After just a few kilometers, you leave the asphalt behind and ride on very sandy and rocky tracks towards Kharkhorin. If you prefer an easier start, it is also possible to reach Kharkhorin via the tarred main road or by taking the direct bus from UB.

The ancient capital of Ginggis Khan is the starting point for visiting the idyllic Orkhon Valley. From here you can reach the Tsenker Hotsprings over a few steep passes.
The bridge at the end of the Orkhon valley was destroyed in the flood of 2014. The crossing is easy in the late summer months, but can become a problem after heavy rainfall or melt water. In this case you can also follow the Orkhon Valley on the right side of the river.

After you have relaxed your tired muscles in the hot water of Tsenker Hotsprings, you soon reach the small town of Tsetserleg with a few nice guesthouses and a well stocked supermarket.

Until Tsahir you follow the partially tarred A0602. There you turn off towards Nuven Dawaa, a 3000m high pass. While the north side is mostly good ridable on a stony path (apart from the last incredibly steep ascent), the south side shows a rougher face with a lot of boulders and muddy sections. But when you get the first glimpse of Otgon Tenger, the most sacred mountain of Mongolia with its white snow cap, the bumpy ride is forgotten quickly. After the village of Otgon, the track turns more and more into a miserable washboard and you are certainly glad when you reach Uliastay, the capital of the Zavkhan province. A nice hotel and a well stocked supermarket help to replenish energy reserves.

After the ride from Mörön to Khövsgöl lake through a wild, lonely valley, the route goes from the small village of Khatgal through the Khoridol Saridag mountains to Ulaan Uul. On some maps marked as a main road, this pass is a singletrail / hike-a-bike passage. The initial double track turns into an overgrown track, which is still recognizable as a motorbike / singletrail and good to bike. There is no trace left to the pass, you have to push and it is an advantage if you can load your main luggage into a backpack. The descent from the pass is a very steep horse / hiking trail. This is why we strongly recommend to attempt this pass only in the given direction. The view from the pass is spectacular, once you reach the dry river bed in the valley floor, you can ride again.

From Ulaan Uul you first ride south on a main track. Before you reach the village of Bayan Zurk, the road leads through a river valley, on the right side of which a motorcycle trail has been built to avoid river crossings. Pure single trail  pleasure! From Bayan Zurk the trail leads you through an impressive canyon and over a pontoon bridge to the south bank of the Denger Mörön. A steep pass and hardly traveled trail take you further south. The small village of Tsetserleg offers you some shops to fill up your supplies. All accommodations are rudimentary, without running water. From Tsetserleg you reach after a few more passes Ider at the main connection Erdenet - Uliastai. Ider is the last stop before heading to the grand finale of this section: The Chaluun Us Pass, the gateaway to the west side of Otgon Tenger. This pass remains unused because of the Otgon Tenger Protected Area and therefore the trail conditions resemble the pass on Khovsgöl Lake. An overgrown double track, which turns into a fun single trail. At the end it is a short, but steep hike-a-bike until you reach the good track to Uliastai in the neighboring valley. Fantastic and lonely.

For the stretch between the Delger Mörön Bridge and Tsetserleg you need a border permit, which you can get in Mörön. We had none, were checked at a checkpoint, holded back for two hours, but were finally allowed to continue due to failed communication...

From Uliastai, you can either travel back to Ulan Bator via the "East" route or reach the west of Mongolia via our "Central route".

This section is one of the most demanding concerning the road conditions. Depending on the weight of your bike and its tire width, you have to expect a 10-40 km long sandy hike-a-bike section between Zavhanmandal and Zavhkan Gol. Plan your water supply carefully (see waypoints).

To visit the source of the impressive Muchartin Gol and fill up your water reserves there, it is best to leave the bike at the yurt close to the sign "left to Enderhairhan" and walk only with light luggage to the oasis and back.

With the bridge in Myangad you finally reach asphalt. The remaining kilometers to Hovd are a piece of cake.

If you want to head from Khovd further west to the Bulgan border and China or to the Russian border crossing at Tashanta, you will pass through Kazakh' land. You notice the change of culture in the different yurts, but also by the fact that people are welcoming you with more restraint. The family structures are more men-dominated and the women are wearing headscarves.

In the winter of 2010, we crossed Mongolia from the far west to the Khovsgöl Lake and cycled on the frozen lake to Khank to its north end. In winter, only a few roads are used regularly - and that is (even with little snow) a requirement, that you can get by with a bike, or that you can continue your journey in a foreseeable future after a snow storm.

The southern route is asphalted throughout, but not very exciting for biking. The central route cannot be ridden in winter or only with taking high risks. We started from Ölgii and got stuck at the Jargas Nuur because of high snow drifts. The northern route from Ulangoom via Zuungovi, Baranturuun, Tes, Bayantes, Tsetserleg, Tsagaan Uul, Burentogtokh to Mörön was then excellent to cycle, solid icy ground (spikes tires are mandatory). Many nomads move with their yurts closer to this main road in winter and we could mostly stay indoors. The encounters we had with the people were impressive and unique. In winter the sun stays flat over the horizon all day long, creating an eternel sunset over the white and still landscape. Beautiful.

The Khövsgöl Lake freezes in early January (until March). Information about the ice condition are difficult to find, most Ger camps in Khatgal are closed in winter. We could nevertheless contact Gambaa from MS Guesthouse. Meanwhile there are also tour agencies, which offer dog sled tours on the lake and which could possibly be a good source for information. Generally spoken you ride on a frozen lake near the shore, cycling the bays from cape to cape. At Lake Khövsgöl you ride along the west bank, and then cross the lake at the Doloon Uul peninsula to Khank. We never had to camp on the ice and could always sleep inside. We have found yurts / lodges in Toylogt (50.651914N / 100.235172E) and Hachum (51.126739N / 100.320688E) . We know also about a cottage at Jigleg (51.003579N / 100.281194E). The entire distance from Khatgal to Khank took us three days, but on the last day we were under time pressure when crossing the lake. 

The Doloon Uul peninsula / the big bay there leads to a strong compression zone, in which it often has cracks and disruptions. More detailed tips on how to deal with such places can be found in our Lake Baikal route description. In Khank, it was possible for us to organize a jeep that took us back to Khatgal. Khövsgöl lake is a good place to prepare and making first experiences if you want to tackle the much bigger / more difficult Lake Baikal later. Minutious preparation and experience in winter cycling are a prerequisite! Daytime temperatures around minus 20-30 degrees are normal. During the night it drops down to minus 40 degrees Celsius. There is an informative chapter on www.bikepacking.com about material selection for such extreme conditions.

The Android App "Soviet Military Maps" is working well for navigation and the printed tourist map, which you can find here  is a good back-up.