Meet your group and meet your Tour Director at a convivial welcome dinner showcasing the city’s cosmopolitan dining scene. Share first impressions of the steppe over warming dishes such as grilled meats, dumplings, and fragrant salads, paired with local soft drinks or beer.

Your host outlines the adventure ahead, offering tips for riding off-road and cultural etiquette. This relaxed group dinner sets the tone for camaraderie on the trail and introduces Mongolia’s generous hospitality.

Pedal steady gradients to cycle over Tuluugiin Pass, where the track crests into sweeping views of tawny hills and distant herders’ gers. Loose gravel under tyre adds focus and fun as skylarks rise from the sage-scented steppe.

Descend to the banks of the Altaan (Golden) River for a picnic among sculpted rocks that hint at a volcanic past. Expect open steppe horizons, big skies, and the hush of water slipping past sun-warmed stones.

Spin into the hills for a short, satisfying climb to Kholboogin Pass, rewarded with far-reaching panoramas of larch and pine. The descent unwinds along soft river valleys where marmots whistle from burrows and raptors circle high.

Skirt the flanks of Khairkhan Mountain and thread past a chain of small lakes, their reeds whispering in the breeze. Shifting light across forested ridges and wide steppe makes this a photographer’s favorite stretch.

Follow the Khunjiin River Valley as it climbs gently through lush pasture used by nomadic herders. Hoofprints lace the sandy track, and the air carries the resin of larch forests and the clean tang of mountain water.

Keep binoculars ready for demoiselle cranes foraging in wetlands and raptors gliding on thermals. Camp settles beneath the shoulders of Chingeltei Mountain, where dusk paints the hills a deep copper and stars switch on one by one.

Ride down to the willow-lined Tamir for lunch by clear, fast-flowing water before visiting the Great Rock of Ikh Tamir, a hulking outcrop rising from the grass. Local lore promises luck to those who can cast a stone clean over its crown.

Nearby lie ancient burial grounds that speak to the valley’s long human story. The Tamir River frames reflective moments—perfect for photos and quiet pauses between effortless spins along its banks.

Transition from rolling steppe into the forested skirts of the Khangai Mountains, ticking off three playful climbs on firm jeep tracks. Peaks serrate the horizon while the scent of pine rides the breeze and woodlarks stitch song across the canopy.

Each crest reveals new angles on short mountain passes, leading to flowing descents between larch stands. It’s a varied, rhythmic day of riding that balances effort with the joy of momentum through textured terrain.

Trace well-worn nomad tracks to cross the Khangai range, then settle into the tour’s longest, smoothest descent as the landscape opens like a scroll. Tyres hum; horizons widen; the ride feels pure and unbroken.

Meet the storied Orkhon River as it threads the UNESCO-listed Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape, cradle of steppe empires. This is classic Mongolia: riverside willow shade, distant herds, and the sense of rolling toward history.

Ride into Karakorum, the ancient Mongol capital founded by Genghis Khan’s heirs on the fertile Orkhon plain. The city’s legacy lingers in earthworks and legends that shaped routes across Eurasia.

Step inside Erdene Zuu Monastery, Mongolia’s earliest surviving Buddhist complex, encircled by a wall crowned with 108 stupas. Hear how temples endured the Stalinist purges of the 1930s and trace carved timbers, vibrant thangkas, and quiet courtyards scented with juniper smoke.

Break the overland journey with a visit to the Mongol Els (Elsen Tasarkhai) dunes, where rippled sand meets steppe grasslands and low mountains. Walk the crest lines for soft, shifting views and the gentle hiss of wind over grains.

This contrast zone, nicknamed the ‘mini Gobi’, is ideal for a photo stop. Catch textures of rippled sand, feathered grass, and camel tracks etched across pale gold slopes under a far-reaching sky.

Experience a showcase of national arts with the renowned Tumen Ekh Ensemble. Dancers sweep in silk brocades while musicians summon steppe moods through throat singing and the plaintive strings of the horsehead fiddle.

Precision drumming, folk epics, and acrobatic contortion reveal centuries-old traditions adapted for a modern stage. The performance illuminates nomadic culture’s poetry and pulse, offering a memorable cultural counterpart to days on the trail.

Stay in a traditional Mongolian ger, the felt-lined, circular dwelling perfected for nomadic life. Step across a painted threshold into orderly warmth, with carpets underfoot and a central stove radiating gentle heat.

Evenings unfold beneath big skies, with stories shared over tea and the soft creak of lattice walls. The felt-lined walls and wood-burning stove offer comfort while keeping a tangible link to centuries of steppe tradition.

Embrace participatory wild camping across river valleys and open grasslands. Help pitch tents, share camp duties, and dine al fresco as twilight washes the plains in copper and violet.

Nights bring wide-open skies pricked with constellations and the hush of steppe silence, broken only by horse bells or a distant herder’s call. It’s immersive, elemental living that pairs perfectly with the rhythm of off-road riding.

Join a guided panoramic tour of Mongolia’s capital, taking in the civic heart at Sukhbaatar Square and the contrast between broad Soviet-era boulevards and rising modern skylines. Navigate lively streets where prayer wheels spin beside coffee kiosks and bookstalls.

Continue to Gandan Monastery, the country’s principal Buddhist center, to admire the soaring statue of Migjid Janraisig and hear how Buddhism revived after decades of suppression. Monks’ chants and fluttering prayer flags set a contemplative tone amid incense and gilded iconography.

In the countryside, our support vehicles carry the kitchen, food supplies and kitchen staff including a professional chef. Meals are Western style with a strong Asian influence. Breakfasts are typically cereals, toast and a hot dish. Lunches on the road are sandwiches, cheese, meats and salad. Dinners are a variety of vegetables, meat, rice, potatoes and pasta dishes. Filtered or purified drinking water is supplied on all cycling days, as are tea, coffee and fruit drinks. Dining in Ulaanbaatar is excellent and includes Mongolian, Indian, French, Chinese and Mexican restaurants. If you follow a vegan diet, expect that the variety of food may be limited on this trip. As this kind of diet is relatively uncommon in this region, we cannot guarantee the hotels and restaurants will provide meals that have the necessary variety to be considered satisfying.