Mongolia · 11 days

Welcome to Mongolia. Hotel check-in is any time from 2 pm. If you're flying in to Ulaanbaatar today, we arrange your airport transfer. Spend the day exploring the city at your leisure until the group arrives.

In the afternoon we meet for a get-to-know-you chat and an overview of the ride, and we fit you for your bike. In the evening we head out for local food at dinner.

Hotel: Nine Hotel (or equivalent) · Meals: D

Ulaanbaatar is home to 45% of the population, and our local team shows you around. After breakfast at the hotel, you set off on a walking tour of the city that takes in the Monastery district. From there you visit Asral NGO.

Asral works with community leaders on self-sustaining options through education, training, medical care and family support. Its core aim is to keep families together and stop children going onto the streets.

The afternoon is for getting to Khustain Nuruu National Park, where you spend the night in your first ger.

Hotel: Local Ger · Meals: B, L, D

Activities: Guided City Tour, home cooked family lunch

NGO: Asral

Khustain Nuruu National Park is the only national park run as a dedicated NGO. It works to protect Mongolia's wild takhi horses and the surrounding environment.

We spend part of the day biking around the park. There is also time to talk to the park biologist, as part of an organised tour.

Cycling: 20 to 40 km, gravel roads on small jeep trails · Hotel: Local Ger camp · Meals: B, L, D

Activities: NGO presentation: Khustain Nuruu National Park

We drive out to explore this sacred granite mountain. The area has secluded valleys, freshwater springs, open steppe and the Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes.

Khogno Khan Nature Reserve was put under state protection partly because of the specialised taiga and steppe plants that grow here. The small but vital Tarna River is an essential water source for the herders in the region.

Hotel: Local Ger · Meals: B, L, D

Once we're in the heart of Khogno Khan Nature Reserve, you can take an easy 2 to 3 hour hike into the mountain. It leads to the small working temple of Erdene Khambiin Khid and the ruined Ovgon Khiid Monastery. A birch-bordered path leads to them, with wide views over the region. There is also the option of a camel trek along the Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes.

Davaasuren is at his happiest showing off his home landscapes of Khogno Khan. He's a bit of an entertainer as well, and his camel treks can include sand sculpting, impromptu wrestling matches and singing. It is also good country for riding, with its mix of landscapes.

Cycling: Optional, tracks are all off-road and mainly hard-packed dirt · Hotel: Ger camp · Meals: B, L, D

Activities: Three hour hike to temples and monastery, camel treks along sand dunes

We drive through Arkhangai Aimag to the provincial capital, Tsetserleg. It has a lively local market worth a walk.

The town sits on the north-eastern slopes of the Khangai Mountains and is dominated by the 1,953 m Bulgan Uul mountain. The Galdan Zuu Temple gives a viewpoint out over this alpine town.

Cycling: 40 to 80 km · Hotel: Local Hotel · Meals: B, L

The bike route now changes from the gravel plains of the vast semi-desert steppe to the foothills of the Khangai Mountains. Here there are dome-shaped mountains, mixed woods, clear streams and grassy valleys. The landscape is filled with yaks and herders, and it receives abundant rainfall compared to all other parts of Mongolia.

We spend a second night in our hotel, so the day is about meeting the local NGO, the Ar Arvidiin yak herding co-op, drinking hot yak's milk with a local nomadic family and enjoying the valleys by bike.

Cycling: Up to 60 km · Hotel: Ger camp · Meals: B, L, D

NGO: Ar Arvidjin Delgerekh Co-Op family beneficiary

Kharkhorin was the ancient capital of Ogodei Khan and the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. From Tsetserleg we take the van out of town towards Tsenkher and start cycling on dirt roads towards Kharkhorin. The valleys are beautiful and make for a good undulating ride.

The remainder of the ride is by van, as we make our way to the home of Tumee and Jargaa, where we spend the next two nights.

Cycling: Up to 80 km · Hotel: Family Ger camp · Meals: B, L, D

Activities: Cycling the Orkhon valley

Spend the day with Tumee and Jargaa, a herding family we work with, close to the Orkhon River. They are modern-day herders and a strong part of the local community, and they move up to six times a year.

Nothing is pre-planned, because everyone likes to do different things. There is plenty of flexibility and choice. Ideas include a horse trek, taking the bikes out to explore the Orkhon Valley, experiencing the way of life of Tumee and Jargaa, or more. The day finishes with a traditional Mongolian barbecue with your hosts and the Social Cycles team.

Cycling: Optional · Hotel: Family Ger camp · Meals: B, L, D

Activities: Cycle, horse ride and BBQ

After we say goodbye to Tumee and Jargaa, we head back to Ulaanbaatar, but not before a visit to Erdene Zuu, Mongolia's oldest monastery.

At our last dinner together in Ulaanbaatar, we reflect on the journey and talk about the organisations we can support. At the end of the ride, you choose the organisation that made the biggest impression on you, and we contribute 200 AUD on your behalf.

Hotel: Dream Hotel (or equivalent) · Meals: B, L, D

Say goodbye to your fellow riders and head out on your own. If you're off to the airport, or staying on a while, we'll help you get where you need to go.

Meals: B