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  #1  
Old 23 Nov 2008
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Oslo - Mongolia - Gobi Dessert
Hi there

Today is a nice, fairly cold, but sunny sunday in Oslo. This is my first post outside the Sahara forum, which I found very helpfull when I planned my journey through North Africa, and cross the Sahara in 2007.

I have just started to look at the possibilities of riding Oslo to Ulan Bator, and then cross the Gobi dessert.

I have a few questions, like..
Whats the best time of the year to cross the Gobi?
Whats the common route (if there is any) from Europe to Mongolia?

Ahead of response, thanx alot

Cheers
Haakon
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Old 25 Nov 2008
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Hello Haakon: Anytime between early May to late September should be ok for riding in the Gobi. Earlier or later than that and you risk getting caught in snow and very cold tempertatures. Even in May and September it could snow, but it should melt quickly. Overall the Gobi is the easiest place to ride in Mongolia. The tracks are good and you can often go quite fast on the hard-pack desert, but be careful as short sandy patches and dips come up very quickly!

The nicest time is mid-June to early September. In July and August it can be quite hot in the middle of the day (40 C max) but it cools off quickly and the days are long, so if the weather is very hot you can ride for a few hours in the morning, rest in a shady place (not so easy to find!) during the hottest part of the day, and then ride a few hours in the late afternoon.

Others will have ideas on the best route to get from Europe to Mongolia, but for Mongolia I suggest entering from the far west and then taking the "southern route" and cross the Gobi from west to east.

Scott
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Old 1 Dec 2008
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Hi Scott
Thanks for the info. Its much appreciated. Whats the time range, you reccon, from west to east?

Mvh
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Old 1 Dec 2008
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If you want to do it at an enjoyable pace with time to explore, take photos, meet locals, I would say allow at least two weeks, and three would be better. You can definitely do it quicker but you won't see as much or have as much fun.

Scott
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Old 17 Dec 2008
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Routes through Mongolia -
besides the Southern route Scott mentioned,
there is a possibility to go the Northern route - that's the one McGreggor and Boorman did in 2004 (LWR), so if considering that, I would watch their DVD to get an idea.

I did the Southern route in 2005 going East to West and there were no major bad surprises.

Remember meeting two Finnish guys, I think their names were Visa and Vesa (one rode a BMW GS1150, the other a large bore Japanese thumper - brand?) - you may be able to get more info from them. Not sure if they're on this forum or on the ADVrider, or both.
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Old 17 Dec 2008
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Yes, the northern route is more scenic: more hills/mountains, grassy meadows and forests vs. desert. But also more of a risk of long days of slow, treacherous riding in the mud if you get rains. If it's dry it's a great route, and if you have time you don't have to worry as much about the mud/rain as you can just wait a few days for the tracks to dry out.

But if you're in a hurry (or if you prefer desert riding) then the southern route is better.

Scott
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Old 18 Dec 2008
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Visa / Vesa
Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveldog View Post
Routes through Mongolia -
besides the Southern route Scott mentioned,
there is a possibility to go the Northern route - that's the one McGreggor and Boorman did in 2004 (LWR), so if considering that, I would watch their DVD to get an idea.

I did the Southern route in 2005 going East to West and there were no major bad surprises.

Remember meeting two Finnish guys, I think their names were Visa and Vesa (one rode a BMW GS1150, the other a large bore Japanese thumper - brand?) - you may be able to get more info from them. Not sure if they're on this forum or on the ADVrider, or both.
here is the Visa / Vesa mongolia trip blog in english,

moposivut.com

I have been trying to find out fuel range required for both mongolia routes but I haven't managed to find a definitive answer anyone know??

from blogs etc seems that anything around 220-250 km would be sufficient..
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