Memo tourist in Mongolia.

Arrived from our almost three week trip by car.

Travel preparation

The preparation of our trip began almost six months ago, during this time we prepared a little for our trip, namely:

• Snorkel installed.
• We bought an autonomous charging - a power bank (tested on the Mongols, it works).
• Bought a bunch of spare parts.
• brake hose - 1 pc. - not needed
• ball - 1 pc. - didn't need
• repair kit for brake caliper with piston - not needed,
• valve cover gasket not needed
• engine sealant - not needed,
• metal clamps 3 pcs. - one was needed to fasten the stabilizer bushing bracket, due to the loss of the fastening bolt,
• drive belt - not needed,
• belt for viscous coupling - not needed,
• filters (cabin, air, oil) - replaced air filter after changing the engine oil;
• oil in the engine - they changed the oil in Ulan-Ude (excellent service station on the road, I don’t remember the name),
• antifreeze - not needed,
• brake fluid (helped the Mongols on the minibus, who had a broken brake pipe). Later, I myself needed it ... I had to buy more in the village. Aktash.
• Candles 4 pcs. - not needed
• a tire repair kit was not needed, we arrived without punctures, although we drove more than 30 km over sharp stones in places where we got lost!
• Fuel activator Motor resource 200 ml. - 3 pcs. per 600 liters of fuel (only 1.5 packs were used).
• They got international rights - they were never needed, no one needs them there. The Mongol twirled them, twirled them and decided to let us go, but he still did not achieve anything.
• Changed the oil and filter in the automatic transmission.

I'll start with the fact that our route along the way changed mainly in big side, with visits to interesting places.

Part 1. Road through Russia

The first day

Our adventure journey has begun June 17 at 15.00, start from Novosibirsk (Akademgorodok).

We refueled a full tank of AI92, one canister of 10 liters, and off we went…

On the first day, there was almost nothing interesting, except for annoying cracks on the windshield from a mad “thief”, which, before reaching Zhuravlevo, drove to the side of the road during asphalt laying. Two stones the size of a chicken egg flew from it ... I thought it would break it harder, but got off with a cobweb 2.5 x 2.5 cm. It will be necessary to drill until there are no cracks all over the glass.
Our first overnight stay was on a lake not far from the city of Mariinsk.

Second day

In the morning, my husband tried to catch fish, the result was zero, the neighbor had a couple of crucian carp the size of his palm. We had breakfast and moved on.

Majority major cities passed around. So it was with Krasnoyarsk.
Our next overnight stay was on the Biryusa River (finally found out where the river flows, after which the refrigerator in my house is named).

By the way, it is not for nothing that the refrigerator was named after this river. We stopped immediately after crossing the bridge. The water is clean, the shore, however, is covered in garbage, we had to clean up a bit ... Some were taken to the nearest bin, some were burned on the spot.

One of the places we wanted to see is Lake Baikal.

We had plans to drive along the shore of the lake. Baikal and stop in the town of Baikalsk, but we decided to change our route and visit about. Olkhon.

As a result, we left Irkutsk for the village of Sakhyurta, from where the ferry goes to about. Olkhon. We got to the village at about 22.45, in the village, not far from the ferry, we were stopped by a traffic police crew, they checked that the driver was sober, and let us go. There is no queue, we got on the ferry at about 22.50 and immediately headed to the other side.

The ferry was free. Having reached the shore, we went on Maps Me navigation to the village of Khuzhir. The road, to put it mildly, is bad ... Sometimes it was possible to drive no more than 20 km / h, they did not think of immediately reducing the pressure in the tires.

We arrived in Khuzhir, circled the streets, tried to go ashore ... But, because. it was night outside, the road was not found. Let's go to the outskirts of the village ... Pine forest decided to spend the night right in the forest.

Day three. Baikal

The next morning we went, bought food and souvenirs in the largest supermarket on the island. We drove to st. Baikalskaya, 58, tasted the most delicious poses that were prepared especially for us.

And, of course, we bought hot-rolled, cold-rolled and dried omul (from 100 rubles per piece).

In order to ride and take a photo of Lake Baikal, we rented 3 bicycles, the cost is 100 rubles per hour per piece.

We visited the local beach... We tried to swim, but it didn't work - the water temperature was +9°С. The husband and son went knee-deep, did not dare further. I completely immersed myself. For 10 seconds, my unprepared body did not allow more. Although I love the contrast shower, but then he protested.

We spent one more night on the island, but closer to the ferry, on the sandy shore in a deserted place.
The next day we successfully reached the village of Sakhyurta by ferry, met the expedition from China in 5 cars, they travel from Manchuria to Baikal and back.

While waiting for the ferry, we decided to inflate the asphalt wheels. Local impudently torn without a queue. By the way, buses, minibuses and special vehicles are allowed on the ferry without a queue.

We left in the direction of Ulan-Ude. We took a photo of Lake Baikal from the observation deck.

We reached Ulan-Ude in the late afternoon. It turns out that the time also had to be moved forward an hour.

Through some hotel booking site, we booked a room in a small hotel called "Camping" (located almost immediately at the entrance to the city, in the Sovetsky district). We arrived at the place - the administrator was surprised that they can book something on the Internet. In general, we settled in a junior suite for 1100 rubles +200 rubles. child (up to 7 years free), for this we received: a toilet, a shower in the room and a clean bed, that's all we need for the night. True, with hot water we're out of luck. Well, I was trained by Baikal, I was able to wash myself anyway.

Day four. Border

On the way out of Ulan-Ude, we stopped at a service station to change the oil. Changed in 20 minutes, oil and filter. We have been pouring ZIC X7 LS 5w30 for 50 thousand km, buying a 6-liter canister - very convenient, the residue after replacement is just enough to top up until the next replacement 9-10 thousand km. Consumption up to 1 liter. for 10 thousand km. I think it's normal, especially since the operation is sometimes difficult.
On the way to the border, this beauty stands in Buryatia, almost near the road.

Now our path lies in the border town of Kyakhta.

Hooray! We are in Kyakhta.

We refueled, bought groceries at a local store like Metro, went to go through customs. Stood for about 20 minutes in front of the first gate. The Mongols impudently go ahead in trucks.

They let us in, we went to the inspection ... A woman with an action camera approached us and checked the contents of our things, also asked us if we were carrying anything prohibited. Things from the trunk had to lay out. There was a suspicious suitcase with our things and sports. tool bag. And, by the way, my son’s fireworks, which I recently picked up from the RCR, were indeed in the suitcase. This ended the inspection. All the workers, I want to note, treat Russians very friendly. We had 3 canisters with us: 1-20 liters. with water, 2-20 liters for gasoline empty, 3-10 liters. with gasoline, we previously read that you can only bring 10 liters of gasoline. However, we did not check anything in the canisters, nor whether they were filled or not. We passed the inspection of the car, went to draw up documents and go through passport control.

The car has a stationary 27 MHz radio (SI-BI) and 2 portable radios - I asked several times if they needed to be declared somehow, they answered no.

When processing documents, if you are going to leave through another crossing point, be sure to indicate this. You will be given a small sticker with a bar code, you will need it when you pass the border back to Russia, otherwise it seems like your car will be under customs control.

Further, right behind our customs, there is a Mongolian customs, after the barrier and crossing the muddy ford (sort of like disinfection), take a piece of paper, there will be a booth right at the entrance. Then go through the inspection again, but by the Mongolian side, turn the car around again, go through passport control, fill out a mini-questionnaire, then pay 60 rubles. for the dirty puddle through which they drove.

Put all the necessary seals and leave the border.

Immediately after the barrier, a woman runs towards you, who needs to pay a transport tax of 10,000 tugriks or 300 rubles. (it is better to first change rubles into tugriks, it will be cheaper, you can change literally 20 meters at the exchange office). Insurance is 10 meters away. I paid 1150 rubles. (indicated the actual volume). They changed rubles into tugriks ... They became millionaires - the rate is 1 rub. = 39 tugriks. (on the border with Tashanta the rate was 1 ruble = 41 tugriks, in Mandal Gobi the rate was 1 ruble = 37.75 tugriks).

Hooray! Finally, we crossed the border ... Due to the fact that we went through the ford and did not immediately take a piece of paper - we stuck around for 2 hours.

What you need from the documents to pass the border to Mongolia:

• Foreign passport for all passengers and the driver.
• Documents on the car - registration certificate (technical passport) - plastic card.
• !It is obligatory that you are the owner of the car, or in extreme cases, a notarized power of attorney has been issued.

Expenses: 10 000 petrol, Mileage: 2500 km.

We entered Mongolia....

Part 2. Mongolia

Our main task was to visit the monument of Genghis Khan on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, visit the Gobi desert and fish on the cleanest lakes and rivers. We drove towards the Genghis Khan monument on horseback. Let's go...

The first city was Sukhbaatar, we drove through it without stopping.

What catches your eye when visiting Mongolia is the insane number of Toyota Prius cars and the number of tire shops on every corner - in Mongolian “Duguy zasvar”.

Day five

We woke up a little early, at 4 in the morning, but it was already quite light, and the horned ones were grazing with might and main. There were yurts nearby.

100 km from Ulaanbaatar, we once again stopped for the night.

Day six. Ulaanbaatar

The city of Ulaanbaatar met us with a little rain. Traffic in the city is disgusting, and even in traffic jams spent two hours. About traffic in Ulaanbaatar: everyone stops at a traffic light... that's where all the rules end. Pedestrian crossing - like in Thailand, if you managed to slip through, you are lucky ... But although you may be lucky, and one car out of a hundred will let you through. When rebuilding, the signal is not turned on. The rules for driving the ring are the other way around, not like ours. In front of us, a training car was driving through the city, stuffed to the brim with novice drivers ... How hard it was for them. There is a separate lane for public transport, and even cars manage to occupy it, but buses travel without traffic jams.

In general, you can get used to such a movement in half an hour. If you have driving experience we have the city center. I tried not to drive around the cities, I gave the steering wheel to my husband.

In Ulaanbaatar, we saw signs of KFC and Burger King - we left our cars in the alley of houses and went shopping. We went to KFC, because. my son loves hamburgers, and you can't buy them anywhere else here. Made an order: a hamburger and a drink 7500 tugriks (192 rubles). The child then sent a check to his classmates via WhatsApp so that classmates would gasp. My wife and I decided to try buuzas, went to the first cafe we ​​came across, and there we tasted local cuisine- buuzy and tsai (green tea with butter and salt), surprisingly liked the tea, gave for everything about 5000 tugriks - 130 rubles.
I liked Moontun buuz (600 tugriks for 1 pc.) (the dough looks like something on Pyans). Tsai 300 tugriks.
Two pieces were enough for me to overeat.

We refreshed ourselves and decided to look for sights.

At first they tried to find on the map in which direction it is famous monument Genghis Khan on horseback, but the Mongol map didn't help us much. There is no Internet, mobile communication costs around 100-150 rubles. per minute, so it was turned off immediately after entering this wonderful country. We decided to look for passers-by who speak Russian, because driving around the city is suicide (with such traffic and traffic jams). An hour later, such a person was found. He told how to get to the monument, and even showed a photo on his phone, we immediately realized that this was what we were looking for.
After leaving Ulaanbaatar, in the direction of Bayandelger, after 40 km we reached the first stop.

The monument is really striking in its scale.

The entrance for the three of us came out a little more than 20,000 tugriks (530 rubles), it’s cheaper for children.
At the entrance you will be met by guides who speak English and Russian - they will tell you everything for free.
On the ground floor there are shops with souvenirs, prices, by the way, are quite adequate - low. Nearby there is a rental of national clothes for only 3,000 tugriks (75 rubles). Here is the largest Mongolian boot and whip.

On the second floor there is a restaurant and a toilet. Above there is an elevator and a ladder for climbing to observation deck, which is located in the horse's head.

On the ground floor there is a museum with two rooms, in one of which you can sit at the table like a real khan and take wonderful photos, and in the other there are rare artifacts, and you can’t take pictures ...

Gobi Desert

In Mandalgovi, we realized that the money that we changed at the border - 10,000 rubles. = 390,000 tugriks will not be enough for us to the end. We decided to go to the bank and change.
We found a bank in the navigator and went to it. There was a small crowd near the entrance to the bank.

Inside, of course, there is no board with the exchange rate hanging ... Come, show your pieces of paper and change, taking the electronic queue.
We seem to have arrived on a day when the entire population of the city came to receive pensions, benefits, salaries and other payments. Elderly people are dressed in national clothes - they wear it all the time, and not just on holidays. One of the Mongolians gave us the stub of the electronic queue, which shortened our wait by about 1-2 hours. We showed our papers for 5000 rubles. operator and waited for a positive response from her. As a result, they changed 15,000 rubles for 550,000 tugriks.

Banks have the most unfavorable conditions. But we had nothing to do, money was running out, and we were going to the heart of the desert.
On the way we stopped at a roadside cafe. As usual, my husband and I ordered buuzas with tsai. And the son was asked for meat with rice and lipton.
Here's what they brought us.

The child, of course, did not eat all this, but this dish costs 5,500 tugriks.
Buuzas here are 500 tugriks.

At the entrance to Dalanzadgad, we were stopped by the police. At that moment, I was at the helm. After stopping, the husband opened the window on the passenger side, handed over the insurance and my international license to the policeman, although I was driving ... The policeman looked at the insurance, gave it back, looked at the rights without turning around (there are photos inside and the available categories are indicated), judging by the appearance, I didn’t understand what was given to him - he returned the rights and left. And we moved on.

Here is the first and last acquaintance with the Mongolian police. Not a single policeman with a hairdryer (radar) was found on our way ...
After we passed the city of Dalanzadgad, the asphalt told us "bye".

In the area of ​​Dalanzadgad or Gurvantes (I vaguely remember), our navigator led us to a dead end. Well, as a dead end ... Simply in front of us was a dune with a height of 4-5 storey building. We left the car and went to take beautiful photos.

Gasoline is running out ... There are 29 liters in canisters, and you still have to get out.

Let's go back, the navigator was confused. We went with a Mongolian map to ask the nearest yurt for directions. A Mongol and his daughter came up to us, looked at the map ... But they could not show anything on it. He asked for a piece of paper and a pen (he doesn’t speak Russian and doesn’t understand it), drew us an approximate path ... We didn’t understand anything. He waved his hand at us, got on a motorbike and showed them to follow us. We drove 30 kilometers, he stopped and showed to follow the power line. He asked where we were from, we said - from Russia. True, he did not understand the word "Russia", but after the word "Moscow" he smiled and showed "class".
Hooray! We went to the road that is in our navigator.

Passing through the Gobi Desert and in general, riding on the primers of Mongolia, you can see a lot of empty bottles of vodka (in Mongolian - Archi), frankly drunk driving was seen only in the city of Khovd, more precisely, on the outskirts of the city. There was a police car, it seems, there was a “raid”, there was a 200 Kruzak nearby, the driver of which could barely stand on his feet ... It smelled of at least 1-2 drunk bottles of “Archi”.

When visiting Mongolian cities, and even more so, villages, we were always in the spotlight, sometimes even people came out of their houses to look at us, as if a circus with clowns had arrived.
In the city of Baruun Bayan Ulan, we once again asked for help from the locals. But it feels like they are seeing a map of their country for the first time.

Somehow we understood the direction, moved again along the high-voltage poles. But the husband wanted to get to the lake, to which he so aspired after Dalanzadgad, not far from Bogd sum, Lake Orog. But we never got to it, there is a very bad road, pits and mounds, along which you need to drive up to 5 km / h. And while we were trying to get closer to this lake, we again stumbled upon the sands.

Here the sand is fine and white. It was getting dark, and we decided to put up a tent on the sands.
In the evening, the sand is cold, and during the day you can’t stand with bare feet, it’s very hot.

Day seven

In the morning we went to the city of Bogd, towards the city of Bayankhogor. In the steppe we met a lonely signpost.

In Bogt, we stocked up on drinks at the store.

We ate at a local cafe nearby.
The child ate sausages in batter (1000 tugriks), I, as usual, about buuzy (500 tugriks) with tsai, and my husband ordered a dish for 5500 tugriks.

We moved towards the city of Altai. We did not visit Bayankhogor. There are road works going on. Lay asphalt.

Not far from the city of Zhinst stands a malebn.

The map showed a good paved road there. By 12 o'clock at night we still got to it. 40 km to the city of Delger. We set up a tent for the night. The weather began to deteriorate. Not far from Russia. The wind and the clouds gathering in the sky reminded us of this.

The next stop was planned on the lake near the city of Khovd.

Not far from the city of Khovd there is a wonderful lake Khar-Us nuur. We found a place near the shore and set up a tent. The next morning we managed to catch only 3 fish with a bait ... Because the fish only pecked at a fly (live), and they ran out. What kind of fish, we did not understand ... But it looks like Osman.

Due to the fatigue of the crew, it was decided to go towards the border with Russia.

Border again

Arriving at the border in the city of Tsagaannuur at 17.45, we found out that the working time was coming to an end, and they would not have time to let us through.
We turned around and went to look for the nearest place to spend the night.
Arrived around 12 o'clock, of course, got on a lunch break. We had lunch at a cafe nearby. The menu includes only buuzas and green tea with milk. They took 5, then another 5 and another 7, as a result, they ate 17 buuz for three and drank 1.5 liters of tea.
Buuzas are small, 300 tugriks each.

Behind us lined up a column of 6 cars with Russian numbers - 42, 174 regions. It turned out that they also traveled around Mongolia. They said that not far from the lake where we stopped, there is Lake Khyargas Nuur, where you can catch fish with your hands. And quite large. As a fisherman, I wanted to return, but my wife and son wanted to go to Russia. There is a reason to go to Mongolia again, now I already know where to go.
The Mongolian side of the customs went through pretty quickly, at this point a lot of people speak Russian, they always suggested what to do. Inspection is quick and superficial.
The Mongolian side has been passed.
We drove over the fence, again a broken dirt road.
Having reached the Russian side, they checked the passports and handed over to the Russian customs the number of people in the car, so that no one would run away along the way. As soon as we entered the Russian border zone, excellent asphalt began.
At the Russian customs, we were first met by a representative of Rospotrebnadzor. In uniform, she looked like Mary Poppins from the movie. After passing the control of Rospotrebnadzor, we went to passport control and inspection.
All passed. The car was removed from control.
Hooray! We returned to Russia ... That feeling when you are ready to kiss your native asphalt.

Now ours is waiting for Gorny Altai.

About clean drinking water- We always bought it in supermarkets. 5-liter canisters cost around 50 rubles. And, of course, soft drinks - Fanta with the taste of pineapple, peach, apple, grapes. Mint-flavoured Sprite… This is not a cucumber-flavored Sprite like in Russia.
What did you like about the food bought in supermarkets: b / n Korean noodles (we know it well, because a couple of years ago we were wholesalers of similar products in the Russian Federation), pate from someone's liver (Mongolian production), camel milk, delicious bread. Very cheap and good green tea. In the city of Ulgei, there were even chicken eggs for sale produced in the science city of Koltsovo (a neighbor of Akademgorodok in Novosibirsk). A lot of Korean and Chinese products, everything is delicious. I liked the local ice cream (maybe because I was in position, 16 weeks) for 600 tugriks, the taste is specific, sour.
They brought a couple of bottles of Genghis Khan vodka for gifts, around 14,000 tugriks (360 rubles) per unit, the cheapest vodka is almost like ours, from 190 rubles. for 0.5.

Numbers:
Spent in rubles:
Fuel - 8,000 rubles. or 312000 tugriks

Mongolian insurance - 1,150 rubles. (if you drive in from the city of Kyakhta through Altan Bulag, they may not let you out without it ... Yes, and I was calm with it, by the way, I didn’t underestimate the engine size, although it could have been done less, it would have been cheaper).
Transport tax - 300 rubles. (In fact, you can agree on 150).
Traveling on roads between cities (there is a booth with a barrier - 150 rubles - one passage is 1000 tugriks (25 rubles) - you can go around, this is what some of the Mongols do.
Total mileage - 7480 km. (approximately about 1000-1500 km on dirt roads, of which 300 km on terrible roads - stones, pits where the speed could not exceed 20 km.)
Fuel burned out - approximately 950 liters ( approximate consumption 12-13 liters).
Refueling an almost full tank cost 100,000 tugriks.
Gasoline prices in Mongolia range from 1500 to 1800 tugriks (i.e. from 36.5 to 44 rubles per 1 liter of AI92). The quality of the fuel is not worse than ours ... there were no problems. Above 92 can only be found in large cities. Diesel fuel is cheaper than 92 gasoline. And gas with its Mongolian name "AKHUY" costs as much as AI92 gasoline.

Here it is, the final part of our route.

The first settlement in Russia is Tashanta, there is nothing to do here. We arrived at Kosh-Agach, where we bought food and refueled.
First of all, they thought to go to the Ukok plateau, but, as always, not on time. We won’t have time to order a pass, because the working day on Friday is shortened, and at the checkpoint it seems like they don’t draw it up right away. It's okay, we love Altai very much and are ready to come again.
Further, because we safely left the map with the main attractions at home, we are looking for them using the Maps ME program in the phone. The first thing they found ... Mars-2. The road was less than 50 km, but what interesting road… considering the intensifying rain. On the way there were very steep ascents, and large stones, not to mention the fact that we were pulled into a ditch several times. We still got to this point ... But, unfortunately, our dreams did not come true.

Apart from the road this place nothing interesting. We drove back according to my husband's method ... He saw where you can cut off and drive in a straight line. In one of the places where there was muddy earth, we began to pull into the nearby Chaganuzun river, we decided to go back and go through the passes. Didn't take a photo, it was raining.
Then we went to our overnight place, near the village of Kosh-Agach on the Chuya River. We put up a tent, additionally pulled an awning from above. So the awning was not pulled quite correctly, in the morning they drained 20-30 liters of rainwater.
Fishing for gossip again in flight. They tried to dig up worms for a bait ... They are not here either.
Then we drive towards Aktash, but remember that a year ago we wanted to look at the Aktru glacier. We return to the village of Kyzyl-Tash and drive towards the alpine camp transshipment. The road is not entirely bad, sometimes puzoters even get to the alpine camp, however, they cannot do without losses. On the way to the transshipment of the car, there are only loaves, 469 Oises, Urals ... so we are on the right track. On the way we met: 1 bridge, 3 fords (depth no more than 50 cm, without a snorkel), then the road began with large stones and steep climbs.

There are very large stones in the ford ... Hitting such a stone with an unclosed razdatka is an opportunity to stay here for a long time. As according to the law of meanness, not a single car to see which of the fords is better to go.
We decide to walk, about 17 km round trip. We put the car on the transshipment and go. They took water in the car, waders. The river is very cold and the stones are slippery, I checked. My husband carried me and my son across the ford to the other side. The road to the camp is difficult, climbs, descents, slippery stones. Halfway it starts to rain, part route goes through the woods, got a little wet.

The son did not expect such a setup. If I had known, I would have stayed in the car.
Less than 1 km remains, the glacier is already clearly visible.

After 2.5 hours we got there. My wife and son went to look for a cafe to warm up and have a bite to eat. I went to the spring to replenish my water supplies on the way back. The rain intensified, I took a couple of photos of the monument to the crashed snowboarders in May 2002 and the monument to all the dead climbers.

We didn’t go all the way to the glacier in such weather, and it’s already late in the evening, and it’s risky to walk along the path in the forest in the dark.
After drinking delicious herbal hot tea with pancakes in a cafe, we headed back to the transshipment.
The way back was much easier, as there were mostly descents, very few ascents. We left the waders at the beginning of the journey so as not to carry extra weight. We find them in the saved marks of the navigation program, pick them up and go to the ford.
In general, the road, although difficult, but with good protection and a snorkel, you can drive.
Then we go to the geyser lake. We reach the base "Rest", the passage to it goes through a swamp, we give 30 rubles each. for adults, children are free, and we go 300 meters to the lake.

We take a photo of a wonderful geyser lake and go further towards Aktash.
Having reached the Aktash, we turn towards Ulagan, we go towards the most beautiful of the passes Gorny Altai- Katu-Yaryk. The distance from Aktash to Katu-Yaryk is approximately 100 km one way. The path passes through another attraction - the Red Gate, but here we already took pictures a year ago, we go further. Along the way there are a large number of recreation centers. All nearby lakes are leased, so fishing is again in the span. Closer to the pass, the road deteriorates, puzoterki weave along 15-20 km, carefully overtake them and drive on ... Our speed on such a road is 70-80 km, the suspension allows you to drive comfortably. Most of the route runs on asphalt, primers only 30%. Having reached the pass, we take a photo, fasten the stabilizer mounting bolt lost along the way.

We don’t go down the pass, it makes no sense. The road through the pass goes to the south of Lake Teletskoye, which we will not go to, we have already been. Another reason why we do not go towards the lake is the remaining gasoline, which will not allow us to return back.
Further, our path passes through the Maiden's Tears (Shirlak) waterfall, we were here, but decided to visit again.

We stop at the monument to the driver, which we usually passed.

"A monument outside the village of Bely Bom. It was erected to the hero of the famous song about Kolka Snegirev. Dedicated to all the drivers who died on the Chuisky tract."

We stop at the confluence of the Katun and Chuya.
The Chike-Taman pass is easy to pass, it is easier for a car with a snorkel to breathe. We buy souvenirs on the pass, teas as a gift.
The Seminsky Pass is also in the same breath, we don’t stop here, there are a lot of people. Mongolian goods are sold 5 times more expensive.
Closer to s. Ongudai we go down to the Ursul River, the descent is very steep, if it rains, it will be difficult to go back. We find perfect place for an overnight stay.

On the way home, we buy more mead to celebrate the journey at home.

Then we go home, there are no more stops.
At the entrance to Cherepanovo, heavy rain began. This is how Novosibirsk met us, washed us from the dirt. July 4 at 22.00 we arrived home.
Many thanks to our car, which brought us home and did not cause problems on the road!

Upon arrival, the first thought is where we are going next time.

Issue price: 10,000. Mileage: 1050 km

31.08.17,
Anechka,
Novosibirsk

Great story! But I have a question about gas mileage,
Fuel spent - 8,000 rubles. , Fuel burned out - approximately 950 liters (approximate consumption of 12-13 liters). Gasoline prices are 36.5 to 44 rubles. for 1 liter.
It turns out that the consumption of gasoline is approximately 35 thousand rubles, and you have written 8,000 rubles.

Mongolia - Asian state bordering Russia and China. The country has no access to the sea.

The basis of the relief is a plateau raised to a height of 900 - 1500 meters above sea level, and mountain ranges and also the Gobi Desert. The southern border of permafrost passes through the territory of Mongolia.

Total area - 1,564,116 sq. km, the population is 3,000,000 people, among which 95% are Mongols, 5% are Turks, 0.1% are Chinese and Russians. Mongolia is the country with the lowest population density in the world. The official religion is Tibetan Buddhism. The official language is Mongolian.

The capital is the city of Ulan Bator.

Cities of Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar, leading its history from 1639, - main city countries, without visiting which there will be no complete picture of Mongolia. It harmoniously combines modern architecture and ancient temples, foreign cars last year issue and riders in national dress, nightclubs and religious values. Young tourists like to visit the city Amusement Park. In Ulaanbaatar, friendly locals, excellent national cuisine, chic shopping (by the way, the best cashmere market Naran-Tul is located in Ulaanbaatar) and, of course, excursion program. A large number of guests is going to the annual Naadam festival, held from July 11 to 13, where you can plunge into the national atmosphere and watch the masters of archery, wrestling and horse riding.

How to get to Mongolia

There is no direct air connection between Belarus and Mongolia.

The best option would be a flight on the route Minsk - Ulaanbaatar with one connection (for example, in Moscow or Beijing) by Aeroflot or Air China. Travel time will be about a day (including connections), the cost of a round-trip ticket is from 1,300 US dollars per person.

A train runs from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar (journey time - 101 hours).

Climate of Mongolia

The territory of Mongolia is influenced by a sharply continental climate.

The average air temperature in summer is from +15 to +40 degrees, in winter - from -10 to -35 degrees, depending on the region. The difference between day and night temperatures in winter can reach 30 degrees. Number sunny days- 260 per year.

The annual rainfall ranges from 100 mm to 500 mm. Rains usually fall from mid-July to September. Snow in the mountains can lie throughout the calendar year. Dust storms are possible from May to June.

The best time to travel around the country is from mid-May to October.

The hotel base of Mongolia is presented modern hotels from 1 * to 5 * only in the city of Ulan Bator. Here you will find excellent service and comfortable living conditions. The cost of a room in a 5 * hotel - from 180 US dollars per person. Breakfasts are usually included in the price.

Outside of Ulaanbaatar, the main types of accommodation are yurts (“gers”), and from analogs of camping to VIP accommodation with all amenities. Meals - half board or board, cost - from 35 US dollars per day.

Banks, money, exchange offices

The currency of Mongolia is the Tugrik. Circulation has paper banknotes in denominations of 1,3,5,10,20,50,100,500,1000,5000,10,000 tugriks and coins in denominations of 20,50,100,200 tugriks. US dollars are also accepted for settlements (though unofficially).

Opening hours of banks and specialized exchange offices:

From 9.00 - 9.30 to 12.30 and from 14.00 to 15.00 - 17.00

You can make a currency exchange in the banks of Ulaanbaatar, in "exchangers" and in some hotels. It is not recommended to exchange money at "street" money changers. ATMs are also located only in the capital. It is almost impossible to exchange currency in the province.

Credit cards of the world's main payment systems are accepted for settlements only in large banks, hotels and some shops in Ulaanbaatar. Only the Development and Trade Bank of Ulaanbaatar works with travel checks (preferably in US dollars).

Tipping is not obligatory, but not prohibited either - 5 - 10% of the total amount as a token of gratitude will be accepted by the attendants with pleasure.

Tourist safety

In general, Mongolia is a country that is safe to travel, but following the basic rules of conduct will save you and your loved ones from minor and major troubles:

• Valuables, large sums of money and documents should be left in the hotel safe
• In crowded places, it is not recommended to leave personal belongings unattended.
• You should be extremely careful outside the cities - you can encounter packs of feral dogs
• You should not travel through the steppe without an accompanying guide
• Before traveling, you should take preventive measures against diseases of plague, cholera, typhoid, meningitis, hepatitis C and rabies
• It is recommended to use sunscreen before going out
• Bottled water is recommended for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice.
• Meat, fish and milk should be eaten only after preliminary heat treatment.
• Before eating vegetables and fruits, they should be thoroughly washed, fruits should be peeled, vegetables should be cooked.
• When visiting temples, the dress code must be observed - shoulders, chest and knees must be covered
• You can’t joke with the name of Genghis Khan - this is the founder of Mongolia
• Do not touch the head of another person, especially a child
• Don't turn your back on elders
• You can’t play with fire - trample, throw garbage there and fill it with water

Transport

Given the great length of Mongolia, the most convenient means of transportation here is the plane. Domestic air transportation is carried out between Ulaanbaatar and the main settlements of the country. The cost of tickets is low, but for foreigners it is more expensive than for local residents.

The railway communication is not very well developed - there is only one passenger line connecting Ulaanbaatar, Darkhan, Sukhbaatar and Erdenet.

The main settlements are connected bus routes. There is a timetable that local drivers almost always adhere to.

Urban transport of Ulaanbaatar is trolleybuses, buses and fixed-route taxis. The fare is 500 tugriks. Public transport is in poor technical condition, always crowded with people, moves without a schedule.

The fare in a taxi is 500 tugriks per 1 km, the final calculation is based on the speedometer readings.

Water transport is developed on Lake Khubsugule.

Renting a car is strongly discouraged and makes no sense - the roads are bad, the rules are not respected by local drivers, the main tourist sites are located on long distance from each other, it is very dangerous to move independently in the Gobi Desert. Those who dare to drive on their own will need to present:

• International driving license
• Credit card or cash (from $50 per day)

A four-wheel drive vehicle with a driver can be hired for $70 per day.

Entertainment, excursions, attractions

The sights of the capital - the city of Ulan - Bator - begin, as elsewhere, from the Old City - Sukhe - Bator Square with a monument to this national hero and the Peace Bell, with the buildings of the Parliament, the Stock Exchange and the Palace of Culture. Next is the visiting card of the city - the Gandan Monastery (“a great place of absolute happiness”), the symbol of which is a statue of the Buddha of longevity 26 meters high. Inside the statue are 27,000 kg of dried medicinal herbs and 2,000,000 mantra scrolls. No less significant for the history of the country is the monastery of Lama Hoijinyu, which includes 5 temples, 5 gates, the Museum of Buddhist Art with unique exhibits. One of the most visited places in Ulaanbaatar is the palace complex of Bogdykhan, the last emperor. Very informative and fascinating city museums - natural history, fine arts, National Historical, Theatrical, Intellectual, Center for Buddhist Medicine, Shaman Center.

A large number of tourists come to the Karakoram archaeological park, where you can see the sights of the 13th - 16th centuries - the Khan's palace, the quarter of artisans, the first Buddhist monastery Mongolia and rock paintings of the first settlers of this territory.

The natural attractions of Mongolia are Lake Khovsgol (the deepest in Central Asia), the valley of the Selenga River, which flows into Lake Baikal, Mount Bogdo-Ulo (the birthplace of Genghis Khan) and the Gobi Desert, which contains the world's largest deposits of fossil animal bones.

Fans of active pastime are engaged in rafting, sport fishing, horse riding tours and motor races, and also live in yurts on high mountain pastures.

Cuisine and restaurants

The national cuisine of Mongolia has practically not been influenced by other cuisines of the world and exists almost in its original form. The main products are meat (lamb, maybe beef, horse meat, yak and saiga meat), rice, peas and other legumes, wild berries, herbs and roots, dairy products (koumiss, fermented baked milk, dried cottage cheese, cheese).

The most popular Mongolian dishes are the following:

• "boodog" - meat brisket, fried from the inside with red-hot stones "horhog" - slightly boiled meat without salt and spices
• "bakhan" - a goat baked right in the skin
• boiled sheep fat
• fried lamb genitals
• "borts" - dried meat
• "Khushur" - pancakes stuffed with meat and onions
• buz - steamed dumplings
• meat noodles
• pies stuffed with raw meat
• "Khashur" - pies with horsemeat fried in oil

From drinks - sour milk "Ayran", koumiss, Mongolian tea (slab tea with milk, salt, butter, toasted flour or lightly fried tail fat)

From alcohol - vodka "Arkhi" (from mare's milk), "Ayrag" (homemade moonshine), "Shimin Arkhi" (strength about 12%), good local beer

Shopping and shops

Mongolian stores operate on an individual schedule.

Most often, cashmere and copper products, camel wool blankets, jewelry, carpets, national clothes, and all kinds of figurines are brought from Mongolia.

Customs

You can import foreign currency within 2000 US dollars (or equivalent). Export - within the amount imported.

You can import local currency within 815 tugriks. For amounts exceeding this amount, a bank permit is required.

Imported historical items, works of art and electronic components should be declared.

Allowed to import:

• Up to 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco
• Up to 1 liter of strong alcohol, up to 2 liters of wine, up to 3 liters of beer
• Goods for personal use - in the amount of not more than 1000 US dollars per person

It is forbidden to import and export:

• Narcotic, psychotropic, radioactive, explosive and poisonous substances
• Non-canned meat products
• Weapons and ammunition without a permit
• Samples of plant and animal tissues, blood and preparations based on it
• Pornographic cinema - video production

The cost of each type of exported products should not exceed 500 US dollars.

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So you just want to roll off into the endless steppes. And so that the wind in my head. Harness.

The article is huge, you will need navigation:

They galloped.

When to go to Mongolia?

Due to the fierce continental climate, the country has changeable and windy weather.In winter - frost, minus 25°С - 35°С. Ulaanbaatar at this time of the year leads the list of the coldest capitals in the world.In summer - up to plus 25 ° С - 35 °. The heat is softened by the winds that roam the steppe, but they also sometimes create sandstorms.In spring and autumn there are sharp temperature changes.Comfortable time - from May to October.

There is also an advantage: more than 250 clear days a year, which is why Mongolia is called the country of the blue sky. A dream for those who like to leave themselves clear days and look at buckets of stars.

Do I need a visa

Since 2014, Russian citizens do not need a visa if they are not going to roam for more than 30 days. You only need a passport.

If you want to fly for a couple of months, then you need to apply for a visa.Embassies exist in Moscow, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Kyzyl and Yekaterinburg.

How to get to Mongolia

By plane

There is only one international airport in Mongolia, in Ulaanbaatar. From Moscow you will find tickets with a bunch of transfers from Turkish Airlines.The cost is from 29,000 rubles.

It is also easily accessible by direct flights of Aeroflot and Mongolian Airlines. Fly around 6 hours.The cost is from 35,000 rubles.

But from Buryatia you can find tickets from 6500 rubles.

From the airport to the city center, take a taxi for $ 5 or walk a kilometer to bus stop ( here) - for $0.2.

By bus

A cool option for a compound trip to Lake Baikal. Daily, at 7:30 p.m. Ulan-Ude bus station to Ulaanbaatar a shuttle bus departs. On the road - 12 hours, there may be slight delays at the border. Buy your ticket at the box office or travel agency website.

Cost: from 1500 rubles one way.

During sales of Pobeda Airlines, plane tickets to Ulan-Ude can be bought for 6,500 rubles round trip.

By train

For those wishing to ride along the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway: a train departs from Moscow once every two weeks. You will have to listen to the sound of wheels for a little more than 4 days.Cost: from $200 one way.

Trains depart from Irkutsk 3 times a week. On the road - 1.5 days.Cost: from $80 one way.

You can buy tickets for this route only at the box office.

By car

There are about a dozen border crossings on the border with Russia. Main post - Kyakhta , around the clock. It works only with motorists, it will not work on foot.

The distance from the border to Ulaanbaatar is 350 km. However, be aware that there are practically no roads there, if you love your “swallow”, then think twice.

Customs

It is important to remember that you can import duty-free no more than: $ 2,000, 200 cigarettes, 1 liter of strong alcohol or 3 liters of beer.

It is also forbidden to carry with you: archaeological finds, meat or fish, metal detectors and everything that a decent traveler does not take on the road.

Time difference between our capitals +5 hours

Money is not an issue

The national currency of the country is Tugrik (MNT). It exists only in paper form. For coins - not here.

Conditional conversion to other currencies (February 2019): $1 = 2600.1₽ = 40, and 1€ = 3000.

Take dollars with you, in some places you can also pay with them. But with other currencies there will be no big problems. Be sure to have cash. If there are no problems with banks and cash machines in the capital, then in other parts of the country such blessings may not be found.

Immediately after crossing the border (or in the markets), street money changers will offer a favorable rate. It's a matter of risk.

Who will meet: about people

The population density is 1.7 people per square kilometer, and there are 13 horses for one oncoming Mongol.

Staying incognito will not work. But it's even great. After all, thanks to the harsh climate and nomadic lifestyle, the Mongolian people are super hospitable: to provide accommodation and food to a stranger considered commonplace. If you don’t know where to spend the night, you can always count on being “sheltered”. However, if invited to visit, remember some rules of Mongolian decency.

• Don't skip meals.
• Do not take gifts with your left hand.
• Don't lean on the supporting pillar of the yurt.
• Don't whistle.
• Don't turn your back on the older generation.
• Don't throw trash into the fire.

All signs and names are readable for our person, as the Cyrillic alphabet is used. And Mongolian children learn Russian as a foreign language. There are even those who speak well, but do not bet on it.

At in English also the status of "everything is difficult." Therefore, download a phrase book in advance or learn simple phrases:

• Hello - Sayin bina uu
• Where is? - Ene Gazar Khana Baidag ve
• Do you know Russian? - Oros kheliig ta medeh үү?
• I don't understand - Bi oylgokhgyi bina
• Yes - Chiimee
• No - yyy
• Thank you - Bayarlaa
• Sorry - Uuchlaaray
• What is the price? - Kher their bayna ve?
• Expensive - Unetei
• Goodbye - Bayartai

Walking in the steppes

The area of ​​Mongolia is slightly more than 1.5 million km², and the distances between cities and sights are sometimes prohibitive. Don't get off on foot.

• A truly Mongolian variant of travel is horseback riding. But this option is for the strong and brave, who have nowhere to hurry.
• It is more comfortable and cheaper to move between settlements by train. So from Ulaanbaatar you will overcome 500 km to the Gobi desert for only $ 3.5. Check the schedule and buy tickets at website.
• For about the same money you can go by bus. But the lack of roads is unlikely to make travel more convenient than by train. If you still chose this path, then buy tickets at the bus station.
• There are many small airports. But air tickets are not too cheap - from 4000 rubles.
• Renting a car is a risky idea, you can get lost. If you still decide, then Russian rights will do. Also take cash for a deposit.

In the usual rental cars, the cost is from $70 per day, for a jeep - all $100. Mongolian Avito find it much cheaper.

• The most reliable option is to rent a jeep or "loaf" with a local driver. Pay around $100 per day.
• Or go to organized tour. Ask about these options at the hotel where you stay.

Communication and Internet

Normal in Mongolia cellular and the internet, though it would seem.

Major operators: Unitel, Mobicom and Skytel. 2 GB internet stand 1$. More profitable than connecting Russian roaming.

Almost all hotels, cafes and other establishments have free Wi-Fi.

Mongolian cuisine

Mongolian cuisine is nutritious and very tasty. It is directly related to the climate and the nomadic way of life. Vegetables just don't grow here. Therefore, if you poke your finger at the menu, they will bring meat. They cook lamb, beef, and a little less often - horse meat and goat meat.

You can eat in numerous institutions of the country. And here's what you can say about them:

• They serve large portions. If you order a dish with the prefix "khaan", then the size will be like for Genghis Khan.
• Most a budget option- eat in the canteen. Calculate by the sign "Tsain Gazar" or "Guanz". The average check in such establishments is $2.
• A slightly higher class cafe is Zoogiin Gazar. The check is about $4.
• In establishments "expensive-rich" the average cost is $ 15.
• Leaving a tip is not accepted here.
• There are also vegetarian establishments, where dishes are duplicated without meat.
• Most meals are fatty, take medicines that can help with stomach heaviness.

Dishes to try

• Buuz - m Mongolian version of the usual manti. HTo eat, you need 2-3 things.
• Huitzaa. If you are offered to taste a cock, then do not rush to swear with the offenders. This is a rich soup made from fat tail fat and minced meat.
• Huushuur. A word stuffed with the letters "u". And the dish represents pasties stuffed with minced meat.
• Cuiwang - noodles fried with meat and potatoes.
• Wrestler - dried meat, which is cut into small strips.
• Boodog - about himself National dish. This is a lamb roasted inside with hot stones. Finding this dish is not easy. E the same whole lamb, fried from the inside with hot stones, well.
• Aaruul - dried cottage cheese from the milk of different animals.

Drinks to try in Mongolia

• Suutei cai is green tea boiled with milk, butter, salt and flour. If eaten with dumplings, then it turns out banshtai tsai.
• Airag is a frothy, refreshing, sour-sweet fermented milk drink. This is koumiss.
• Archi (Be healthy) - national vodka, which is insisted on mare's milk. Fortress - 38 degrees.

5 great establishments

1. Modern Nomads, on the map.
2. Luna Blanca Restaurant, on the map.
3. The Bull, on the map.
4. BD "s Mongolian Barbeque, on the map.
5. Grand Khaan Irish Pub, on the map.

Mongolian shopping

In the spring, when mountain goats begin to molt, the animals arewool, choose the undercoat, weave yarn and make cloth. This is how cashmere is made. - the main hit of Mongolia. This fabric is amazingly soft and warm.However, the price of such a product is also amazing, but definitely worth it.Shop at factories:

• Gobi Cashmere, on the map
• Buyan, on the map
• Goyo , on the map

Also great gifts are:

1. leather products;
2. woolen socks from the Yanmal factory;
3. carpets;
4. National costumes;
5. goods from neighboring China.

All of the above can be found in the largest market Naran Tuul ( on the map ) or in souvenir shops.

Where to live?

Outside of Ulaanbaatar, the only options for living - camp sites working with excursion tours. Such peculiar yurt towns.

Hotels in the usual sense of the word (with separate numbers and other requests) - found only in the capital.

• A bed in a shared room will cost from 4$.
• Private room - from 7$.
• Room in a five-star hotel - from 58$.

Ulaanbaatar

This is not only the capital of the country, but also by right the "capital" of any trip to this state. In essence, the only Big City, in standard representation. Now it is changing at a dizzying pace: new residential areas and even skyscrapers are appearing. would.

Half of the country's citizens already live here - 1.4 million people.

Despite the fast pace of construction, Ulaanbaatar is the only capital where yurt quarters are still preserved.

Transport

• The metro was not built right away. The opening is expected in 2020.
• It is convenient to move around the city by buses, trolleybuses and minibuses. Here is the route map , can you figure it out?
• Buy a card like the Moscow "troika" and replenish the deposit. Travel within the city will cost about $ 0.2 , go to the area - about 1$ .
• Taxi - $ 0.3 per kilometer.

Gandan

The monastery around which the city once began to form. The full name is Gandantegchenlin, which translates as "The Great Chariot of All-Encompassing Joy." The main temple houses an illustrious 26-meter statue of a bodhisattva.

Spin the prayer wheels while walking clockwise around the stupa. After "fumigate" your wallet for material well-being.

Opening hours of the monastery: from 9:00 to 16:00. Paid entrance only to the Magjid-Janraiseg temple. On the map .

A few more interesting places in the city:

• Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan. The entrance fee is $3. On the map.
• Zaisan complex with an observation deck. On the map.
• Central Square of Sukhbaatar. On the map.

Near the capital

An interesting program is located in the vicinity of Ulaanbaatar, and with a strong desire, everything can be conquered in one day.

Reach most places on public transport maybe half. Therefore, you have to catch a taxi or take a tour.

Monument to Genghis Khan

The tallest equestrian statue in the world. Main symbol state and one of the wonders of Mongolia. According to the legends, the history of the entire empire begins here, and the “steel conqueror” looks towards the house, which was never destined to be reached.

Behind us lined up of dozens of cars about 200 meters from the border. We made sure that our cars had not been thrown into a ditch and had not punctured tires and mentally thanked the border guard.
At 9:00, the border opened, and we drove the first batch of cars right after two buses that squeezed through the oncoming lane. As it turned out, we drove very successfully - immediately after us, the border was closed for cars and fuel trucks were allowed to bypass traffic jams. It cost everyone else a couple of hours of wasted time over and above the normal queue. By the way, all gasoline in Mongolia is either ours or Chinese. The attitude towards Chinese in Mongolia is approximately the same as we have towards everything Chinese - “fu, this is Chinese gasoline, go to that gas station over there, even if there is no 95th, but the gasoline is good (read, Russian)”
So, we drove to the border. Looking ahead, the whole procedure took us 2 hours - about 1 hour with a little to our border (from the moment we entered the checkpoint zone), then we had to drive through a clean zone of about 20 km, where you can’t stop, then we stood a little before entering the Mongolian checkpoint, filled out paperwork in Mongolian (with duplication in English - this is important, because before travelers complained that these forms were not translated at all - now you can understand at least something there) and crossed the Mongolian border two times faster than ours.

I'll tell you more about crossing the border. Starts 6 cars. They stand around three big metal tables, on which it will be necessary to shake absolutely everything out of the cars. Well, everything! The glove compartment was only allowed not to turn out. From the beginning - passport control, then you return to the car, which, in front of you, is searched in the most intent way with dogs, they ask you to open the hood and ask on-duty questions about drugs. I had a gas canister, I had to throw it away. There were no problems with the rest. There were 3 cans of 20 liters in the trunk, only one of which was full. I took out all 3 and put them side by side. If my memory serves me right, then with all the severity of the procedure, no one even approached them. The secrets under the seats and under the floor in Kug were also not found and examined. In fact, on our part, everything is more or less simple and clear, and if anything, they will prompt, the border guards are friendly and talkative. A small nuance - this border is only automobile and it is impossible to cross it on foot, therefore, in front of the border there are people who ask to get into a car to cross the border. I read that it is extremely unsafe - the people are different, up to drug trafficking, so they didn’t take anyone, although there were kind of decent-looking Europeans - the most dangerous type - you don’t expect a dirty trick from them)
With us in the queue for passport control was a local, who just earns by taxing across the border. He told us that we almost got into the Naadam holiday, when the border simply closes for 4 days! The holiday is big. We did not feel it, because. they were mostly on the road, but they revered that the main attributes of the holiday were horse racing, archery tournaments and traditional wrestling. The fight, by the way, is very peculiar - there are no borders of the ring - everything happens on football fields(from what we saw on TV), there are no time limits, or rather, if there are any, then we used to change the channel)) The men stand, push and try to grab each other by the meager elements of clothing. This differs from sumo at least in that the wrestlers are quite athletic and not so fat, although pot-bellied. In general, an amateur spectacle)
At the border, the following picture was observed - a thorn and a sandy strip for traces go beyond the horizon as far as the eye can see. We look and see that a herd of cows is trudging through the border through some kind of gate. And damn it, they obviously don’t show passports and luggage to anyone)) We asked the border guards about this, and they said that yes, it is allowed to graze cattle in the 20 km zone between the borders within the framework of intergovernmental agreements) In short, cows migrate calmly)

We have been going to the Mongolian Altai for a long time. Many members of our mandy of 8 people there was their interest. Expedition scheduled for the endSeptember - early October. It was decided to go by two minibusessah-SUVs. They made a route on the map, calculated the estimate ..

As agreed, meet everyone went early in the morning on September 24le monument to the leader on the centralNoah area of ​​the village. Kosh-Agach - district centerra of Gorny Altai. loaded luggage andmoved to the border checkpoint "Tashanta." 4 people in each carcentury, personal items, camp equipmentnie, products. 45 km from Kosh-Agach to"Tashanty" drove almost withoutturns and lifts. around onlyautumn steppe and clear silhouettes of the ridgethat Sailyugem on the horizon.

Everything at the new Russian customs“in an adult way”: all luggage, as in aeroreport, passed through x-raysinstallation, check passports andthe cars themselves. But everything goes bybusinesslike, fast and accurate. To touristsspecial treatment at customsmore often with surprise: what is there, in MongoLee, do something? Taking into account the fillingall customs paperwork proceduretook no more than 2.5 hours. (Requiredcan I have a foreign passport with monDutch visa and international carsmobile rights.)

Behind "Tashanta" kilometer tableboos are no more. But the road is quite decentnaya. About 20 more km of traction with constantclimb - and we are on the borderpass Durbet-Daba (2481 m),who greeted us with a cold prodownward wind. dilapidatedthe house of the frontier post with tiednym thin Mukhtar. On the border, onbig dirty concrete floorin the garden, two poles stand forlornlyka - red-green and blue-brownvy, symbolizing the statenye borders of Russia and Mongolia. Not youwalking out of the car, showed the documents,and the barrier was raised.

WITH once outside the Russian borderthe fake is over. Not an inchon the Mongolian side! entrancewe are waiting for the new customs termlu. Locked gate. We are like a legislatorLushny foreigners are patiently waiting.After a while Mon camegoal in a gauze bandage on his face and signkami explained that he had to take a detourof this new complex on a steep slope frommountain scythe. If not for this man, sowould have waited until dark.The old customs house is called "UlanBayshint" ("red yurt").

Terminal more like a grain collection pointcompletely ruined collective farm. to customsnot without special troubles, arrange for uswhether some papers in Mongolianke, and we moved on.On the first bridge near the lake. DunshigNuur we were charged for the fare (untilhorny duty 1500 tugriks plustransport tax 6000 tugriks witheach minibus). explainedthat this money will go to the maintenanceroads. But it is clear that no one canand never kept.

The roads are here this is exactly what is calledleniyami: several tens of parallelslelny knurled ruts going toone direction and always the sameliving on the passes and at the bridges. edacue 20-lane Mongolian highway.You have to be very careful with it.nym: any inconspicuous branchcan at dusk easily lead into thatrush to some lonely stabyshu. The road is broken by heavy truckskami and "UAZ" (ground - hard clayon with a stone), our speed is even on fromrelatively flat areas are rarely preferred vyshala 35-40 km / h.

front axle notincluded, since the road went to the basesnom downhill. Plots with rubble, dogcom and even with large stones wavewe got through without much effort.But 1.5 hours before the sun startshide behind low ridges, weonly covered 30 km. Machine meetingfox rarely. Basically it was hard.light trucks and fuel trucks from Russiaski numbers. From local cars tomostly old UAZs.

Already at dusk we passed the townTsagan-Nuur - a small one-storyvillage with ruins of farms and barns.Having decided to set up a bivouac, they encounteredproblem: there were a lot of flat places, butthe whole soil is strewn with rather largestones, and put up a tent so thatIt would be comfortable to sleep, not easy. Yes andwith water "strained". It's almost darkthey drove into the valley of a dry riverKhara-Magnai-Gol and started betting patches.

Tea quickly boiled on gasand, judging that "the morning of the evening is wiserher", went to bed under the low black,strewn with a scattering of the brightest goldty stars in the sky of Mongolia.In the morning they felt for themselves thatsuch an autumn Mongolian dawn. Gasfrozen in cylinders and did not want toroar in full force. Finally over the mountainThe sun came out and everyone stirredfaster. We broke camp together andour little caravan moved onshe. Immediately started datingdestroyed mounds. (We were thendid not know how many there would be on our way.)

We drive along the bottom of a dry valley, whichRuyu is surrounded by low mountains.Here is the Obotyn-Daba pass (2643 m).Blowing cold, almost burning windter. On the pass itself, gryes stones - the famous obo. Nearhim a lot of broken makeshiftscrutches. Further the roadtically constantly goes down, to the sidewell, the center of the westernmost aimag -Bayan-Ulegei. Birds are almost invisiblebut the local marmots haven't gone to bed yetand fearlessly stand along the road. Pochyou met a little near the cityshoy herd of horses.

P at the entrance to the city at the firstask a fallen taxi driverwhether the road to the travel agency "Canattour". In a good one-story officewith a cafe almost in the city center we will meetTili is very welcome. While we are walking Whether it was around the city, Canat Tour employees promptly arranged for us registration and a pass to the national park. Bayan-Ulegei - by our standards,more like a big town. But in the centerit has a bazaar, a post office with the Internet, nobig hotels, cafes, museum and prowhat attributes of the city.

There is also a cellular connection. The first thing we did was visit the market. Onthere is a whole line around him on the streetmotorcycles - red Izhas and oldUralov. Guys in yellow sit on them.construction helmets. First thought:biker party. But it turned out thatregular taxis. They go where you wanther heart desires, even in Ulaanbaatar. Notin the distance taxis are already more serious:mostly "UAZs" of various designstions and degrees of preservation.

Apparently technical inspection they did not have to passchild never. On many such rubber,that sticks out not only the cord. Neverthelesson the windshields there are signs "Barnast, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Pavlodar,"Astana". Next to the taxi - movenye « exchange offices": the same hundredsmall cars with stickers on foreheadshigh glasses banknotes: grewsiyan roubles, Kazakh tenge, Chinese yuan, American dollars.

Most Market Goodslaid out directly on the ground or on a carton boxes; mostly chineseth production. Behind a small computeryutherny hall right on the street arebilliard tables (about 20), andgender, including 8–10 year olds,chasing balls with passion. A bit further,in the next street, right on the dustypiles of ram skins are scattered on the ground,yaks and other livestock. Right next to it -butchered carcasses of animals.We returned to the office of the travel agency. Prikizeros that diesel fuel for the entire route to usnot enough, and by buying at the local marketseveral Chinese canisters, poured them under the neck.

Toward evening, whenYes, the documents were ready, we left forside of Sagsay-Gol.While preparing for the expeditionWe have read many reports. Alltheir authors recommended taking withthe battle local guide. We didn't becomeignore the advice and do not regret it.Togoo Tsedenbal went with us. edinstThe main difficulty was that hedid not speak Russian or English at allliyski. But he spoke wellzahski. Due to overload of machineswe could not take a vodka, but from a Turkski "interpreters" among us wasonly Andrei Yurchenkov.

ABOUT five famous mongolian"comb" (road with deepruts and bumps). For somein some parts it shakes so much that even the guidethe booster does not help and the steering wheel is beechknocks out of the hands, at the same timeturn on the right turn and "doorkeeperski". If we were driving UAZs, thensurely something would fall off onthe first few kilometers. We only havesteep ascent to the Modon-Kho passShoyotiin-Davaa (2384 m) at the car, onflying on a boulder, the protection came offcrankcase (crankcase is a container for avcar oil).

How could, under ruled with a sledgehammer, tied with a rope(wire cannot be found there) and it is alreadywe moved further into the river valleySagsay-Gol. Behind the village of Sagsay,driving across the bridge the river, camped onshore by a lone larch. Undergeneral "Hurrah!" raised the flags of Russia,Kazakhstan, Mongolia and drank forstart of the expedition. Today we are passing Li only 114 km.

All next day you can call mountain: continuous climbs topasses and plateaus.

Modon-KhoshoyotiinDaba (2384 m), Achagardag-Daba (2698 m),lake Khar-Nuur (2493 m)… Naked all aroundlifeless rocks, solid stonesplacers. Classic madderdeposits left by ancient iceno one. There is practically no water. Nezanoticeably drove up to the post nationallyth park "Altai Tavan Bogd" ("Altai Tavan Bogd). Large Mongolian yurt,outbuildings. Bye byebelieved our permissions, invitedinside the yurt. It seemed that we were waiting there whether.

Hot tea with milk, kurtny dried sheep cheese), erimshik(dried cottage cheese), kaymak (thick mixtana) and many other local treatsny. The yurt is clean, neat,big chest of drawers stands chinese bodyvisor, carpets on the walls, animal skins,stuffed birds. Eat, drink, payfox, said goodbye to the hospitable hostsevami - and "on the horses."On mountain roads suspectbut base caps often began to come across bolts.

They are usually lost by passengerstrucks loaded with yurts andchim belongings. And the load is muchmore than the car itself. And on verhu this mountain sit the nomads themselveski with kids. Often foundsemi-disassembled trucks, whichlocal drivers are trying to repairtread right on the side of the dustyroads. And next to them are at least7–10 passengers. They follow the carsnumerous herds of sheep, goats,sarlyks (as the locals callyut yaks), horses, surprisingly furrycows, camels.

These are the localsroam down to winter pastures. And welet's go up! It's getting a littlehe is uncomfortable at the thought of a possible dreamge and ice on the passes. But in the mountainsmany yurts are still whitening in linakh, and for now wenot alone. In the Hodon-Gol valley, quitecrowded: now and then meet notlarge camps of 2–5 yurts per racestanding several hundred meters eachfrom friend. Near the bridge over the rivereven gas stations: cisterns buried in the groundon and one mechanical column.

In its sale of gasoline A-80 at a priceslightly above the city. The owner is happyposing with action. Demonstrates workcolumns without removing the lit one from the mouthcigarettes. But there is no solar. Good thatwe stocked up in advance.Already in the evening we drive up to the gravean outpost tied with China, standing onshore beautiful lake Dayan-Nuur.Further along the southeast coastha lakes do not let us in. It's time to putcamp. Not far away on the slope of the mountainden is a small forest.

There is no water, but but there is firewood, and you can at least a littleto shelter from the cold wind. Byethe guys set up camp, the three of uswent to the lake. It was evening. Fast timeswinding fishing tackle to tienat what is the famous Mongoliansky fishing. The fish did not force itselflong wait: almost on the fifthBros pecked pretty decent bygrayling size. Until dark, minutesfor 25, managed to catch another coupleke fish. On the speedometer 125 km - ourdaytime transition.

At Trot started with a strong wind. Neitherabout what kind of fishing is not necessary anddream: on the lake a storm breaks downthere is foam from the steep crests of the waves. cloudsdust rises into the air. Occasionallygusts of wind throw a handful at usno major coastal sand. Honeylazily drove up to south coast lakera Khurgan-Nuur (2072 m). Solid kachanging terraces, large sharp cornersboulders, wetlands,

fords through small mountain streams.

I came across a very paintinga group of local residents on a willowpeople loaded with yurts, beds,barrels and other household goods.Finally, here are the first ancient zahoroneniya, which we read in the reports.Everyone, as on command, got the camerary. Two small Turkic burial moundsrectangular shape. ancient tyrki for the funeral rite afterthe burial was built a kind of temple:on the ground laid out a fence in the form square.

Possibly a squarema symbolized the homeland, whichthe Turks were represented in the form of a square,at the corners of which are located vragi. Near each grave is a statue -stone woman, and then two rowsvertically standing smallchange columns going somewherefar into the steppe. "UAZ" drove up withlocal numbers. Passenger eyea middle-aged French womantoraya has been living here for 25 yearsGole name Tunga.

Writes books about Mongolia. At night we get up in the skyshome larch forest, protectingblowing us from the strong wind. Our securrent mileage is 68 km.Thermometer in the car in the morningminus 11°С, but the wind almost subsided,and the bright mountain sun shines. Aim forour today's transition - the lakeHoton Nuur. Soon the priest is on the way againa frontier post is given. Released onmeet the officers friendly coolvayutsya with us, check the documents.

After another 500 m we drive up to the bridgethrough the Syrgal channel between the lakesHoton-Nuur and Khurgan-Nuur in the area of ​​ziMovki Shargalga. That's where we really areyashchy learned what the Mongolianfishing! Almost every throwthe tackle was lucky: a big one was caught,weighing up to 1 kg, grayling. The fish were chasingany spinner and often hooked thensideways, then gills, then belly. Placesnye boys without much fuss justthrew a piece of thick fishing line with nakedtee at the end and also not leftfell without prey.

Half an hour later, reShiv that we have enough fish for dinner, andfor the future anyway to catch and, most importantly,you can't save, let's move on.At parting, they gave the boys 100 mfishing line and a couple of small spinners.The bridge over the channel is made ofnoah larch, and as a nastyala used poles from the same sheetcrowns with a diameter of up to 10 cm. But ourthe cars passed without problems. Razgowe start as soon as we can, thunderinglyto the poles of the bridge and from the dispersal of the highwe nod at the steep sandy oppositefalse north coast ducts.

Dal our path lies in the northwestmu shore of Lake Hoton-Nuur to the veryits northern end. There, according toham, there are numerous rockdrawings. And while one went tosearch for petroglyphs, others againcovered spinning rods.Snow-capped peaks of MongoliaAltai were reflected in the mirrorslake waters. Fishing this time

was not so successful: far into the water it is impossible to enter, and the tackle is oftenclinging to the rocky bottom.

Having caught a dozen graylings and tearing off a couple of bleusen, decided for today fishing lawchit, especially since the daily catchbaked us a good dinner. returnedour friends. Their excursion wasmore successful: on steep slopesmountains they found hundreds of petroglyphs: inmostly images of animals. Ochea red camp was set up near thethat wintering in the lower reaches of the river Ut-Khaitone-Gol. Hastily built a hearth, forcovering fire from the wind, and on the coals baked fish.

Spent the night in woodenwinter buildings. On this day leli only 28 km. Morning again "pleased" its"freshness". Until the sun came uptse, everyone went in warm jackets orwrapped up in blankets. Conducted an auditdiesel fuel. It looks like it won't be enoughway to the valley of the river Tsagan-Gol, to the mountainsjunction Tavan-Bogd-Uul (4374 m).It's a pity ... Well, the roads are not conhope. We'll meet with the sacred our peaks!

It was decided to returnthrough the passes east of the lakes inthe valley of the Kobdo-Gol river and through the villagelok Tsengel to return to Ulegei. Bymap this road seemed more prowalkable. While preparing for the expeditions, sitting at home and on the map of namtea route, we laid no wayat least 150 km per day. In realBut it turned out to be much less...On way back hurt againgo fishing in the canal between do lakes.

D oroga through the passes becamealmost familiar. All the samestones, stones, stones... Placesmi, where the roads converge, embossed gluside track. Happy for the hundredth timelis that they took a local guide.Even with extensive mountain riding experience,sometimes wondered how unmistakable he wasbut indicated exactly the track along which Roy has to go. The day was an unusually "harvestnym" to historical sightsvalue. On this day we sawone dozen stone women.

But the pain most struck by the huge moundsin the Mogoyt tract. Diameter of someof them was more than 50 m, and the height was up toreached 4 m. We started to go downalong the Mogoityn-Gol river valley and,riding a bridge across the river. Kobdo-Gol, stand upcamp near a small winter quarters. And vecherum solemnly celebrated the birthdayDenia Alexander Lebedev. Todayalmost a "record" - 61 km.This night was perhaps the mostcold for the whole trip. In the morningThe thermometer showed -15°C.

Do not warm shaft even hot coffee with altaibalm. We set up camp andWe drove along the river Kobdo-Gol. Doroha tolerable, but still acceleratedoes not work. Having traveled kilometers5, on the river bank saw the sideboard"ZIL-131" with a dozen cheerful peoplein the back and rumpled "UAZ" - "orderlyku". It turned out that the "UAZ" with AmericanCannes tourists tried to wadecross a deep river and, as you canbut was to be expected, stalled in the middlechannels. Luckily, in this place Hall "ZIL-131".

Tourists big onlucky: they would not have got out on their own, butwe couldn't help it, becausefrom the shore was about 20 m at a depthnot up to a metre. And we don’t even have a fordknew. From the cracks of "UAZ" you are stillwater poured out. There were scattered aroundSans wet clothes and other luggagerists. Cheerful passengers of "ZIL"noisily loaded into the body and briskly,dispersing the waves of Kobdo, rolled back to the left bank. After 43 km and two hours of travel, enterwe live in the village Tsengel. On the centralthe area is still the same dust and the same sarlyki. But there's a real one in the storeMongolian beer!

The road from Tsengel towards the city of Ulegay goes through the pass MushgiragiyinDaba (2251 m). Ahead we see not owlsa clear car trail.Obviously not from the UAZ. through somesome time we meet the old "Mitsubishi Galant" with protruding from under itfeet. Stopped and askeddo you need help. From under the carthey said everything was fine. envyeat the fearlessness of local drivers.Ule is already visible from the Khaar-Daba passgay. Finally we made it through the dayas much as 164 km! How did you get back home! Zivylysis. Though broken, but asphalt,shops, gas stations, hotel. True, th there is no running water.

I on a sleepy morning the next dayheading to the village Sagsay-Gol,in the vicinity of which tomorrowa beautiful holiday beginsKutchi. Dozens of Kazakh huntersbirds of prey (golden eagles, juicelamy) gather in the foothills and mouthscompetitions are raging. We are met andplaced in the camp "Blue Wolf". Come to us in the evening fit guys from Israel, Jordanii, England, with which we are acquaintedvisited the city of Ulegei, as well as friends fromGorno-Altaisk. Festive again dinner.

Birthday this timeAndrey Yurchenkov. And how many yearsin a row, again on the road, again from the new my friends... Among the spectators at the festival there are manyth tourists and children. Schoolchildren in acchicken jackets, adults in yarsome national clothes. Along thethreads of machines local craftsmenmo on a felt mat laid out their souvenirsry. A couple stands out among the sellersyoung people are clearly not asian onrationality with a small child.

It turned out that this is a family from the USA, whichRaya has been living in Mongolia for three years andmakes a living makingeating and selling souvenirs.Decided to come back later in the evening.in Ulegei. In order not to waste time,drove south, to Lake Tolbo-Nuur, towhich is described by everyone who has been hereshaft. It is famous for its large numbercatfish and rare birds. Already incomplete darkness, afraid to get stuck in the batpaké (boggy mud), we set up camp. Utrum turned out to be up more or lessI can’t reach a convenient place for the campwhether some 600–700 m....

The first rays of the sun timidlycalm waters of Tolbo-Nuur.Despite the cold, photographers are alreadywork. The rest of the small teamdoi went to fish. 2 km fromthe camps are visible attractive rolling pins.Although grayling took, but not so actively,like on the Syrgal channel.We break camp and, almost no waspstanavlivayas in Ulegei, we go to the sideWell Russian border. Here is our"old friend" - Obo pass tyn-daba. by car, then to BayanUlegii are much more reliable ontake "UAZ". You can own your carpark in the parking lot.The Mongolian currency is tugriks.1 p. equal to 45.6 tugriks. In Bayan-Ulegee diesel fuel is worth an examplebut 920 tugriks per 1 liter, A-80 - 780 tugricks for 1 liter. There is no gasoline in the mountainseverywhere, and only A-80. Not preventbring an engine cleanerand spare air and fuel filters.

During the cold season,but add antigel, tk. in the localdiesel fuel has paraffin. Not preventand a second spare. There is a tire serviceonly in Bayan-Ulegiya. From constantdust rescue wet wipes and eye drops. It is necessary to take into account the features ofmountain roads. In this country formost used transport"UAZ" Russian and Chineseproduction and our "ZIL-130",so the track is knurled for these ma tires.

If you want to traveltravel around Mongolia in your own transport, you need to know that for "parquetnyh" jeeps is pretty serious new test. Do not leave yourthings. Be careful at customsus, neat, polite, calm,be patient, don't give in to proprovocation, blackmail, extortion,do not take someone else's luggage and passing passengers. Some Mongols speak Russianlanguage. But it's better to learn anywaya few words in Kazakh or in Mongolian.