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20 July 2004

The Kingsmill's Trans-Russia-Mongolian Overland Trip, Part 4: Tashanta

Geoff Kingsmill
2006-04-26 09:11:40

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the bike across. As if travelling this 8km stretch was not bad enough, we had to actually do it three times since we needed to return our guide back to his home. By the time we got back it was almost dark. The flies and mosquitoes were incredibly thick and all we could do to escape the onslaught was to hop into bed. The next morning we drove to Tsagaannuur. The road from Ulaangom to Tsagaannuur was one of the highlights of our trip. It was very remote but had spectacular scenery. Once again we did not see a single vehicle. We were very thankful that neither Troopy nor the Motorcycle broke down.

Our intention was to check at the Mongolian border post to see if the border was indeed open for tourists. The only positive news that the border was open was an article that Scott had given to us which was published in the Ulaanbaatar Post. Everyone else we had spoken to, including the Mongolian Consulate in Irkutsk and the Russian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, had said the border was closed. The border town on the Mongolian side is named Tsagaannuur whilst on the Russian side the town is Tashanta. The two towns are 28km apart. If it was open then we planned to spend some time looking around the Altai Mountains in Mongolia before crossing into Russia. If the border was closed it would mean doing a 4500km backtrack through Mongolia and Russia. On arriving at the border we came to the realization that the only way that we could determine whether we could get through was to do it. So reluctantly we pressed forward. Unfortunately we arrived just before lunch so we had to wait for 2 hours. After lunch it took another three hours to exit Mongolia. We are not sure why it took so long. The military officer in charge at the border took down our passport details and details of our travels through Russia and Mongolia. He then rang his superior officer to ask permission for us to exit Mongolia. After getting approval we had to clear customs. This took some time as there was only one customs officer and he was busy working on trucks coming in from Russia. After spending six hours at the Mongolian border, two hours of which the border was closed for lunch, we exited Mongolia and headed for Russia.

The actual border post was 5km away. The Russians were expecting us so obviously the Mongolians had spoken to the Russian border post to make sure that we were allowed to cross into Russia. The main Russian immigration and customs post was another 23km down the road. To our surprise we were ushered through Immigration and Customs proceedings and within an hour and a half we were in Russia. We felt like Royalty as we were given preferential treatment every step of the way. All officials were very friendly and efficient. The border post is very modern and everything is computerised. Some of the officials even spoke a little English. We were told that we were the first tourists to cross from Mongolia to Russia as the border crossing was only opened a few months prior. The border post opens between 9am and 7pm and is closed for lunch between 12pm and 2pm.

We were relieved that we did not have to do a 4500km backtrack through Mongolia and Russia however we were also sad to leave Mongolia earlier than anticipated. Mongolia is such a wonderful country with such wonderful people. It is nice to be able to camp anywhere and feel safe. If anyone is looking for 'adventure travel' then Mongolia is the ideal destination. Our costs in Mongolia averaged out at US$12/day per person and if one excludes fuel it is less that US$2/day.

It feels strange to be back in Russia again with sealed roads and even detailed road signs. Despite this, the adventure continues.

Best Wishes,

Geoff and Kienny Kingsmill