km Trans-Mongolia - 3of4 - Tosontsengel to Ulaangom

872 Tosontsengel centre

876 Top of pass outside Tosontsengel
892 Top of second pass (2100m)
894 House/Shop/Restaurant on right at bottom of pass – friendly and could stay here.
908 At junction with Telmen-Moron road there is also a few houses that serve food/snacks –
very friendly again – could also stay here.
931 First view down to Telmen Nuur (lake)
938 Possible to camp by Eastern edge of lake quite close to the shore behind some sand
dunes.
940 Ger and houses just as the road heads away from the lake to round some mountains.
965 Ger – food available – sign outside on road – owner speaks a little English
978 Aimag gate
981 Final rocky gap through mountains before dropping to Nomrog
983 Stream and lots of gers after steep descent – plenty of water
984 Nomrog – first big building as you enter town (2 stories high) is a hotel – it has nice
rooms, is really friendly and there are gers or a place to camp out the back. The owner
speaks English and German
987 As the road heads North-West out of town follow the track that follows the wooden pylons
– don’t head down into the valley
994 Valley goes past/through a rocky outcrop North
1003 Top of pass after gentle climb with steep last section – great descent to follow
1024 Red roofed house and gers – food possible at the gers or maybe later at the house (not
quite finished)
1027 Road appears to bend east but is just heading for higher ground. It eventually follows the
telegraph poles which take you all the way to Asgat
1051 Top of pass after long gentle climb (1935m). Great descent after initial rocky bit. Fantastic
fast smooth track down to Asgat.
1063 Turn left off the main track just before new red roofed house for Asgat village and shops
1064 Asgat Village – several shops in area behind and to the left of the strange large white
building.
1071 Asgat is now out of view
1072 Good places to camp (no water) just out of view of Asgat across the valley and up a small
climb.
1084 We missed the turning to Tes – it heads East and crosses a pass – we weren’t confident.
It is the best option if you can find it! We continued towards Byantes.
1086 The road to Byantes follows the electricity poles and is generally good
1103 Byantes – restaurants and shops – tree lined valley with a river at the bottom. Russia is a
few kilometres away. Nice café on left as you get to the end of the main street near the
Xaan bank.

From here a ridiculous road heads back a bit, up a grassy track before the rocky outcrop
that seems to guard the town. It winds through and over several passes – the landscape is
amazing and you will have to push a few times on the final sections of each pass. You
cross 4 passes before descending around a large sand dune and then crossing a large
gently sloping valley before a small ascent before dropping into Tes
1148 Tes – shops –restaurants if you can find them.
1150 Just a few hundred metres out of town follow the track on the right down to the river –
there is a little campsite on a sort of island hidden by bushes and low trees. You can camp
right on the river bank on soft green grass
1164 Top of pass – great smooth climb up a good dirt road with only a couple of sandy patches.
1190 Road bears left but if you go 400m up the right hand road there are some shady trees of
to the right where you can have a rest. The trees are in the sand dunes!
1191 Shady trees –this is the only bit of shade on the route
1192 Back to the original road
1221 After crossing a valley for ever you climb up to a pass which has a crazy straight up road
or a more sensible one near the pylons
1225 Finally drop into a smaller valley. Then climb out of it.
1236 Zuunturun – collection of houses and gers – can give you water if the steam is empty
1238 Great campsite by stream just after the road fords the stream turn right and get down to a
grassy bank by the stream. From here the road crosses big wide highland valleys before
eventually dropping
1262 Baruunturum – town with shops and restaurants. To leave town for either Zhungovi or
Hyartas follow the road West over the big bridge and then follow the track that forks right
following some pylons
1270 Road fords a river that still had water in it in late July.
ROAD FORKS – TWO CHOICES:
CHOICE A : 182km
1274 TURN LEFT for Hyargas and Malchin!!!!.
1318 Up to Hyargas the road heads across the hills staying reasonably high with grassy strip in
middle of road and good dirt either side. Hyargas is the first reliable chance of water.
Some shops.
1326 Road bares left and right – you want the straight on track to Malchin
1341 River – with water in late July
1356 Malchin – shops /gers / water – nothing for 83km after this.
From Malchin you may be better off getting transport to at least the river before
Ulaangom. You should carry a lot of water in case you don’t make it to the river. There
are no other options on the way.
1439 Road has left Malchin and is good for a while – as soon as the road drops the sand
increases although it is better than the Zuungovi road. At this point you reach a river with
water and the beginning of a new road being built into Ulaangom – tar by 2009
1456 Ulaangom – if you manage to cycle the whole way.
CHOICE B: 182km
1274 TURN RIGHT for Zuungovi.
We went right on the advice of a local who told us there were great roads all the way to
Ulaangom. He was mistaken. The road is great (30km/h) for 25km then a disaster!
1298 Joins another terrible road close(ish) to the dunes. Whatever this road does keep heading
towards the end of the dunes
1300 The road vanishes and is just a series of terrible salty tracks and sand (HELL)
1303 Road crosses a large dry river full of 25cm deep sand (1km across). After this the road
reappears a bit but is still foul all the way to Zuungovi
1319 Zuungovi – from here the only option to get to Ulaangom is to put your bikes in a jeep
or on a truck to cross the sandy desert and dried up rivers. If you ask at the shop in the
village centre you can put a sign on the wall for a driver for the following day or if you get
lucky just wait. You can get water in the centre of town from a truck and camp up on the
hill anywhere. There is water in a stream 13km from Zuungovi and water 16km before
Ulaangom but there is so much sand you would be mad to try this – it could take 3 days.
1456 Ulaangom – if you manage to cycle the whole way. Amazingly both routes are the same
distance.