Winter festivals holiday in Mongolia

Environment
1% of our trip revenue across all bookings per year is allocated to our 'Sustainable Projects Fund'. We allocate funds from this to a variety of projects such as a kindergarten in Bayan-Ulgii, an organic vegetable garden in Bulgan, the Itgel Foundation in Northern Mongolia, and Gobi oasis Tree Planting Project, among others.

In terms of the National Parks, we always ensure we visit research project headquarters and info centres at entrances to national parks to a) ensure our clients gain understanding of local environment and b) maximise possibility of guests interest and involvement (perhaps financially through donations, purchase of local crafts etc.) in supporting the work carried out by these organisations.

Waste is handled by ensuring minimal packaging/plastics on board, and that any recyclable waste is disposed of at recycle points at certain ger camps en route. Water is carried in large 20litre containers and clients refill their own individual bottles which they retain for the entire trip. Large water containers are then transported back empty to the capital where we have them refilled by the water bottling company.

In our office we use recycled paper for printing, double-side print for multiple sheets, and we re-use scrap paper for non-official day-to-day internal printing. We also recycle all paper at the end of it's office use. Other environmental considerations include using bio-degradable washing liquid in the kitchen, not leaving electronic office equipment on/on standby overnight, avoid printing/sending documents and itineraries to clients and instead use e-mail or have things accessible on website.

Community
Festivals are an integral part of community life, and not just spectacles for tourists to come and watch. We are closely associated with the Camel Festival, for which we have donated a prize for one of the competitions for the past 2 years. We also organize for our guests to participate in the opening camel parade. The small size of our groups facilitate such community integration.

This trip, and all trips, benefit local communities in the following ways: wherever possible we source local drivers and guides (ahead of considering staff from outside the local province); we would try and give business to local families, whether this is rental of horses/camels etc. from them instead of from larger centralised tourist camps etc. or stopping at a local ger for snacks, lunch, buying homemade crafts etc. We also ensure that any food required for all trips (picnics, snacks etc.) is not all sourced in the capital, but that we give business to local shops, cafes and markets on any itinerary.

All our staff receive valuable training to educate them in responsible tourism practices. We also carry an ‘Onboard Manual’ on all trips which gives valuable information to staff and guests about our responsibilities as travellers and provides useful insights on integrating positively with local community life.