Border Crossing from Western Mongolia to Xinjiang, China?

Is this possible? I'm planning on traveling west across Mongolia and then would like to enter Xinjiang, China. If not, are there any other border crossings into Western China from Mongolia?

Thanks,
E

No.

There is exactly one crossing that is open to foreigners. It is the crossing north of Beijing from Erlian, China to Zamin Uud, Mongolia. This is the only crossing that is open. There are other crossing points but only for locals. There are NO reports of foreigners being able to cross at these points.

Ruth

a few years ago i was told by the psb in lanzhou it was possbile to cross at a point NE of hami.
i went and tried but was stopped by the local psb on the road out from hami. apparently you need a special permit to take the road.

unless you are into exercises in frustration and remoteness, dont bother.

For the sake of completeness, the current crossings with China are:
1.LaoYeMiao(308km North of Hami)/Burgastai That's In Gobi-Altay province, so the closest major city in Mongolia is Altay.
2.TaKeShiKen(90km from Qinghe, 380km from AErTai)/Bulgan, in Khovd, the nearest city is Dund-Us.
3.WuLaSiTai/Baidag) Sorry, I couldn't find out much about this one, only that it only open for the first few days of each month. It is also near Bulgan district in Khovd
4.HongShanZui(240km from FuHai, 192km from AErTai)/Dayan, Zengel district in Bayan Olgiy, 180km from Olgiy

None of these are open to foreigners.

Ruth

With connections and cash...it is possible. A few years ago I spoke with a Swiss-Brazilian in Kashgar who along with his son was planning on entering Mongolia from Xinjiang. I believe he had high-level diplomatic connections. When I inquired locally to see if we could arrange this crossing, I was told that, no, it is not possible. For "normal" entry and exit customs-immigration offices are required, etc. It just seems like Mongolia's western border with China has not be a high priority.

hi I heared it is possible to cross western Mongolia to Xinjiang with Altay it is province and west part in xinjiang uyghur autonomus region. but I,m not sure . if you can cross through there to xinjiang please write my E-mail alimsilkroad@yahoo.com. I want to help every one that I could . I lived in Kashgar it is west door of china . if you come Kashgar I want to meet you and learn some thing about Mongolia and you asking the road. I hope it will be my dream.ok have a nice day
cheers

desert - There are local crossings in western Mongolia but they are not open to foreigners.

downthe.. - you spoke with someone who was planning to cross but that doesn't mean that they actually were able to cross. Over the past several years there have been a few reported attempts and all have met with failure.

Ruth

there are military instalations out there, according to the psb. i was allowed on the bus in hami, but about half an hour out there were permit checks.
the permit that was needed was like a little book (no, not the regular id) that showed people were local out there. the character for 'family' was on the cover (couldnt read the other 4 or 5 characters).

have also tried a road heading NNE from jiuquan (near jiayuguan) that heads near the border thru erjinqi then E to yinchuan. same thing.

the southern gobi is full of military stuff they dont want anybody wandering around.

have a go, things may have changed (i was out there 5 years ago).
bare in mind - hami to the border is a looooong way thru really remote stuff.

Hi,
I have been looking for an answer to the same question only the other way around, ie, travelling from Xinjiang into Western Mongolia as part of a year long journey from Islamabad to Beijing. In reponse to a previous thread someone posted contradictory info., naming two potential crossing points from Mongolia, Altai sum and Bulgan sum - has anyone out there actually succeeded in crossing at these points?

I would very much appreciate any further information on this as its an essential part of my trip plan. I would also appreciate any possible alternatives, for example would it be possible to fly from Urumqi into western Mongolia? or to cross into Russia and back down into western Mongolia? I know it would be possible to fly from Urumqi to UB, but it is Western Mongolia that I'm really interested in travelling through...

Any further information of suggestions on this topic would be much appreciated.

I am not sure where you read a contradiction. There are no verified/confirmed reports of foreigners crossing the border at the points that I mentioned. These are local border crossings open only to local persons with proper permits. All reports of international travelers suggest that these crossings are not open to international travelers.

I don't think there are flights from Urumqi to western Mongolia.

There is a train from Urumqi to Almaty, Kazakhstan. There is a flight from Oksemen, Kazakhstan to Ulgit also called Olgii (Ust Kamenogorsk). You can obtain a Kazakh visa in Urumqi. Check with David B at stantour.com for information about the flight which is only once a week.

There is no border crossing in western China between China and Russia.

It would also be possible to travel from China to Kazakhstan to Russia to Mongolia and then across Mongolia and down to Beijing. The crossing from Russia to Mongolia is from Altai to Tsagaan Nuur in Bayan Ulgii province. There is no public transport across the border. There are no trains in this region.

The biggest potential problems with this plan would be obtaining the Russian visa and the Chinese visas. For a fee, the Russian visa can be obtained in Kazakhstan. Contact David B at stantour.com; he is based in Kazakhstan.

The Chinese visas will be more problematic. Currently China requires proof of transport into and out of the country which makes overland travel essentially impossible since train and bus tickets are almost impossible to obtain in advance.

Ruth

In response to the same question, ie. crossing from western Mongolia to Xinjiang 'mongolia expert' wrote;

Hi JGS,
Yes there is. You can either cross from Altai sum(village) in Gobi-Altai Province or Bulgan Sum in Hovd Province. These two border gates open from the 15th to the end of the month. But they don't open at same month. In other words, one opens in July while the other one is closed and next month the other closed one opens and so on....
Good luck
Amara

This was from Sept. 2007, was just wondering if anyone could verify it,

Thanks for the info though, will have to look at this again...

evayasin - mongoliaexpert is a Mongolian resident and with a travel company, Wilderness Adventures. These crossings do exist but they are only open to Mongolians and Chinese, not to international travelers. There are NO verifiable reports of international travelers crossing at these points. I would love to hear otherwise but seriously doubt that it is possible.

Ruth

Guess I should have asked for confirmation. What I referred to above was not long after we had started the Caravan Cafe. I was developing travel services. Can't remember if it was 2000, 2001 or 2002. The people in question were a father and son with Swiss-Brazilian citizenship. The son was an Olympic skier. They had a hired Landcruiser from Tibet and were traveling guided with one of the main, reputable travel work units in Kashgar. I've forgotten details, but had no doubts in my mind that they were well enough connected to make the crossing. I think even at the time I was familiar with the Altai area and that crossing into Mongolia there were not normal border crossing places. So, these people crossing may have been a one-time deal. I believe they did have some high-up diplomatic connections. Sometimes travelers come through Kashgar and you don't know who they are...