Mongolia, as it truly feels.
Join photographer Rob Walbers on an 11-day small-group photography expedition through Mongolia. From Kazakh eagle hunters in the Altai Mountains to nomadic families and the vast landscapes of the Gobi, we'll work slowly, get close and photograph life as it unfolds.
We create the conditions.
You capture what unfolds.
TRIP DATES
November 6–16, 2026
February 24–March 6, 2027
WORKSHOP FEE
$5,500.00
($2,500.00 deposit)
GROUP SIZE
4 - 8 photographers
What Makes This Different
Not a photography tour built around ticking off locations.
BEYOND THE FESTIVALS
Photograph Kazakh eagle hunters in their own environment — away from crowds and staged festival settings.
LIFE, NOT A PERFORMANCE
Spend time with nomadic families, sharing meals, homes and daily routines. We create photographic opportunities without turning real life into a set.
TIME TO PHOTOGRAPH
We're not racing from viewpoint to viewpoint. The itinerary is built around light, weather and the time needed to make meaningful photographs.
SMALL GROUP. CLOSE ACCESS.
With only 4–8 photographers, we can work quietly, adapt quickly and get closer to the people and places we encounter.
GUIDANCE WHEN YOU NEED IT
I work alongside you throughout the journey — from composition and light to storytelling, editing and building a coherent body of work.
We create the conditions.
You capture what unfolds.
11 days across Mongolia. A structured route — with space for the unexpected.
We take care of everything — transport, domestic flights, meals, accommodation — so you can focus entirely on shooting.
Our days follow the light, not the clock.
We head out early when conditions call for it, slow down when something deserves more time, and adapt when Mongolia gives us something better than what we had planned.
From the Kazakh eagle hunters of the Altai to the nomadic families and vast landscapes of the Gobi, each part of the journey offers a different way of photographing Mongolia.
ULAANBAATAR
Arrival & meeting the group
We begin in Mongolia's capital. Settle in, meet the group and get to know each other over dinner as we prepare for the journey ahead.
The next morning, we head west.
INTO THE ALTAI
Mountains, open country & Kazakh culture
We fly to Ölgii, gateway to the Altai Mountains and home to Mongolia's Kazakh community.
From here, we travel deeper into the landscape — across immense valleys, mountain roads and wide-open country — to spend several days photographing the people and traditions of the region.
The pace changes quickly out here. So does the light.
THE EAGLE HUNTERS
Beyond the festivals
No crowds. No rows of photographers.
We meet Kazakh eagle hunters in their own environment — at home, on horseback and out in the landscape with their eagles.
We can create certain conditions for strong photographs, but we leave room for what happens around them: preparation, waiting, movement, weather and the moments nobody planned.
This is where patience often makes the photograph.
A PRIVATE EAGLE GATHERING
One extraordinary day
One of the photographic highlights of the journey.
We bring together a small group of eagle hunters for a private gathering in the Altai — away from the large public festivals.
Horses, eagles, traditional clothing and the immense mountain landscape give us an exceptional environment to photograph, while the small scale gives everyone room to work.
We stay with the light and take our time.
THE GOBI
Desert, herders & open space
From the mountains of western Mongolia, the journey takes us south. The landscape changes completely.
The Gobi is about space: huge skies, empty roads, silence and light that can transform the landscape within minutes.
Sunrise among the dunes. Camel herders and their animals. Nomadic families in their homes. Long evenings following the last light across the desert.
There is time to observe, wait and photograph without rushing on to the next location.
WITH NOMADIC FAMILIES
Life as it happens
Some of the most memorable photographs don't happen at a famous location.
They happen over tea.
Inside a ger. During a meal. While animals are being tended. Or simply while sitting together and watching daily life unfold.
We spend time with families rather than arriving for a quick photograph and leaving. Cameras come out when it feels right — and sometimes they stay in the bag.
BACK TO ULAANBAATAR
The journey comes together
We return to Ulaanbaatar for our final night together.
It's a chance to slow down, look back at what we've experienced and share some of the work we've made before a final dinner together.
Eleven days. Thousands of kilometres.
And, hopefully, a body of work that feels like your Mongolia, rather than a checklist of places visited.
The exact itinerary may change depending on weather, local conditions and the people we meet. That's intentional. Mongolia doesn't always follow a schedule — and neither do the best photographs.
THE JOURNEY
WHAT’S INCLUDED All accommodation throughout the journey, including hotels, ger camps and stays with local families. All meals, drinking water and non-alcoholic drinks. Domestic flights within Mongolia, private ground transportation and airport transfers. Local guides and experienced drivers. All permits, entrance fees and photography-related arrangements. Daily photography guidance and feedback throughout the journey. Fair compensation for the people and families we work with. Once you arrive in Mongolia, the logistics are taken care of. You can concentrate on the photography.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Photographer. Traveller. Your guide through Mongolia.
I first travelled to Mongolia in 2014. What began as a photographic journey became a place I kept returning to.
Over the years, I’ve travelled thousands of kilometres across the country, photographed nomadic families,
eagle hunters and herders, and spent countless hours simply sitting, waiting and watching life unfold.
That work eventually became my photography book NoMa(n)d’s Land.
I’ve been working professionally as a photographer for more than twenty years, but this workshop isn’t about teaching you how to use a camera. It’s about helping you see better — understanding light, getting closer, slowing down and recognising when a photograph is actually happening.
I’ll be photographing alongside you, sharing what I know when it helps and giving you space when it doesn’t.
Mongolia is a place I keep returning to.
I’d like to show you why.
VIEW MY WORK HERE.
ABOUT ROB WALBERS
