word of mouth rather than set occasions to give info either at breakfast or evening meal
Advice for Potential Travellers
Toilets are ALL European (unless in the middle of nowhere) LOTS of food, if anything too much as everything seemed to be 3 course as all meals supplied. There is some Mongolian food in various buffets but few people went down that route. 4x4s are very comfortable. My one minor moan is people seemed to stick together and not swap around, even though we did swap cars. The driving estimates are best taken as a minimum. There are some long days and the scenery for the most part is quite unremarkable Make sure you request longer time at some sites. This is true of the Canyon Walk, Flaming Cliffs, Lovon Monastery and Khongoriin Els dunes in particular. I believe the morning starts could be earlier while with the 4x4 cars as the previous evenings are early too bed. The gers are comfortable and spacious. one has en suite, and the rest has good service blocks with showers In Ulaan, I recommend going to the National Museum rather than the Genghis Khan Museum. There is more to see and more in English, which isn't a lot in either museum. Souvenirs are almost exclusively bought in Ulaan as there aren't many other opportunities. The selection of cashmere is amazing. The itinery is fairly fluid and there were several occasions when the planned visit either happened the day before of after, which was not a problem. The main change was only 1 day at the Nadaam Festival rather than the 2 advertised, which was probably for the best. The Naadam horse race visited from Nadaam is rather a lot of hanging around to watch the end of a horse race. An alternate idea is more time in Ulaan. The Taiki horses can be elusive and a strong pair of binoculars recommended but even then there were dots. You could be lucky and they are right beside you. It was the only time that binoculars are recommended, unless you are a twitcher. Bring warm clothes and water proofs as nights can be cold and when it rains, as it did, it can be torrential.