Cycling through the Homeland of Nomads

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Our representative will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to a 4-star hotel within the city center. Meet at the hotel lobby in the evening and attend a 6 p.m. show of traditional music, throat singing, and contortion followed by a welcome dinner and tour briefing.

Our guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel early in the morning and drive towards Amarbayasgalant monastery. In the afternoon, we will arrive at the 18^th century Amarbayasgalant monastery which was built for Zanabazar, who was the leader of Mongolian Buddhism, artist and teacher. It is one of the three largest Buddhist monastic centers in Mongolia. Our kitchen team will set up camp while you visit the monastery.

After breakfast, the mountain biking guide will give a brief introduction about the cycling trip and do adjustments on selected bikes. The daily cycling consists of three main stops: tea-break, lunch, and camping. A support vehicle with a bike rack, spare parts and drinking water will always stay close to the group. If you get tired, you can just load your bike and hop into the car. Today we cycle 65 km easy ups and downs between surrounding wooded hills on hard-packed dirt road. Today’s camping spot is located after passing today’s highest point of 1,415 m above sea level, riding down along a valley with a small river.

Today we cycle 71 km on a smooth dirt path along wooded hills which is the southern edge of the Siberian taiga ecosystem. This area is one of the biggest agricultural regions in Mongolia, so we will pass a few farming fields. After passing two small villages, we will cycle along the Selenge river, which is one of Mongolia’s largest rivers and set up camp near this river.

Today is our last cycling day through the woods. We cycle for 77 km through picturesque scenery scattered with wildflowers among the natural carpet of greenery.

Today we cycle into Saikhan village in Bulgan province. This region is famous throughout Mongolia for its quality of airag – fermented mare’s milk. You can visit a local herder family to learn about how to make airag and taste it.

Today we will cycle along the Orkhon river. Since Mongolia has four seasons with extreme climate, nomads try to choose the best pastures depending on given conditions to live on and take care of their herds of livestock. During the summer, many Mongolian nomads set up their felt homes near rivers. You will get a glimpse of modern nomadic lifestyle which has not changed much for hundreds of years.

Today is our longest cycling day starting with a climb up towards a hilltop reaching 1,634 m above sea level. From here you will get a great view of open grassland dotted with herds of livestock and Mongolian nomadic dome-shaped white felt gers. After rolling downhill for approximately 30 km, we will erect our camp near the Tamir river.

After breakfast, start cycling up a pass then bike through the rolling steppe following the Tamir river. Towards the end of the day, we cycle up to the northern part of the Khangai Mountain range which extends northwest-southeast for about 700 km with wooded mountains and lush meadows in central Mongolia. After a total of 63 km today, we will reach Tsenher hot spring. Upon arrival, we settle into a tourist ger camp where you can relax in a pool filled with hot spring water. You may as well receive a relaxing body massage at a small additional fee.

After getting refreshed at the hot spring, we continue cycling to Tsagaan Sum (White Temple) valley through a mountainous area. Early on, we cycle up and pass two small passes at 1,872 and 1,848 meters above sea level. Then pedal gradually up to the third pass of 2,030 m above sea level at around the 40^th km. We will reach our grassland camp spot between hills after a pleasant 15 km downhill.

Today will start with a climb up a pass and gradual downhill will be the reward. We will cycle along the Orkhon River valley. Referred to as the cradle of nomadic culture, Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with incredible scenery and interesting historical attractions. The high concentration of nomadic families within this valley allows you to meet locals, visit their felt homes, taste dairy foods, and learn more about their lifestyle.

Although today’s distance is only about 31 km, we climb up a hill in the early 10 km. Then we continue with easy pedaling through Orkhon valley to Kharkhorin, which is a newer town named after the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire which once existed here. Kharkhorum was founded in 1220 by Chinggis Khan and completed by his second son and successor Ugudei Khan in 1235. It was a multi-cultural city along the Silk Road facilitating trade and exchange of ideas between eastern and western cultures in the 13^th century. Nowadays, the main attraction here is the Erdene Zuu monastery-museum, built from the ruins of Kharkhorum in the 16^th century as an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism as the main religion in Mongolia by Avtai Sain Khan. The monastery complex was damaged several times in the past but suffered almost complete destruction during the anti-religion Communist Purge of the 1930s, only a few temples and surrounding walls with stupas remain. Stay overnight at a tourist ger camp.

Load bikes onto the support vehicle(s) and drive to Ulaanbaatar. Have lunch on the way. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel and rest until farewell dinner.

Our guide and driver will transfer you to the airport for your departure flight.