Why this matters more in Mongolia
Mongolia's human population density is 2 people per square kilometre. Our ecosystems and host communities are small, interconnected, and fragile. A single badly-run tour group can damage a host family's relationships, a cultural ritual, or a sensitive grassland for years. We take this seriously because we live here.
The Rara Avis Code
Nomad home visits require advance notice, never surprise. We pay host families directly, in cash, the same day. We limit group sizes to 12 maximum on standard tours, 6 on expeditions. We never photograph people without permission. We teach guests basic Mongolian greetings and ger etiquette before every host visit.
Environmental commitments
We operate fully catalytic 4WD vehicles on our expeditions. Our lodges are grid-independent with solar plus wood stoves (not diesel generators). We carry out all waste from remote sites. We do not touch or remove fossils, flowers, or cultural objects. Single-use plastic has been eliminated from all our ger camps since 2023.
Fair economic impact
40 percent of trip cost stays in rural Mongolia, directly to guides, drivers, host families, and local cooks. Our senior guides are full-time employees with benefits, not freelancers. Our four owned properties employ 47 rural Mongolians year-round.
Wildlife principles
We never bait, flush, or spotlight wild animals. On snow leopard expeditions we observe from a distance set by our conservation partners, not by guest demands. We do not participate in performative falconry or captive eagle photo opportunities.
What guests can do
Bring gifts for host families: school supplies, coffee, photographs you commit to sending later. Learn five words of Mongolian: sain bain uu (hello), bayarlalaa (thank you), za (ok), ungee (how much), tiim (yes). Refuse plastic water bottles at camps where filter stations exist. Ask permission before every photo of a person.
Carbon consciousness
Flying to Mongolia from most countries is carbon-heavy. We cannot change that. What we can do is offset directly through our Billion Trees programme, which plants indigenous species at Big Sky Lodge. Our 2026 target: 80,000 trees planted.
