2025 Highlights & 2026 Journeys

2025 Highlights ✨

Traveler recognition🏆

Explorer’s Club Membership and Flag Expedition

In 2025, Mongolia Quest reached an important milestone when our CEO, Gereltuv Dashdoorov, was accepted as a member of The Explorers Club , an international organization that has supported exploration and scientific research since 1904.

To mark this occasion, the club’s flag was raised in the Gobi Desert during our active paleontological fieldwork “Dinosaurs of Mongolia”, alongside Dr. Philip Currie and Dr. Eva Koppelhus. The moment formally connected Mongolia Quest to a global network of researchers, explorers, and institutions committed to field-based discovery.

This recognition places Mongolia Quest among a small group of expedition-focused organizations working at the intersection of travel, research, and exploration, and marks the first time a field-based scientific travel organization from Mongolia has joined this historic community.

More than a symbolic achievement, the membership reflects a shared commitment to responsible exploration, international collaboration, and the continued advancement of knowledge through work on the ground.

Significant Paleontological Discoveries in the Gobi Desert

This year, our paleontological expeditions in the Gobi Desert led to several rare discoveries, including new skeletal material from historically significant dinosaur specimens, an exceptionally rare Tarbosaurus forelimb, articulated fossil fish associated with a dinosaur skeleton, and a nearly complete small mammal skeleton, a remarkable find in a region where mammal fossils are seldom preserved. These discoveries add important new insight into Late Cretaceous ecosystems and early mammal evolution.

This work was made possible through close collaboration between international researchers, field teams, and Mongolian scientific institutions, in particular, the Institute of Paleontology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, whose expertise and leadership remain central to paleontological research in Mongolia. Expedition logistics, field equipment, and access were supported in part through Mongolia Quest’s research-aligned travel programs. By connecting travelers with active field science, tourism can serve as a practical bridge, helping sustain long-term research, enabling international collaboration, and contributing to the broader sharing of scientific knowledge.

We will always strive to contribute by connecting responsible and meaningful tourism experiences with the promotion of Mongolia’s scientific causes.

Educational Field Programs For Youth

In 2025, we were privileged to host educational field programs for international student groups from the International School of Ulaanbaatar and the University of Wyoming. The University of Wyoming program was led by Dr. John Koprowski, Dean of the Haub School of Environment & Natural Resources, and focused on field-based learning across Mongolia’s diverse landscapes.

Through partnerships with schools and academic institutions, we design and facilitate learning journeys tailored to different age groups and areas of study. These programs span multiple scientific disciplines and are enriched with cultural context, spiritual perspectives, and direct engagement with nomadic life, offering students a deeper, place-based understanding that extends beyond the classroom.

Supporting Archaeological Research in Mongolia

As part of our “Mongolian Learning Academy through Tourism” program, we’re honored support an “Mongolian Archaeological Expedition” led by the National University of Mongolia, under leadership of archeologist Dr. Iderkhangai Tumur-Ochir, contributing expedition logistics, equipment, and operational support . The research focused on a rare burial site containing overlapping Late Bronze Age, Xiongnu, and Xianbei , offering exceptional insight into cultural continuity and transition in early Mongolian history. This collaboration demonstrates how research-aligned tourism can help sustain archaeological fieldwork, support international academic cooperation, and contribute to broader historical understanding.

Filming & Media Projects 🎬

In 2025, we supported international filming projects across Mongolia, including Pride of the Gobi, a documentary by Mill Valley Film Group highlighting community-led conservation efforts in the Gobi Desert. Mongolia Quest provided on-the-ground coordination and logistical support.

We were also honored to work on An NHK documentary series “The Bar in The World (世界入りにくい居酒屋) which explored Ulaanbaatar city through hard-to-find bars and eateries, using food, drink, and local characters to reveal everyday culture and community.

Looking Ahead to 2026 

The Mongolian Learning Academy Continues

In 2026, the “Mongolian Learning Academy through Tourism” continues, supporting students and rangers through selected educational and conservation journeys. Our belief has always been simple: thoughtfully designed travel can help bridge that gap by connecting education, conservation, and lived experience.

Through the Learning Academy, we support students and conservation practitioners by making selected educational and conservation-focused journeys more accessible. By offering limited participation support on specific trips, we aim to connect learning with lived experience, strengthening conservation, research, and long-term engagement with Mongolia’s natural and cultural heritage.

2026 Highlight Journeys

The journeys shaping 2026 reflect the same approach that guided our work in 2025: meaningful and responsible exploration, expert leadership, and travel designed to deepen understanding rather than rush through it.

What follows is a selection of highlighted journeys, each offering a different lens on Mongolia’s landscapes, history, wildlife, and living culture. Many more routes and variations sit beyond these pages. The carousel below offers a visual overview, and the full range of journeys can be explored on our website.🥹 

Expanding Community Partnerships

In 2026, we will continue expanding our grassroots partnerships across Mongolia. A recent collaboration in Delgerkhaan, eastern Mongolia, supports a community-run ger hostel developed by local families as a way to share culture, strengthen livelihoods, and align tourism with conservation. We look forward to growing this model across new regions in the year ahead.

📖 Suggested Reading and Watching List

Stay Connected 📱

We’ll continue sharing updates from the field, new journeys, and stories from across Mongolia throughout the year.

🎄 See You in 2026!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and many great journeys ahead!

With warm regards,
Mongolia Quest