Khangai Mountain Biking Tour
Khangai Mountain Biking Tour
12 Nights / 13 Days from $ 0 per person
Limited to 6 guests
CALL 80998089
or speak to your travel professional
INCLUDED:
2 nights in a 4 star hotel (twin+breakfasts)
1 nights in a local hotel at Arvaikheer town (twin+breakfasts)
3 overnight in ger camps (twin & triple)
6 tented nights (twin)
Camping and cooking equipment
All indicated meals+bottled drinking water outside of Ulaanbaatar
2 dinners in Ulaanbaatar
Extra snacks and drinks on cycling days
4WD Russian vans (with roof racks for bikes') as passenger vehicles + gasoline
4WD light kitchen truck for 13+ pax
Arrival & departure airport transfers
English speaking guide with an assistant
Cook
Assistant cook from 7pax
Advanced quality hard tail mountain bikes + spare parts + tools
Itinerary related sightseeing fees in both Ulaanbaatar and countryside
National park fees
Itinerary at a Glance
Ulaanbaatar
Arvaikheer
Arvaikheer – SE Khangai Foothills Hills
SE Khangai Foothills – Shargaljuut River
Shargaljuut River - Khebel Pass – Morin Valley
Morin valley - Oromtiin Pass - Khukhiin Pass
Khukhiin Pass - Khol Sayiin Pass – N.Tamir River
N.Tamir River – S.Tamir River
N.Tamir River – Tsenkher Hot Springs
Tsenkher Hot Springs - Orkhon Valley
Orkhon Valley – Karakorum
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Welcome to
Mongolia! We meet at 1 pm to take a guided tour of Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia’s
capital is home to many unique sites, including the The central city square
with a grand statue of Genghis Khan and Sukhbaatar statue placed at the center
as well. Museum of National History is located right next to the square will
introducing Mongolia's history from early humans to modern era. Then choose to
visit one or two museums from the following: 1. Choijin Lama or State Oracle
Residence-museum displaying best samples of Buddhist artwork and religious
masks. 2 The Fine Arts Zanabazar Museum displays old arts including Buddhist arts, painting, folk arts and
crafts, sculptures, carvings and embroideries. A special treat is in store for
you this evening as well, a unique show of contortion and throat singing.
Arvaikheer
We load in 4WD expedition vans which have special racks for
carrying bikes and drive west of UB on rough tarmac across vast open steppes
with rolling hills in the background. Around mid afternoon we arrive to a place
known as the “little Gobi”. This is a spectacular combination of hilly steppes,
granite formations and extensive sand dunes. Here we can go for an optional
dune walk or a short camel ride while lunch is prepared. We drive onto the provincial capital of Arvaikheer where we spend
the night.
Arvaikheer – SE Khangai Foothills Hills
A two hour transfer brings us close to the SE foothills of
the Khangai range that covers nearly a fifth of the country’s territory. We
start cycling towards the range through a region dominated by dome shaped
mountains, mixed woods, clear streams and lush grassy valleys that receive abundant rainfall compared to all other parts of Mongolia. We overnight at our first
tented camp. Tented Camp. Ride 40 km.
Ascent 267 m/Descent 281 m.
SE Khangai Foothills – Shargaljuut River
We start biking with an ascent along a mountain river
before a challenging zigzag up to a 2911m pass and a breathtaking view of the
Gobi desert that lies towards south of the range. A 500m descent most of which
is gentle brings us to Shargaljuut river valley inhabited by local herders who
graze large flocks of yaks and horses. Dinner and overnight in tents. Tented Camp. Ride 45 km.
Ascent 910 m/Descent 675 m.
Shargaljuut River - Khebel Pass – Morin Valley
The day begins with a quick breakfast and a gentle ride
past herds of yaks and local nomads. The first pass is not too steep but still
offers a bit of a challenge. This is followed by a 200 meter descent and a
steep climb to a lunch spot on the top of the Khebel pass. A swift descent is
followed by a climb up a grassy track to the top of Morin Pass. Another swift
downhill brings us to a beautiful camp site by the river. Tented Camp. Ride 33 km. Ascent 798 m/Descent 651 m.
Morin valley - Oromtiin Pass - Khukhiin Pass
The day starts with a gentle climb towards Oromtiin Pass.
By the time you get there, you will have to prepare your legs for a long climb
followed by a fast descent to a river by which a lunch will be served. 15 more
km across grassy plains with easy ups and downs and on some rough and rocky
surfaces brings us to Khukhiin Pass, a short but vertical climb to 2800meters.
The following descent is at first challenging but soon smooths out into a
large valley. Then it’s an exhilarating downhill to our camp site. Tented Camp. Ride 38 km. Ascent 708 m/Descent 774 m.
Khukhiin Pass - Khol Sayiin Pass – N.Tamir River
This morning we ride for 25km along the main river of
Khangai that flows south in to the Gobi desert and forms a large saline lake.
Then to avoid a rocky and jarring track we’ll transfer 70 km (3 hours) across
the main water divide of the Khangai range and unload bikes 13km before our
overnight campsite. It’s a downhill descent, no pedaling required, to our camp
at an idyllic spot by the river. Tented Camp. Ride 38 km.
Ascent 132 m/Descent 331 m.
N.Tamir River – S.Tamir River
Riding surface improves dramatically from today on. It is
hard-packed and fast. Leaving the valley, you’ll encounter a series of short
but steep passes with excellent descents to more smooth ground. Your last
descent of the day will take you to the settlement of Bulgan and then to the
South Tamir river. We take a break from our tents and overnight in a cozy ger
camp. Ger Camp. Ride 64
km. Ascent 686 m/Descent 994 m.
N.Tamir River – Tsenkher Hot Springs
Only 22km and half a day riding to Tsenkher river, famous for its
hot spring baths. 3 short climbs and we aim to reach them
before lunch. 2 pools filled with hot mineral water await you. A relaxing
massage is offered at a small additional charge. After lunch we ride horse 2
hours. Overnight in a ger camp. Ger Camp. Ride 22
km. Ascent 452 m/Descent 400 m.
Tsenkher Hot Springs - Orkhon Valley
This isn’t an easy day as there are
five passes that vary in length from 2.5 km to 11.5 km and we gain the most
elevation of the entire trip, 1250m. Good news is that the track today is a
pleasure as we cover 78 kilometers of smooth, hard, and packed surfaces on your
way to the Orkhon river valley. This area contains many ancient graves and
historical sites and is often referred to as the cradle of Mongolian
civilization. We set up camp our last tented camp on the banks of the Orkhon
river. Tented
Camp. Ride 79 km. Ascent 1,211 m/Descent 1,239 m.
Orkhon Valley – Karakorum
We saved the best for last! Your final day of
cycling promises to be an exciting one with an eastward journey along the
Orkhon river to Karakorum where the 2nd son of Chinggis Khan built the capital of the
Mongol Empire in early 13th century. There are no
major ascents today, just lots of small undulations, and we are losing altitude
the entire ride, making it a fast day. Immediately after arrival to our ger
camp we visit Karakorum. Largely an experiment of city building in a per-dominantly
nomadic society, it never became a fully functional capital before it was
demolished by invading Chinese Min Dynasty troops in late 14th century. Today
the main attraction here is the monastery museum of Erdene Zuu established in
16th century by a Mongol khan as part of introduction of Buddhism as the main
religion. The monastery then suffered almost a complete destruction during the
anti-religion campaigns of 1930-ies with just a dozen of temples surviving till
present. Spend some time in the peaceful premises of the monastery and take a
glance at a few surviving artifacts of the old capital. And finally visit the
new Karakorum museum - a fantastic collection of artifacts and of historical
data that has continually been replenished by new findings and discoveries. We
return to the ger camp for showers, dinner and overnight. Ger Camp. Ride 72 km. Ascent 747 m/Descent 1,161 m.
Ulaanbaatar
It’s
time to return to Ulaanbaatar! After a quick breakfast you’ll drive 6 hours to
Mongolia’s capital and the rest of the day will be free to explore the city or
to just rest before dinner.
Ulaanbaatar
As
you eat your last breakfast in Mongolia and prepare for your return trip home,
take the time to reflect on all that you witnessed and experienced in this
amazing country.