Fairfield to Bayan Ulgii

• From: Fairfield
• To: Bayan Ulgii, and Russian border crossing
• Via: Tariat, Tosontsengel, Ulaangom, Khovd
• Time Taken: 12 days
• Distance: 1239km

This route was recorded by Dom Supertramp (https://www.facebook.com/domlenz) riding on a motorcycle in September 2015.  

The following road conditions report was submitted by David and Beverley Lever who travelled a similar, but not identical, route in May/June 2016.   

Road Conditions Mongolia: May - June 2016. 

Central route crossing from Ulaanbaatar - Bayan Olgii.

Ulan Ude - Ulaanbaatar: Sealed varied condition

Ulaanbaatar - Karakorum: Sealed varied condition

Karakorum - Tsetserleg: Sealed varied condition. (Snowed in Karakorum in the morning).

Tsetserleg - Tariat: Sealed excellent condition except 2 mountain passes good unsealed  

Tariat - North side White Lake:  Unsealed average condition, poor and very rocky if detour around north base of volcano. 

Tairat - Jargalant: Unsealed. Local information road very muddy with many stream crossings and difficult to negotiate due to recent rain and snow. We did not traverse so cannot comment.

Tairat - Tosontsengel: Sealed in excellent condition of recent construction except for a couple of sections still under construction being unsealed and a spectacular mountain pass unsealed generally in good condition except some muddy rough sections from rain/melting snow and truck damage.

Tosontsengel - Tudevtei: Unsealed average condition, multiple tracks, some sand around the lake and west of Numrog

Tudevtei - Songino: Unsealed average condition, multiple tracks

Songino - Naranbulag: Unsealed constructed road (as compared to typical Mongolian dirt tracks) for 160 kms mostly heavily rutted (washboard). Then approx 15-20kms of road construction with side tracks of loose dirt/piste, then 130kms excellent sealed road (best in Mongolia).

Naranbulag - Ulgij: Follow the power lines all the way: Unsealed road average condition. Very scenic

Ulgij - Omnogovi: Again roughly follows the power lines. Unsealed road, desert, sandy, rocky, pista. 

Omnogovi - Hovd: Unsealed road, desert, rocky outcrops, sandy sections. 10kms east of Hovd 5 river crossings up to 0.8m deep. Pushed bike across with local help.

Hovd -  Bayan Olgii: Unsealed road, desert mainly grit material, deep sand around the lake, multiple tracks in places so followed compass, last 60 kms hard rutted surface, last 45 kms constructed road hard rutted surface.

From Tsetserleg - Bayan Olgii we took 6 days riding, Suzuki V Strom 650 2 up and heavily loaded. We worked hard in some sections but the route would be straight forward on a more dirt orientated motorcycle. 

David & Beverley Lever
https://turtletraxblog.wordpress.com