Ayan Travel
Ayan Travel
5
Multi-day ToursCultural ToursHiking & Camping ToursNature & Wildlife ToursPhotography Tours
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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About
Ayan Travel – Experienced inbound tour operator for Adventure and Photography tours in Mongolia combining cultural discovery for the benefit of sustainable way of nomadic life. Specialized and Tailor made tours.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
27 reviews
Excellent
26
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
1
John OF
The Hills Shire, Australia13 contributions
Jan 2020
Mongolia in late January is quite a daunting prospect for a couple of keen photographers of senior years, but it has its advantages also, being far less crowded. We intended to put together a tour with an independent guide, but decided in the end to work with Ayan Travel. As events turned out, there had to be significant changes to the itinerary, with the advent of COVID-19, with museums and temples being closed to visitors and a personal bereavement midway through causing a change of guide. Nevertheless we had a very fulfilling trip thanks to the flexibility, constant attention and reorganisation 'on the fly' by AYAN. Destinations of standout were the Chingis Khan Statue Complex, the Khustai National Park, with ample wildlife photo opportunities, and a traditional orchestra, singing and dance performance. I cannot stress enough how hard AYAN worked to deliver in such a difficult situation and how pleased we were in hindsight to have the backing and support of a professional organisation rather than a solo guide - top marks!
Written February 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much the review, John and Stephen. Glad to hear your first time experience was quite good with us. Hope Mongolia will be one of your favorite destinations in the future. Wish you all the best.
Written February 27, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
chaletaria
London, United Kingdom557 contributions
Sep 2019
We used Ayan travel for a horse riding trek through the Orkhon valley with ger camping. The staff were friendly and our ger hosts were exceptional. The horses were easy to ride and seemed very at home with us. You do have to work a little to persuade them to let you canter/ gallop (this is probably because they are concerned about safety), but once they are happy you can have a great canter/ gallop. Take your own helmet! The pace of life is very different, so don’t expect anything to happen quickly, just go with the flow. The food in the gers was plentiful and tasty. Obviously you will have to share a ger with other people (they are usually for 4), so you may be lucky to get another couple or (like me) have a tent with 1 woman and 3 men! Toilet facilities are basic- take toilet paper. The other activities (ride to Tovkhon monastery, tour of Ulaanbaatar, Karakoram, ErdeneZuu) were fine and the guide was flexible to alternatives. I would suggest a trip to the Bogd Khan palace rather than Black Market would be more interesting to many travellers. If you go with more than 1 minibus try to ensure you are in the one with the guide as the others have no guides in them at all. The trip was well organised and the staff have to chat.
Written May 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
steven s
Nashville, TN79 contributions
Oct 2019
Both parts of this tour were fantastic.
Riding Bactain camels in the Gobi Desert as well as photographing the dunes at sunrise were highlights there.
The Eagle Festival was exactly what you would expect of a sporting event. The eagles were magnificient and the pagentry of the event surpassed our expectations.
Ayan arranged photo shoots of eagle hunters around the events of the festival including a visit to the home of one of them. It was fun watching the 10 year old daughter of the family we visited compete the day after we met.
Riding Bactain camels in the Gobi Desert as well as photographing the dunes at sunrise were highlights there.
The Eagle Festival was exactly what you would expect of a sporting event. The eagles were magnificient and the pagentry of the event surpassed our expectations.
Ayan arranged photo shoots of eagle hunters around the events of the festival including a visit to the home of one of them. It was fun watching the 10 year old daughter of the family we visited compete the day after we met.
Written January 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scenic828435
8 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
I am usually a solo, independent traveler, but decided to do a tour in Mongolia as independent travel was almost impossible.
Ayan Travels was among a few companies I had written to. Ayan was definitely the most prompt and complete in their responses, they clarified lot of questions I had and finally I booked the Mongolian Highlights Tour (including Nadaam Festival) with them. Special mention to Doljo, she was very patient and helpful at all times.
On the simple airport pickup and drop, they were on time, cars were comfortable.
The tour itself was brilliantly planned, covering north, central Mongolia and Gobi desert. The places of stay were all high quality, food was spot on (I chose to be vegetarian on the trip and they managed that well). Our driver Tseegiie was very experienced, he could find the best roads while off-roading while all GPS apps failed. We never had a vehicle breakdown. And our guide, Odnoo, she helped us learn about Mongolia, it's culture, natural wonders, tradition and made the group's experience memorable. And when one of the co-travelers fell sick, she (and later Doljo) took care of her we one would take care of a family member. That kind of care is rare to find in the tourism business. Hats off to Odnoo for this.
Overall, I cannot recommend them any higher than to say that if I come back to Mongolia, will definitely travel with them.
Ayan Travels was among a few companies I had written to. Ayan was definitely the most prompt and complete in their responses, they clarified lot of questions I had and finally I booked the Mongolian Highlights Tour (including Nadaam Festival) with them. Special mention to Doljo, she was very patient and helpful at all times.
On the simple airport pickup and drop, they were on time, cars were comfortable.
The tour itself was brilliantly planned, covering north, central Mongolia and Gobi desert. The places of stay were all high quality, food was spot on (I chose to be vegetarian on the trip and they managed that well). Our driver Tseegiie was very experienced, he could find the best roads while off-roading while all GPS apps failed. We never had a vehicle breakdown. And our guide, Odnoo, she helped us learn about Mongolia, it's culture, natural wonders, tradition and made the group's experience memorable. And when one of the co-travelers fell sick, she (and later Doljo) took care of her we one would take care of a family member. That kind of care is rare to find in the tourism business. Hats off to Odnoo for this.
Overall, I cannot recommend them any higher than to say that if I come back to Mongolia, will definitely travel with them.
Written July 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful experience with Ayan Travel! We're happy that you enjoyed the Mongolian Highlights Tour and the Naadam Festival.
It's great to know that our team made your trip special with their care and expertise.
Your kind words about how our team looked after the guests and your fellow travelers mean a lot to us. We’re happy to have been part of your memorable journey in Mongolia.
We look forward to welcoming you back someday!
Warmest regards,
Written July 29, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jacqueline V
6 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
We made an unforgettable trip with our family. Davaa was our guide and made our holiday fantastic. All equipment that was included was good. We traveled through rural areas but our driver Hurlee could drive anywhere.
Our trip was a combination of culture and nature where we went horseback riding for a number of days and made a multi-day horse ride to the lake district. We visited several historical places.
Davaa speaks perfect English and is well informed about Mongolian culture and history, We could really ask her anything and if she didn't have an answer she went looking for an answer.
The animals were well cared for and treated with respect.
We felt welcome and at home with the Nomads and through Davaa we were also able to have good contact with them.
The accommodations were all comfortable and well organised.
At one point we had bad weather conditions and we were able to discuss what was the right thing to do and Davaa came up with good alternatives
in short, it was even more than we could have hoped for.
Our trip was a combination of culture and nature where we went horseback riding for a number of days and made a multi-day horse ride to the lake district. We visited several historical places.
Davaa speaks perfect English and is well informed about Mongolian culture and history, We could really ask her anything and if she didn't have an answer she went looking for an answer.
The animals were well cared for and treated with respect.
We felt welcome and at home with the Nomads and through Davaa we were also able to have good contact with them.
The accommodations were all comfortable and well organised.
At one point we had bad weather conditions and we were able to discuss what was the right thing to do and Davaa came up with good alternatives
in short, it was even more than we could have hoped for.
Written September 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rob D
Salida, CO5 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
Having worked for The Travel Channel and been to over 100 countries I rarely write negatively of travel experiences, but people should be warned about this company. We had traveled for several weeks on our own in Mongolia with no problems but decided to treat ourselves to a guided tour for the Olgii Golden Eagle Festival. Things started poorly on day one when we were met by a driver but no guide and our city tour and museum visit were thus canceled. Day 2 was excellent and our guide was knowledgeable, personable and fun to be with. It was on day 3 that we found out our "guide" for the rest of our trip had never been to Olgii, did not know how to find our destination, had never been to the Golden Eagle festival and did not speak the Kazak language so could not translate what was said by the announcers. That day we either got lost or stopped to ask directions at least 10 times. When we spoke that night with the Ayan Travel folks they agreed to provide a better local guide who spoke the language and knew the festival. All was going to be fine...until the next morning when the guide showed up 45 minutes late and we missed the early morning photo opportunities we had planned. After extensive discussions a detailed plan was made for an early start the next day- but the guide again showed up 40 minutes late and we again missed our planned photography. After 2 days in a row of problems the next day's itinerary was discussed in detail to avoid problems- alas it did not matter as when they did show up we were taken to the wrong place- had to switch drivers, wait for the driver and deal with more problems. Our program was to include 2 cultural evenings but the second one on our final night never happened as the agency miscalculated the travel time and we arrived too late for the cultural program. In the end we were denied both our first and last day's programs in Ulaan Baatar, both of which we had paid for. In our independent travels in Mongolia we stayed in 3 different Ger camps- all were far superior to the one booked by Ayan even though we were paying Ayan about 4X more per day than we spent on our independent travel. We advise people to avoid Ayan Travel - tours Mongolia. Additionally for people traveling to the Eagle Festival you are better booking with a local company as they have all the good accommodations reserved a year in advance.
Written October 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tio Oso
1 contribution
Sep 2019
Booked the 12 day trip which included the short city tour, Gobi desert, Golden Eagle Festival, and Terelj National Park. Ayan was the only local company that I could find with the perfect itinerary for me. Communication with Mona prior to the trip was very easy and she was very responsive to all my questions. Our guide Zero was always going the extra mile to solve whatever issues came up, even when there wasn't a whole lot to work with. Things got a little hectic during the eagle festival with so many different groups coming together for the company but I think they really went above and beyond to try to make sure we were all happy. All the extra private photo shoots with the eagle hunters were great and we seemed to be the only group getting services like this. Many of their employees are photographers themselves who have shot this event multiple times so they know what to look for. I would not hesitate to book with Ayan again.
Written October 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wildwomenroam
12 contributions
Jun 2019 • Solo
Mona at Ayan Travel is the most responsive person in all of Mongolia. Seriously! I asked endless questions; somehow, she always managed to respond within a few hours to a day at the most. She has an excellent get-it-done attitude and is always eager to help!
Written June 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Formiga
Vancouver, Canada771 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
We booked Mongolia last minute because we wanted to see the Eagle Festival. Although Ayan Travel is young with their internet presence, I took the chance and booked 2 weeks with them. Mona patiently answered all my questions, and I asked so many, everyday I had a new question, so thank you. We were met on time at the airport by our very fluent English Speaking guide Tuvshuu and our driver Munkhtur. We did a semi private tour and our little group had a blast throughout our whole stay. We journeyed into the Gobi for hours and hours on end in the car (bring motion sickness meds if you get carsick). We hiked, climbed sand dunes, rode camels, visited with Nomadic families. Tuvshuu had a great way with communicating and talking to everyone we met on our trip. Munkhtur was a jack of all trades teaching us archery, Mongolian games, and spotting gazelles from 1 km away! We had good ger camps to stay in, definitely varied from one to the next. Our favorite was staying with a nomadic family. We learned so much and I was very appreciative of the effort they made. Really good people. There were some dietary restrictions and everyone tried really hard to make us all happy. For the second week we journeyed to Ulgii for the eagle festival on Hunnu airlines and the tour company had everything organized for us. We met our new tour guides and driver at the airport. Batzaya, the owner and amazing photographer let us shadow him while he shot the festival. His company had the best connection to the hunters. You can see their familiarity and friendship. Jako was a super host and let us stay with him and his wife was really awesome with all her cooking. I would strongly suggest traveling to Altai before or after the Eagle Festival since it won’t be so crowded and you will be able to spend more time with the eagle hunters.
We had an amazing time with Ayan Travel and would not hesitate to come back and book with them. They are a small company so there may be bumps along the way but if you are open to adventure, it’s fun. The whole team is amazing and tries very hard.
We had an amazing time with Ayan Travel and would not hesitate to come back and book with them. They are a small company so there may be bumps along the way but if you are open to adventure, it’s fun. The whole team is amazing and tries very hard.
Written October 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniela B
10 contributions
Oct 2018 • Solo
Last year I experienced Kazakh traditions and eagle hunting festival in Mongolia. And this year, I took photographic journey to this event again. I would like to express my gratitude to the photography team of Ayan Travel mongolia. They organized private photography sessions for their clients which gave us a great chance to meet the famous eagle huntress Aisholpan and the Champions of the festival. It was superb service for photographers. I would highly recommended this local company especially for photo tours in Mongolia. Everything was excellent and well organized. Very proficient in photography and adventure.
Written October 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Daniela B,
Greetings from Ayan travel Mongolia
Thank you very much for sharing your travel experience you had with us. You are our one of the happiest and valued clients. We really appreciate that you chose to travel with us again and notify our photographic services. It is our great pleasure to serve you again to the Golden Eagle Festival.
Hope to see you again in Mongolia for the next adventure.
Warm regards,
Ayan Travel Team
Written June 14, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I have been wanting to make this photo tour of the Golden Eagle Festival for some time now. Just wondering of the cost associated with it , internal travel, hotels, transportation, food, and international flights from New York or New Jersey.
And any other logistics and recommendations are appreciated.
Written July 29, 2019
Hello Bon Niatto, we have 4, 7, 11, 13 days tours including Golden Eagle Festival. Please have a look at our Golden Eagle Festival tours on our website. 2 way domestic flight, transportation, tour guide service, full board meals and acommodation - tourist ger camps are included in the price. Available to join a group of 5-8 photographers to minimize your cost and enjoy the tour with others. About international flight, you will need to book it by yourself, price range can be different depending on your arrival and departure date. Also, we have mixed tour with Gobi desert or Altai Mountains.
Written July 30, 2019
I want to attend Mongolia Highlights tour with Naadam Festival-2017 tour.
Written April 26, 2017
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