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Bringing the front-line front of mind
Connecting with the bigger picture

About Panoramic Journeys

We believe in the power of travel. At Panoramic Journeys (PJ) our mission is to bring about positive change for guests, all involved in the journey and the wider world – we call this "The Triple Win."

PJ's story started during the movement of eco and responsible tourism. Mongolia and Bhutan fully embraced this and to us, there has never been another way. How could there be? Why would anyone want to leave any mark on a pristine landscape or betray the generous hospitality of its inhabitants? Our journeys and filmshoots have always been focused on being not just sustainable, but regenerative.

We are fortunate to work in some of the most remote and wilderness settings on the planet – the front line of the climate emergency. We have friends whose villages were swept away by cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. In Bhutan we know farmers who live in fear of glacier lakes bursting their walls and flooding the valleys. In Mongolia where temperatures are already over two degrees preindustrial temperatures, we see gashes of steppe where permafrost is thawing, pushing our nomadic friends to retreat to the mountains and encroach on the habitat of snow leopards.

We are dedicated to scaling up climate actions that accelerate the race to zero.

We are obsessed with connecting people to the wider picture and shifting perspectives. We are on a mission to spark engagement with the bigger picture and to inspire and instigate climate related collaborations and actions.For us, being purpose driven and regenerative is not just an afterthought. It’s at the heart of everything we do. To travel responsibly is to respect the planet and its' people; to sustain it. It is our belief that our endeavours can and must make a difference, not only to individuals through unforgettable life-affirming journeys or mind-blowing documentaries, but to communities and the planet as a whole.

The Climate Emergency requires that we all step up to the challenge of reducing our carbon footprints and increasing the carbon that we sequester. Panoramic Journeys has a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). We are on a mission to scale up climate action more than anyone would ever consider a small company could do. Net Zero doesn’t seem ambitious enough, so once we are carbon negative – we aim to achieve Climate Positivity and to be directly and indirectly responsible for sequestering 1million tonnes of CO2. All of our guests will be involved in this mission. Click here to read how.

To find out more about our approach read Responsible Travel the PJ Way

If you'd like to know how you can travel sustainably read our 10 Steps to Responsible Travel guide.

While doing all we can to provide carbon neutral journeys in country that are each linked with one or more SDG, the greatest source of carbon emissions involved with any journey, is reaching the destination. For this reason, we encourage longer vacations and sabbaticals enabling slower methods of transport. The Trans-Mongolian rail journey is an incredible experience in itself and can be included as a section or all of a journey to Mongolia. Where this is not possible, we work with guests to make their journey as close to carbon neutral as possible.

Our journeys are focused on empowering both guests and hosts to "Think Global and Act Local." Whilst exploring Bhutan, the only country in the world that is carbon negative – it is hard not to be inspired by their approach to living sustainably. Similarly, Mongolia still depends on centuries old sustainable practices.

We are quite a modest bunch but recently we realised that we should shout a bit louder about what we believe in and what we can do for you. So, here's a bit more on our top reasons to take a journey with PJ.

We know each of our destinations intimately, only choosing countries with which we have made a connection and taken the time to explore. Then we can, with confidence, create the very best journey for you. We hear what you like, understand your aspirations and tailor your journey just for you.

We're an eclectic bunch made up of culture vultures, people watchers, adrenaline junkies, history buffs, luxury lovers and inquisitive explorers will be able to produce a journey that goes beyond your expectations.

Karina, an anthropologist and film maker, found herself trapped in the rat race, making commercial films which did not satisfy her desire to "make a difference". James had been working on the family farm in Warwickshire, but was ready for a new adventure. Visiting a country where horsemanship is central to the national identity appealed to him, not least the promise of galloping through wide open spaces with no boundaries. For Karina, the chance to study an ancient nomadic culture and record it on film, was irresistible.

Arriving in the city of Ulaanbaatar with their backpacks and not a word of Mongolian, they boarded the first bus they saw. As it drove out across the vast plains, they saw little groups of gers dotted among the landscape, Mongolians gathering for the annual festival of Naadam. With her film maker's eye and the camera rolling, Karina chose the most scenic spot to disembark, a tiny settlement set against majestic mountains. Within moments they were welcomed in, offered milk tea and a lifelong love affair with Mongolia began.

Karina and James gained a whole new perspective. In the richness of the culture, landscape, wildlife, and hospitality of the nomads, they discovered time and space and freedom. Their letters and emails home were full of this extraordinary land and friends and family were urging them to share what they had found. And so Panoramic Journeys was born.

Over two decades, the company has gone from strength to strength and is now recognised as a leading authority on Mongolia. It has the rare and unique advantage of being able to use its own team of experts on the ground, thanks to the close and abiding relationships it has formed with its Mongolian staff. Panoramic Journeys offers a unique experience to see the real Mongolia – close up and under the surface.

Returning guests, thrilled by what they saw in Mongolia, urged Karina and James to extend the 'Panoramic' approach to other places. The quest for comparable destinations led in 2008 to another colourful and warm Buddhist culture, the lost monasteries and flowing rivers of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. Then Burma (Myanmar) emerged after decades of oppression and international isolation, and in 2011 Panoramic Journeys was delighted to add this beautiful and welcoming country to the select portfolio.

It is not too much to say that our trips change lives. Not only for our guests who tell us that they gain a new perspective – like Karina and James did on that first journey to Mongolia all those years ago – but also for the communities they visit. To read more about our Sustainable Project Fund and the positive difference we can make together, see our Responsible Travel page.

Panoramic Journeys remains a family-run business, but now the family includes their two young sons, the small Cotswolds office team and all their guides and drivers abroad. There is no doubt that guests too feel part of the special Panoramic Journeys family with over ⅔ of bookings coming from repeat and referred business.

And so to distant lands we will take you. Places that get under your skin and into your heart. Places that will challenge and inform, astound and beguile. Places of myth and adventure, of dragons and holy men, mountains and deserts. These are our journeys.

 

THE PJ WAY

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THE SMALL PRINT