Mongolia with motorcycle end of june to beginning of august

[Tirpse]

We are planning to drive through Mongolia next summer between middle of june-early of august entering from western border crossing and then to east though Mongolia and then up to Baikal lake. We have been planning to use so called southern route.

It seems most popular times to visit Mongolia are summer months but i have got message saying it starts to rain in Mongolia in June which makes river crossings and driving in grassland very hard or impossible as its muddy.

Anyone been in Mongolia in that time who has some experience of possible routes though country or how bad or impossible road conditions can be for motorcycles (average bikers with average enduro bikes)

[scottw]

Yes, the tracks in Mongolia get very slippery/muddy after a rain, but it dries out fairly quickly. Same thing with river crossings. The water will rise quickly but will also come back down pretty fast after the rain stops. So if there is a hard rain that makes it difficult or dangerous to keep going, just settle down and wait a few hours (or after a very heavy rain maybe even a day or two) and it should be fine.

If it's really slippery/muddy you're much better off waiting. It's exhausting to struggle through deep mud and if you just wait until it firms up you can often blow through the same area at a good speed.

If you're really worried about a river crossing, wait until a Mongolian truck comes along and then see if they can put your bike on the truck, or even use a line to help tow you across. Most Mongolians are very willing to help out travelers on the road.

The "southern route" that you are planning to use is the best one if you are concerned about this issue. It is much less vulnerable to rain delays because it is mostly semi-desert and the soil is more sandy and absorbs water quickly and there are fewer water crossings. Plus it just gets less rain overall than the north (hence the desert).

You'll have a great time!

Scott

[Tirpse]

Thanks for good information and it just confirmed my belif that its under normal condition possible to bike in Mongolia during that time as most travel books advice you to go there at that time.

[sijohnston]

i too am thinking of leaving from the UK around then. I'm solo on an 800GS and am just considering this trip now. are you on a bike or driving?

[Tirpse]

Originally Posted by sijohnston

i too am thinking of leaving from the UK around then. I'm solo on an 800GS and am just considering this trip now. are you on a bike or driving?

We are group of 4 bikes (three finns and one estonian) and we start from Estonia beginning of June and drive through Russia to Kazakhstan and visit Aral sea and then spend/drive some time in Altai mountains. From there we go to Mongolia and drive it from northwest to east possibly visiting Gobi and through UB to Baikal lake where we turn back to Europe and drive back to our homes.

[Capo Sakke]

Originally Posted by sijohnston

i too am thinking of leaving from the UK around then. I'm solo on an 800GS and am just considering this trip now. are you on a bike or driving?

We will commence our journey to that way end of May trough Russia. Hope that there isn't to many floods to ruin all paths but we'll see...

[gazpachu]

Hi folks,

We are also planning to make the southern route in Mongolia in July. Do you have any blog or website where we can follow your adventure? It will be helpful to know what you will be experiencing one month before we go.