The allure of nomads, what makes Mongolia magical.

Why I Keep Coming Back

People often ask me why I keep returning to Mongolia.

This year marks 13 years since I first travelled there to ride the Mongol Derby. Back then, it was the horses that drew me in. The freedom of galloping across endless, unfenced landscapes with nothing but blue sky above and open steppe stretching to the horizon was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. It felt wild, untamed and completely alive.

But over the years, something changed.

It stopped being just about the riding.

It became about the people.

Some of my favourite memories aren't the big adventures at all—they're the quiet moments. Sitting around a campfire after a long day in the saddle, listening to stories I don't always fully understand but somehow still feel. Sharing salty milk tea inside a warm ger while the wind howls outside. Watching children race horses across the steppe with smiles that say everything.

Year after year I return to the same families. I've watched children grow up, celebrated milestones, shared laughter, tears and countless meals. Somewhere along the way, they stopped feeling like people I visited and started feeling like family.

That's why Great Nomad Expeditions exists. Not just to show people Mongolia's incredible horses and breathtaking landscapes, but to introduce them to the people who have made this country feel like a second home to me.

The horses may have brought me to Mongolia, but it's the friendships, the stories and the families that keep bringing me back.