A letter to our travellers
The Artus Spirit
Welcome, and thank you for taking a moment to get to know us and the journeys we offer. I’d like to share a little about what these expeditions mean to me, and what I hope you’ll find along the way.
There is a particular pleasure in taking someone to a place you have come to know and love. You look forward to showing them the landscape, introducing them to the people you know, and discovering new things together with a fresh perspective. This desire to share, pass on what I have learned and continue learning myself is a large part of why I started Artus Expeditions.
After years of living, travelling and guiding in Mongolia, there is still so much here that makes me excited to head out again : a valley I would like to explore further, tracks I would like to follow, new places to discover, families and friends I look forward to seeing again.
On our journeys, we give ourselves time, we take the time that is needed. We might spend several days searching the same mountains for wildlife, ride through the forest to reach a camp, or sit with a family sharing a cup of tea. Staying longer allows you to become familiar with a place. You start to recognise the hills, notice the birds and squirrels around camp and understand a little more of the lives of the people you meet. Even while searching for the wildlife we came to see, there is plenty to discover in the landscapes and the everyday lives of the people around us.
There is something exciting about travelling to see a snow leopard, a Pallas’s cat, a bear, or a beautiful crane. There can be long hours of looking, cold mornings, days when we find little. And when an animal finally appears, everything you have put into being here becomes part of the moment : the journey, the waiting, the concentration. All of this makes that moment even more precious.
Every expedition is different and we cannot promise what we will see. We prepare carefully, work with people who know the area and give ourselves time in the field. Along the way, we share our knowledge and enjoy the places we explore together.
We never bait, feed, call wild animals, or stage encounters. For me, much of the value of seeing an animal comes from knowing that it is here freely, going about its life. We keep our distance and follow the guidance of local trackers. A photograph can bring you back to a moment in the wild, and we take care to capture it without disturbing the animal.
I also want our journeys to help you discover the work behind protecting these places. By building relationships with researchers and conservation organisations, we hope to support their work and bring their knowledge into the experience. Learning how an animal is studied, what threatens its habitat and how local people are involved in its protection gives greater depth to what we see in the field.
And by the end of the journey, you will have learned, seen and experienced things you never have before. Through challenges you had the courage to keep going, returning stronger with a sense of having grown. Perhaps you will remember a particular animal, an evening with a Mongolian family, or the simple pleasure of walking through forests and steppes. Perhaps you will find yourself looking more closely at the wildlife near your own home. And perhaps you will pass on what you have learned to someone else and inspire them to make the same journey.
This is what I hope for, and what I try to pass on through the journeys I organise. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and get to know the spirit behind Artus Expeditions. Now that you know a little more about what awaits you, I hope you feel ready for the adventure ahead. I look forward to welcoming you to Mongolia and sharing the journey with you.
ArthurFounder of Artus Expeditions