Mongolia: Altai Tavan Bogd National Park - Bike Tour
14 Day Camping Tour
Tour Information
If you are looking for a bicycling experience that truly takes you away from it all, then western Mongolia awaits you. This tour explores Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, whose unspoiled, rugged landscapes call for super-sturdy fat tire bikes. You’ll be surrounded by snow-draped mountains and glaciers, alpine lakes and rivers, and grassy steppes and pastures. And you’ll get to witness a traditional Kazakh wedding with wrestling and horse racing.
Reality check. This trip calls for a high degree of ease and tolerance with back country travel, from sharing a tented toilet that sits over a hole in the ground to embracing the possibility of snow and the certainty of mosquitoes to understanding that serious medical attention is at least a day away. But if sleeping in tents and gers (similar to yurts) and leaving behind wifi, electricity and cell service ignite your wilderness passions, then brave the wild and join us!
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The tour is guaranteed and has only one or a couple spaces left.
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Low mileage on slow, fat tire bikes over varied terrain, from hard-packed dirt roads and animal tracks to untrodden steppes and rocky, wet or icy surfaces. Moderate cycling level for a reasonably fit and confident cyclist.
13 nights lodging (4 in hotels and 9 in tents and gers), in-country air travel, all meals, snacks, and water, luggage transfer, SAG support, camping equipment, vehicular support, bike rental, and trained English-speaking guides and translator.
A hybrid fat tire bike is included in the cost of the tour. No e-bikes.
Accommodations are subject to minor changes.
13 nights lodging (4 in hotels and 9 in tents and gers)
Fly into and out of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Where can I get travel insurance?
Consider purchasing a plan with Allianz Travel Insurance. Be sure to enter ACCAM code #F027213 to identify yourself as a WomanTours traveler when securing your insurance. The cost will depend on several factors, including your age, state of residence, and length and location of your tour.
For more information please visit the Allianz Travel Insurance website
Tour Itinerary
DAY 1: We’ll meet at the Ulaanbaatar airport and take a shuttle to our nearby hotel, where we’ll enjoy an orientation before our first dinner together.
No matter where you are coming from, the flight to Mongolia will be a long one, so we require arriving at least one day early to adjust to the time zone and elevation changes and to prevent missing tomorrow’s morning flight.
Tucked in Mongolia’s north-central interior, Ulaanbaatar has a cool reputation. In fact, it’s the coldest national capital in the world, though in July it should be comfortably in the 70s during the day.
Take time to explore the sites, such as Gandantegchinlen Monastery, the country’s largest active Buddhist monastery; the National Museum of Mongolia, where you can take a guided tour in English; or Sukhbaatar Square and nearby Government Palace, with its noble statues of Ogedei Kah, Kublai Khan, and Genghis Khan. 0 miles.
DAY 2: Mongolia is a big country—almost the size of Alaska—so we start the day with a three-hour flight to the western city of Olgii. Our guides will stock up with provisions to last us the rest of the tour, as this is the final time we will see a grocery store. Then, we’ll drive to the breathtaking Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, where the adventure truly begins.
DAY 3: Let’s start riding those fat tire bikes! Destination: Kurghan Lake, a pristine, crystal-clear lake formed by meltwater from the surrounding Altai Mountains. The fishing here is sublime, with grayling, trout and lenok, and if luck comes our way, some fresh-caught fish could appear for lunch or dinner during our time here.
Expect to see some well-preserved petroglyphs today, as there are more than 10,000 throughout the park. They picture wildlife, such as argali sheep and snow leopards from ancient times, that still roam the landscape. Home will be the tent you pitch on the white sandy beach of nearby Khoton Lake. Approx. 15 miles/5 hours.
DAY 4: Today’s ride is along the northeast flank of Khoton Lake, surrounded by the snow-capped Altai Mountains. The day includes meeting a Mongolian race horse trainer. Horse racing is the most popular sport here and has a long and fascinating history. The races are often tied to important annual festivals, and there are no formal tracks—competitors vie for speed and grace along the open fields.
We’ll spend the night in gers, round nomadic structures with wooden frames and felt and canvas walls. Almost half of the households in this nomadic country live in gers, and it’s common for families to uproot and move three or four times a year. Approx. 15 miles/5 hours.
DAY 5: Let’s put the fat tire bikes aside and climb inside a Russian Furgon van. Also known as the UAZ, this four-wheel-drive billy goat will take us to the start of our trek in Bear Valley, a wild place most humans only venture to in summer.
We’ll hike along the Tsagaan-Gol River, also known as the White River, as it has a milky sheen from glacial sediment and silt. Home for the night is a ger near Green Lake. 9 miles hiking/6 hours
DAY 6-8: Back on the bike, we will cycle about 15 miles during six hours each day. We’ll venture boldly along the southern shore of Khoton Lake, pressing through pine forest and splashing through streams. We will ride on top of glacial moraines as more pine forests encircle us. The landscape will eventually break open into pastureland, where livestock graze, and horses roam. When we arrive on the shores of Khurgan Lake, we will reach another new landscape: the wide open, grassy steppe. About 15 miles/6 hours per day.
DAY 9: The highlight of the day is meeting Shokhan, an eagle hunter who will describe this long-standing Kazakh tradition. Falconers like him feed the eagles every day in summer. When the snow flies, these powerful birds of prey swoop in on hare, fox and wolves, prized for their winter-thick, soft pelts. The cycling is along flat pastureland and rocky, winding pistes. About 15 miles/6 hours.
DAY 10: Our final pedal will be to a prime eagle hunting spot overlooking Dayan Lake. It’s revered for its collection of unique bird species. About 10 miles/5 hours.
DAY 11: Let’s give our hard-working bikes some rest and spend our final full day in the national park hiking in Balapan Valley. On our final night in the park, we’ll have a celebratory dinner. 6 hours hiking.
DAY 12 & 13: We say farewell to Altai Tavan Bogd National Park and embark on the 6-hour drive back to Ulgii, followed by the flight back to Ulaanbaatar. 0 miles.
DAY 14: All good things, including this bike tour of western Mongolia, must come to an end. Sain yavaarai --- have a safe trip home!