Hey hey! Just got back from a 10-day bikepacking trip through the Khangai Mountains in central Mongolia, and I wanted to share some highlights for anyone thinking about heading out that way.
We started in Tsetserleg, basing ourselves at the Fairfield Guesthouse. Huge thanks to Murray, who was an absolute legend—super knowledgeable and incredibly helpful in getting us sorted for the trip. Highly recommend checking in with him if you're planning something similar.
The Ride
The terrain out there is seriously varied:
- Smooth packed dirt trails
- River stones and dry riverbeds
- Long, open gravel roads across endless steppes
- Some nice gradual climbs at 10,000 ft
The climbs weren't brutal, but the scenery was insane—panoramic views, wild skies, and complete solitude for hours on end.
Our Bikes and Setup
I was on a BMC teamelite 02 hardtail running 2.2" wide tyres, while my wife was a Trek Checkpoint SL5 with 650b x 2.1" wheels. We found this more than adequate for the terrain.
Our setup was fairly light and we were both carrying around 11 kgs of carrying weight including about 4.5kgs of dehydrated food in total.
Weather
We'd read a decent amount about the weather and the storms, but didn't expect it to turn as fast as it did. We got hit with a few pretty crazy thunderstorms. There were plenty of moments where we were surrounded by rain clouds, and were unsure how long we had to get shelter; but we usually had under 10-15 minutes.
We were carrying a Black Diamond MegaLight 4P, which ended up being our storm bunker more than a few times. Super worth having something quick to set up.
Mongolia was remote, wild, and just absolutely beautiful. It was everything I imagined it to be and more!
by ankeetguha
4 Comments
This is my dream trip. Can you tell us a lot more about it? Do you have a write up with more pics elsewhere?
Whaou it must be a nice trip I like the photos
Stunning photos! Mongolia has been on my travel list for years. I am also rocking a Checkpoint SL5, glad to hear it did well.
Would.