New adventures in wild West Mongolia – The land that time forgot

One of the world’s last destinations untouched by mass tourism, Mongolia, will host Extreme Bike Tours’ first expeditions into the country in 2015.

 

One of the only motorbike tour operators to offer guided rides in Mongolia, Extreme Bike Tours will take experienced and licensed riders – and also pillion passengers with no riding experience – on adventure tours through the country’s remote ‘wild west’ in April and May next year, with guests using classic Royal Enfield 500cc bullet motorbikes to explore the region.
 

Two 15-day tours will start in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar on April 27 and May 25, 2015, with riders and pillion passengers then taken to western Mongolia – a vast, rugged and rarely visited region of nomadic herders, gold prospectors, tiny outposts and cultures frozen in time.
 

“Western Mongolia is one of the world’s last true frontiers – a far-flung land of stunning scenery, fascinating culture and daring adventure that few foreigners get to experience,” says self-confessed adrenalin junkie and former Englishman, Zander Combe, who owns Extreme Bike Tours, which is based in India. “A lot of planning has gone into our new Mongolian tours to ensure they offer our guests the trip of a lifetime in a land that time forgot,” Zander adds.
 

Riding between the frontier towns of Uliastai and Ulgii, the all-inclusive, off-the-beaten-track tours will see riders eat around campfires and sleep in traditional Mongolian yurts at ‘ger’ camps along the route which stretches through the Gobi Desert and the Altai Mountains. Along the way, riders can meet traditional Kazakh eagle hunters who ride horses and train golden eagles to hunt fox and hare.
 

The two 15-day expeditions are available from US$5850 for licensed riders and US$4950 for pillion passengers riding behind friends or crew or in support vehicles. Fares include connecting domestic flights within Mongolia, hotel accommodation at the start and end of the tour in Ulaanbaatar, ger camp accommodation on the road, all meals, use of new Royal Enfield 500cc bullet motorbikes and fuel. Flights from Australia to Mongolia are extra.
 

Featured on TV’s ‘Top Gear’ program, in 2011, Extreme Bike Tours is one of the world’s leading motorcycle tour companies and also offers itineraries to the Himalayas, Tibet, Bhutan, Rajasthan and southern India. Up to 80 per cent of riders are from Australia and New Zealand.

 

Photo caption: Mongolia herdsmen and eagle hunters (C: Beshlie McKelvie)