Motorbike Adventure through Mongolia

Motorbike tour through Mongolia - Khangai

The tour leads into the Khangai Mountains in the centre of Mongolia in the ‘Archangai’ region. On this trip we ride through beautiful facets of the Mongolian landscape; endless meadows, dry steppe, rugged mountains, a sand dune and even forest! Out of the big city of Ulan-Baator and off the tarmac into the steppe towards the south-east. Relaxed off-roading on dirt tracks with gentle hills awaits you until we reach the Mongol Els dune. We ride around this to the north until we reach Lake Ogij Nuur. An impressive change of scenery awaits us as we ride first to the hot spring of Zencher and then into the nature reserve at Terchijn Zagaan Nuur. This unique landscape was formed by volcanic eruptions and includes a large lake, extinct craters, basalt columns and gravel fields. From the north we now have to cross the central mountain massif to the south and we will almost reach the 3000m mark. On the southern edge of the mountain range, we head east again through bizarre rocky landscapes and past the Shargalzhuut hot spring. The most difficult stage awaits us at Naiman Nuur and on the way to the beautiful Orchon valley we reach the large waterfall after a few river crossings. Kharkorin with the famous Erdene Zuu monastery awaits us downstream on the Orkhon. Finally, we travel through the endless expanse of the steppe until we arrive back in Ulan-Baator.

The tour runs approx. 2400 km

20% on-road 480 km

80% off-road 1920 km

Itinerary of the motorbike tour through Mongolia:

Day 1: Arrival in Ulaanbaatar

After the long flight, you arrive in Ulaanbaatar in the morning. Experience shows that jet lag is a problem, so we first take a taxi to the accommodation and have a coffee.

Once all participants have arrived, a short city tour awaits you with visits to the Gandan Monastery, the Winter Palace, the Soviet Monument with an overview of the city and the Chijin Lama Monastery in the city centre. In the evening we will have dinner together and discuss the tour.

Day 2: Out of civilisation and into the steppe to the first sand dune:

In the morning, we set off on the enduro through the central mountains of Mongolia - Khangai and get our motorbikes and support vehicle ready to leave the city in a south-westerly direction in the morning. The route takes us along the Tuul River until shortly before the first dune ‘Mongol Els’. We set up camp in a beautiful little mountain range on the edge of the dune.

Approx. 280 km

Day 3: Erdene Kamp Monastery - bathing in the Zencher hot spring 

We drive north along the Mongol Els to the tarred road Ulan-Baator - Kharakorum. If you feel like playing in the sandpit after breakfast, you can let off steam in the Mongol Els. Otherwise we drive round the dune and make a detour to the Erdene Kamp monastery, which is idyllically situated in the Khogno Khan mountains. From here we head north to Ogij Nuur, a blue mountain lake. The more hardened can jump into the water and wash off the dust. After a little refreshment, we continue westwards through the hilly lake shore until we reach the foothills at Zencher. Slightly irritated by the Alpine scenery, we jump into the hot spring in the evening and enjoy the mountain panorama.

Approx. 290 km

Day 4: Zencher spring - Khorgo volcanic landscape 

After a short drive, we reach the district capital of Zerzerleg. We go shopping there and maybe even find some fresh vegetables at the market. Heading west, we cross a mountain ridge and reach the wondrous ‘Taikhar Chuluu’ rock formations at Ikh Tamir. On a well-built tarred road, we pass the impressive Chuluut Gol gorge and get a foretaste of the volcanic landscape of Terchijn Zagaan Nuur National Park, our destination for the day.

Our final destination for the day is a romantically situated valley in front of the extinct volcano Khorgo.

Approx. 200 km

Day 5: From the volcano to the foot of the Khangai Mountains 

We will use the morning to climb the volcano and enjoy the view over the basalt gravel field. We will also visit the Yellow Dog Cave and the Ice Cave (both collapsed caves). We then drive to Zagaan Nuur (the white lake) and drive around it on dirt tracks northwards until we cross the tarmac road again at the end of the national park. From now on it's really into the mountains! After the first water crossing, the mountains begin, we refuel man and machine in Changai and look for a nice campsite by the river Urd Terchijn Gol near Ondorboorog.

Approx. 120 km

Day 6: Crossing the mountains between three thousand metre peaks

Today we will cross the mountains and almost break the 3000 metre mark. We continue upstream along the river and after the pass we come down to Gurvanbulag, the westernmost point of our journey. From here we drive eastwards through the impressive mountain landscape, where we set up camp at the Goose Gorge.

Approx. 240 km

Day 7: Mountain festival in the Goose Gorge

Half-time of our journey and a day of relaxation. We have time to recharge our batteries, explore the unique mountain landscape with the oldest rocks in Mongolia or take a short excursion to Mandal Monastery, one of the few monasteries that was not destroyed during the communist era.

Day 8: Hard enduro to the lake district 

Freshly rested, we dedicate ourselves to the toughest part of our enduro tour today. First we head to the district capital of Bayanchongor and from there to the Shargalzhuut hot spring. We cycle up the river until we reach the difficult pass. Now it's a relaxed downhill ride to Uyanga, but from there tough terrain awaits us once again until we reach Naiman Nuur, a lake district high in the mountains.

Approx. 290 km

Day 9: From the 8 lakes to the waterfall 

Unfortunately, the passage from Naiman Nuur into the Orchon Valley is not passable, which is why we cycle back down the valley to Uyanga. From there we head north through a gold-mining valley into the lush green Alpine idyll to Bat-Olsij, where we meet the Orkhon River. We cycle up the basalt lava valley to the Ulaan-Gol waterfall and return to the ger camp. We have the rest of the day to explore the waterfall and make extensive use of the camp's hot showers.

Approx. 130 km

Day 10: Through the Orkhon Valley to Erdene Zuu Monastery 

Today we drive through the bizarre lava and basalt landscape of the Orkhon Valley until we reach the former capital of Mongolia, Kharkorin. Kharkorin was founded in the time of Djingis Khaan and is famous for the imposing monastery ‘Erdene Zuu’. This huge monastery complex is a must-see on any trip to Mongolia and allows you to delve deeper into the country's history. We will spend the night in a ger camp beautifully situated above the city

Approx. 100 km

Day 11: Out of the mountains, into the steppe:

We leave the central mountain massif behind us and finish our journey far into the Mongolian steppe. We head steadily south-east until we reach the provincial town of Delgerchaan. Shortly before the town, we pass through a range of hills where we look for a nice place to spend the night.

Approx. 210 km

Day 12: Through the steppe to the castle ruins :

We continue to cross the steppe and will now get a small impression of the Gobi Desert, which is not much further south. The land becomes very dry and the vegetation is minimal. In the evening we reach a monastery complex made of slate that was built and destroyed ages ago. After the visit, we continue for another 30 kilometres through increasingly rugged rocky landscapes until we reach a ger camp in an enchanting valley basin.

Approx. 220 km

Day 13: One last time at 90 kilometres through the steppe :

Today we're only travelling northwards through the steppe. Super roads also allow speeds of around 90 km/h, which is why we will feel civilisation again in the late afternoon. In the evening, we enjoy the city life of Ulan-Baator once again at a farewell dinner and then say goodbye to the country and the drivers in a cosy get-together.

Approx. 265 km