Land of Trails

The pure off-road track from Ikh Tamir to Uliastai (about 450 km) is not just a physical journey, but a symbolic passage through an ancient spiritual web. Soft rock formations under a blue sky and silent places along riverbeds speak of a time when humans, animals, and spirits were more closely connected. It felt surreal, magical, abstract.

Among Mongolians, this stretch is known as the ‘Land of Trials,’ where travelers are tested by unseen forces. Sudden shifts in weather, circling birds, or solitary animals are seen as signs that lead your way.

The first part of this fantastic route follows the famous Khangai Mountain Traverse from bikepacking.com. But after a small city called Jargalant, we continued straight west, leaving the mapped route behind and carving our own line across the steppe — guided by sight and by local herders who explained the nature of the paths to us with pantomimic gestures.

The landscapes remained stunning: green valleys with rock formations opened into wide highlands with smooth peaks. Elevation shifted mostly between 1,500 and 2,500 meters, making some nights freezing cold.

What first looked empty to us on the map revealed itself to be deeply alive — and welcoming. This patch of land is surely one of the most beautiful places we’ve seen, and it lives up to its promise: full of trails.