Recent our CEO Haena had an inspiring conversation with Uyanga, the co-founder of WildMongolia as they share their remarkable journey in the experiential education sector.

Hearing the stories from Uyanga, you will discover how cultural understanding, compassionate leadership, and adaptable business strategies have shaped successful educational ventures.

Coming from a family of scientists, Uyanga describes herself as the black sheep. Having won a full scholarship to Japan after graduating from high school in Ulaanbaatar, she decided on IT and telecommunications engineering as her university major. This was the beginning of a decade of living in Japan. After completing her studies in Japan, she worked for a Japanese IT consultancy, starting out as a logistics and IT consultant and eventually shifting to business consultancy, under veteran experts of strategy consultancy in Japan.  She consulted and worked with behemoths of Japan’s business industry including the automotive giant Toyota, getting an insider’s view of how business works, across all sectors from retail, jewelry to logistics.

What made you leave a successful career in Japan and return to Mongolia?

My last few years in Japan was spent working with some great experts, consulting for Japan’s top companies. I learnt a lot through my work and from my mentors. But one thing about consultancy is that you do not see the results. You spend a couple of months deep diving into a business sector, thinking, strategizing and coming up with recommendations. Once you hand over your report, your job is done. The outcome is out of your hands. There is no ownership of the outcome.

So, there was this itch to do something of my own. My years of working in Japan had taught me the fundamentals of how the business world works, and I felt I was ready to return and put what I had learnt to good use in Mongolia. There were personal reasons too. After a decade, I missed my family and Mongolia among the hustle and bustle of busy work life in Japan. I felt that it was time for me to return and get my life in order.

How was adjusting back to life in Mongolia?

When I returned to Mongolia, I chose to work for a leading retail conglomerate, a decision that would allow me to ease back into life here and get a solid grounding in the local business landscape. My experience in Japan gave me a broad perspective across different sectors, and it taught me a valuable lesson: the people I work with matter more than what the company does. It’s ultimately about who you surround yourself with. So, in choosing my role here, I sought out a company led by people I felt I could learn the most from. And I spent a couple of years learning the ropes and getting back into the rhythm of life in Mongolia until the time felt right for me to strike out on my own.

When did you decide to revisit your travel idea?

Starting my own business has always been at the back of my mind. When I was a student, I was very active in the Mongolian student association in Japan. I helped organize a Mongolian-themed spring festival that was attended by 40,000 people. I oversaw a stage that always lost money, but this year, under my leadership, we were profitable, and we gave out all the proceeds to the artists and the team. This made me realize that I could achieve whatever I set my mind to, and that I derived the most pleasure from such challenges. So just when the timing seemed just right, I had by luck, met my co-founder, who’d been ruminating on the idea of a travel business for a number of years. Together, we did research, analysis and ideation for over a year before, and eventually established a partnership with WildChina. WildChina is a leading experiential travel curator in China. But more than their status, we share common values and perspectives on travel and sustainability and a way of doing business. This is how WildMongolia began.

Why tourism and why WildMongolia?

I’ve always loved traveling. Working in Japan is demanding, with long hours. Traveling, especially in nature, was my way to recharge myself. Nature has this healing power. So, I traveled all over Japan on my days off. I particularly love traveling solo, where you could take your time, explore new things at your own pace, and simply sit and stare out into the horizon on a mountain. It’s a very meditative, self-care process for me.

For me, Mongolia is truly a unique place. Most countries around the world have mountains and lakes, but in Mongolia, the energy is starkly different. It’s truly wild.

Nature in Mongolia is pristine and untouched by human hands. When you travel out of the city, you’re immediately in the empty expanse. And I would say that Mongolians, especially the nomads in the countryside are the coolest people I know - laid-back, authentic and tough with fascinating life stories. There’s real warmth in the connection with the people and the nature here.

But most of all, there’s this feeling of being truly free and unrestrained when you travel in Mongolia. It’s the direct connection to wild nature, lack of any societal constraints and the people’s free-spirited attitude. You feel freedom and serenity in the truest sense here. 

And I wanted people to feel what I felt in Mongolia.

As a business, I believe travel and tourism can be a force for good that contributes to the economy and the community.

What are some of your most memorable travel experiences?

There are many. I once went on a 3-day trek to Mt. Yarigatake, one of the tallest peaks in Japan, with a seasoned mountaineer. We both carried over 20kgs in our backpacks on this strenuous trek, and spent hours trekking through forests and winding paths along the mountainside that had 200m drops. I kept up with her, which she did not expect. I think she thought I was just this city girl who’d give up half-way through. That’s when I realized that I could hold my end on any travel and discovered that I love challenging treks.

In Mongolia, Altai Tavan Bogd was the most memorable trip. My boyfriend and I, along with friends, made the trek to the Malchin peak, one of the five peaks of the Tavan Bogd mountain. We went with an inexperienced guide, who took us on the harder route up a sharp climb. Along the way, we could see there was a snowstorm happening at the top. This was in the middle of summer in July. Half-way up we were nearly crawling up on all fours. But we made it to the top and felt this tremendous sense of achievement amidst the snowstorm. By far, Altai Tavan Bogd in Bayan-Ulgii, is my favorite place in Mongolia. It’s like a beautiful painting.

If you were to show one place in Mongolia to a foreign friend, where would you take them?

Altai Tavan Bogd, definitely. It’s otherworldly. But if I had a second option, I would also take them to the Gobi Desert. The sand dunes in the Gobi Desert are stunning, the contrast of golden sand against the occasional greenery is breathtaking.

What do you envision for WildMongolia and the travel industry in general?

Travel industry in Mongolia is an undervalued and underdeveloped sector. There isn’t a lot of differentiation among travel companies. But there’s so much potential.

With business, it’s all about the people. So, I want WildMongolia to be an exciting place to work for, with the coolest people. Our objective for WildMongolia is to become one of the trailblazers of the industry. Hopefully, more companies will join us in developing the sector, transforming travel into a career of choice for many young people.

Interested in joining a school trip with her team WildMongolia? Check out our detailed itineraries: School trips to Mongolia!