Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Mongolia
Immersion in Tsaatan Lands
©Stephane Gautronneau
If our guide based in the easternmost part of the planet is not in Ulan Bator, it is
because he is most certainly riding around somewhere in the steppe. An ardent fan
of Mongolia, he is based in the Mongolian capital, come summer or winter. A
mechanic by soul and a fine motorcycle trial rider, he can make you discover this
magnificent region by sharing his passion for travel.
“An intense adventure where we take on the Mongolian Taiga for an unforgettable
motorcycle journey.”
BRANDON
2
TRAVEL DESIGNER
A TRIP
Looking for adventure? You can find all the right ingredients on this tough
road trip awaiting you in the northernmost region of Mongolia. On the
frontier with Siberia, discover a different Mongolia, that of Tsaatan, the
nomadic reindeer breeders, the taiga and its wooded mountains. Get on
your Royal Enfield, ride for close to 1350 km on various tracks in the region
to reach the high point of this journey: the sacred Lake Khövsgöl… Time to
put on your helmets and gloves!
WITH UNIQUE SENSATIONS
3
MAP
AT A GLANCE
4* Rain can make the tracks muddy and slippy at any time.
6-8h riding a day Unexpected eventson the road
Remote regions
Period
June to September
Duration
14 days including 9 days riding
LevelDemanding
English-speakingtour leader
AccommodationStandard or Camp
4240 €From
©Stephane Gautronneau
5
According to your flight time. Reception at the airport followed by transfer to your hotel. Free time to visit the city. Dinner at leisure. Ulan Bator, with one million inhabitants, is made up of 9 districts. In the center, you can visit a few places with a highly mixed architecture where soviet heritage blends with chaotic and warm urban design that is so typical of big Asian cities. A city of contrasts, you can meet nomadic families, taste exquisite dishes or even relax in a luxury spa, all in the same day.
You leave early for Ulan Bator’s airport along with your motorcycle tour leader to head for Moron at 690 km in the north. Moron is the capital and the administrative center of the Khövsgöl province. This is your first day, you can relax and visit the city’s museum which has a beautiful collection of local flora and fauna. Traditional Buddhist and Shamanic costumes are also on display. In the 19th century there were no less than 60 temples in Moron but all of them were destroyed in 1937 under pressure from the communist regime at the time. A new monastery, Danzadarjaa Khiid, was built to the city’s west in the 1990s.
Overnight stay at the hotel.
YOUR TRIP IN 14 STAGES
STAGE 1
STAGE 2
Arrival in Ulan Bator:
Ulan Bator - Moron [domestic flight: 1h15]:
6
YOUR TRIP IN 14 STAGES
We start this leg by riding along the Selenge valley for a few kilometers and then we push a little deeper into the immensity of the steppe. Midway through, we leave the main track to explore the local tracks. We leave the region of Kövsghöl for a bit to enter the region of Arkhangay and reach the small town of Ulziit. Camp for the night. Livestock breeding in Kövsghöl:After a few kilometers, you will become aware of the central position occupied by pastoralism. The region accounts for 115 000 inhabitants for more than 3 million heads of livestock (reindeer, sheep, goats, horses, camels, etc.).
STAGE 4
First day on the motorcycle! We leave this morning on a very beautiful slender road towards Ikh Ull. Halfway into this leg, we wind our way along the magnificent valley of Selenge, one of the great Mongolian rivers with its endless meanderings… Its waters find refuge in Lake Baikal in Russia. Overnight in a yurt camp*. *Yurt camps or Urts are often the best accommodation available in the places where we stop. Each of these beautiful traditional yurts, identical to the ones we come across throughout the day, is available on twin-sharing basis. The charm of these tents easily compensates for their basic comfort level: two single beds and a stove. We share a common bathroom where it is often possible to take a hot bath. Clean European-style toilets are also available.
STAGE 3
Moron - Ikh Ull [120 km* - 4h riding]:
Ikh Ull - Ulziit [170 km* – 6h riding]:
7
STAGE 6
We head northwards for this long day which will lead us first to the salt water lake of Sangiin Dali surrounded by dry mountains. Several migratory birds find refuge here. In the afternoon, we reach the city of Balan along the Delgermurun river. Water is everywhere in the region of Kövsghöl! There are no less than 400 rivers and 300 lakes here. Be prepared to cross numerous water bodies with your bike!
Today’s ride is split between the main track and the secondary tracks. We go a little further into the mountains of Khangai, the wolf kingdom… We reach the village of Galt late afternoon and enjoy natural hot springs.
STAGE 5
Ulziit - Galt [120 km* – 6/7h riding]:
Galt - Bayan [200 km* – 6/7h riding]:
YOUR TRIP IN 14 STAGES
8
YOUR TRIP IN 14 STAGES
STAGE 8
You will ride around at the heart of one of the most beautiful valleys in the country. In the east, the Khodol Sarag mountains tower above us with the peaks attaining a height of more than 3000 meters and to the west, the Ulan Taiga range. We reach the banks of Lake Dood Tsagaan. Camp for the night.
We leave with the first rays of the sun for the longest leg of our trip. Steppe landscapes of Bayan gradually give way to Mongolian Taiga as we head northwards. The Russian border is only around fifty kilometers away to the west. In the evening, we reach Tugul, a small mountain village with log houses. Overnight in hotel. The houses in this region draw influence from the neighboring Siberia. In the villages, the houses are made with logs. In the camps, urts, or yurts resembling tepees, are omnipresent.
STAGE 7
Bayan - Tugul [230 km* - 7h riding]:
Tugul - Gurvanshaikan [180 km* – 7h riding]:
9
YOUR TRIP IN 14 STAGES
Today you leave your mounts to take some rest and enjoy the lake’s surrounding areas. In the middle of the Kövsghöl National Park, try to observe the exceptional fauna (wolves, brown bears, ibexes, bighorn sheep, deer, elks, wolverines). The lake breathes life all around it in a complex eco-system. Several animal and plant species are endemic to it. Overnight stay in the same yurt camp as the night before.
STAGE 10
After having followed your explorations for close to one week, the rocky tracks will liberate you from your expectations by offering you an extraordinary panorama of the famous Lake Khövsgöl. Lake Khövsgöl, also referred to as the blue pearl, Younger Baikal or even as the Mother Sea by the Mongols, is sacred to them. Formed tectonically, it is like its big brother Baikal… Immense! It covers an area of 2760 km2, its length of 136 km and depth of 262m make it a lake of superlatives. 96 rivers flow into it but not even one comes out of it. Overnight stay in a lakeside yurt camp. STAGE 9
Gurvanshaikan - Khövsgöl Lake [180 km* – 8h riding]:
Khövsgöl Lake:
10
YOUR TRIP IN 14 STAGES
Let us enjoy the lake area with our motorcycles before hitting the trail and then the road towards Moron. To the city’s west, we will discover, if you so wish, deer stones of Uushigiin Övör. Deer stones form a funeral complex with tombs whose tombstones are engraved with deer and heavenly bodies. The site dates back to the Bronze Age. Overnight stay in hotel.
STAGE 12
Early in the morning, we get back on our Royal Enfields for the exquisite part of your trip. We ride along the Lake Kövsghöl to reach the village of Hatgal on the extreme southern tip of the lake. Overnight stay in yurt camp. The Tsaatans: (litterally “those who live with the reindeer”) are reindeer breeders present uniquely in this part of the country. You will discover their way of life as well as the deer that accompany them. There are around 80 Tsaatan families in the area. STAGE 11
Khövsgöl Lake - Hatgal [80 km* - 5/6h riding]:
Hatgal - Moron [80 km* – 2/3h riding]:
©Stephane Gautronneau
11
It is time to leave this magnificent region. We reach the Moron airport early morning and head for Ulan Bator. In the afternoon, free time in the capital.
A leisure day for those who have a flight in the afternoon. We enjoy, for the last time, the unique spirit of this warm and friendly capital. A taxi will come to pick you up from the hotel to take you directly to the airport. End of our services.
YOUR TRIP IN 14 STAGES
STAGE 13
STAGE 14
Moron - Ulan Bator [domestic flight]:
Ulan Bator - International airport:
*Riding distances are indicative.
12
And enjoy
5% off your second trip
10% off your third trip and more
Always in the limit of 300 €
12
YOUR FORMULA
Join a fixed departure
Want to leave in a closed group? Ask us for a quote for a private tour.
To know the dates of our upcoming fixed departures. go to www.vintagerides.com - tab "Our Trips", or contact one of our travel advisors at: [email protected].
*These rates are indicative, please refer to our General Terms & Conditions.
4340 € / pilot*
4040 € / pillion*
Book at 4 and more: 4240 € / pilot*
13
● A Royal Enfield 500cc motorcycle is provided with full mechanical assistance and all
spare parts
● Domestic transfers as appearing in the program, by private vehicle
● An English speaking Tour Leader (from day 2 to day 13)
● Fuel expenses
● An expert mechanic of Royal Enfield motorcycles
● A support vehicle with driver for groups with 4 or more participants; side luggage
carrier for groups of less than 4 participants
● Lodging in standard hotels and camps, on a twin (two single beds) or triple-sharing
basis (three single beds). If you wish to stay in a single room (extra), please inform
your travel advisor at the time of registration.
● Meals: Full board meals during riding days
● Third party motorcycle insurance
● Compulsory insurances, including repatriation assistance which covers you in case of
a motorbike accident in India and legal assistance
● International flights and airport taxes
● Visa fees
● A refundable security deposit of 400 € for every motorcycle
● Dinners and meals during days of transfers
● Admission fees to various monuments, temples etc.
● Souvenirs and personal expenses
● Drinks
● Tips
PRICE INCLUDES
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE
MORE INFO
14
Appropriate equipment is a component of a successful journey!Travel lightly, STAY UNDER 10 KGS FOR THE DOMESTIC FLIGHT
PERSONAL MEDICINE:
CLOTHES AND PERSONAL
EQUIPMENT:
❏ 2 light pants❏ 4 shirts (including some with long
sleeves, to protect yourself from the sun)
❏ 2 warm sweaters or jackets❏ Sunglasses❏ Hat❏ Sport shoes or trekking shoes❏ 1 liter canteen (flask) and a
flashlight (don’t forget the battery)❏ Some sweets and cereal bars
❏ Motorcycle boots are strongly advised or trekking shoes (waterproof)
❏ Warm motorbike jacket (synthetic preferred)
❏ A rain suit (just in case!)❏ Gloves❏ Helmet❏ Bandana
❏ Sunscreen lotion❏ Lip balm❏ Broad-spectrum antibiotic❏ Paracetamol❏ Anti-diarrhoea❏ Elastoplast❏ Skin disinfectant❏ Bandages and special blisters bandage
SPECIAL MOTORCYCLE
EQUIPMENT:
❏ A sailor bag would be perfect, a walker's bag too (without steel bar). You can close it with a padlock if you want to. Don’t forget to tag it before leaving with your address. Also with the address of Vintage Rides in India.
❏ A small backpack of 20 litres is advised for daily necessities such as camera, sunscreen lotion, etc.
BAGS:
MY CHECKLIST
CONTACT US
©Elisabeth Fieujan
15
www.vintagerides.travel
Copyrights photos : Thomas Goisque - Joseph Patrick
VINTAGE RIDES INDIA
C-65 Okhla phase 1 New Delhi - 110020
Tel: +339 70 44 01 30
VINTAGE RIDES FRANCE
98 Rue Baudin - 92300 Levallois-Perret
By appointment only
Tel: +337 68 13 89 07
