Horseback Riding Tour to Turtle Rock & Aryabal

Wonderful Mongolia experience with Oyuna & Bor

Wonderful Mongolia experience with Oyuna & Bor 🇲🇳❤️ Our time in Mongolia was made so special by our wonderful guide Oyuna and our driver Bor from Travel Buddies. Oyuna was so much more than just a guide. She was warm, caring, knowledgeable and incredibly patient, and she made us feel genuinely looked after from the moment we arrived. She brought Mongolia to life for us — not just through the major sights, but through the stories, history, Buddhism, nomadic traditions and everyday life of the country. We learnt so much from her, and she always made sure there was time for questions, laughs and those little moments that make a trip memorable. By the end of our time in Mongolia, we were genuinely sad to say goodbye to her. She had become such an important part of our experience. Bor was equally fantastic. Mongolia involves some very long driving days, rough roads and challenging conditions, but we always felt completely safe with him. He was calm, reliable, friendly and somehow made even the bumpiest roads feel manageable. Together, Oyuna and Bor made our Mongolia adventure unforgettable. From Ulaanbaatar and Terelj National Park to the nomad family visit, Mini Gobi, Kharkhorin and Hustai National Park, we felt like we experienced a really special side of Mongolia. We would absolutely recommend Travel Buddies, Oyuna and Bor to anyone visiting Mongolia. Thank you both for looking after us so well and for giving us memories we will treasure for a very long time. 🇲🇳❤️ ★★★★★

via Tripadvisor

Great people to meet. I...

Great people to meet. I only hoped the horseback riding was longer (I only had an hour instead of the advertised 1.5 hours, perhaps because we went more quickly since I was a solo traveler?), but the scenery was beautiful. Great guide, English speaking, shared info about the culture along the way.

via Viator

Wonderful time exploring Terelj Park

Wonderful time in Terelj park! The tour company was on time and the guide and driver were professional and helpful. I learned a lot about Mongolia’s history and current events. The temple was really special. My guide explained maybe Buddhist traditions. The horseback ride through the green woods above the temple and around Turtle Rock was great. We changed the riding pace and I felt safe the entire time. Lunch at their gorgeous lodge was great.

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for this wonderful review! We are delighted you enjoyed the temple, the horseback ride around Turtle Rock, and lunch at our lodge. Your kind words about our guide and driver mean a lot, and we will be sure to pass them along to the team. It was a pleasure hosting you, and we hope to welcome you back to Mongolia for an even deeper adventure someday. Rara Avis Travel

via Tripadvisor

Great Guide, Skittish Horses

A good day out in the sun! Our guide Enhrgl was great: easy-going, informative and enthusiastic. He took some great photos of the horse ride. A couple of horses were skittish; we were led by ropes past traffic/cows for most of our ride. While we were eventually allowed to ride on our own when surroundings were calmer, I'm not sure if more experienced riders would enjoy being tied by ropes to the horse at the front. The ride was mainly past ger encampments, sadly not the most picturesque of landscapes at times. The hillside meditation centre was lovely but the statue complex unfortunately had the air of a tourist trap. Lunch at Big Sky Lodge was excellent with a home-cooked feel.

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for your thoughtful review. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the sunny day and appreciated Enkhrgl’s guidance—he’ll be very happy to know his enthusiasm and photography stood out!

via Viator

Temple view enlightenment guaranteed. Tasty Mongolian meal. Take charge of your horse.

Lunch at Big Sky Resort was excellent. Bat was a charming guide to the Buddhist Meditation Center and it was well worth the effort to make the climb. That view was excellent! I have enough riding experience that I would have much preferred to ride without my horse being led. My stirrups were not adjusted for my height. I was refused an adjustment until the kid leading my horse noticed I had removed my feet from the stirrups. (I prefer to ride bareback so that was an option I was comfortable with.) At this point my stirrups were adjusted to my comfort. I raised teenagers so found amusement in his looks of annoyance. It was the difference between asking to head back to the stables and continuing the ride. The kid leading my horse watched TV or a movie on his phone, texted and called his friends. At one point he had a smack talk conversation with someone his age. That kid was herding horses from higher up the mountain to the valley we were in. It gave a sense of adventure to have his herd surround and pass us. I could have done without the hat slapping and shoulder punching between his buddy and the guy leading my horse. Later in the ride the kid leading me almost walked his horse into a pole while on his phone. I don’t know the relationship between Rara and the stable we used. Hopefully there are other options available in the future. The reputation of horses here are independent and skittish, frankly I don’t blame them. Given the young person leading my horse I was skittish too. I will seek an alternative horse riding experience before I leave Mongolia.

Response from the operator: hank you for your honest feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed lunch at Big Sky Resort and Bat’s guidance at the Meditation Centre. We’re very sorry to hear about the issues during the horseback ride—this falls below our standards. Your concerns have been noted, and we are reviewing our partnership with the stable.

via Viator