Trans-Mongolian railway holiday

Environment

We are committed to positive environmental impacts through our Responsible Travel Policy. As an overland company we have extremely low carbon emissions throughout all our journeys. This departure operates exclusively on the 8,500km of rail network spanning the Trans-Mongolian railway from St. Petersburg to Beijing and we also use local buses in Mongolia when transferring to Terelj national park and public transport in both Russia and China avoiding air travel wherever possible. We offer a half day walking tour in Kazan around the city reducing the negative impact on the environment.

We use local partners in Mongolia who we work with closely to ensure they mirror our strict responsible travel policy to ‘protect our planet’ and reduce the consumption of one time plastics. We have worked with the same supplier for several years now basing our working relationship on trust and equality and always ensure that on visits to national parks, we brief our clients on environmental responsibility asking them to use re-usable water bottles during their stay and refrain from using single use carrier bags, which are becoming an serious issue in areas such as the Gobi desert.

Community

We have a very clear mandate to support the local community and without these people and experiences our tours wouldn’t be the same. We have been operating tours throughout Asia for over 50 years and strive to build on our long established reputation for having the utmost respect for the places and communities that we visit.

We contract the services of local guides and city ambassadors through our local partners. We use Aiur, a local guide in Russia for many of our tours including this departure. Aiur specialises in translation, teaching and of course guiding and his manta is, 'Helping people to discover this world.' His favourite place to visit is Mongolia sighting it’s ‘Unusual mix of nomadic culture, communist past and modern life.’

In addition, we partner with local families in Terelj national park, which we find not only enriches the overall experience but allows us to understand local traditions and create sound relationships between clients and locals.

In China we visit the local Hutongs and markets again helping to serve as an authentic and cultural experience and one, which maintains a closer bond between client and local. We always encourage our group to buy locally and encourage local trade and artistry.