PIONTEK
Expedition Host
Globale Keynote Speaker
Executive Coach
Have you ever dreamt of one day doing something along the lines of "Doctors without Border"... just much shorter so you can actually make it work?
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Do you have a bucket-list that includes travelling to some unique places?
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Would you like to go on a money-can't-buy experience with your family and likeminded medical professionals from all over the world?
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Do you want to make a real difference and help people that hardly have access to medical care?
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Would you want to be part of something truly amazing?
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YES? THEN THIS TOUR IS EXACTLY THE RIGHT THING FOR YOU!
BE HONEST...
HOW IT ALL STARTED...
I made a promise to my Mongolian 'grandmother ' Emme a few years ago: that I would one day come back with a doctor to help her with her medical needs. One day is now - and one doctor will turn into many more!
Mongolia has fascinated me for as long as I can think. In 2018 I finally had the chance to visit this amazing country for the first time. I instantly fell in love with the vastness and beauty of the countryside as well as the spirit of the Nomadic population. I have since made Mongolia one of the core destinations for my unforgettable experience tours.
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My initial trip to Mongolia was on a motorbike. I had a pretty serious crash in a remote area in the Gobi Desert. It took forever to reach the nearest (very basic!) hospital. I received help - because I had transportation and because I could pay. Most locals don't have this privilege. Grandma Emme certainly does not.
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Over the years I have made some close Nomadic friends like grandma Emme and her family. People that I truly care about. People that are rich in values, heart and hospitality. They are however poor in monetary terms. On top, most of them live in remote areas far from any infrastructure. This combination makes it hard - at times impossible - to get any medical care.
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I don't have the medical background to support. My 'superpower' however, is to arrange money-can't-buy experiences and get the right medical professionals to Mongolia that can.
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Join me on this unforgettable journey and help the Nomads that so urgently need your skill, your experience and your care whilst exploring this stunning country in the most amazing way.
SONJA PIONTEK
German BUNTE Magazin calls her a 'powerhouse of inspiration'.
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Sonja Piontek is a bestselling author, esteemed executive coach, top 100 keynote speaker and founder of the award winning boutique travel agency Sonnenkind Pte Ltd. The dynamic German looks back on an international executive career with BMW and has lived in six countries. She left the corporate world in 2017 to properly spread her wings and pursue what she is most passionate about: helping others unleash their potential so they can have have real impact in life and create what she calls a "living legacy".
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„I have fallen in love with the vastness and beauty of Mongolia and the depth of the Nomadic people many years ago. Being able to support my local friends by bringing doctors across is something I deeply care about.“
Mongolia is one of the most stunning countries in the world.
Mongolia is the #1 bucket list destination for people from all over the world.
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With over 250 days of sunshine a year, Mongolia is often referred to as the 'land of endless blue skies'. ​
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Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world - it's vastness impressive beyond imagination.
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Two thirds of the population still live a Nomadic or semi-Nomadic lifestyle with very limited access to medical care.
WHY MONGOLIA?
CAROLYN STROVER
This journey truly is an "unforgettable experience"!
TESTIMONIALS
MANDY BARLOW
Grandma Emme is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met.
AUDREY BRANDT
Deep impact and tangible results - THANK YOU!
WHAT TO EXPECT
The Medical Mongolia tour is a unique offer that beautifully combines an unforgettable journey through one of the most amazing countries in the world with the opportunity to medically help people that have hardly any or at times no access to medical care.
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The journey is designed in a way that you will get deep insights into the Nomadic culture, experience the stunning beauty of the countryside and do good in our specially set up Nomadic Field Clinic.
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You are more than welcome to bring your family and friends along on this one-in-a-lifetime experience.
DAY 1 - WELCOME TO MONGOLIA
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Early morning arrival at Ulaanbaatar International Airport
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Scenic drive to our first Nomadic camp
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Settle into your own spacious gher tents
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Experience the century old Nomadic traditions, learn all about the Nomadic lifestyle, ride camels, horses or yaks, play games with your hosts, listen to the unusual Mongolian music and taste some of the local specialties like home made mare milk vodka or goat milk curd
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Enjoy a first joint dinner with the group
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Overnight in the Nomadic Camp
DAY 2 - SAND DUNES AND CAMELS
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Relaxed breakfast at the Nomadic Camp before we head West
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Scenic drive towards the famous sand dunes of Elsen Tasarkhai at the far end of the Gobi Desert
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Together with your fellow travellers, family and friends you will enjoy an exciting camel ride across the beautiful sand dunes
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Another hours' drive will get us to the former capital of Karakorum
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Once there, we will visit the Monument of Empires and enjoy the sunset over the Orkhon River, the Orkhon Valley and Karakorum
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Dinner and overnight at one of the most modern gher camps in Kharakorum
DAY 3 - KARAKORUM
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After a hearty breakfast in the camp we will visit one of Mongolia's most important landmarks - the famous monastery of Erdene Zuu
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As a special treat we will witness the prayer ceremony of the resident buddhist monks and learn all about this impressive historic place
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To get a better understanding of Mongolia and it's impressive history, we will visit the Karakorum Museum
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Scenic drive back to wards the East
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Lovely sunset and dinner before we dive deep into our Nomadic Field Clinic experience the next day
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Overnight at a beautiful local gher camp
DAY 4 - NOMADIC FIELD CLINIC
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Today is a unique day as it is the start of our Nomadic Field Clinic
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As we arrive at grandma Emme's family camp, we will understand more about the remote nature of the Nomadic settlements and the incredible hospitality of the Nomadic people
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Before we can start our work, we will learn how to set up a traditional gher tent - this process is challenging but lots of fun
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The gher tent we build will serve as our clinic for the coming two days and be gifted to our new Nomadic friends when we leave
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Once everything is set up the work can begin and the various doctors can treat Emme, her many family members and friends who will be waiting in queue for whichever help they can receive
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Dinner and overnight will be at a nearby tourist camp
DAY 5 - NOMADIC FIELD CLINIC
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The second day of our Nomadic Field Clinic will be as exciting and rewarding as the first
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Whilst the setup will be simple and we will have to focus on basic medical care, the support will be well needed and met with eternal gratitude by the many Nomads we will treat during those days
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While the medical team do their work, the accompanying family members will dive deeper into the Nomadic traditions and learn how to make curd or how to shoot with the traditional bow and arrow, explore riding the Mongolian horses and much much more
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Before we say goodbye after two impactful days we will have a joint Mongolian BBQ with our new friends, celebrate our new found friends, sing some joint songs and hand over the gher tent we built
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Overnight in a nearby tourist camp
DAY 6 - CAPITAL ULAANBAATAR
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After two impactful days we now need to head back into civilisation
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As we enjoy the scenic drive back to Ulaanbaatar we can reflect on the incredible work of the past two days and the many smiles we were able to create
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In Ulaanbaatar we will visit the some of the most beautiful sights such as the Gandan Buddhist Monastery with it's 26.5m tall wooden statue, Zaizan Hill and Sukbhaatar Square
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Farewell dinner in Ulaanbaatar
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Overnight in an international hotel
DAY 7 - FAREWELL
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One last joint breakfast with the group
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Transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport
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Farewell from magical Mongolia and your new found friends
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Here are some of the things you can home from this once-in-a-lifetime experience tour:
feeling of gratitude, fulfilment, amazing experiences, unforgettable memories, deep inspiration, new friends and the feeling that you have with your incredible support created your own living legacy
ACCOMMODATION
For the first five nights of this trip, we will stay in some of the region's most beautiful gher camps. A gher tent is the traditional 'house' of the Nomads. Ghers are rather large, round tents in which several generations usually live together.
The camps we chose were built specifically for tourist purposes. We sleep in spacious double rooms with comfortable beds and of course electricity. The shared sanitary facilities are very clean and equipped with private shower cubicles. If wanted, single rooms and/or a private ensuite bathroom can be booked.
Accommodation in these gher camps offers us the opportunity to experience the traditional way of life of the Mongolian nomads while staying overnight comfortably.
A GIFT FROM THE HEART
During my last trip to Mongolia, we could not have gifted this gher tent to a more suitable family. The head of the family had died shortly before our visit and the mother struggled enormously with the fact that the traditional handover of a 'home' from the father to the eldest son could no longer take place. Due to the loss, she no longer had the financial means. Our gher tent was therefore much more than just a gift... it was the entry into adulthood that we handed over on behalf of the late father.
THIS TOUR IS FOR YOU IF...
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You want to explore the bucket list destination Mongolia
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You are excited about diving deep into the local culture, getting to know the Nomads & making new friends
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You are keen to help your new friends with basic but well needed medical care
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You are a dentist, an optometrist, a general practitioner, a nurse, an orthopaedic specialist, a physio... well simply someone who can do treatments like vaccinations, dental extractions, pain relief of any kind, fitting of crutches, braces, glasses, etc, treatment of infections... just to give you a first idea
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You are able to work under conditions that are not 100%
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You take great pride in helping people who are in dire need
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You are excited about experiencing this unforgettable journey with likeminded people, with your family and friends
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You want to do something that has real impact
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You are excited about creating your own little living legacy as the help you give will never be forgotten
THIS TOUR IS NOT FOR YOU IF...
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You want to do an open heart surgery... sorry, this simply won't happen in our Nomadic Field Clinic
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You don't want to compromise on having all your fancy equipment and a setup like at home
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You expect a super luxurious setup in the vastness of the Mongolian steppe
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You are not adventurous
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You don't care about people
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You are a bore...
Included in the tour price
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Preparation and alignment sessions online before the start of the tour
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This tour will personally be hosted and run by Sonja Piontek
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This tour will be accompanied by National Geographic photographer Carolyn Strover​ to get the most amazing shots of this unique experience
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Accommodation in shared double rooms/tents in some of the nicest gher camps in the region
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Accommodation in shared double rooms in an international 4-star hotel in Ulaanbaatar for the last night
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Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks
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Water, soft drinks, coffee, tea
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All land transportation during the tour including airport shuttles
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Exclusive program including a deep dive into the Nomadic cultural, camel rides, horse rides, bow and arrow shooting, wrestling sessions, visit of the Erdene Zuu monastery, witness of the prayer ceremony, visit of the Gandan monastery, the Zaisan Hill and many more exciting experiences
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Included is also the gher tent we are going to set up and use as base of our Nomadic Field Clinic and that we are going to gift the family before we return
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The overall organisation of the Nomadic Field Clinic
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Local support team including medical support and translators
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A personalised photo certificate stating your incredible work for the local population in the Nomadic Field Clinic
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Not included in the tour price
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Flight to and from Ulaanbaatar
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Insurances
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Visa (most countries don't need a visa)
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Alcoholic drinks, tips, souvenirs, etc
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Medical equipment you will bring and use for your treatments
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Special permits you might need
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Tour price
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EARLY BIRD (until 31st March 2024) 4800 EUR
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Normal tour price (from 1st April 2024) 6800 EUR
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EARLY BIRD kids (up to 18y in same gher/room) 3800 EUR
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Normal price kids (up to 18y in same gher/room) 5800 EUR
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Possible upgrades/supplements
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Single room supplement 480 EUR
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En suite bathroom in gher tent 280 EUR
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Your share in the gher tent that will be gifted 100 EUR
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Local SIM card with enough data for the week 20 EUR
THIS IS WHAT YOU GET
FAQs
What kind of medical procedures will I be able to undertake?
We are in close contact with a leading medical institution in Mongolia to best assess needs, possibilities and identify how we can help most. In the end, you will have to judge what you can personally do on site. We will of course have several alignment calls prior to the departure to make sure all is clarified and in place.
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How will we communicate with the patients?
We will arrange local medical support staff and translators to help with communication.
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Shall I bring spare prescription glasses, crutches, braces, bandages, etc?
Yes, definitely! Bring as much as you can and ask your patients and friends to donate well before your departure. During our last visit we brought a huge amount of different prescription glasses and they were extremely well received! Again, we will discuss this in detail during the preparation calls.
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Will I need a visa?
Most nationalities do not need a visa to enter Mongolia. To be on the safe side, please check the following website https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Mongolia
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When exactly and where does the tour start and end?
The tour starts in the morning of the 1st September 2024 and ends with the airport shuttle on the 7th September 2024 (any time on that day). You should arrive at Ulaanbaatar International Airport no later than 7am on the 1st September.
What is the weather like in September?
September is a beautiful time to visit Mongolia. The days will be sunny, the nights will already be chilly, the autumn colours will be very pretty.
Will be have cellphone coverage and wifi?
Mongolia's network is surprisingly good. We will have good coverage throughout most of the tour. If wanted, local SIM cards can be booked.
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Who took all the photos on this page?
All photos were taken during Sonja's tours to Mongolia. Most by National Geographic photographer Carolyn Strover.
By when shall I make my booking?
The sooner the better as we will fill slots on a first come, first serve basis. Also the Early Bird rate ends on the 31st March 2024.
Can I bring my spouse, my partner and friends?
Yes! You are more than welcome to bring along additional people.
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Can I bring my children?
Mongolia is an incredibly child friendly country. Kids are generally welcome on this tour as long as they are able to join the program and not hold anyone up.
How can I secure my slot(s)?
Simply click on the bottom below and register via the online registration form.
I have more questions...
No problem, just send a message to info@sonjapiontek.com and we will get in touch.
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What are the next steps?
Secure your slot(s) and get ready to create your own personal legacy.
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