Central Mongolia

From Tuesday 2 to Saturday 13 September, from Tosontsengel to Ulaanbaatar

Finding accommodation at 2 a.m.

We took the bus on Tuesday, September 2nd, to the town of Tosontsengel. Our goal was to visit central Mongolia. We had a lot of discussions with the bus driver about transporting our bikes. We were forced to pay a small bribe to finalize the deal.

A journey that ends at 2 a.m. in a village in central Mongolia. We load up our bikes and set off in search of a place to sleep. A gas station attendant points us to a possible spot that turns out to be the right solution. A hotel attendant, sound asleep at that time of night, opens the door to a room for us.

The vastness of the prairies

This morning we leave the hotel late. The owner is slaughtering a sheep, and we witness the sacrifice. We visit the village, which is quite lively. We stop at the bank, where a customer once again acts as an intermediary to exchange our money, because in Mongolia you don’t have access to banks unless you have a personal account.

After stocking up on food, we set off for central Mongolia. We’ll spend over a week there, in the vast high-altitude grasslands where thousands of animals such as yaks, sheep, camels, and horses graze. Most of them are destined for slaughter to be consumed in the country’s capital.

The snow has arrived

We alternate between the road and the sometimes poor condition trails. The weather is very unpredictable and it’s cold. Snow will accompany us as we cross a pass at 2,500m. We follow a magnificent canyon for several dozen kilometers.

September 5th, early in the morning, we discover that snow has covered the peaks. It is cold and the temperatures are well below zero. We need to get out our warm clothes. We continue to alternate between the track and the paved road. The houses and hotels where we sleep have neither showers nor running water.

The show is around us and finally a shower

For the next few days, we ride mostly with the wind at our backs, and thanks to this, we move forward quite quickly. The spectacle is all around us, and it is difficult to describe it in just a few words. We ride along the magnificent Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake for about twenty kilometers.

In these vast expanses where only the herds and their guardians are present. The colors are magnificent, the spectacle lights up our eyes.

We travel across the plains and cross another pass. It’s unpaved and has a 12% gradient. After a bit of sweat, we finally arrive in Karakorum on September 9th, in a hotel equipped with a shower; it feels good after six days without one.

Karakorum and its monastery

We stop in Karakorum, the former capital of Mongolia until 1260. We visit the magnificent Erdene Zuu Monastery, residence of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongolian Empire. It was partly destroyed during the communist revolution in 1930, then restored and is now both a museum and a working monastery. Buddhist monks in traditional red robes still practice their activities there.

Long transition road to Ulaanbaatar

From September 10th to 13th we head towards Ulaanbaatar. The mountains have disappeared and the plains are very extensive. We cross the small Gobi Desert and there are still many animals.

We’re on a transitional road with traffic. Many trucks are transporting animals to the capital’s slaughterhouses. The last two days are difficult, with a headwind first and then heavy rain upon our arrival in Ulaanbaatar.

Met :

• Andrew a Korean on a bicycle.
  • A Mongolian family stopped us on the road to offer us tea and pastries.

Course :

We traveled 990 km during this period. Find our map by clicking here or on our website in the “Travel 2025” menu.

Did you know: Buddhism is the main religion of Mongolia, it is the 4th largest religion in the world (approximately 500 million followers). Monks and nuns renounce material and family life to devote themselves to religious life and meditation in a monastery. Children can join monasteries where they receive school education and prepare to become monks from the age of 5.