Ulaanbaatar City Tour

The tour company was apparently unaware of my booking and neither car nor guide showed up. I called Viator, but the phone operator not able to reach the tour provider, Point Mongolia, and we canceled the tour. Point Mongolia eventually returned my WhatsApp message, and thought I was trying to book a tour. They knew nothing about that day's booking. For about an hour they looked for a guide to do an abbreviated afternoon make-up. Finally, five and a half hours after the scheduled start, they sent (an excellent) freelance guide with no car. HE WAS NOT PAID BY POINT MONGOLIA - I paid him myself. I would have been a reasonably happy customer and posted a more upbeat tale (the freelancer was excellent and the car wasn't essential for the revised itinerary), but today I realized that VIATOR CHARGED ME FOR THE TOUR! I've requested a refund, of course. I've used Viator several times with fairly good results given the exigencies of travel. This was not one of them. I hope they fix the communication problem.

Point Mongolia provides you with tours that are customized to what you need in order to get the most out of your Mongolian tourism experience. Manduul is one of the best guides I've met, worldwide. He was brought up in Singapore so he speaks good English. He is able to explain Mongolian history to a great extent (especially about Genghis Khan), so was able to satiate my great thirst of Mongolian history and piece together what I have previously studied. He is also knowledgeable about Mongolian politics, economy, culture and history, so there is a great deal one can learn from him; he can never run out of topics to talk about. Manduul was also able to suss out and get the best deals for us. He knows the market rates for 3rd party rides, and makes sure we get the best deals instead of being ripped off. That's the most important... Manduul is HONEST. He always finds the best deals for us, and gives us good recommendations and advice in the city even though we were exploring the city without him. And his car, a nice Toyota Harrier, was a great joy to ride in especially in the tortured and broken Mongolian roads. He brought us to the Genghis Khan statue, Turtle Rock, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, and the Aryaval Monastery. In the middle, he also brought us to a local ger (super local) for really good food! Yes, him being a foodie helps too! When I come back to Mongolia, I will definitely hit Manduul up for my next trip!