Destinations · Mongolia
Why We Ride
Eleven days out of Ulaanbaatar and back, six of them on the bike. The riding is on gravel roads and compact dirt tracks, across open steppe and then into the green valleys below the Khangai Mountains. There is little climbing. On the open plains the wind can make the day harder.
Your first night outside the city is in a ger at Khustain Nuruu National Park, where the takhi wild horses are protected. At Khogno Khan there is a hike to a small working temple, or a camel trek along the Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes. Near Tsetserleg you drink hot yak's milk with a nomadic family. Then come two nights with Tumee and Jargaa, herders near the Orkhon River who move up to six times a year, ending with a traditional Mongolian barbecue.
Mongolia is often sold as a way of life untouched since Genghis Khan. The NGOs and families on this ride show what herding involves today, the opportunities as well as the hard parts. Cycling is optional throughout.
“Mongolia is a fascinating place, with a long and interesting history, kind and generous people, and landscapes that can seem otherworldly. If you've got an open mind and a willingness to see how it all turns out this tour will reward you enormously.”
Difficulty 3 out of 5
Gravel roads and compact dirt tracks, mostly flat, with little climbing. Six riding days of 15 to 80 km.
You visit Asral in Ulaanbaatar, the Ar Arvidiin yak herding co-op near Tsetserleg and Khustain Nuruu, the national park run as an NGO. At the end of the ride, you choose the organisation that impacted you the most, and we'll contribute 200 AUD on your behalf. How the Giving Works →
The ride starts with a walk through Ulaanbaatar's Monastery district, then drives out to Khustain Nuruu National Park, where the takhi wild horses are protected and you talk with the park biologist. At Khogno Khan a sacred granite mountain stands beside the Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes, with an easy two to three hour hike to a small working temple and a ruined monastery. Tsetserleg sits below the 1,953 m Bulgan Uul, on the slopes of the Khangai Mountains, in valleys grazed by yaks. The route ends in the Orkhon River valley, riding towards Kharkhorin, the 13th-century capital of the Mongol Empire, with a stop at Erdene Zuu, Mongolia's oldest monastery, on the way back to Ulaanbaatar.
Mongolia is the ride where nearly every meal is included: breakfast, lunch and dinner on most days, as the itinerary shows. Your first night is a dinner of local food in Ulaanbaatar, and the second day includes lunch with a family. Near Tsetserleg you drink hot yak's milk with a nomadic family. Your stay with the herding family near the Orkhon River ends with a traditional Mongolian barbecue, shared with your hosts and the Social Cycles team. The last dinner is back in Ulaanbaatar. Drinks are not included with meals.
Ten nights: hotels in Ulaanbaatar at the start and the end and in the town of Tsetserleg, and gers for the nights in between. Your first ger is at Khustain Nuruu National Park, and nights 8 and 9 are at the ger camp of a herding family near the Orkhon River. We avoid the tourist ger camps, which tend to be crowded and impersonal. Single-room prices for Mongolia are on request, so ask us. Hotels and restaurants are examples and may change.
Six of the eleven days are riding days, and cycling is optional on all of them. You ride gravel roads and compact dirt tracks across open steppe, then part road and part dirt through the valleys below the Khangai Mountains. There is little climbing, but on the open plains the wind can make a day harder. Riding days run from 15 km to as much as 80 km, at an average pace of 15 to 18 km/h, and the longer transfers between regions are by van. The bikes are 24-speed mountain bikes. Groups are never more than 10 riders. Ask us about e-bikes for this ride.
Rides in Mongolia
Wild horses in Khustain Nuruu, yak herders in the valleys around Tsetserleg and a traditional barbecue in the Orkhon Valley. Local NGOs show you herder life as it really is.
Questions
Check the visa rules for your nationality before you travel. Mongolia's Immigration Agency runs the official e-visa site, evisa.mn, which lists the countries whose citizens can enter without a visa, and says your passport must be valid for at least 180 days before your intended travel. Visa costs, where they apply, are not included in the ride price.
A mix of hotels, local ger camps and guesthouses, ten nights in all: hotels in Ulaanbaatar and Tsetserleg, and gers elsewhere. We avoid the tourist ger camps, which tend to be crowded and impersonal. Nights 8 and 9 are at the ger camp of a herding family near the Orkhon River, before a last night in Ulaanbaatar.
The ride is graded easy to moderate. The surface is gravel road and compact dirt track, mostly flat, with minimal climbing, though wind on the open plains can make a day harder. Six days include riding, from 15 km up to 80 km, and cycling is optional throughout. The support van is there whenever you want a rest.
Several days include a transfer by van. The afternoon of day 2 is the drive to Khustain Nuruu, days 4 and 6 are drives to Khogno Khan and Tsetserleg, part of day 8 is by van, and day 10 is the return to Ulaanbaatar. Ask us about driving times if long drives are a concern.
Bike hire is included: Trek or Giant 24-speed mountain bikes, with flat pedals and unisex saddles. E-bikes are not listed for Mongolia as they are for our other rides, so ask us before you book. Road bikes are not suitable for any of our rides.
Prices are based on twin share, and couples share a room. Single-room prices for Mongolia are on request, so ask us. Keep in mind that most of the nights outside Ulaanbaatar and Tsetserleg are in gers, not hotel rooms.
You visit Asral in Ulaanbaatar, which works with community leaders on education, training, medical care and family support. Khustain Nuruu National Park is run by a non-governmental organisation, and you talk with its biologist. Near Tsetserleg you meet the Ar Arvidiin yak herding co-op. At the last dinner you choose which organisation receives your donation.
Journal
Fifteen minutes on the phone with Brett answers most questions about Mongolia.
