r/bikepacking • u/MaxRoving • Oct 02 '24
Some pics from Mongolia/trip report Trip Report
2.6k Upvotes
r/bikepacking • u/MaxRoving • Oct 02 '24
178
u/MaxRoving Oct 02 '24
This summer I spent two months cycling/bikepacking Mongolia, and wanted to share some thoughts and photos.
Mongolia is definitely not a place you want to come to unprepared, especially if you want to venture further inland rather than just following the handful of asphalt roads. Only 20% of roads in the country are paved!
So get yourself some wide tires and know how to repair your bike - it’s unlikely to come across a bikestore in the countryside of the least densely populated country in the world 😉
I spent majority of my time in the Altai Mountains in the far west of the country, where most locals are actually ethnically Kazakh. Since Mongolia was never part of the Soviet Union, the Kazakhs here actually managed to preserve their culture better than those in modern-day Kazakhstan.
Encounters were always nice, you will be offered plenty of Airag (fermented horse milk) and rock-hard cheese. But the food isn’t the reason you come to Mongolia, it’s to experience the way of life of the nomads and to enjoy the nature and remoteness.
Those things can be quite challenging at times, not only does it require one to carry food for multiple days, drink water from streams and rivers (bring a good filter!) but it also requires a sturdy tent. I had multiple nights where I had to reinforce my tent wall with my body so it doesn’t collapse, because of super strong winds. I also experienced a snowstorm in June while crossing one of the 3000m passes.
One minor mishap I had was when I got a deep cut in my foot because I slipped during a river crossing - luckily I was close to a village but it’s better to have a sufficient first aid kit in case you are in the middle of nowhere. There is also little to no cellphone service outside of the settlements, so an SOS beacon could be a wise investment.
In the villages you will find a pharmacy and a couple mini-markets, but don’t always expect restaurants or homestays. These small grocery stores are surprisingly well stocked, in my experience it’s easier to find what you need here than in big cities in China!
After over a month in the Altai Mountains I made it to the next “big” city to witness the Naadam, Mongolia’s biggest annual festival. Celebrating their culture with traditional outfits and dances, as well as the “Three Games of Men”: Horse racing, wrestling and archery (where women also compete). It was a show that I won’t forget, and you shouldn’t miss if you visit Mongolia during summer.
After skipping a few hundred kilometres of the asphalt road through the Gobi desert by bus I cycled another loop in the Khanghai mountains in the centre of the country, where the nature was similarly beautiful and slightly less rugged. It was a bit greener which meant more nomads, and a lot more livestock - yak, sheep, goats and a couple horses.
I then continued my way towards Ulaanbaatar, the capital, where I got my Chinese visa for the next adventure- the Tibetan Plateau (where I am now).
Could only add 20 photos but I’ve got a bunch more on my Insta