Recognising experience, supporting livelihoods and creating opportunities across generations.
Mongolia’s male tourism drivers have long played an essential role in the country’s tourism industry, navigating remote landscapes and challenging road conditions while sharing their knowledge of local places and communities. Many are experienced mechanics as well as drivers, with practical skills developed over decades of travelling across Mongolia.
During the early years of Mongolia’s tourism industry, and well into the 2010s, vehicles suitable for tourism were often difficult to obtain. Drivers purchased secondhand or even thirdhand vehicles, sometimes dismantling and rebuilding them to withstand Mongolia’s demanding terrain. With limited paved roads and few garages outside the main towns, they developed considerable mechanical ingenuity, including mongolchlokh — the Mongolian ability to improvise and find practical solutions with whatever tools and materials were available.
Many of these drivers are still working today, bringing valuable experience, local knowledge and mechanical skills to an industry that continues to change.
Mongolia’s tourism industry has evolved significantly in recent years, creating new opportunities but also changing expectations. A younger generation of university-educated, English-speaking drivers has entered the industry, often with access to newer vehicles such as Toyota Land Cruisers and Lexus four-wheel drives. The growth of self-drive tourism, international tour leaders and privately organised journeys has also influenced how visitors explore Mongolia.
These developments are a natural part of a changing industry, but they can make it harder for some experienced older drivers to compete, particularly those who don’t speak English or have the financial resources to invest in expensive vehicles. Many drivers own and maintain their own vehicles, making the cost of upgrading a significant consideration, especially when tourism employment is seasonal.
We believe there’s room for different generations and different skills within Mongolia’s tourism industry. English-language ability and modern vehicles have their advantages, but so too do years of experience, mechanical knowledge and an understanding of rural Mongolia’s landscapes and road conditions.
Toxic masculinity remains a significant issue in Mongolia, as it does in many other societies. Traditional expectations surrounding masculinity often emphasise strength, self-reliance, emotional restraint and the responsibility to provide for one’s family. These expectations can create considerable pressure, particularly when men experience financial insecurity, changing family circumstances or difficulties expressing vulnerability and asking for support.
Through nearly two decades of working closely with Mongolian men, including our drivers and members of our partnering rural communities, we’ve seen how these expectations continue to shape everyday lives. Many of the men we work with have experienced their effects through alcohol misuse, family relationships and the expectations men place on themselves and one another. These pressures don’t simply disappear with age or experience, and their consequences can affect partners, children, colleagues and wider communities.
Recognising these challenges doesn’t mean defining Mongolian men by them. Our drivers are individuals with different personalities, experiences and circumstances, and we value the knowledge, skills and contributions they bring to our team. But we also believe it’s important to acknowledge the social pressures that continue to affect some of the men we work alongside, rather than overlooking them because they’re difficult to discuss.
At Eternal Landscapes, we don’t suggest that providing employment can resolve these deeply rooted issues. However, we believe that maintaining supportive working relationships, recognising individual worth beyond traditional expectations of masculinity and creating opportunities for different generations to work together are meaningful parts of our approach. For us, gender equality includes questioning restrictive expectations placed on men, as well as addressing the inequalities experienced by women.
‘Nomadic communities practice a patriarchal system where men own and control their main wealth, i.e. livestock, while women are the primary carers of the family offspring. These norms are still largely adhered to within the domestic space. Masculinity is associated with patriarchal stereotypes that perpetuate toxic masculinities, i.e. men are the breadwinners, protectors and even the aggressors. In contrast, femininity is associated with familial care, physical and emotional vulnerability, and motherhood.’
Some of the pressures experienced by tourism drivers are also familiar within Mongolia’s rural herding communities, where livelihoods are increasingly affected by changing weather patterns, extreme winter conditions and pressure on pastures and livestock. For men who have traditionally been expected to provide for their families, these challenges can carry significant financial and emotional consequences.
Through our long-term partnerships with herding families, we have developed relationships that extend beyond individual visits. Regular contact, shared experiences and practical support help maintain connections between our team and the families we work with, while interest-free micro-loans can provide assistance during particularly difficult periods.
These are modest contributions, but they reflect our belief that responsible tourism should be based on continuing relationships, mutual support and a sense of community rather than simply financial transactions.
At Eternal Landscapes, we have made a deliberate decision to continue working with experienced Mongolian male drivers, many of whom are in their forties, fifties and sixties. We value their knowledge, mechanical abilities and years of practical experience, and many have been part of our team for a considerable time.
Our drivers generally own and maintain their vehicles, and we don’t make English-language fluency or ownership of an expensive modern SUV a requirement for joining our team. Instead, we prioritise experience, reliability, vehicle suitability and safety. Long-term working relationships are important to us, helping create continuity and a supportive team environment within an industry where employment is often seasonal.
One of the distinctive aspects of our approach is that we don’t employ driver-guides. Instead, our journeys are supported by an experienced Mongolian male driver and a female trip assistant, each bringing different skills and responsibilities. Our drivers concentrate on driving, vehicle care and the practical challenges of travelling across Mongolia, while our female trip assistants support guests, facilitate communication and cultural understanding, and help shape the shared experience of the journey.
This arrangement creates two paid employment opportunities rather than combining both roles into one. It also brings together different generations of Mongolians, often with contrasting backgrounds and perspectives, who work alongside one another and learn from their shared experiences. The relationships within our team involve friendship, cooperation, humour and occasionally differing opinions, all of which contribute to how we travel.
For us, an inclusive tourism industry should recognise the contributions of different generations and create opportunities for both women and men. We can’t address every inequality within Mongolia’s tourism sector, but we can make thoughtful decisions about how our own company operates and who benefits from our journeys.
Although we would welcome more women working as tourism drivers in Mongolia, the profession remains predominantly male. This reflects a combination of traditional gender roles, access to vehicles, economic circumstances and the opportunities historically available for developing driving and mechanical skills.
These patterns aren’t fixed, and we hope to see more women entering the profession as opportunities and expectations continue to change. Our decision to support experienced male drivers doesn’t mean we believe driving should remain a male occupation. Rather, we believe that opportunities should be based on people’s skills and abilities rather than assumptions about gender or age.
Our approach to supporting Mongolia’s male tourism drivers connects with three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
SDG 5 — Gender Equality: Challenging restrictive gender expectations and recognising how they can affect both women and men.
SDG 8 — Decent Work and Economic Growth: Supporting livelihoods and recognising the professional skills of experienced tourism workers.
SDG 10 — Reduced Inequalities: Helping maintain opportunities for people who may face barriers because of age, financial circumstances or access to training and resources.
These commitments also connect with our wider work to create opportunities for Mongolian women, including our developing Chandmana Erdene Women Shaping Tourism initiative.
We believe responsible tourism should consider not only where visitor spending goes, but also who has opportunities to participate in the industry. Our drivers are experienced professionals, valued colleagues and an essential part of Eternal Landscapes. Supporting them is part of our commitment to building a more equitable approach to tourism.
