Mongolia is justifiably one of the last unspoilt destinations in the world. Home to beautiful natural surroundings filled with diverse and distinctive plant life, the country welcomes you to experience a variety of landscapes and wildlife habitats. In addition, contrary to other nations on the planet, horses rule the country, roam the plains, and even outnumber the Mongolian population!
Great team of support people. The cook, the cycling guide, the translator/guide & drivers were all great. The bicycles were in great shape and when I got a flat (from racing down a mountain & hitting a rock hard) the guide (Turru) quickly replaced the tube and got me back on the trail.
Mongolia was such a pleasant surprise with beautiful scenery and friendly industrious people and comfortable infrastructure.
DestinationsMongolia
Tour MeetsUlaanbaatar
Fly in toChinggis Khaan International Airport (ULN)
Group Size2-16 riders
SpiceRoads jerseyWater bottleSupport vehicleGuide(s)Meals (as indicated)AccommodationBike and helmetSnacks and drinks
International flightsDomestic flightsAirport pick upAirport drop offVisa feesAlcoholTips
This trip is recommended for confident and physically fit riders looking for a challenging experience with a variety of off-road activities. At times, the experience may seem daunting, but the rewards for your determination are priceless and will provide lasting memories once you decide to get moving!
This multi-activity exploration will cover 218 km in six adventure-packed days, and you are sure to experience practically everything that epitomises Mongolia: wide open plains, short steep climbs followed by long downhill stretches, gushing rivers, compressed earthy terrain, and dirt trails mainly used by wild animals and herders. Those with outdoor spirit will surely maximise their time out of this adventure-packed expedition.
Suitability: The majority of this trip takes place off road, so we recommend that participants are physically fit and confident riding on rough terrain. There is one tough trek, and again, a moderate level of physical fitness will be an asset.
Biking Conditions: The off-road portions of this trip are complimented by flat, hard-packed terrain. While the trails are generally smooth, some passes have loose gravel and sandy patches that could prove hazardous to riders. Additionally, some of the descents can be rocky.
Upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar, we meet at the hotel for a trip briefing and later take a tour around the Mongolian capital. The highlight is the Gandan Monastery, housing the the Megzhid Janraisig, a massive 80-ft tall gold-plated Buddha image. Other attractions include the central Sukhbaatar Square, which features an equestrian statue of Damdin Sükhbaatar, a leader of Mongolia's 1921 revolution, and the Natural History Museum with its dinosaur skeletons. We meet up for a Mongolian dinner before resting for an early start the next day.
Bayangol Hotel
DinnerWe rise early and transfer from the capital on tarmac road to the start of our adventure. Mounting our bikes, we ride up to a small pass where three water catchments meet. The challenge awaits us in the very last part of the ride as the climb, although short, is quite steep – 1,930 m – and sure to get you out of the saddle! However, the reward is a swooping downhill followed by a gradual ascent across open steppe grassland to stay the night in a tented camp adjacent to the Tuul River.
Tented CampBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 60kmWe have another adventurous ride ahead of us today, although with less overall ascents. We cycle past occasional encampments of traditional felt-walled tents of herders and their large flocks of sheep and goats, and, on occasions, horses. High up at a major pass at 1887 m, we are rewarded with exhilarating panoramic views before enjoying a swift downhill alongside a stream. Here the track is a bit rocky with small river rocks, and, as we’ll be doing some small stream crossings today, so be prepared to get your feet wet. Then, we call it a day at a cosy riverside camp after crossing the Tuul River. This is a gateway to the Khan Khenty, a spectacular land of wooded mountains that mark the southern edge of the Siberian Taiga.
Tented CampBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerRide 60kmWe switch to trekking along the Sutsadav Ridge, with spectacular views of vast valleys with serene countryside and lush forests covering the hillsides in every direction we look. Winding our way on single trails made by wild animals and local herding horsemen, we climb to altitudes ranging from 1,600 -1,900 m. Up on the high point embraced by beautiful granite boulders and wildflowers, we stop for one of the most scenic snack breaks ever and descend to lunch and camp at the foothill of the 2,656-m Altan Olgii Mountain, which is our next day's challenge.
Tented CampBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerRide 11kmWe tackle the most rewarding challenge of the tour by climbing Altan Olgii Mountain, on the edge of the pristine Siberian Range. The last frontier of human habitation, it is covered in dense woods and home to abundant wildlife, such as bears, wolves, deer, and sables, to name just a few, and, at 2,600 m above sea level, will blow us away with the endless sea of mountains and forests. We return to our camp for dinner and a well-deserved rest after the memorable seven-hour trekking adventure.
Tented CampBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerRide 26kmWe switch mode again, this time to a time-honoured local tradition and trek on Mongolian horses to the confluence of the Tuul and Terelj Rivers. Though small in stature, these horses have roamed the country for centuries and even outnumber the human population! Our stocky buddies are trained in a way quite different from those in the West and respond to a different set of commands and behaviour from the rider. But don't worry, our local riding guides will instruct and accompany you when riding to ensure your safety. In addition, the terrain is flat, allowing you to enjoy a good riding pace all the way to our last night in a tented camp, where you might be lucky to sample horse milk and cheese during dinner.
Tented CampBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerRide 35kmWe ride our horses downstream along the scenic Tuul River and continue beyond its confluence with the Terelj River before wading the latter. Once across the Terelj, we enter Terelj National Park, a spectacular bowl of wooded mountains and interesting-looking granite formations such as the “Turtle Rock” and the “Praying Lama Rock.” For the night, we settle in a Mongolian camp that comprises of traditional felt-covered gers, or yurts.
Ger CampBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerRide 26kmAfter breakfast, we transfer back to Ulaanbaatar. Then you are free to explore the capital or relax after the long journey. We gather again in the evening for a farewell dinner made complemented by a fascinating Mongolian folk concert.
Banyagol HotelBreakfast, DinnerSpend more time exploring Mongolia or catch your onward flight.
BreakfastDisclaimer: The adventure cycling tours we operate often go beyond the beaten track, and the countries where we ride are not always predictable. Due to these reasons, it is occasionally necessary to reroute or update itineraries. Our guarantee is that we will not change a trip unless for safety or to improve it. Our listed hotels are always accurate at the time of writing, but should we have to change any hotel, it will always be for a similar or better one.
The bikes are mountain bikes with disc-brakes, Shimano components and front suspension.
If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a mountain bike, preferably with front suspension, in good mechanical order.
Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.
Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.
You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.
For more information see here.
Visa regulations in Mongolia can and do change without notice, so please give yourself enough time to check the current regulations to ensure you have the proper documents before embarking on this trip. If you are transiting through China, please check if a transit visa is required or not.
Recommended vaccinations include typhoid, polio, tetanus and Hepatitis A. A certificate for Yellow Fever is required if arriving from an infected area within the prior six days. This is not a malarial area. Please speak to your doctor/physician for the most recent information.
Mongolia is home to extreme weather conditions that are constantly changing. Summertime occurs during the months of June, July, and August and daytime temperatures range from 20 to 30 degrees C (15 degrees in the evenings). This is also the rainy season, so plan on getting wet during your two-week adventure. Autumn begins in September, with daytime temperatures of 15 to 25 degrees C (5 to 10 degrees in the evenings). During the winter, temperatures in Mongolia can drop to -40 degrees C, however snow can fall at any given time of the year. For this reason, please be prepared for cold weather and bring appropriate clothing.
Meals are included in the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, and D = dinner. Most meals will be prepared by the cooking team on the support staff and feature Western-style cuisine with a sampling of Mongolian food. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.
Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer and alcohol are NOT included in the price.
SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for travelling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveller of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.
We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars a day for incidentals. Included entrance fees are those for the listed sites and national parks that are part of the itinerary. Any other site fees are not included.
The Mongolian currency is the tögrög (T). Dollars can be changed at banks and exchange offices in Ulaanbaatar. There are ATMs in the capital which accept Visa and MasterCard and work most of the time, but it is best to have a debit card linked to your bank account. Remember to change all your tögrög when leaving the country as it’s worthless elsewhere.
If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:
Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.
You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.
There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.
From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).
If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.
Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.
We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.
The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.
In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.
In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.
The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.
If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).
If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).
Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.
If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.
The information in this document is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however, we will always do our best to adhere to this original itinerary
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It was a great trip overall. Nice job with arrangements and adjusting to the group's needs and unexpected weather, etc. I felt confident that we were well looked after. Thanks for a great holiday!