The Altay, one of the wildest mountain regions in the world, is located in the corner of four countries: Mongolia, China, Russia and Kazakhstan. The proximity to the borders entail a few logistical difficulties and is probably a reason that this beautiful spot hardly appears on the radar of Western tourists. For the visit, special permits are required, for which you have to apply two months in advance and back in 2014 was even introduced the rule of a mandatory guide in the well-known Tavan Bogd National Park in North-West Mongolia. For us reasons to look for a new bikepacking route, linking the most beautiful areas of the Mongolian and Russian Altay, but with as little bureaucracy as possible and excluding Tavan Bogd. And here it is: The Altay Quest is a bikepacking route that crosses two national parks and a UNESCO World Heritage site, follows the ancient migration routes of the Khoton nomads and leads you to the mystical Ukok Plateau. The Altay Quest is a demanding and challenging route, with steep grades, barely used double tracks and two trailless hike-a-bike passes. However, it is also one of the most fascinating routes we have ever ridden.
Suggested route
The route set consists of two loops and a one-way route, which are connected by the Russian-Mongolian border crossing at Tashanta. In principle, the two loops can be used as single sections, or the sections can be combined in different ways. If you would like to have a connected route, we suggest the following order: Arrival by train or plane to Barnaul in Russia, bus trip to Gorno Altaisk, cycling on the Chuiski Trakt or connecting via the more adventerous Teleskoje lake (ferry with irregular timetable) and the Chulyshman Valley to Kosh Agach (you will find these routes on every map).
There you can pick up your border permits and tackle the Ukok Loop. From Kosh Agach you take the main road to Bayan Ölgii in Mongolia. You can also do the border crossing on a bus if you want to save some time. From Ölgii you ride the Altay Loop along the Bulgan valley to Khovd and through the Tsambagaraav National Park back to Ölgii. The Grand Finale is the route Ölgyi - Ulangoom through the Kharkhiraa Mountains. From Ulangoom you can reach Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia by domestic flight, or you can cross the country on the conventional north or our Central route. Note that the direct connection from Ulangoom to the Russian border, marked on many maps, is impassable because of missing bridges.
- Ukok Loop
- Altay Loop
- Kharkhiraa Mountains
561 km
9 riding days
6642 m
80% offroad
In Koch-Agach you get your border permit (see section logistics) from the military and start to the first part of the Altay Quest. You conquer the "old" Tiopla Kljutsch pass and reach the Ukok Plateau. The Ukok Plateau is considered as the northern gate to the lost kingdom of Shambala and it is still a sacred place for the local Tuwa and Kazakhs - and when you ride through the golden shimmering steppe grass with its labyrinth of streams and rivers, the northern side of the glaciated Tavan Bogd massifs on the horizon, you can easily understand why. A few huts of Kazakh winter camps and a lonely military checkpoint are the only signs of civilization. Over two steep passes and a fantastic downhill you reach the Argut Valley and the small village of Beljashi / Djazator.
If you have enough time, you can follow the Argut River on a rough track down to the small village of the same name. The untamed wilderness is impressive and we would be astonished if at the end of this road you really feel like turning back. But the trekking path over three high passes to Tyungur and Mt. Belucha is not possible with a bike. We tried it: It was impossible for us to find horses for transportation in Argut and after twelve kilometers of carrying and pushing through totally blocked terrain we had to give up. The same applies to Karagemski pass, which could lead you back to Koch-Agach. If you want to try these options, you must rent the horses already at the Tour Baza in Beljashi / Djazator, otherwise it will be a dead-end. Scenicwise it is fantastic and a strong contrast to the previous plateau landscape and from our point of view very worthwhile. From Beljashi you ride on a good gravel road through a beautiful high altitude moor and over a pass back to Koch-Agach. The last seventy kilometers you already know, but there are worse prospects than riding this scenic route twice - and it goes all downhill.
577 km
9 riding days
7647 m
95% offroad
The second part of the Altay Quest starts after the Russian-Mongolian border crossing in the Aimag capital Bayan Ölgyi. Along the arid Bulgan valley and several passes, you reach the city of Khovd, which is located on the southern foothills of the Altay. In den beginning the road is even paved, but it changes quickly to a dirtroad after Tolbo. The landscape is desertic: sand, red rocks and sparse vegetation. From Khovd you follow the sandy and washboard mainroad to the workers camp at Khongor. There you turn onto a barely used track, which climbs directly up a dry riverbed. Nearly one thousand altitude meters in just six kilometers: pushing guaranteed. Once you have reached the first pass, riding sections alternate with steep and rocky pushing sections.
The track runs along the foothills of the Tsambagaraav massif and crosses every stream coming down from the glacier. Be careful, some of the fords are quite tricky - when in doubt keep your shoes on to have better grip in the current. After a last steep climb you reach a high valley full of yurts, very close to the glaciated summit of Tsambagaraav Uul. The light and color shades between brown and green are incredible and the following 1000m downhill on a smooth dirtroad down into the desert is just perfect. The remaining distance to Ölgi stretches like chewing gum. The road is bad and the wind blows directly from north-west. But in the Aimag capital, shower, hotel and supermarket await you. The second loop of the Altay quest is accomplished.
If you would like to shorten this loop you can turn east at Tolbo and reach Khongor directly via the mainroad.
284 km
5 riding days
3093 m
100% offroad
You leave Bayan Ölgii in a north-westerly direction and ride first of all through the very beautiful Hovd Canyon and over a small pass to Archit Nuur lake. On the old wooden bridge, you cross the lake's outflow and then you leave the main road to Ulangoom by turning west. Take care that you do not miss the hardly used track! The following section is very sandy, and it changes only when you reach the climb to Khar Davaa. The ground gets eventually firmer and is ridable for a short time before the steepness forces you out of the saddle. From the pass you have a fantastic view of Kharkhiraa and Türgen Uul and back to Archit Nuur. After the pass, you continue through a high valley, dotted with yurts of the Khoton nomads. The people are curious and friendly, invite you to butter tea and cheese. Life here seems idyllic and intact - as you imagine Mongolia, and how you find it less and less.
On a superb double track you continue towards the mountains, approaching Kharkhiraa Davaa, a 2900m high pass, which you cross directly between the two glaciated mountain giants. A top notch pass, but unfortunately the last seven kilometers are trailless and very exhausting. In the next valley a motorbike trail starts, which should lead you through the gorge directly to Kharkhiraa Sum / Tarlian and Ulangoom. We got stucked because of high water levels. We think that this is rather the rule than the exception. Inquire in the first yurt about the water level and take enough provisions for the detour. This takes you over another steep and pathless pass up to the high plateau, which you have seen from the Kharkhiraa pass. There you will reach a good dirt track, which allows you to reach the main road to Ulangoom via the coal mine Khar Tarvagatain Uurkhai. Ulangoom is a small town with good infrastructure and an airport and it is the end of the Altay Quest.
Infrastructure / Logistics
For the Ukok Loop in Russia, there are shops and accommodation in Koch-Agach, Beljashi / Djazator and Tashanta. Argut is a farming community and there is no shop. In Koch-Agach is also an ATM. For a visit to the Russian Altay, you will need a border permit ("probusk"), which is issued in your name, where the desired zones (Ukok, Mt. Belucha) are registered and for which you have to apply two months (!) in advance. You do not have to be in possession of the Russian visa yet. We got help from Andrey at www.travel-altai.com and everything went super smooth (50 Euro per permit). It has three checkpoints on the route and the officials take their job seriously. Register in Beljashi voluntarily at the military post, if the checkpoint on the road is not occupied. It will save you a lot of trouble. And please: Follow the rules, so that the Russian military will continue to let individual travelers visit this region without a guide! The access via the Chuiski Trakt or the route via Teleskoje lake does not need a permit.
The routes in Mongolia are open without legal restrictions / permits. Hotels, shops and ATMs are available in the Aimag capitals of Ölgii, Khovd and Ulangoom. At the bridge at Archit Nuur and at the crossroads to the main road to Ulangoom, there is also a Guanz, a Mongolian truckstop, where you can eat in an emergency.
Apart from this places you need a tent. You have to carry food for a maximum of five days. You will find water on the Ukok Loop almost everywhere in good quality, in Mongolia we have noted the water points in the gpx track. The water should (at least in Mongolia) be treated (chlorine or filter).
We cycled the Altay Quest between the middle of August and the end of September and have experienced these months (apart from the flood in the Kharkhiraa Valley) as perfect. The summer thunderstorms were already over, the mosquitoes were for the most part dead, and the autumn colors were fading in. We would never visit the Ukok Plateau earlier in the year (Siberian swampland = mosquito plague). From mid-October onwards it can snow. The ideal time frame for the Altay Quest is therefor relatively small. Check the weather carefully, you are traveling in high mountains.
Concerning navigation, we recommend to use our gpx track as well as the Sovjet Military Maps app, as most of the routes are not mapped on openstreetmap.
Difficulty
Plenty of altitude meters, bad dirttracks, scarce supply, two trailless passes, harsh climate, solitude. The Altay Quest is a real bikepacking adventure. You need an adequate fitness level, a good portion of perseverance and experience in food supply planning and navigation. Neither in Mongolia nor in Russia is much English spoken. A basic vocabulary in Russian is certainly helpful. If you ride the Altay Quest, you will be rewarded with an incredibly diverse route full of highlights from turquoise-colored rivers, deep valleys and the wooded taiga landscape of Siberia to glaciated mountains and wide plateaus in the nomadsland of Mongolia.
This route is only possible with a light bikepacking set-up. A backpack to carry the luggage during the two trailless hike-a-bike sections is strongly recommended.
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