We use the Mongolian word manaikhan — meaning something close to “our people” — to describe the wider Eternal Landscapes team.
EL is made up of people of different ages, backgrounds and experiences: female trip assistants, experienced drivers, our Ulaanbaatar office team, regional partners and fixers, as well as the founders, Jess and Turuu. Many have worked with us for years, and the relationships between us are as important as the roles we each perform.
Together, we are the people who make our journeys happen.
Our Mongolian female trip assistants are at the heart of how we travel.
They come from a wide range of backgrounds and life stages — some at the beginning of their careers, others balancing work with family responsibilities or bringing experience from teaching and other professions.
Rather than expecting everyone to arrive through the same formal tourism pathway, we have developed our own flexible approach to training and learning on the job. This allows women with different circumstances to gain experience, develop confidence, earn an income and to use tourism’s a way to better their lives.
Just as importantly, they bring their own personalities, perspectives and knowledge to every journey. They are not there simply to deliver information; they help bridge cultures, share everyday Mongolia and support the flow of life on the road.
Our drivers bring years of experience navigating Mongolia’s vast distances, changing conditions and the practical realities of travelling by road.
They know their vehicles inside out and are skilled at the kind of improvisation Mongolia often demands — whether that means adapting a route, making a roadside repair or working out a practical solution far from the nearest town.
We know each of our drivers personally and value the experience, humour and individuality they bring to the team. Their role goes far beyond getting from one place to another; they are central to the safety, rhythm and character of every journey.
When we first began working in western Mongolia, Jess and Turuu chose not to work through a distant intermediary. Instead, they repeatedly made the long journey west from Ulaanbaatar to build relationships directly with local Kazakh families and partners.
Among those relationships was the one that developed with Jako and Bouka and their family in Ölgii. Over the years, they have become an important part of EL’s western Mongolia network, helping us with logistics, local relationships and the practical details that make journeys in the region possible.
Their home in Ölgii has also become a familiar stopping place for EL guests, team members and members of the wider families we work with. You never quite know who will appear for tea, food or conversation — which is very much part of its charm.
A great deal of what makes an EL journey work happens quietly behind the scenes in Ulaanbaatar.
Tuya: Tuya helps keep the moving parts of EL connected, coordinating logistics, team arrangements and the many practical details involved in getting a journey onto the road. She is a huge believer in creating opportunities for the younger generation and in the values that shape EL. Warm, calm and funny, she is also one of the people our team naturally turns to when something needs sorting.
Miigaa: Miigaa looks after our accounts and tour finances, helping keep the less visible but essential side of EL running smoothly. Most travellers will never meet her, but almost every journey passes through her hands in one way or another. Her July birthday has also become something of an EL summer tradition — usually involving cake, karaoke and a well-earned beer.
Unuruu: Unuruu looks after many of our airport, city and shorter transfers in and around Ulaanbaatar, but his contribution to EL goes well beyond driving. He is one of those people who notices what needs doing and gets on with it, whether that means helping with practical jobs, supporting other team members or bringing people together. A long-standing believer in EL and what we are trying to build, he is an important part of the sense of teamwork that keeps everything moving.
Jess and Turuu first met in 2006 while working together in Mongolia — Jess as a tour leader and Turuu as a driver. Four years later, after the company they worked for was sold and restructured, they started Eternal Landscapes.
They still shape the company together today, bringing very different perspectives, skills and personalities to EL.
Their story involves a windswept Gobi campsite, a $6 dorm bed, instant noodles, a great deal of improvisation and one important question from Turuu:
“Boss, why don’t we start our own company?”
