Border crossings China/Mongolia?

Which bordercrossings between china/mongolia is open? Something tells me that everyone will answer only the "mainroad" between Beijing and U.B.... But have any of you who reading this tried a smaller crossing further west - and got turned away?

I am on a bicycle so no problem with transport.

Cheers

There are NO international border crossings. There are no current reports of failures but there are also no reports of successes. Each year there are several people who indicate that they intend to try but they never report back their success or failure.

There are occasional third or fourth hand reports of someone being successful but the stories all seem just that, stories.

Though old, this thread probably has the most specific reports: Western China-Mongolia border crossings

Ruth

Hi Tulkas

The distances are so large that people do not tend to try other border crossings and find out that the official answer and Ruth were right.

These are the border crossings you may want to try from west to east.
(M)=Mongolian side, (C)=China side.

Bulgan(M) / Taskhin(C) Google map
In the west. Open for trade between China and Mongolia, and for Kazakhs living near the border. The Chinese keep saying it is open for tourism, the Mongolians insist it is not open yet for third country tourists.

Shivee Khuren(M) / Ceke(C) Google map
Open for trucks carrying coal from Mongolia to China.

Suhait(M) / Gashuun(C) Google map
Open for trucks carrying coal from Mongolia to China.

Zamyn Uuud(M) / Erlian(C) Google map
This is officially the only border crossing for tourists crossing from China to Mongolia.

There is a fence all along the border built by the Chinese.

Let us know what you managed to achieve.
Have a great bike ride.

Dan

Thanks! Great to know.

Not sure I´ll give it a try - but if I can get a double entry visa to Mongolia and a Chinese visa in UB I guess I could try.

I will come from china in the first place - and then I want to do som distance in western Mongolia. Then I want get back to China. If I get trough the mongolian side and the chinese says no - atleast I have my double entry visa so I can get back into Mongolia. :-)
As long as I got a double entry visa I´ll def give it a try.

Tomongolia: Do you know if I need a LOI or LOR to get a mongolian visa in Hohhot? (inner Mongolia - hope I got the name right)

Any news about getting a russian visa in UB? An enormous or normal nightmare?

/Lars

Edited by: Tulkas

Edited by: Tulkas

Do you know if I need a LOI or LOR to get a mongolian visa in Hohhot? (inner Mongolia - hope I got the name right)

I don't recall hearing that one needed anything special to get a Mongolian visa in Hohhot. There are several reports here on the TT but I can't remember how old they are.

Any news about getting a russian visa in UB? An enormous or normal nightmare?

No current news. Last reports were June 2009: Russian visa in UB

Ruth

Hi Tulkas

how did you get on, would be v interested to know?

Rob

roblilwall - are you interested in reports about the Mongolian visa or the Russian visa?

Ruth

Didnt try at all. Spent 38 days in the Altun shan mountains between Tibet and the Taklamakan desert and climbed three mountains that no one ever climbed before. And I had really tough cycling off road.. was totaly wasted when I came back to the civillisation and went down to Kunming instead.

hello

In summer 2015 I want to make a great trip with a mercedes sprinter van 4x4 and 3 motorcycles KTM 450 Exc (4 personns) (russia, kazakhstan, kyrgyzstan, Taklamakan Desert in China and Mongolia (gobi etc ...))

the borders between Kyrgyzstan and China (Tourgat Pass) and that between Kazakhstan and China (Korgas Pass) they are easy to pass trought ?

can you tell me the formalities for licenses to drive in china ?

What are the costs for all these formalities for a period of 20 days in China ?

we are forced to take a guide with us ?

Are there any restricted areas to ride (areas of nuclear explosion etc ...) in the region of taklamakan?

where you can enter in Mongolia from China to go to the Gobi desert and if so where to go ?
we would like to enter in mongolia (in the south center of mongolia) to go north to dalanzadgad

there is the road S315 from Ejin to border
there also the road S212 from Wuyuan and Urad Zhongqi to the border

what do you think ?

another point very important for us : our motorbikes are off road so we don't want to take the same road than the guide in the mercedes van.
We want to be free to drive off road in dunes all the day and find the guide and the van each day at the end of afternoon for bivouac/camping
that is very important for us

what are the other things that are important :

are the dates of entry and exit in China are flexible ?

if this is not the case when you need to have real dates at the latest ?

what are the elements you need for vehicles and persons (photos, documents, driving license etc ...)

thanks
gilles (Paris - france)

I think this is going to be outrageously expensive, if not impossible. You must pay for a guide in China. There is no way around this. And as I understand it, you cannot separatethe motorcycles or off road bikes from the guide in the car. Sorry. Reconsider this trip.

The company which is usually recommended to arrange this travel in China is called NAVO and I suggest that you contact them to see if the policies have changed but I would not hold high hopes for this.

There are only two borders between China and Mongolia which are open to international travelers. The border at Bulgan(M) / Taskhin(C) and the one at Zamyn Uuud(M) / Erlian(C).

Ruth