Mongolia Tours | GER to GER Mongolia - Experience Mongolia's Nomadic Lifestyles

GER TO GER MONGOLIA – INTERNATIONAL PRESS, MEDIA AND PUBLICATIONS

SEE WHAT THE “INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS” HAVE EXPERIENCED AND WRITTEN ABOUT GER TO GER SINCE 2005 ONWARDS

Since 2005, GER to GER has been actively involved in countless domestic and international initiatives to advance Mongolia’s GEOtourism presence around the world… That includes both GER to GER TEAM as well as researchers and writers from internationally famed agencies, institutions and publications such as National Geographic Society, Lonely Planet, Local Voices, USA Today, Rough Guides, UNESCAP, and so much more. Below we have provide a short list of initiatives and publications that we at GER to GER greatly enjoy and we hope that you will enjoy them as well.

“A truly Mongolian experience”
– Trip Advisor Review

“If you want to get an idea of what traditional life in Mongolia is like while also staying off the beaten track, this is the place to book a tour. I did a three day tour in the Middle Gobi region and a 6-day tour in Bulgan Province. I stayed in Mongolia near the end of april, which is a good time temperature-wise. Both tours greatly exceeded my expectations, as did the service provided by GerToGer…”

“…I thoroughly enjoyed staying with these people and want to thank GerToGer. These tours were the best combination of feeling safe (knowing you can always call them in case of emergency) and experiencing something real and unique. Definitely a highlight of my travels, you can’t miss this if you are visiting Mongolia!”

MONGOLIA’S NOMADIC COMMUNITIES ARE TAKING POWER BACK THROUGH ECO-TOURISM

Article Link

A Mongolian NGO called “Ger to Ger” is creating opportunities for nomadic communities to take power back. The organization promotes a community-based ecotourism program for visitors who are interested in supporting these communities while also ensuring profits stay within the community. They work with numerous rural residents and nomadic communities across the country to develop their capacities and skills while offering instalment loan plans to pay for necessary equipment and lodging. This program has made it possible for many families to support themselves and continue their nomadic lifestyle by hosting one or two groups of travellers each week. Eighty percent of the profit from these homestay experiences is given directly back to the families, generating needed income during the three-month tourism season in Mongolia.

“Real Mongolia Traveling”
– Trip Advisor Review

Let me start off by saying that I’m glad I made this trip. This was what I wanted when I got to Mongolia. First I went on a tour with a guesthouse, which was fine, but it was a lot of driving around, seeing big sites and areas – but it wasn’t riding on horseback! Ger to Ger presents the opportunity of actually riding/trekking from and to each nomad family, -with- nomads. I loved it.

As a solo traveller, I was going alone. I didn’t speak the language, and neither did they speak English. While this provided ample opportunity to meditate on the gorgeous plains, hills and mountains surrounding us, I worried that I might get restless and bored when I couldn’t talk with anyone. But, as it turns out, Mongolian hospitality is extremely accommodating. They won’t stop feeding you and curiously peer over your items and try to talk to you until you go away. And this is another aspect of the nomad culture I really like: If you want to be left alone, you will be left alone. Family members come and go into the ger without greater fuss, and especially before and after meals. So it’s no big deal if you do the same.

I had the most fun when I was out with a nomad guide riding to the next ger. With a phrasebook and a bit of body language, you can get really far, in spite of much confusion and delayed comprehension on my part! I had fun trying to learn and memorize new words, especially with Mr. Byambaochar, who, with some success,
drilled Mongolian Ger vocabulary into my brain. I was also glad that I got to ride my horse by myself, and not be towed by the nomad, or having to follow close in his heels. I even managed a bit of galloping at the end, when I was comfortable enough with the terrain.

The tour followed the itinerary on a broad scale and with the biggest sites, but it clearly got modulated. A few things went down differently, and I had a lot of other interesting experiences which wasn’t part of the itinerary.

For example, I saw a “Worship of the Fire” ritual with my second family, where two buddhist monks entered and commenced a lengthy ceremony with the gathered families, all of them gathering in the Ger I was supposed to sleep in! I was almost falling asleep during the ritual (Buddhist droning + a day of horseback riding = lullaby), much to the families’ amusement. I found it pretty hilarious as well – after I got that craved sleep, that is. One of the monks couldn’t keep up with the rituals and had a bit of trouble with his eye-veil, drum, and well, practically everything, which also caused no small amount of ill-concealed snickers and giggles. Truly, a unique and fun experience!

This wasn’t part of the itinerary, by the way. This was just something that ‘happened’ to occur as I got there. Very interesting!

 

So, all in all, a very nice trip, considerably cheaper than my first one, more physically challenging (which was what I wanted) and it’s giving back to the communities that guide you, to boot. I highly recommend this as a in-depth experience of Mongolian nomadic culture. And if you learn the language before-hand, or get some basic understanding of it, oh boy, you’re going to have a fun time.”

National Geographic Society - World's Most Innovative Travel Entrepreneurs
World’s Innovative Travel Entrepreneurs to Gather at National Geographic to Share Geotourism Success
Ger to Ger Goes for Gold in Mongolia; With two wins under its belt in the Ashoka’s Changemakers 2009 Geotourism Challenge: Power of Place – Sustaining the Future of Destinations, Ger to Ger – the self-styled ‘market-driven social enterprise’ based in Mongolia – is definitely doing something right. Founded in 2005 by Mr Zanjan Fromer, a native Alaskan with extensive experience in tourism and development, Ger to Ger has in a few short years managed to generate the kind of buzz for which many similar enterprises earnestly and sometimes vainly strive.
UNITED NATIONS
GER to GER GEOTOURISM MONGOLIA: 2006 Official Country Partner of the CBS’s The Amazing Race: S10 E2; An Emmy and Directors Guild Award Winning Season.
Dr. Carmen Rohrbach
Ms. Carmen Rohrhach traveled with Mr. Fromer of GER to GER; Ms. Rohrbach's last "Mongolei" book featured GER to GER
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"MONGOLIA CAMPING"
German Article about GER to GER
"MONGOLIA PRACTICES SUSTAINABLE TOURISM"
GER to GER GEOtourism Mongolia - New York Magazine
GERtoGER.org is featured in the TOP 12 GLOBAL DESTINATIONS for honeymoons - the story is now featured in New York Magazine's 2018 biannual Weddings issue and is now live online. 
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"PLACES OF INTEREST IN MONGOLIA"
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"TRAVELING RESPONSIBLY" - PAGE 31 (SLIDE 13)
GER to GER Geotourism Mongolia | Rough Guides and GERtoGER
"Meet the locals – how to immerse yourself on your travels"; A typical day on a trip with Ger to Ger, a non-profit organization that promotes grassroots tourism development, starts with a journey on horse or oxcart from the ger where you spent the night onto your next resting post. The rest of the day is spent doing what your new hosts do.