Traveling the world to remote areas with a six-year-old is an adventure in itself. Here is the story of how one family found a home away from home and a true connection to the nomadic spirit.
I just want to start off with saying that our family travels A LOT to remote areas in the world with our six-year-old son, and we have worked with many different types of travel partners. But Saule and Jonathan from Shepherd's House have been our most favorite partner to travel with thus far in the whole world!
First off, they are a young family themselves, so they truly understand the needs of parents traveling with small children on these adventure treks. They customized all our experiences specifically for our son, such as arranging a Kyrgyz instrument lesson all the way to helping him get over his fear of riding a horse on his own. They opened their house and generosity to us as if we were part of the fam. Their three young children were a big highlight for our son as he had buddies to integrate with, having the freedom to roam their property, play in the mud, and play in the street with the local kids.
This is the real difference: the places they take you to, you are treated as an extended family member, not a tourist. You truly get to have an insider's view into Kyrgyzstan.
Agata S.
The Dela Cruz Family
Jonathan and Saule have truly developed genuine relationships with many unique people and places around Kyrgyzstan. We did a bit of horse trekking, but one of the biggest requests I had was for cultural experiences, and they truly delivered. They brought us to so many different family homes where we ate interesting food, built yurts, learned how Shyrdaks (traditional Kyrgyz felt carpets) are made, and truly saw how people live and make a living here.
Jonathan is British (he speaks the local Kyrgyz language) and his wife Saule is Kyrgyz, so you get this perfect blend of them understanding the needs of American and European travelers while maintaining a close connection to local customs, mindsets, and understanding the local people. They sorted out all our complex permits, and Jonathan took us personally to the Chinese border where we swapped drivers and headed onwards to Kashgar, China. He always got back to us very quickly and communicated well through all the paperwork and special requests.
We spent six days exploring the different areas around Kyrgyzstan, but honestly, I wish we had more time to stay and explore together with their family as they were such fun people. If you value true human connection and an insider's view into the culture when traveling, Shepherd's House truly delivers.