Motorcycle tour in Mongolia

Motorcycle riding on roads in Mongolia requires off-road experience because outside Ulaanbaatar hardly any roads are black topped and may be classed as “off-road”. We follow the tracks used by local vehicles which are usually pot-holed hard-pack or rocky trails with few bridges to aid river crossings. We follow routes which are sometimes off the map, passing through remote parts of the country which are little travelled.

Travelling by motorbike means that you will take yourself through this country, directly exposed to the terrain and the weather conditions. You can breathe the pure mountain air as well as the dust of the Gobi Desert. When you meet local people you do so on the same level, not just as foreigners passing through in the relative comfort of a vehicle, but as someone who has chosen to experience the real thing. Yet unlike cycling, horse riding or hiking, you can get to see an enormous part of Mongolia in a relatively short space of time.

We have a strict set of guidelines, enforced by our experienced staff, which are intended to minimize negative environmental impact caused by motorbikes. Each person booking on the trip must read and agree to follow our “Guidelines on Motorbike Tours”. This includes the following section:

Our off-road motorcycle trips are intended to be a positive experience for all involved. The tour is not a race or competition and dangerous riding will not be tolerated. All participants are expected to respect the culture, nature and people of Mongolia.

It is our duty to travel through Mongolia without damaging its pristine environment, nor disrupting the lives of the local population and their animals. Sometimes we will be riding through National Parks and Natural Reserves where flora is protected by law. Sharp braking or spinning wheels will be frowned upon by the locals and damage the reputation of the Company. Arrival at camp signals the end of the riding day. Please do not continue riding round the area wasting petrol and damaging the ground.

Most of the roads we travel on are not black-topped, but clear trails are obvious. Straying away from the tracks risks damage to the environment and the motorcycle. Places which are or have been inhabited by nomadic families are likely to be surrounded by rubbish such as metal or bones which can easily damage the tyres. Additionally, if you divert from the trail to an area that cannot be accessed by the support vehicle, it will be difficult to rescue you in case of accident.

Despite the rules and regulations, this is a really fun tour and an opportunity to see how people manage to survive in this harsh environment. There are sure to be many opportunities to meet local people along the way and they will be as fascinated by you, your clothing and motorbikes as you are by them. They will have as many questions about your job / salary / marital status as you will have about their way of life. Mongolians are not impressed by wealth or beauty and well-travelled tourists will be interested to see that age is respected above race or profession. For example, if we are invited into a family home for tea, it would be normal for the older Mongolian driver to be served before the young English doctor / tourist. This is an old tradition based on family values and respect for the wisdom that comes with age.

The tradition of hospitality and sharing of news by passing travellers is such that a visit like this is quite normal within the culture and not viewed by the hosts as an imposition. We suggest to our clients that they bring photographs of their own homes to show and small gifts such as souvenirs from their own town. According to the situation, we may give a suitable amount of money to the host family. This would be done by the tour leader only and is taken to be a gift rather than payment for services given.

The group size will be small, not more than 9 people. This reduces the impact we have both socially and environmentally.

During this tour some nights will be spent camping in Western style tents. Indeed, there is sometimes no other option since we travel for several days without seeing any permanent buildings at all. We use river water for washing and so biodegradable soap is a must. A pit latrine is set up at each camping place and toilet paper is burned before we leave. We travel with a Mongolian cook who serves Mongolian and European food using mainly ingredients produced in Mongolia with a few luxury items imported from Europe like Dutch cheese. Staff are trained to take responsibility for their actions re: water usage, contamination of rivers and lakes, rubbish disposal, vehicle maintenance and fuel consumption, use of fuel for cooking. Rubbish is carried with us until we reach a town or village which has proper facilities for rubbish disposal.

Some nights are spent at ger camps, authentic ger tents set up for tourists and furnished with beds and a stove, with toilet and washing facilities on the site. The ger camps are owned, and have been developed by local entrepreneurs and the staff are all people from the vicinity or students from town, who benefit greatly from the opportunity to get a modest cash income during the short tourist season. Some of the ger camps use solar power to heat water for hot showers. Each ger has a wood-burning stove which staff will light if requested. We encourage our clients not to use this facility if it is not very cold because the fuel used is trees cut down in the nearby forests.

When passing through Tsetserleg town we visit a felt making project with demonstrations of how felt is made on a small scale and can buy felt products made for the tourist market. This project has been set up to create employment for local people, to educate tourists on this traditional craft, and to increase the income from tourism. The restaurant that we use in this town is the result of another successful project intended specifically to provide employment in a town where many people do not have jobs.

When passing through certain areas of Mongolia we are obliged to pay a “Protected Areas Service Fee” on behalf of each tourist (already included in price of tour). The fee contributes towards the following services: (i) introduction of the activities of the information centre and eco-ger and provision of information on legislation and security activities of the protected areas, (ii) regulation of camping places in these areas, (iii) to provide tourists with information, brochures, booklets and warnings, (iv) garbage disposal.

The staff on this tour are all Mongolian and their salaries make a considerable financial difference to their families since unemployment in Mongolia is high and for those employed by the State, salaries are low. People joining this tour will enjoy the riding, the country and the people in the knowledge that they are making a positive contribution to the local economy.

The company is owned and run by Mongolians with small offices in Mongolia, UK and Germany. The itinerary for this trip, and indeed the whole brochure, can be downloaded from our website, reducing the need for printing in most cases. Upon booking a tour, clients are given a Tour Dossier which includes a section on attitudes and behaviour. We explain some of the most important issues so that tourists will not be embarrassed nor locals offended. During the tour, the leader or interpreter will educate the group on the more important points of Mongolian etiquette so that everyone feels more comfortable when we enter a local home or temple.