Nomads Tours & Expedition

What Nomads Tours & Expedition does

Nomads Tours & Expedition is a Mongolia-based, privately held adventure and cultural tour operator headquartered in Ulaanbaatar, founded in 1992 by Sean Hinton and transferred in 1995 to current owner-director Helge Reitz. The company designs and delivers guided expedition travel across all of Mongolia's provinces — from the Gobi Desert to the Altai Mountains and Khuvsgul Lake — primarily as a B2B ground operator for international travel companies (Geographic Expeditions, Hauser Exkursionen, Abercrombie & Kent) and secondarily as a direct-to-consumer operator via Fixed Date Departures and self-arranged travel packages. Customers range from individual travelers and small private groups to corporate/MICE clients, luxury glamping guests, film productions, and high-profile diplomatic visits.

Core operational assets include a fleet of 25+ expedition vehicles — including IFA W50, Saurer 6DM, Magirus Deutz, UNIMOG, and custom-built kitchen trucks equipped with winches and recovery gear for off-road Mongolian conditions — as well as custom-fitted Australian stock saddles for Mongolian horses and a Piranha 9 airboat for accessing the Tuul Riverside Lodge. The company owns a Ulaanbaatar office compound (former marmot fur factory, acquired and developed in-house) and operates the wholly-owned Tuul Riverside Lodge, a 16-ger sustainable camp near Terelj National Park.

The business runs on a per-person unit-pricing model with all-inclusive packages (transport, English/German-speaking guide, ger camp or tented accommodation, meals, internal flights). Per-person rates range from approximately $269 (short excursions, 10+ pax) to $5,879 (multi-week Western Mongolia, single pax), with inverse group-size discounting. Additional revenue streams include vehicle and equipment rental, visa and overland support services, and an off-season school bus contract with the International School of Ulaanbaatar that supports year-round employment of drivers during Mongolia's ~100-day tourism peak season.

Name

Nomads Tours & Expedition

Legal name

Nomads Tours and Expeditions

Website

https://nomadstours.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nomads Tours & Expedition is a Mongolia-based adventure tour operator founded in 1992, serving international travelers, B2B tour operator partners, and luxury clients with guided expeditions, supported camping, and its own Tuul Riverside Lodge across all Mongolian provinces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adventure Tourism Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (487110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Adventure & Expedition Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAD)

Keywords

• Adventure tourism
• Cultural tour packages
• Wilderness expedition travel
• Horseback riding tours
• Supported camping tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Ulaanbaatar

HQ country

Mongolia

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Organized Tour Packages: Pre-planned tour itineraries sold to individual travelers, families, and groups. Tours include jeep/truck tours, horse riding, camel riding, hiking, climbing, cultural tours, festival tours, and glamping. Pricing is per person based on group size, with all-inclusive packages covering transport, guide, accommodation, and meals.
2. B2B Partner Programs: Custom program development for international tour operator partners abroad, who sell packages to their own client bases. Services include logistics, guides, equipment, transport, and meals.
3. Fixed Date Departure (FDD) Programs: Pre-scheduled group departures that individual clients or companies can book onto. Sold directly to consumers or through partner agencies.
4. Tuul Riverside Lodge Accommodation: 16-ger lodge facility offering accommodation with individual en-suite facilities, buffet meals, and cultural activities. Available for both tour guests and standalone bookings.
5. Vehicle and Equipment Rental: Rental of vehicles (UAZ vans, jeeps, buses), camping equipment packages, and self-drive tour support services for independent travelers.
6. Supporting Services: Visa support, Tran-Siberian stopover services, city sightseeing, vehicle maintenance for international overlanders, school bus transport for International School of Ulaanbaatar.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nomads Tours & Expedition is a Mongolia-based tour operator that designs and operates cultural, adventure, and wilderness expedition tours across all of Mongolia's provinces, including the Gobi Desert, Altai Mountains, Khuvsgul Lake, Karakorum, and Terelj. The company provides guided jeep/truck tours, horse and camel riding expeditions, hiking and mountaineering trips, festival tours (Naadam, Eagle Festival), and luxury glamping experiences using custom-built kitchen trucks and supported camping equipment. They serve both as a B2B ground operator for international tour operators and as a direct B2C provider for individual and small-group travelers, also operating their own Tuul Riverside Lodge near Terelj National Park.

Product overview

Nomads Tours and Expeditions is a Mongolia-based tour operator offering a comprehensive portfolio of experiential travel products. The company provides camel and horse riding tours, jeep/truck expeditions, hiking and climbing tours, cultural immersion experiences, and luxury glamping accommodations. Their core offering centers on supported camping expeditions utilizing purpose-built kitchen trucks for remote wilderness travel, complemented by fixed-site ger camp accommodations and the company's owned Tuul Riverside Lodge property. Tours range from short stay excursions (1-5 days) to extended multi-week expeditions spanning Mongolia's diverse regions from the Gobi Desert to the Altai Mountains and Khuvsgul Lake.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tuul Riverside Lodge: A small, fully sustainable, traditional Mongolian camp with 16 gers offering en suite facilities, located within an hour's drive east of Ulaanbaatar near Terelj National Park along the River Tuul.

Products and services

• Camel and Horse Riding Tours Multi-day riding expeditions across Mongolia's diverse landscapes, including Gobi Desert camel rides and Khuvsgul Lake reindeer tribe visits, using custom Australian stock saddles built for Mongolian horse physiology. Targeted at adventure travelers and small private groups.
• Jeep and Truck Tours Overland vehicle expeditions covering long distances across Mongolia, using reliable 4-7 passenger vehicles (Toyota Landcruiser, Mitsubishi Delica, UAZ-Furgon) supported by custom kitchen trucks for camping logistics. Designed for individual travelers, small groups, and B2B partner clients.
• Hiking, Climbing and Camping Tours Trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Altai Mountains, Tavan Bogd region, and Khangai Mountains, including multi-day supported camping with kitchen crew and pack animal support. For adventure travelers and B2B partner groups.
• Festival Tours Cultural festival tours including Naadam Festival experiences in Ulaanbaatar and rural areas, Eagle Festival tours in Western Mongolia, and Mongolia Winter Festivals featuring ice, eagle, and camel activities.
• Fixed Date Departure (FDD) Small Group Tours Pre-scheduled group departures that individual clients or companies can book onto, accommodating solo travelers, couples, families, and small groups. Sold directly to consumers or through partner agencies.
• Mongolia Self-Arranged Travel (Self-Drive Packages) Self-drive and self-arranged travel packages including vehicle rental (UAZ 39625), camping equipment, translator services, and support for independent travelers exploring Mongolia on their own.
• Luxury Glamping Tours High-end glamping experiences featuring spacious lotus-shaped tents with king-size beds, luxury mattresses, private bathrooms with hot/cold running water and rain showers, decorated dining tents, and gourmet cuisine in remote wilderness settings.
• Tuul Riverside Lodge Accommodation Sustainable traditional Mongolian camp with 16 decorated gers featuring wooden floors and en suite facilities, located within an hour's drive of Ulaanbaatar near Terelj National Park, offering horse riding, hiking, bird watching, and cultural experiences. Available for standalone bookings, tour packages, corporate events, and team building.
• B2B Ground Operator Services Custom program development for international tour operator partners abroad, providing logistics, guides, equipment, transport, and meals in Mongolia. Sold wholesale to international operators including Geographic Expeditions, Hauser Exkursionen, and Abercrombie & Kent.
• Vehicle and Equipment Rental Rental of vehicles (UAZ vans, jeeps, buses), camping equipment packages, and self-drive tour support services for independent travelers, including tire sales for overlanders with common truck types and vehicle maintenance support.
• Supporting Travel Services Supporting services including visa support, Tran-Siberian stopover services, city sightseeing, vehicle maintenance for international overlanders, and school bus transport for the International School of Ulaanbaatar.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully managed high-profile evacuations overland and by helicopter across various parts of the country
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Geographic ExpeditionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational tour operator that has used Nomads as ground operator for Mongolia programs. One of the first major international partners Nomads worked with after opening the door for many international tour operators to enter the Mongolian market.
• Hauser ExkursionencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational German tour operator partner using Nomads as ground logistics provider for Mongolia tours.
• Abercrombie & KentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLuxury travel operator partner that has used Nomads for Mongolia ground operations. Abercrombie & Kent is known for high-end experiential travel.
• Tigress Productions (UK)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based production company that worked with Nomads to arrange logistics for the Julia Roberts Mongolia documentary in autumn 1999. Nomads provided all logistics for this exceptional project.
• International School of Ulaanbaatar (ISU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNomads provided school bus transport services for the International School of Ulaanbaatar for over a decade, utilizing their fleet of buses outside the tourism season to keep staff employed year-round.
• Peking to Paris RallycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNomads has supported every Peking to Paris Rally event since 2007, providing logistical support for participants traveling through Mongolia. Featured in YouTube coverage of the event.
• US Air Force Pacific AngelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNomads provided support for the US Air Force Pacific Angel humanitarian project in Mongolia.
• German SES Senior Expert ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman senior expert organization that helped develop the garden at the Nomads office compound with trees and bushes, creating a green visible spot even from Google Earth.
• Raleigh InternationalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity expedition organization whose 1992 expedition to Western Mongolia (led by founder Colonel John Blashford-Snell) brought ~100 British youth and directly led to the founding of Nomads Tours and Expeditions by Sean Hinton. This was the first Western-sponsored project of its kind in Mongolia since the fall of the iron curtain.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Abercrombie & Kent: Luxury experiential travel company running high-end Mongolia expeditions through Nomads. Comparable in luxury experiential positioning and customer overlap, though A&K operates globally across many destinations.
• G Adventures: Global small-group adventure travel operator offering Mongolia tours. Comparable in small-group adventure category and traveler demographic, though operating at much larger scale across many countries.
• Intrepid Travel: Global adventure travel company offering small-group Mongolia tours. Comparable in adventure category and B2C small-group model, but operates at vastly larger scale across many destinations rather than specializing in Mongolia.
• Juulchin: Mongolia's largest state-affiliated tourism corporation offering ger camps, transportation, and tour packages nationwide. Operates broader portfolio with multiple brands across budget and mid-market segments, competing on reach and scale rather than boutique customization.

Emerging players

• Hauser Exkursionen: German adventure travel specialist running trekking and expedition tours worldwide including Mongolia via Nomads. Comparable in customer demographic (German-speaking adventure travelers) and multi-day expedition product format.
• Geographic Expeditions: US-based adventure travel operator running Mongolia expeditions using Nomads as ground operator. Comparable in product category (multi-day adventure expeditions) and customer base (high-end experiential travelers), though not based in Mongolia.

Direct peers

• Adventures Mongolia: Mongolia-focused adventure tour operator running multi-day jeep expeditions, horseback riding, trekking, and cultural tours with similar all-inclusive pricing models. Competes directly for international adventure travelers and B2B partnerships.
• Golden Eagle Mongolia Tours: Established Mongolian tour operator offering cultural tours, Naadam festival experiences, and adventure itineraries across all provinces. Comparable in product mix, customer segments, and reliance on inbound international travelers.
• Eternal Mongolia Tours: Boutique Mongolia tour operator specializing in cultural immersion, nomadic family stays, and adventure activities. Competes in the same niche adventure/expedition segment targeting Western travelers seeking authentic experiences.
• Mobicamp Mongolia: Mongolia-based adventure and cultural tour operator offering jeep tours, ger camp stays, and expedition itineraries across the country. Direct head-to-head competitor for similar B2B ground-operator and B2C tour business with comparable target customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NomadsTours
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nomadstours

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nomads Tours & Expedition