EDGE OF THE WILD CYCLING TOUR

ITINERARY

• Arrival to Ulaanbaatar, Folklore Show and Welcome Dinner.

  Your guide will meet you upon your arrival in Ulaanbaatar and transfer you to a 4-star hotel in the center of Ulaanbaatar. Time permitting, you can explore the downtown area of the capital city, which has been undergoing rapid changes toward global culture in the last decade. At 6 pm, we will watch a folk performance with traditional music, folk songs, and throat singing. Then follows a welcome dinner and tour briefing hosted by the guide. (Dinner, hotel)

• Cycle across grasslands to XIII Century Royal camp

  After breakfast, transfer to the edge of Ulaanbaatar. Having assigned and tuned the bikes, we start with a 10km easy pedal across wide-open grasslands. The riding surface is predominantly a packed soil that is easy for biking. Each day, however, you can expect short rocky sections, grassy trails, and stream crossings, always a fun experience. Further and until the end of the day, grasslands alternate with mountain slopes and scenic rock formations in the background. Our destination is the XIII Century Royal Camp, a stylized demonstration of a medieval nobleman's camp where lavishly decorated interiors, a wild environment, and the absence of modern facilities make the atmosphere feel real. After the visit, continue to a tent camp with spacious 2-person tents, a spacious shower tent, a camping toilet, and a dining tent for social time and meals. A support team of guides, drivers, and cooks will accompany you throughout the day to provide guidance, meals, and camping facilities. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner, camping)

• Cycle across the great steppe to Khenty mountain range

  Today we get a chance to admire the vastness of the Mongolian grassland. Often called the steppe, it’s a boundless expanse where the horizon lies as far as one can see. The feeling of its immensity and pristineness is inconceivable. Just a few nomadic tents and some domestic animals are all that we see today. Encounters with herders are always a great opportunity to learn about the local culture and lifeways, not to mention a great photographic opportunity. This evening, we camp having reached the edge of the Siberian mountains. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner, camping)

• Cycle in the Khenty Mountain Range, enjoy scenes of traditional life

  Further into the mountains, we leisurely pedal along scenic mountain slopes covered in Siberian woods and dotted with white, mushroom-like homes of nomadic Mongols, catching a glimpse of a way of life that seemingly hasn’t changed in centuries. Large flocks of sheep and goats, as well as horses and cattle, graze nearby. We take the opportunity to visit a nomadic family and taste local food and dairy products. Tonight, we spend another night in tents at a spectacular campsite surrounded by lush meadows and woods in the background. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner, camping)

• Last Cycling Day. Visit Chinggis Khaan statue. Night in Mongolian gers

  Last riding day. Until lunch, we cycle along mountain slopes covered with small patches of larch and other coniferous trees. Bears, wolves, lynx, and boars inhabit these forests, along with herbivores such as elk, various species of deer, and many fur-bearing animals typical of boreal forests. Of course, it’s unrealistic to encounter wild animals during the warm seasons, especially on trails frequented by humans. Yet, you will acutely feel the immense wilderness. After lunch, we part with the support team and drive to visit the giant statue of Chinggis Khan on horseback, a Guinness World Record holder as the world’s tallest equestrian statue. Here, you can glance at the grasslands for the last time and take a photo with the "Man of the Millennium," Chinggis Khan. Other optional activities include riding a camel, photographing yourself with a Golden Eagle on your arm, or having your name written in traditional Mongolian calligraphy. We then continue to a cozy resort in a spectacular valley dotted with rock formations, where you will have the chance to experience a night in felt-covered traditional tents, known as gers. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner, ger)

• Archery lesson, return to Ulaanbaatar; optional sightseeing and shopping

  After breakfast, in a scenic outdoor setting, you will be invited to a Mongolian archery session. Your guide will introduce you to the history behind the ancient technology before you can try your hands on the ancient sport. We then travel back to Ulaanbaatar and the Winter Palace of Bogd Khan, which showcases rare statues of Buddhist deities and the personal belongings of Mongolia’s last king. After lunch, we stroll through the central city square, which features a grand statue of Chinggis Khan. If time permits, before the final dinner at a hotpot restaurant, you can visit the largest cashmere shop in Ulaanbaatar. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner / hotel)

• Departure Transfer

  Transfer to airport for your departure flight home. (Breakfast)