Mountain Biking Tour

Adventure tourism and Mongolia are a perfect match. Because of its large open spaces, little development and amazing natural beauty Mongolia is a premiere destination for adventure tourists the world around. From hiking, fishing, horseback riding, off-roading and river rafting, the adventure tourist can find whatever he or she wants here.

Mountain Biking Tour
Tour Name: Highlights of Mongolia’s Heartland on Bike (15 days)
Tour Operator: Blue Bandana Expeditions
By bicycle, you can explore the heartland of Mongolia where our trail will end at “The Great White Lake” described as Mongolia’s most impressive lake. A bus journey will bring you to the start of your biking adventure in Karakorum, the ancient capital city of Genghis Khan and the biggest monastery in Mongolia. From there you will cycle through the undulating steppes, pass extinct volcanoes and the deep gorge of the Chulut River, explore a hidden monastery, stay at hot springs to rest your limbs and visit Mongolia’s oldest school.
Price Per Person: 2300 US $
Price Detail: Our trip fees are all inclusive once you have landed in Mongolia and cover most costs during your visit to Mongolia such as transport, accommodation, guides, food and specialized trip equipment. If there are any exceptions, it will be made clear in the trip itinerary before booking. What is not included in the trip fee? International air fares, airport taxes, excess luggage payments, medical and evacuation insurance, medical costs, visas, alcoholic beverages, extra meals and drinks apart from the scheduled breakfast – lunch – dinner, hotel room bills, costs resulting from delay in your international flights.
Dates: August 9-23
Day by Day:
August 9: Arrive in Ulaanbaatar (UB), overnight in standard hotel. August 10: Sightseeing in UB: Russian Friendship monument, Gandan Monastery with the Giant Buddha and Sukhbaatar Square. We will use the afternoon to assemble our bikes and load them for the next day’s departure.

August 11: We drive over one of Mongolia’s few sealed roads to Karakorum, the ancient capital of the Mongolian Empire and visit Erdene -Zuu, Mongolia’s biggest monastery built from the remains of the old capital. Overnight in a local ger-yurt camp.
August 12: We follow the Orkhon River upstream in its broad valley over fast earthen tracks to our first campsite in the steppe.

August 13: A short but steep climb brings us to the base of Tovkhon Heed, a famous and spectacular monastery situated on a cliff high of the forest floor. It was the retreat of Zanabazar who was the first Bogd Khan (Buddhist religious leader) of Mongolia. It has numerous small caves, some used by hermit monks, a footprint of Zanabazar in the rock and a high platform with a wide few over the adjacent mountains and valleys. We descend from the monastery back into the broad valleys and will camp again in the open steppe. August 14: We leave Ovorkhangai province and cycle into the heart of the Khangai mountains. In the late afternoon, we will arrive at the Tsenkher Hot Spring where we can rest and relax our muscles in the hot pools. Overnight in shared ger-yurts next to the hot pools. August 15: We had for Tsetserleg, described as Mongolia’s prettiest town and have lunch in a local café. In the afternoon the road climbs steeply to the top of the White Pass from where it is a long and fun downhill into the valley of the Ich Tamir river. We will camp beside the river near Taikhar Chuluu (literally: the big rock), a famous local landmark. The local population will surely tell us the origin of the rock, when a local hero squashed a huge serpent under it…
August 16: For most of the day we follow the Tamir River up. Today’s lunch stop is beside Khan Undur Brigade, which is home to Mongolia’s oldest school and was the site of a huge monastery, sadly destroyed in the purges of the 30’s. Now all that remains are mounts of rubble and the newly renovated 9 Stuppa Monument. Click here for a picture. Overnight in tents.
August 17: We are now in the valley of the Chulut river which we will follow downstream for the next 2 days. We pass the small town of Jargalant and camp somewhere beside the river.

August 18: After lunch we reach the gorge of the Chulut river, an impressive sight. We stop at the “tree with a 1000 branches” where all local drivers ask for a successful and safe journey. Overnight in tents near the gorge.

August 19: Today is our last day on the bikes. We need to cross the dusty volcanic plains before we reach the small town of Tariat, the gateway to Terkhin Tsagan Noor (The Great White Lake) National Park, described as Mongolia’s nicest lake. We check into a comfortable ger-yurt camp and enjoy our first shower for a while. Overnight in ger-yurts.

August 20: A free day to explore the lake shore and climb the now extinct Khorgo Volcano. It’s lave outflow created the lake and there are wide views from the top over the lake and the route we have just cycled on. Overnight again in gers.

August 21: A long drive from Tariat to a ger camp on the Mongol Els, the famous Mongolian sand dunes that stretch for hundreds of kilometers south from Arkhangai. Overnight in a ger camp.
August 22: Drive back to UB (5 hours). The afternoon is free for some last minute shopping. Overnight in a standard hotel.

August 23: Airport transfer to the flight home.
Guides Available: English/German language
Blue Bandana Expeditions

Blue Bandana has 10 years experience in Mongolia. We are a foreign invested Mongolian registered company. We source all our employees locally and have built up a great team who work with us on both a full-time and seasonal basis. Our combined language skills cover Mongolian, Russian, German, Kazakh, Czech and English. The team are all experienced in what they do and bring with them the necessary technical and soft skills to assist the adventure traveler and visitor with having the most memorable expedition to Mongolia.
Address: Po Box 308, Ulaanbaatar 46A / Office and Outdoor Shop THE SEVEN SUMMITS opposite the Central Post Office
Phone: 976 11 329456
Fax: 976 11 317923
E-mail: [email protected] This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Website: www.activemongolia.com