Though lasting only two weeks, our Mongolia trip with Expedition Ahimsa was a journey of a lifetime. Every day was a new adventure and a new favorite. We traveled far, wide, and deep into the vast Mongolian taiga—riding horses over mountain passes and through forests to northern reindeer herding grounds; riding the reindeer!; staying in yurts and with nomadic families; receiving protection from a shaman in sacred trance; viewing Bronze-Age deer stones; climbing Khorgo volcano; visiting remote palaces and Buddhist monasteries; riding camels across sand dunes on the north edge of the Gobi desert; hiking to rocky overlooks above Khuvsgul Lake, Mongolia’s “Mother Sea”—a immersive natural, cultural, and spiritual adventure. I still can’t believe we did it all—and survived! No doubt—and as had been promised—there were challenges: riding horseback through rocky, muddy terrain; hiking up volcanic rockslides; driving off road, off-off road, and through flowing rivers—but each led to incredible reward, a dream we didn’t know we had. Prema and Manjari were amazing. They cared for each individual while guiding the group, sacrificed their comfort for others’, served as bridges to our guide and hosts, and herded us cats both gently and with direction. Somehow they held it all together and set us up with tents and yurts w/ bedding, information, vegetarian food, water, and any other necessities. My wife and I had traveled the world for years without joining a tour, but we never would have done this trip without them. It was a highlight of our lives, and we are so grateful for their planning, their guidance, and especially their friendship. —Kalachandji das

I struggled with whether to write this review because I genuinely wanted to have a positive experience with Expedition Ahimsa. Mongolia itself is an incredible country, and our local Mongolian guide was excellent. Unfortunately, I came away with serious concerns about how this trip was planned, communicated, and managed. The biggest issue was the hiking/horseback portion of the itinerary. When this trip was first announced, I told the trip leader that I would not be able to join this retreat because it involved horseback riding. Hiking was subsequently offered as an alternative, and that was specifically what made me willing to join the trip. I understood going in that the Mongolia itinerary was new and had not been personally vetted by the trip leader, so I knew I was accepting some degree of uncertainty. What I did not expect was for the hiking alternative to ultimately prove unworkable, leaving me in a position where I had to ride a horse to reach the destination before nightfall (despite requests to start the hike earlier in the day to avoid this scenario from materializing). I also expected lessons from a previous trip I took with this trip leader to be carried forward. When we discussed what happened afterward, he was genuinely apologetic and explained that his research had indicated that the route was doable. I don't believe he was intentionally careless about the difficulty. However, research is not a substitute for firsthand knowledge when one is responsible for the safety and wellbeing of others. If one is going to operate an untested itinerary, the responsibility to mitigate that uncertainty through other means becomes even more important. More concerning was the lack of appropriate emergency communication capability. The trip leaders did not bring a satellite/emergency response beacon for the group. This was particularly troubling because the importance of having this capability had already come up on a previous trip to Nepal, which was also led by the same trip leader, although it was not an Expedition Ahimsa trip. For a trip involving remote environments and potentially challenging activities, trip leaders should have reliable emergency communication capability. There was also a significant issue with how the food situation was represented. The website described the Mongolia trip as vegetarian, with vegan and gluten-free options, and indicated that anything beyond that would be at the participant's own expense. Once we arrived, however, we discovered that the trip was effectively vegan. This was a surprise to me and to others in the group. If a trip is vegan, that is material information that should be communicated clearly before people spend money and commit to joining. More broadly, these experiences made me question whether the itinerary was ready to be offered as a paid group trip. Customers should not bear the risks and costs associated with testing an itinerary that has not been personally experienced and adequately vetted, particularly when it involves remote locations and activities where planning, safety, and contingency preparedness are important. This is also why I am particularly concerned that Expedition Ahimsa plans to offer another Mongolia itinerary that has not yet been personally experienced by the trip leader. After this experience, I would strongly encourage prospective travelers to ask whether the itinerary they are booking has actually been personally vetted by the person leading the trip. The trip leader did respond to my concerns after the trip, but his response largely focused on apologizing for the difficult hiking experience and explaining why he believed the route would be doable based on his research. It did not address the broader concerns I raised about emergency preparedness, the food being represented inaccurately, the decision to operate an untested itinerary, or the lessons that should have been carried forward from the Nepal experience. Mongolia itself is absolutely worth visiting. My concerns are specifically about Expedition Ahimsa's approach to organizing and leading this particular trip. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend booking an untested itinerary with this operator, particularly if safety, accurate expectations, and robust contingency planning are important to you.