About Us
Sayat Travel is a small, Mongolia-based team running small-group trekking, horseback, and cultural trips across Western Mongolia, the Altai, and the Gobi. Founded by Yerlan Shakhabai — born and raised in the Altai Mountains of Bayan-Ölgii and trained as a guide in Ulaanbaatar — Sayat Travel grew from one guide’s deep connection to his home region into a small team, alongside co-founder Nazyerkye Kokyebai. With 12+ years of guiding experience, we’ve welcomed 500+ travelers on 80+ tours, building 200+ real connections with the nomadic families, herders, and eagle hunters who make these trips possible.
Our approach
Local, not outsourced
Every guide, driver, and homestay family we work with is Mongolian. We don’t subcontract your trip to a foreign operator.
Small by design
Most groups stay under 8 travelers. It keeps things personal and lets us work with families who couldn’t host a bus tour.
Honest planning
What’s in the itinerary is what happens on the ground — no substitutions once you’ve booked.
What travelers say
“I loved my experience — we discovered Mongolian and Kazakh culture in the most complete and authentic way: the food, music, horseback riding, eagle hunting, and staying with nomadic families in yurts. Our guide Yerlan was incredibly kind and knowledgeable, and traveling with Sayat Travel meant complete peace of mind.”
Nour, France
“I first visited Bayan-Ölgii with Yerlan in 2023, and it was such an amazing, authentic adventure that I came back again in 2024. He’s based right in the area, so you get a local touch you won’t find with operators running eagle-hunter tours out of the capital.”
Sean, Philippines
“I took a six-day Gobi Desert tour with Yerlan. He was an attentive guide who took great care to ensure we had an enjoyable experience — even in the evenings, he took time to answer our questions about Mongolian life.”
Thomas, United Kingdom