Stone Horse Expeditions & Travel LLC

23 March 2015
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Stone Horse Logo 2015Stone Horse Expeditions & Travel aims to provide high quality, ecologically sensitive and extraordinary excursions through Mongolia’s cultural and wilderness landscapes. With 30+ years in wilderness guiding and conservation, our own back country horses, and close ties to local communities in Mongolia, we have what it takes to offer great adventures.

Our focus is to immerse our guests into the natural and human history of Mongolia. With our unique horseback riding expeditions, Gobi desert adventures and a herder homestay, travelers with Stone Horse experience for themselves the people and wonders of this unique country

Riding Adventures in Mongolia, Gorkhi Terelj National Park, Stone Horse ExpeditionsWe have spent 15 + years on horseback in Mongolia – and riding adventures are our core activity. They lead into some of the most outstanding scenery in the country – the remote parts of Gorkhi Terelj National Park and the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area. Our Gobi tours introduce guests to the people of the desert and the human and natural history of this grand and diverse landscape. The herder home stay is an experience of daily life in Mongolia’s country side and directly benefits the local host family.

“Small Groups - Great adventures” is true for all our tours. Low impact, well planned wilderness travel with camping comforts are other attributes. On autumn rides, a cozy woodstove fire heats the outfitter’s tent for dinner and breakfast in comfort. Some guests have called it glamping. But while we reach great scenery, use top quality camping and riding gear, and enjoy good camp cuisine, we keep moving – except for a few rest days in the most spectacular spots. Nomadic Glamping may describe our Riding Adventures best.

Carrying everything on packhorses - without vehicles coming along- , we can access remote and scenic sites. Knowing all our equine team members well, we match horses to riders. Our own custom made saddles are high quality and with safety features which are comfortable for both horse and rider.

Our guests are from all walks of life. They share with us their concern about responsible travel and low impact in wilderness ethics. They bring a keen sense of adventure, curiosity to learn, and a fair level of fitness. For the longer wilderness ride, backcountry experience, or a great interest and ability to obtain it, is required.

The Stone Horse Gobi Desert Tour brings guests to the true experts of sustainable travel – the people of the Gobi, who for millennia have skillfully used the scarce resources of the desert grasslands and followed their nomadic lifestyle. Over many years of work in the desert, we have forged close friendships in the Gobi and our travels are designed with, and hosted, by local guides of the desert.

While relying on local drivers with 4x4 vehicles for long distance travel and for safety, there is plenty of opportunity to explore the desert environment on foot – as well as by camel. Defying the stereotyped image of sand dunes and camels only, our Gobi guides take travelers not only to the well-known sites, but way off the beaten track - to mountain ranges reaching alpine heights, to green valleys and hidden icefalls in desert gorges, to magnificent petroglyphs and other testimonies to the rich history of the desert. Much of this tour is within the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park, with the longer “Gobi Crossing” also taking in “Ikh Bogd National Park”, along the route. It’s the newest addition to Mongolia’s park system.

The Herder Homestay is the real deal - staying in a herder family’s guest ger and taking part in daily country side life. This authentic adventure has become popular with guests traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railway opting for our “Train to Ger” trip on a stopover in Mongolia. It is located right at our horse riding staging area with the family that keeps an eye on the Stone Horse herd.

Our horseback expeditions are scheduled, starting in mid-June and ending in mid-October. Six tours of 10 Days (8 days riding) and one tour of 8 Day (6 days riding) are in Gorkhi Terelj National Park. Two longer, 12-14 day deep wilderness expeditions into the Khentii Mountains take place in the second half of August and first half of September. All tours are limited to 6 riding guests. For groups booking a whole tour together, slight adjustments are possible to accommodate preferred dates.

The Gobi desert tours are arranged on request, and costs may vary depending on number of participants. In May and October we offer a 15 day “Gobi Crossing” – best suited for group travel. The herder home stay is open year-round and proven to be popular in all seasons.

With Stone Horse, we strive to provide truly authentic adventures –real experiences, not glossed-over stories. We mostly leave it to the local people we meet, the national experts we work with and our Mongolian team members to share with you insights about their country. Their real stories make for true adventure, they are what brings us all together. And they are a driving force to shape tourism into a force for good.

Joining ATTA, we are interested in reaching out to industry partners that may be looking for quality, unique Adventure Travel products in a destination that’s gaining prominence. At Stone Horse, we know the value of community. Connecting with the Adventure Travel Community for us is a great opportunity to network and share lessons learnt to contribute to responsible travel.

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