When we think of Mongolia, we don't just remember the dunes of the Gobi or the Altai Mountains. We picture Niko and Kai playing football with other children without speaking the same language, and afternoons when we stayed with the families rather than setting off for the next place.
We travelled in June and July 2024. Niko was five, and Kai was two. We wanted to see the landscapes, but also get a sense of life for the people who called them home. That part of the trip ended up featuring very strongly in our memories.
We loved travelling around Mongolia with the kids, although it wasn't always comfortable. There were long days in the vehicle, cold nights and little variety in the food. We want to share both sides: what we loved and what we found hard.
The hours in the UAZ were part of the journey
We explored the Gobi and the Altai with local teams in a Russian UAZ off-road van. We'd been keen to travel this way, but the rough tracks and constant jolting took their toll. It wasn't a case of getting in and arriving refreshed at the next beautiful view.
For Niko and Kai, tiredness built up particularly during the drives and after nights in uncomfortable beds. Having a team who knew the terrain helped with the logistics, but it couldn't make those hours disappear.
Some plans changed, too. We missed our flight into the Gobi and ended up going by road. Later, a storm stopped us from reaching the place where we'd intended to sleep. Mongolia taught us to accept that the trip wouldn't always unfold as we'd imagined.
From desert to mountains
We loved the contrast between the Gobi and the Altai. We went from dunes, canyons and cliffs in the south to a greener, wetter landscape surrounded by mountains.
The photos capture that contrast well. What they show less clearly is the time between stops: the meals, the breaks and how all four of us felt when we arrived. Those things sit alongside the landscapes in our memories.
A ger wasn't a hotel room
We'd originally planned to camp, but the cold meant we ended up sleeping in gers. They sheltered us from the wind, although we still slept in our coats on several nights.
Comfort was basic. Washing, sharing the space and finding clean clothes weren't as straightforward as at home. Many things took us by surprise at first; over time, we got used to that simpler way of living.
Food wasn't a highlight for us either. In remote areas, there were few alternatives to what the families offered or the team cooked. It was part of our experience of Mongolia, and we'd rather say so than let the photos suggest a trip that was comfortable all the time.
At Khoton, staying put was the best plan
We'd told our guide that we wanted to spend time living alongside a family. After the storm changed our route, we ended up staying near Khoton for longer than we'd expected.
There were plenty of children, and Niko and Kai quickly felt at home. They played football without speaking the same language. They didn't need us to translate everything to find a way to enjoy being together.
We saw the families caring for animals, milking and sharing daily tasks. Some scenes were difficult to watch with children; this wasn't an activity staged to give us a picture-perfect version of life there.
Staying gave us a chance to get to know more than the scenery. We were struck by how everyone helped one another and left feeling we'd learnt a great deal from the way they lived together. It's one of the parts we'd most like to repeat.
The glacier and the eagle hunters
We rode horses to Potanin Glacier. We'd worried that the outing might be too long for the kids, so we set off prepared to turn back if they got tired. We reached the glacier and stopped there for lunch. It was cold and incredibly windy.
It was a wonderful experience, although we were a little nervous around the horses, too. We're describing an outing we made with local people, rather than suggesting every family should do it in exactly the same way.
Meeting the eagle hunters was another reason we'd chosen this trip. We watched a demonstration, not an actual hunt. When we returned at dusk, Niko and Kai held an eagle alongside the hunter's son, following his instructions. That was our experience on the day, not something we can promise other travellers.
Would we travel to Mongolia with the kids again?
Yes, especially for the encounters, the animals and the times when we could stay put instead of getting back on the road. The kids came home with memories of spending time with other families, and so did we.
We'd keep those pauses and pay closer attention to how tiredness builds up. We wouldn't add more places at the expense of what we loved most: spending time there and getting to know people.
If you'd like to plan a similar trip, our Mongolia travel guide brings together the route and the practical arrangements behind these memories. You can also watch our travel videos. This article is about how the four of us experienced the journey.