Testimonials

Penny & Gerald visited the project in 2010.

  

We like the idea of ‘responsible tourism’ and Panoramic Journeys offer exactly this with their choice of sustainable projects, combined with tours of different parts of Mongolia.

We chose the Gobi Oasis Project which involves planting of a particular type of tree (Saksaul) to prevent the desertification of the Gobi Desert.  The project was founded by Byambaa Tseyen who now runs it with her husband.  They were our hosts for the few days we spent in Mandalgobi, when we combined tree planting with the splendours of the Naadam Festival.  We could watch such wonderful sports like horse riding, wrestling and archery, and mingle with the local people and eat traditional food.

Only by witnessing the work that has gone into this project to bring it where it is does one realise how committed Byambaa and her husband are, together with all the volunteers  who have made such a valuable contribution.
 
Water is scarce and has to be purchased and carefully husbanded. The trees are brought to the project as saplings and a great deal of planning is required deciding where and when they are planted.   The project requires hard work throughout the year to maintain it and promote its growth and future potential.

In short the tree planting experience was the highlight of our delightful trip to Mongolia – a wonderful experience enjoyed with a lovely and delightful nation of people.

 

Emma Thomson & Bart Wijnant visited the project in 2010.

      


We’d heard about Byamba’s project before: Goyo, her daughter, had won silver in the Paul Morrison Guide Awards 2007 and donated her prize money to the advancement of Gobi Oasis so, naturally, we were keen to visit when we finally booked our trip to Mongolia in May 2010.

We arrived late one evening towards the end of the holiday and were warmly welcomed by Byamba and her husband, Radnaa, into their home compound in Mandalgobi. Radnaa quickly whipped up some meat and noodle soup with fresh spring  onions – grown lovingly in their garden, no less – and Byamba retrieved her albums containing photos and newspaper clippings collected over the 35 years the project has been running. 
 
It’s clear to see that while her Soviet-influenced outfits and fur hats have disappeared over the years, her commitment to combating desertification in the Gobi hasn’t faltered.  It’s a rare thing  for a person to find – and commit to – a lifetime goal, and in many ways I’m envious of  ‘Forest Byamba’ (as she’s known throughout the  region): the act of planting a tree may be a humble one, but her daily dedication to the work has compounded over the years to create a greener, healthier environment for generations to come.  An achievement we should aspire to too.
 
On the drive back to the village, Byamba turns to look at us in the back seat  and says ‘A wise man once said: if you plant just one tree, it will be a great memory on the earth’. If that’s true, Byamba has created more than memories – she’s cultivated a legacy.  

Lyn Hughes visited the project in 2009.
 
  

 
Mo Strangeman visited the project in 2006.

"Joining Byamba's project in Mandalgobi gave me a unique chance to share in the life of Mongolia. I quickly learned how passionate and committed she is to achieving the growth of vital vegetation in the driest of areas. By hand, hoe, bucket and hose, she and her local helpers gather seeds, plant and nurture the various types of hardy and locally suitable trees and bushes, nurturing them daily. Arriving by truck, water supplies are precious, erratic and expensive. I see in my mind's eye Byamba in the evening sun, holding the Nursery's hose aloft to drain out the last drops into a nearby sapling’s trench.

It also takes long tractor drives and a great deal of work to transplant them where they are most needed, setting them next to more established ones to provide protection and help hold the sandy terrain against desertification. I could see how, after some years of growth, huge tracts of land are now alive and green and why the project aims to continue to do this over numerous hectares annually.

The dry climate and harsh winters make it a real challenge but Byamba has developed this successful project from her agricultural training, experience and her own personal drive. The fun and laughter we had alongside it all was as liberating as the fulfilling of one of my long-held dreams - to stay in traditional gers, (sheep's wool–felt roofed houses), 'white pearls' set within the huge and magnificent Mongolian landscape. The hospitality all hardworking herdsmen and their families always give so readily and naturally while travelling long distances across steppe and desert touched me every time. Their meaty and dairy diet takes some adjusting to but after supper we'd be outside singing traditional songs together under vast domes of sky bejewelled with stars, from the pole star to the 'all but touchable' ones right down on the horizon. Around us were their herds of camels, horses, sheep and goats, often joining in with their own vocals and I loved the very special closeness all of this brought within the enormous space of land and sky that is Mongolia.
 
I discovered a country and people whose path through life is treasurable with deep down ancient sharing ways and Tibetan Buddhist traditions embedded in its still horse-led culture. Amid everyone's hard work the numerous local and regional Naadams (festivals) are opportunities for colour and enjoyment through gathering together and a myriad of competitions – thrilling horsemanship, youngsters included, plus wrestling, archery, traditional throat-singing, airag ( horse mare's milk) drinking until bursting point, dancing and children's games using sheep's ankle bones. To see the pride of the most skilled and the best-dressed horsemen was to witness something special - that a deep sense of belonging to the land is still motivating their life. What I also knew was to support conserving that land and therefore that life had become my own delight. 'Bayarlaa' Byamba – thank you, may the project and the land continue to thrive."