Itinerary Expand all Depart London. Depart London. Day 1 Start Ulaan Baatar. Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, transfer to the group hotel. Those not on the group flights will meet the group at the hotel. Bayangol Hotel or similar, Comfortable Hotel Arrive Ulaan Baatar. Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, transfer to the group hotel. Those not on the group flights will meet the group at the hotel. Comfortable Hotel Day 2 Morning sightseeing followed by a traditional Mongolian show; overnight train to Erdenet. This morning we start the day after breakfast with the trip briefing and then strike out on an introductory tour of Ulaanbaatar, including Sukhbaatar Square and Gandan Monastery. In the afternoon/evening, we enjoy a performance of traditional Mongolian song and dance by the world famous Tumen Ekh Troupe before boarding the overnight train to Erdenet in the early evening. Erdenet being Mongolia's third largest city and home to one of the largest copper mines in the world. Overnight in comfortable sleeping compartments on the train.Sleeper Train Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 3 Ride to Tal Tolgoi Well via the small township of Bugat; camp. Our train arrives early in the morning and our support vehicles and crew meet us and we leave town. After breakfast, we set up the bikes and head out towards the wilderness. The small township of Bugat makes a convenient lunch stop. After lunch, our route takes us over Chuluutiin Davaa, a long pass on which care must be taken as the surface is loose in parts. With a steep descent, we arrive at a long plain leading to tonight's camp near Tal Tolgoi Well. Cycle approx. 50km.Wild Camping Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 4 Cross Tuluugiin Pass; camp. After our first night near local herding families, we cycle through undulating country before descending to a bridge over the Altaan (Golden) River. Rock formations in the area hint towards a volcanic past. The riverbanks make an idyllic spot for a picnic lunch. It is a long steady climb to Tuluugiin Pass where the scenery changes dramatically as the forests give way to open steppe, at least for a while. Today is our longest cycling day on the trip. Cycle approx 70km.Wild Camping Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 5 Arhangai steppe ride through undulating country to open green valley below Mt. Khairkhan (1862m); camp. Today we pass through rolling hills, past small lakes and herds of horses. Steppe eagles can be seen in this area. We stop for lunch with views across the steppe. After lunch we continue on tracks around the southern side of Mt Khairkhan (1862m) and make camp in an open green valley beneath Kholbooriin pass (1649m). Cycle approx. 60km.Wild Camping Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 6 Short climb to cross Kholboogin Pass (1649m) before descending to Khairkhan Lake camp. The day begins with a bit of exertion as we make the short climb in the morning up to the pass, giving us far-reaching views across the countryside. Down the other side we wind along gentle river valleys before emerging at the township of Khairkhan. After lunch on the outskirts of town we pass a series of small lakes before choosing a camp for the night. Cycle approx. 50km.Wild Camping Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 7 Cycle up Khunjiin River Valley to camp beneath Mt. Chingeltei. Today we follow the Khunjiin River as it rises gently towards its headwaters. River valleys like this provide fertile pasture for grazing livestock and are popular campsites with local herders. Wetlands near the river attract birdlife, including demoiselle crane. Overnight in the upper reaches of the river valley, beneath Mt Chingeltei. Cycle approx. 60kmWild Camping Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 8 Short climb past the headwaters of the Khunjiin; descend into Tamir River Valley; camp near Great Rock of Ikh Tamir. After a short climb to the headwaters of Khunjiin River at Uran Khutul pass, it is downhill to the Tamir River where we have lunch on the banks. Near the river we will pass burial grounds dating back to 8th Century AD. We camp tonight on the banks of the Tamir, not far from Ikh Tamir, or 'Great Rock'. Locals say that if you can throw a rock over the rock, it will bring you good luck for the rest of the journey. Cycle approx. 60km.Wild Camping Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 9 Half-day ride to Tsetserleg; capital of Arhangai, afternoon free. Today is a half-day and we make a good start to make the most of the afternoon for a chance to rest. Gurviin Dava Pass is a long but steady ascent through forest for the most part, with a short steep climb at the end. Arriving at the provincial capital of Tsetserleg makes the effort well worthwhile. Tsetserleg means 'garden' and this township has one of the most attractive settings of any in Mongolia, nestled in a cul-de-sac of mountains. We pitch camp by the Tsetserleg River. The afternoon is free to relax, enjoy a hot shower and experience staying in a traditional Mongolian ger. Cycle approx. 45km. Ger Camp Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 10 Morning ride in foothills of the Khangai Mountains. We are now close to the Khangai Mountains and a short ride takes us to the foothills. The rolling country of Arhangai has been replaced by forested hills of larch and pine with dramatic alpine peaks in the distance. There are three short passes today, with lunch on the third before descending to tonight's camp. Ride approx. 50km.Wild Camping Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 11 Cycle across undulating steppe to Mt. Ondor Khairkhan (2312m). Our route now takes us into the heart of the Khangai Mountains, following well-marked 4WD trails. Herders still inhabit the valleys, yet yaks have replaced cows as the milk-producing animals. We follow picturesque valleys and camp beneath Mt Ondor Khairkhan (2312m). A relatively long day that can be challenging if conditions are windy. Cycle approx. 60km.Wild Camping Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 12 Ride the Khangai Mountain Range on good jeep tracks; descend to Orkhon River Valley. Today we cross the Khangai Mountain range on good jeep tracks and drop down to the Orkhon River on the longest, smoothest descent of the journey. This Orkhon River flows to the ancient capital, Karakorum, then on to Lake Baikal in Russia and further northwards to the Artic Ocean. After lunch we continue downstream to our overnight camp on the river banks. Overnight camp by the Orkhon River. Cycle approx 50km.Wild Camping Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 13 Ride to Karakorum and Erdene Zuu Monastery; overnight in traditional ger camp. We ride out from camp following undulating terrain, crossing and recrossing the Orkhon River as we make a beeline for the fertile plain chosen by Genghis Khan as the location for the capital city of his empire. 'Karakorum' is derived from a Turkic language and means black rock, and shares this name with mountains in Pakistan. Arriving in the ancient capital in the early afternoon, we check into the Karakorum ger camp for hot showers and a well-earned rest. This afternoon we head out to explore Erdene Zuu Monastery, the largest and most famous monastery in Mongolia. Built in 1586 under the direction of Abtai Khan on the ruins of the ancient capital, much of the monastery was destroyed during Stalinist purges of the 1930's, but an impressive wall with 108 stupas and a number of temples still remain. We spend the night in traditional Mongolian gers.Cycle approx. 35km.Ger Camp Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 14 Drive to Ulaan Baatar, visit sand dunes at Mongol Els; free afternoon. We make a good start this morning for the 400km drive back to Ulaanbaatar. Travelling at an easy pace, we stop at the Mongol Els to view the sand dunes. Picnic lunch along the way. Check into our hotel on arrival in Ulaanbaatar - hot showers and cold beers!Bayangol Hotel or Similar, Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Days 15-16 Naadam Festival The Naadam Festival celebrates the ‘three games of men’ (or Erin Gurvan Naadam) which are wrestling, horse-racing and archery. More recently a fourth game, knuckle-bone flicking was added to the competitions. The festival is celebrated throughout the country but the biggest festival is in Ulaan Baatar. Over the next two days we attend the grand opening ceremony before we watch Mongolians compete in all four sports. We also get to mingle with hordes of Mongolian spectators as the grounds around the stadium (where wrestling, archery and bone-flicking takes place) and the horse races are filled with stands selling food, games, flags and various other things. The atmosphere is a big part of the experience and many Mongolians dress in their best traditional clothes for the occasion. In 2010 the festival was entered into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list and is great celebration of the Central Asian nation’s culture.Bayangol Hotel or similar, Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 17 End Ulaan Baatar. Those on the group flights will be taken to the airport early for their flight back. For other travellers the trip ends after breakfast. Fly to London. Those on the group flights will be taken to the airport early for their flight back. For other travellers the trip ends after breakfast.
Mongolia All nationalities require a full passport that must be valid for 6 months beyond the intended length of stay. It is your responsibility to have the correct personal documents and to obtain your own visa, if one is necessary, in accordance with the regulations of the country you are to visit. The information below is primarily for UK passport holders, and other nationalities should check with their travel agent or the relevant embassies. We are not responsible for the actions of local immigration and customs officials, whether at points of entry or otherwise, and any subsequent effects. Almost all nationalities, including British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand, require a single entry visa for Mongolia. If you think you may be exempt you must check requirements with your local authorities or your agent. The current cost of a visa for British Citizens is £50 and further information can be found here. American passport holders are offered 30 days visa-free entry to Mongolia on presentation of a valid passport at the time of entry. Visa regulations can change without notice: please check the current regulations in good time to obtain a visa if one is required.
Mongolia There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are: Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A. Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for Dengue, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Camping, Hotels, Mongolian Gers & Sleeper Train Most of the trip is spent wild particapatory camping and you will be asked to put up and take down your own tents. A toilet tent is put up at lunch and in the evening and a shower tent is put up when not camping near a stream (you should bring bio-soap for washing in streams as well as wet-wipes). When we stay in the ger camp these are comfortable yurt-type felt tents with beds inside and shared bathrooms. The hotel in Ulaanbaator is comfortable with en suite bathrooms. The sleeper trains have 4 berths per compartment. There may occasions when we replace a night camping with a Ger stay should local circumstances, such as the weather, dictate it. Single Supplement If you prefer to have your own room, please request a single supplement at the time of booking. Availability is limited and these cannot be guaranteed however when available a single supplement will cover all nights of the tour with the exception of the sleeper train, which is shared with 4 berths per cabin.
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Reviewed July 2019 Linda Cunningham Trip: Cycling in Mongolia - Naadam Festival Special Departure Perfect Adventure I can not recommend this adventure enough: Mongolia is a special country and Exodus provided the ideal adventure to highlight all aspects of Mongolia and Mongolian life. We aren’t really mountain bikers but the biking was superb - not particularly easy - but truly enjoyable in terms of terrain, scenery and fun riding. We aren’t really campers - but have to admit it was kinda enjoyable in the end 😎. Food on the trip was exceptional - we were v well fed: breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon snack, substantial dinner. Ghana and her assistant certainly kept us well fed. We even had a shower and a proper sit down toilet on camp 😎. The whole Mongolian support team were superb and NK - our guide - was a special guy. Knowledgable, funny, kind and considerate - he really made our adventure special. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Biking along with a herd of Mongolian horses zooooming alongside us was pretty special. Although the laugh we had playing football v Mongolian team was hilarious 😆 What did you think of your group leader? NK was superb: can’t fault him in anyway. Knowledgeable, funny, cheerful, friendly and v capable. He made our adventure special. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Get out on your mountain bike and get away on this adventure: you’ll love it. I’d highly recommend going on the Naadam departure. Is there anything else you would like to add? This is a v special holiday. Mongolia was special, NK and his team were special. Naadam Festival was exciting and fun and I felt Exodus has pulled out all the stops to make the Festival experience great for us.
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