My Experiences in Mongolia

     As an American war historian, it had been my dream to visit the old battlefields
of Khalkin Gol (Nomonhan). The Russians/Mongolians fought a 129-day war during the summer of 1939 against the Japanese/Manchurians. I finally realized my dream in August 2007 when our guide Chinzorig took us there. This place is next to the Chinese border and not a tourist destination. It is at the “ends of the earth!”

     I made a repeat trip to Khalkin Gol in August 2009, again with Chinzorig.
He is the best guide for the following reasons: He is fluent in English, Mongolian, and Russian. His sense of direction, even without GPS, is unbelievable! He is a great fisherman and hunter, so you will never go hungry on your trip! But most of all, he is a great travelling companion with his great sense of humor!

We found these live Soviet 37mm anti-tank shells at Khalkin Gol, from the 1939 border war!

     The difference between Chinzorig’s service and others is like comparing a Hilton Hotel to a bed & breakfast inn.  I prefer the hominess of a B&B with personalized attention and service. After all, I went to Mongolia to experience Mongolia! I needed a big dose of nature and Mongolia was the cure!

     If you want to really experience Mongolia and get back home safely,
I suggest you contact Chinzorig!

     Happy Trails!

HENRY SAKAIDA
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
U.S.A.

Mateos Corchero
(from Spain)

En agosto de 09 alquilamos un coche con Chinzo. Lo hicimos por Internet y pagamos el 40% por adelantado desde España. Teníamos un poco de recelo pues no teníamos ninguna referencia. Todo resultó estupendo: Chinzo estaba en su oficina esperándonos, el coche estaba en perfectas condiciones, incluso neumáticos  prácticamente nuevos y nos puso en él todo el material que le pedimos (lo que aparece en su página web). Estuvimos 19 días con el coche y no nos dio ni un solo problema (ni siquiera un pinchazo).

También contratamos con Chinzo una pequeña excursión de 2 días con caballos incluidos. Igualmente cumplieron con todo lo contratado, puntualmente nos recogieron, nos llevaron en coche a un ger-camp no de lujo pero con buen ambiente y buena comida. Al día siguiente tuvimos una marcha a caballo de 5 horas siguiendo el cauce de un río. Como con el coche, todo estuvo bien preparado: los caballos mansos y listos a la hora convenida, sillas de montar “europeas” (una gran ventaja), 3 jinetes mongoles controlando todo, etc. La segunda noche fue en una cabaña de madera espectacular: en la ladera de una bonita montaña y con vistas a un río. Al día siguiente volvimos a montar a caballo hasta la hora de la vuelta a U.B.

Realmente, nosotros recomendamos trabajar con Chinzo y su equipo, es de toda confianza, y realmente son unos profesionales.

4 extremeños.

In August of 09 we hired a car with Chinzo. We made it by Internet and we paid 40% in advance from Spain. We were quite afraid as we didn't have any reference. Everything was wonderful: Chinzo was in his office waiting for us, the car was under perfect conditions, even practically new tires and he put us in it the whole material that we requested him (what appears in his web). We were 19 days with the car and it didn't give us a single problem (not even a prick). 

We also hired with Chinzo a small trip of 2 days with included horses. Equally they fulfilled all that hired, on time they picked up us; they took us in car to a non deluxe ger-camp but with good atmosphere and good food. The following day we rode horses for 5 hours following the bed of a river. As with the car, everything was very prepared: the tame horses were ready at the hour we had said, European saddles (a great advantage), 3 Mongolian horsemen all the time with us controlling everything, etc. The second night was in a spectacular wooden house in the hillside of a beautiful mountain and with a view to a river. The following day we rode horses until we returned to U.B again.  

Really, we recommend working with Chinzo and their team, he is of all trust, and they are really some professionals. 

4 extremeños. (Our region in Spain)

Ian Lawrence

The trip itself was brilliant. Going south to the Gobi alone for the first three days was quite scary.. I only got as far as Adaatsag. It was my mistake to programme the GPS for that town rather than Daganstag(??) as it meant that i was driving nowhere near one of the main 'roads'. For the last 40miles or so I just drove in a straight line across the rolling desert hills with no tracks in sight. Great riding but hardly any gers around and was running low on petrol.
  After that I decided to head back up north and roughly follow the line you had highlighted on the map. It was much easier, relatively much more populated too. The off-road riding required lots of concentration but was really enjoyable. The rocky road north of Jagalant was really hard work, the bar across the handlebars rattled off then and I nearly broke my toe on a big rock..
   I tried to ride from Hatgal to the place east of there on your route but got stuck in mud 15km outside of town in the forested hills. It took about an hour to dig myself out so I rode back to Hatgal and then took the easy road south back to Moron the following day. Once back on the asphalt road that starts around Erdenet it was easy. The rivers near Amberlastkhad(???) temple swelled a lot after a day's rain so riding back across was a bit sketchy but not as bad as it looked.
   Another mistake I made was programming the GPS for a different place called Tsetserleg, the GPS said it was 300miles from Mongol Els even though it didn't look anywhere near that far on the map. So i ended up driving straight through Tsetserleg thinking it was a pretty little town and just driving on for another 120km until I was exhausted and stopped in a ger near Chuluut gorge. Then I was informed of my mistake.

    Overall an amazing trip, the most spectacular scenery I've ever seen. Being able to stop in the middle of nowhere and get off the bike to take photos and have a break with absolutely no one else around as far as the eye could see was very cool. The people were always very welcoming and friendly and interested in the bike. The little Serow was a tough little bike that took its fair share of knocks but still kept me going through sand, mud, gravel, dirt, rocks, rivers and that horrible washboard shit.. Mongolia has to be the best off-road adventure motorcycling country in the world. No doubt. Knowing that you were keeping a check on my progress was reassuring as well. Can't believe I was going to attempt it without a GPS.

I didn't take many photos of myself so attached are the best few I can find.


Cheers,
Ian

Vadim & Nadia

Our trip from U.B. to Terelj National Park was exciting and adventurous. We rented a Yamaha Serow 225cc.  It was a very versatile machine, but we could have used a little more ccs.The route from Terelj village to Gacchurt over hilly roads and Forest is not to be taken lightly and may not be suitable for novices.  We didn't know what to expect and it was the first trip of this kind for me and my wife.    With my limited off-road riding experience on enduro bikes, our major concern was safety or a break down in some remote location without support... but I guess that's part of the adventure.   

Since it's hard to arrange these trips without someone following you around, if you want to do a trip like this solo, it was great to have Chinzo's cell number in case we got into trouble. The Garmin etrex GPS unit he provided free of charge also added another measure of reassurance.  We liked that Chinzo provided free safety gear, like 2 motorcycle helmets.  What would even be better is full body armor rental availability and saddle bags.  Bike held up surprisingly well with two people and a backpack on the rear seat.  We also appreciated that Chinzo dropped off and picked up the bike and was flexible with our plans.  The price for motorcycle rental in U.B. is not particularly cheap when compared to other countries, so there is some room for improvement there.

Overall, I would recommend Chinzo and his company because of the attention and service that we received, even if the equipment we rented was not the most reliable.  With a little improvement I think Chinzo can be the number one motorcycle tour operator in U.B., especially catering to self-supported travelers.

Best regards,
Vadim & Nadia

Claus Rieker

Trip to Mongolia

After the initial idea to visit Mongolia we had really a hard time to get a car without a driver. Luckily we found Chinzo and his colleagues via this website. They do not only offer cars but also the camping equipment and the necessary accessories for driving through a sparsely populated country.

In order to visit Mongolia you need a visa (http://www.discovermongolia.mn/mongolian_visa.htm)
and some vaccinations (http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/asia/mongolia.php).

The trip to Mongolia started at Frankfurt Airport, a small stopover in Beijing and ended with the arrival at Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar. The capital of Mongolia is located in a very nice valley with beautiful hills surrounding it. Colorful houses, yurts and coal-fired power plants already indicate from a distance a melting pot of tradition, communism and modernity.

Impressions Ulaanbaatar:

We visited the following places:

-      Mandalgov
-      Ongiin Khiid
-      Manlai
-      Dalandzadgad
-      Yolyn Am (canyon)
-      Khongoryn Els (dune)
-      Bayandalai
-      Jartim Khuv (oasis)
-      Bayangov
-      Bayankhongor (to repair damaged tires)
-      Shargaljuut (hot wells)
-      Khuislin Naiman Nuur Natural Reserve
-      Kharkhorin (Temple Erdene Zuu)
-      Darkhan
-      Amarhayasgalalant Khiid (very nice Temple) Impressions Mongolia:

In summary the journey through Mongolia on its own has several advantageous, nevertheless adventuresomeness and a thorough preparation is necessary!!

Have fun!