Are you an enthusiastic motorbike rider looking for your next off the beaten track holiday destination ? Come to Mongolia ! An off-road trail bike adventure is now a real possibility in this remote and undiscovered part of the world. From summer 2007 we are offering this tremendous opportunity and will provide you with brand new Yamaha 250 bikes to ride - all included in the tour price.
Enjoy the breathtaking contrast between desert, steppe and mountain scenery whilst we take care of your comfort, safety and all the logistics. You will find the experience is not only challenging and lots of fun, but you will gain an insight into a completely different way of life, that of Mongolia's nomads.
Why The Yamaha WR 250 Enduro?
For your convenience and pleasure we have a fleet of brand new Yamaha WR 250F enduro bikes for the tours. This is a model which has won more E1 World Championships than any other, and has been designed to deliver superb performance over any terrain.
Road bike enthusiasts used to high power machines might wonder if 250cc is enough for their skill and experience. Real dirt bike riders will already know that such a bike can readily meet the challenge. Besides that, its light weight at only 106kg, electronic and kick start capability, height and reliability, make it ideally suited to Mongolia's rough and remote location. See specifications
Yamaha WR 250F
Road Conditions
Mongolia is the ideal country for an off-road experience since this country the size of Western Europe has only a few hundred kilometers of black-topped roads. The rest of the land is connected by a network of rough jeep tracks and horse trails linking small communities and seasonal pastures. You have a unique opportunity to ride wherever you want because most of the land is not privately owned, so you are not even restricted to the jeep tracks and horse trails.
Communication Equipment
We have satellite telephones for use on more remote tours in places where there is no mobile phone reception. We use the Globalstar network which has complete international coverage and our association with Monsat, Globalstar's official distributor in Mongolia, ensures reliable communication at any time from any place.
All our support vehicles are fitted with long distance two-way radios enabling contact between the tour leader and drivers for distances of up to fifty kilometers. The equipment is supplied by: www.wildtalk.com
Emergency Rescue
Motorcycling is an extreme sport and many of our tours are quite literally "off the map" as we travel to some of the most remote parts of the country. We therefore have a contract with Central Mongolia Airways to provide emergency Mi-8 Helicopter
Mi-8 Helicopterrescue. They are on standby 24 hours a day and would be called from our sat phone and provided with our GPS reference in order to mobilize the rescue team.
Accommodation & Facilities
In order to provide you with the most comfortable and suitable accommodation in the wildest conditions, we have teamed up with Vango and their branch Force 10 to give you a high quality camping experience. We have chosen models such as the Baltoro and theVango Storm 300
Vango Storm 300 Three Man 4 Season Tentwhich suit the extreme weather as well as client requirements. All our tents are kept in good condition and have been proven to withstand heavy rain, strong winds and even snow up in the mountains during the summer. They have double doors with mosquito netting, to allow through draft when it is hot.
Logistics
Off The Map Tours have years of experience in organizing mountain biking and other activity tours in Mongolia for groups of up to 40 people. For the motorcycle tours we have heavy dutymotorbike trailers
Motorbike Racks Supplied TrukRax Ltdfitted with specially designed bike racks made by TrukRax Ltd www.roofrack.co.ukWe take care of all the logistics of your trip from the time of your booking to the end of your tour, attempting to foresee all eventualities to be prepared
because outside Ulaanbaatar one cannot depend
on anything being available...
Support vehicles
All our vehicles are new or nearly new and are owned and maintained by us and driven by our own company drivers. We do not hire vehicles from outside, nor do we use drivers who we do not know. Our Kamaz 6 x 6 bus was designed for Arctic conditions and seats 28 people on any kind of expedition in Mongolia. You might think these Russian UAZ Forgons look like old VW campers, but not so ! These are the best 4X4 people carriers in Mongolia. Just like the famous Land Rover Defender, the style of the forgon has altered little over the past 40 years during which it has served the Russian and Mongolian Military. The UAZ 4 x 4 has a basic simple engine making it easy to maintain. They can carry up to 12 people and are fully equipped for off-road conditions.
Food & Drinks
A professional cook will provide three substantial meals each day and for larger groups thekitchen tent
Dinning Table & Mess Tentis used. She can cater for vegetarians if informed in advance. Meals are a mixture of European and Mongolian dishes. Bottled mineral water or pure spring water is provided, as well as snacks for break times.
Motorbike Maintenance & Mechanical Support
Our motorbikes are all new for 2007, so should require little attention. They have been chosen with reliability in mind, but in any case will be well maintained by our regular mechanics. If you decide to bring a selection of your own essential tools, of course you can do so, and if you bring your own motorbike it is up to you to decide what
tools and parts you might need.
What To Bring
When you make a booking, you will receive
a Tour Dossier in which there is a complete list
of all you need to take in the way of equipment,
clothing, medicines, etc.. Generally speaking we have the tools that we are likely to need
for maintenance and repair of our own (hired)
motorbikes, but you will need to bring your own helmet and suitable clothing.
Did You Know...
The Gobi Desert
In 1923 the first ever nest containing eggs of a dinosaur
(the meat-eating Oviraptor) was discovered in the Gobi
Desert by Roy Chapman Andrews.
The Khangai Mountains
The
Khangai mountain range includes high mountains, rivers,
lakes, forests, meadows and a rich historical background.
Orkhon Valley
The
Orkhon region bears the marks of ancient volcanic processes:
lava flows, conical hills and hot mineral springs. Rivers
form rapids, their waterfalls flowing through deep gorges.
Lake Khovsgol
Lake
Khovsgol, 136km long and 36km wide, is the second largest
lake in Mongolia and contains 2% of the world's fresh
water. The water is so clear that you can see fish swimming
30 metes below the surface.
Try
out our new trail in the mountains of Bulgan and Selenge.
Finish at the spectacular monastery of Amarbayasgalant.
The trail grade is "intermediate" and
requires a reasonable level of fitness, but a support
vehicle will be available anyway....
Cycle
in the mountains and valleys once roamed by Genghis Khan
and his people. Finish at Kharkhorin where the center
of the great Mongol Empire once stood...
Take
your group to the heart of Mongolia and ride in the mountains
and valleys of this spectacular country. Let us make a
trip especially suited to your cycling experience and
interests....