Across the Mongolian Steppes
From the capital city Ulaanbaatar across the lush, green Steppes and the turquoise-colored lakes, through the hills and mountains, we will traverse the most spectacular region of Mongolia from the Centre to the West before heading North towards Russia.
Like most Himalayan Heroes’ adventures, we arrange our dates around an important cultural event. In Nepal it is the Holi Festival, in Rajasthan, it is the Camel Festival and in Leh, it is the Hemis Gompa Festival. Arguably the biggest and most impressive festival of the lot is the Naadam Festival which is held all over Mongolia in July each year. It sees people from all over the country descend upon the capital in traditional clothing to compete and spectate in the “three games of men”. A 20km horse race with jockeys as young as 5, traditional archery in national dress, and Mongolian Wrestling provide a spectacle like nothing else on earth. Dessirae who came with us in 2019, described it as “as spectacular as the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Sydney”.
A hearty breakfast will see you ready to tackle the most sparsely populated land on the planet. You’ll feel as free as the eagles flying above you as you point your motorcycle at the horizon and twist the throttle. Staying in traditional homes called a Ger or Yurt, you’ll get a taste of the authentic traditional nomadic lifestyle.
The ruggedness of northern Mongolia is a mind-blowing adventure destination where ancient traditions are still practiced daily by the hardy wanderers of the country’s vast steppes and deserts. This Mongolian adventure is designed to give you the most extraordinary and unforgettable experience, as you navigate across the Mongol empire on a motorcycle as Genghis Khan did on horseback 900 years ago.
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION |
Arrive : Chinggis Khaan International Airport – Ulaanbaatar |
| ADVENTURE DATES | 2025 – July, Tuesday 1st – Saturday 12th |
| PRIVATE ADVENTURES | This tour is also available as a private adventure for solo adventurers, a couple, a club, or even just a group of mates. It can be any combination of riders, pillions, sidecar passengers, or even family in one of our expedition support vehicles. The tour can be shortened or lengthened to suit your desires. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to discuss your needs.
The best months are June, July, August & September. |
| PRICES | Rider: US$3,990 per person Pillion or Passenger: US$2,990 per person |
| WHAT’S INCLUDED | All ground transfers in Mongolia, airport to airport Airport transfers to and from Chinggis Khaan Airport A well-maintained Honda or Yamaha motorcycle All fuel Support vehicle with spare parts and a qualified mechanic Twin-share accommodation in mid-range hotels, clean gers and yurts. Note: Ger accommodation will sometimes accommodate 3. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for the entire adventure. Back-up vehicle to carry luggage (or injured & unwell riders) Bottled mineral water throughout the adventure Monument entrance fees during the entire trip Day trip to the Equestrian statue of Genghis Khan |
| NOT INCLUDED | International flights Travel Insurance (compulsory) Visa fee The rider must cover any damage to the motorcycle in full. (Optional insurance available) Personal Expenses Tipping (US$100 is expected. It gets shared amongst the support crew) Alcohol, Soda and Espresso coffees |
NOTE: The prices above are based on a twin share basis (A ger/yurt will sometimes have 3 people). If you’d like a private room/ger/yurt, then there is a US$650 supplement.
Payment terms: A US$500 deposit must be made at the time of booking. Balance payment is due 8 weeks before the tour start date. Payment plans are available upon request.
Terms & Conditions What To Bring Price GuaranteeAdditional information
| Rider or Passenger | Rider, Passenger |
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A representative of Himalayan Heroes will greet you at Chinggis Khaan International Airport and transfer you to our hotel.
Sydney has the Opera House, London has Big Ben, Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Beijing has the great wall and Mongolia has the giant statue of Genghis Khan. A trip to Mongolia would not be complete without being able to stand atop the statue and look towards the great Khan’s birthplace. We head East on a somewhat uninspiring road to the impressive Genghis Khan statue complex. The 40m statue sits atop a 10m museum/visitor centre that holds artefacts from the bronze age. We return to Ulaanbaatar for the night before starting our adventure proper.
We meet our support team before jumping on a short bus ride out of the city to acquaint ourselves with our motorcycles. The start of the adventure is the 80km section of the Mongol Els sand dunes and is our first challenge of this ride. If you’re inexperienced, maybe head around the dunes but if you’re on a bike with knobbies or you know what you’re doing, then we’ll have some fun pretending we’re Toby Price with rooster tails going everywhere. We’ll stay in a traditional ger camp at Elsen Tasarkhai.
Saddle up for your visit to Mongolia’s highest waterfall, the Orkhon in Orkhon Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site encompasses an extensive area of pastureland on both banks of the Orkhon River and includes numerous archaeological remains dating back to the 6th century. We’ll stop at Kharakhorum, the 13th- and 14th-century capital of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan’s vast Empire. We’ll stay right at the waterfall in a ger/yurt.
From the waterfall, we’ll ride the mountain and forest tracks heading west to the blue waters of a hot spring. Bring your bathers as we’re going to enjoy the natural hot water before continuing to the village of Tayhar which the Tamir River passes through. We’ll see how the nomadic villagers live and enjoy their hospitality and local cuisine. We’ll stay in a traditional Ger/Yurt
Today might be short on kilometres but it will take us the whole day to get to our destination. It will take us past the dormant volcano at Khorgo to the freshwater lake – Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake (also known as White Lake). It was formed by a lava flow from a volcanic eruption many millions of years ago, and the volcanic area which surrounds it is one of the highlights of the Arkhangai region. We stay overnight in a ger.
We head north to Zurkh Lake in the Khuvsgul province. It is surrounded by forests and is one of the most beautiful lakes in Mongolia. Not easy to find, let alone get to, you’ll be relieved to get off the bike at the end of the day and put your feet up. We’ll stay overnight in a ger.
The Khuvsgul lake is surrounded by several mountain ranges and is in northwest Mongolia near the Russian border at the foot of the Sayan Mountains. The lake is situated 1600+m above sea level, 136km long and very very deep. On the western side of the lake, the Khoridol Saridag mountain range offers spectacular scenery and is home to over 60 species of mammals including deer, brown bear, lynx, marten, beaver, elk, reindeer, moose, argali, ibex and wolf. There are a number of colourful ethnic groups that live in the area including the Dukha reindeer herders who live in teepees and have strong shamanic roots. We stay overnight in a ger.
Today, we’re heading into the mountains in search of nomadic families. This will be the highlight of the adventure for most riders as the scenery is mind-blowing and the riding is free as we are again 100% off-road. We stay overnight in a ger.
We head directly south to Murun City and if we took the highway, we’d be there in a couple of hours. You didn’t come to Mongolia to ride on highways so we head off-road and rip up the countryside and look for mountains to scale and take epic panoramic pictures from. Arriving in the extremely ordered streets of Murun city after lunch, we go to the least amusing amusement park in the world. The only nightclub in town advertises that it sells beer and caters for groups. Sold, we’ll be there at 7 pm. No more Gers, it’s a hotel tonight.
We fly back to the capital and you’ll have the afternoon for sightseeing and to participate in the Naadam festivities before our celebratory dinner. Time for some last-minute souvenir shopping.
We grab a quick breakfast at the hotel before heading out to catch more of the Naadam festival. A relaxed day before we head to the airport for your departure.
That’s it, you’ve explored the central and northern regions of Mongolia, eaten yoghurt in a yurt, met nomadic families who practice shamanism and enjoyed the hospitality of the local people, and of course you’ve completed some of the best off-road motorcycling the planet has to offer. Your life won’t be the same after this adventure!
INSURANCE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
(INDIA, NEPAL, BHUTAN, TIBET, MONGOLIA, MYANMAR and SRI LANKA)
In the countries we conduct adventures, commercial insurance on motor vehicles is either not available, or is of questionable value. 3rd party insurance will usually not cover foreigners and even if it does, it is generally worthless if one needs to make a claim. In the event of an accident in these countries, the situation is usually settled on the spot without the “assistance” of insurance companies. If insurance companies are involved, it can take days, weeks and even months before there is a resolution.
Damage Cap Option “DCO”
Himalayan Heroes offers its riders the option of capping the cost of your damage bill on the motorcycle you are riding. The cost of this damage cap option “DCO” is US$195, paid as a lump sum before the tour starts. In the event you damage the motorcycle, the DCO will cap your damage bill at US$200.
3 Scenarios
- If, like most of our riders, you do not damage the motorcycle then the total cost to you is only the cost of the DCO = US$195.
- If, like some of our riders, you put the bike down at slow speed and damage mirrors, levers, foot pegs etc and the damage bill is say, US$120 then you pay the US$120. The total cost to you is US$315 (US$195 DCO + US$120 damage bill)
- If you have a big off and damage the tank, forks etc and the damage bill is say US$750 then your damage bill is capped at US$200. The total cost to you is US$395 (US$195 DCO + US$200 damage bill).
The DCO is optional, so if you would like to carry the risk yourself, you are welcome to. At the completion of the tour, you will be presented with an itemised bill of the damage to the bike. Approximately 50% of our riders do not damage the bikes and of the 50% that do receive a damage bill, the majority of the bills are less than $300. Please send us an email if you’ve got any questions about the DCO.
The DCO is not an insurance policy and therefore any costs related to it cannot be claimed on a travel insurance claim.
