Join my 2026 Mudita Adventures Group Trips; Komodo Dragons, the 4 Stans and the Mongolian Eagle Festival
We don’t run many group trips each year through our charity foundation. When we do, it’s because they’re places we genuinely love, places that still feel like there’s an adventure to be had. And of course places where we can do more than just show up, take photos and leave. We just did our last one in Borneo, where the crew were chasing orangutans and climbing volcanos. And now it’s time to unleash our last 3 trips of 2026.
All three of these 2026 trips are run through my Mudita Adventures foundation. That means every expedition has a charitable aspect built in. We don’t just visit a country. We connect with a grassroots NGO on the ground, we visit them, and we donate directly. Small groups, real impact, no performative nonsense. We travel hard, and we give back properly.
Here’s what’s coming.
Table of contents
The 2026 Silk Road Stans Tour; June, 2026
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan
This one is big. Four countries. Proper overland travel. Night trains. Ancient cities. And a whole lot of passport stamps.
We start with the vastness of Kazakhstan. Then into Kyrgyzstan with nomadic culture, mountain landscapes and nights in yurts. Then Uzbekistan with Silk Road cities that look unreal in person. Samarkand. Bukhara. Those blue domes you’ve seen a hundred times online that somehow still blow your mind in real life. It’s the best way to feel the scale of Central Asia.
Through our Mudita Adventures we’ll also visit a local grassroots organisation along the route and donate directly in Kyrgystan. Again, small scale, meaningful, no big corporate charity theatre.
If you’ve ever wanted to understand the Silk Road beyond a headline, this is your shot. And racking up 4 countries doesn’t hurt either (if you care about that kind of thing, which I very much do!).
TRIP DATES & PRICE:
June 4 – June 7/14/22* (depending whether you do 1,2,3 or all 4 countries – you can choose)
Starts at $2499, again depending on how many countries you choose.
Book here:
https://www.wetravel.com/trips/the-4-stans-tour-john-ward-68757451More info here:
Komodo Dragons and East Timor; August 2026
We start in Indonesia. In Labuan Bajo, by the Komodo National Park. Actual REAL dragons. Huge, prehistoric, slightly intimidating creatures just wandering around like they own the place. Because they do.
We’ll sail between islands, snorkel in ridiculous blue water, hit beaches that don’t look real. It feels like expedition travel. This is very much not a packaged holiday.
Then we push further east into Timor-Leste. Most people have never been, or maybe never even heard of this country?! That’s the appeal. Mountain roads, Portuguese remnants, empty coastline, very little tourism. It feels like Southeast Asia before the crowds arrived.
As part of this trip we’ll connect with a grassroots project locally, visit them in person and make a direct donation through Mudita Adventures. You’ll see exactly where the money goes.
If you want frontier energy, this is it. East Timor can be a tricky country to visit, so come with us!
TRIP DATES & PRICE:
August 23-31
$2,699
Book here:
https://www.wetravel.com/trips/join-our-komodo-dragons-and-east-timor-tour-john-ward-49828812More info here:
Golden Eagle Festival Mongolia
AN ABSOLUTE BUCKET LIST TRIP! To see the authentic mongolia eagle festival in the flesh. I went last year with a group and it lived up to every expectation.
Western Mongolia is a different world. Altai Mountains. Kazakh eagle hunters on horseback. It feels like you’ve stepped back a century.
We head out to the Golden Eagle Festival where hunters compete with eagles they’ve trained since they were young. It’s cold, it’s remote and it’s visually insane. The kind of place that makes you realise how tame most travel has become. But not for us!
We build in time to actually connect with people, not just observe from a distance. And as always, through Mudita Adventures, we’ll visit a grassroots NGO locally and make a direct donation so the trip leaves something behind.
If you want something cinematic and properly off the beaten path, this is the one.
TRIP DATES & PRICE
September 30 – October 7
$3,899
Book here:
https://www.wetravel.com/trips/mongolia-2026-golden-eagle-festival-charity-trip-john-ward-65878942More info here:
http://onestep4ward.com/golden-eagle-festival-mongolia-trip/
Why you should come
If you want to travel without only consuming, our Mudita trips are for you. And if you’ve had enough of cruises, Tulum and Thailand, then you’re safe hands with us. We want to go deeper. Because we’re not interested in average travel. You don’t follow me for average either.
Mudita Adventures is about taking a small group to places that still feel wild, while making sure the communities we pass through benefit in a real, tangible way. Spots are limited because the destinations demand it. Small groups, proper access, real impact.
If 2026 is the year you stop saying one day and start saying why not, pick your trip and come with me.
CHECK OUT ALL MY TRIPS IN 2026:
I also run other trips, aside from mudita adventures trips. The other trips are the kinda trips that you don’t tell you mum about until after you return. Papua New Guinea, Turkmenistan etc. Also, if you want to push yourself, I ‘m climbing some epic mountains and you can join me, running some epic ultra marathons, and doing a 300km cycle. Check them all out here:
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