Mongolia is an Adventure!
My wife and I had a great time exploring Mongolia on this trip! The variety of activities that we did over the course of only a few days was incredible -- meeting a nomad family, camel riding, horseback riding, waterfall hiking, hot springs, museums, monasteries, wild horses, and more! We worked with Agate Travel to make minor alterations to the itinerary before booking, and since it is a private tour, we were also able to work with the tour guide in Mongolia for last minute changes such as adding in more horseback riding, changing restaurants, and going shopping.
Admittedly, we were a little concerned about the validity of the trip before we left, given that we had to wire several thousand dollars to Agate Travel and had only communicated via email, but can I now assure that the trip was real and scheduled almost exactly as we had agreed!
Our tour guide, Ms. Rose, was excellent! She spoke impeccable English, was impressively knowledgable, and was very accommodating to our needs. We really appreciated having her around to answer our endless questions, translate when needed, and make sure we had everything we need.
A couple other notes to be aware of:
1. Our biggest complaint, almost enough to make this 4 stars, has to be the food. As the itinerary states, the Ger camps serve "European" food to appease Westerners' stomachs. While this was usually edible, we really value traveling to new places and eating the local food! This is not fault of Agate Travel, it seems to be the case for the each camp as a whole, but we found it really disappointing. Thankfully, our guide was able to pivot to get us some delicious traditional Mongolian food on the last couple days of the trip in the city. If this is a priority for you, consider discussing this with Agate Tours while they work on the itinerary.
2. The Ger camps are indeed camps -- you'll have a private ger, but will use communal bathrooms and showers. Towels are provided, but I recommend bringing shower sandals and shampoo/soap.
3. Be prepared for a good deal of off-roading. Our typical pattern was to wake up, be driven ~3-4 hours to a ger camp (usually with stops along the way to take pictures, use the restroom, and stretch), check in, eat lunch, and then go do an activity (horseback ride, hike, sightsee, etc) before returning to the camp to have dinner and sleep. The roads are rough, but that's part of the fun!
4. Mongolia provides a Valued Added Tax (VAT) refund for tourists for purchases from specific stores (e.g. Gobi Cashmere and State Department Store) over a threshold amount, but you have to have your passport with you at time of purchase. If you plan to do some clothes shopping, bring your passport and show it at check out. We tried to show the receipts at the airport without doing this and were denied the refund.
Overall, we loved Mongolia! I recommend this tour to anyone who enjoys adventure while still maintaining the comforts provided by having an arranged and guided tour!