Mongun-Taiga is the highest peak in Tuva, a snow-capped mountain of nearly four thousand metres on the border with Mongolia, where the Altai ranges tangle with the Sayan and the steppe fades into rock and ice. The name means roughly the silver mountain, which suits it, and the area is a wild upland of glacial valleys, alpine lakes and wide, windy pastures that are grazed in summer by yaks, sheep and horses belonging to Tuvan herders.
This is far from a casual ride. Rivers must be forded after rain, and weather can swing from warm sun to snow within hours, even in July. The riding season is short, running roughly from June to early September, and for the rest of the year the high ground is frozen. Anyone coming here needs sturdy bikes, spare fuel, a good map or GPS, and a sense of humility about distance and isolation.
Tuva has a culture that is easy to love once you get there. The Tuvans are a Turkic people with a strong tradition of nomadic herding, felt yurts, and above all throat singing, in which a single singer produces two notes at once, a low drone with a whistling melody above it. The sound, which imitates wind, water and animals, makes real sense when you hear it in a valley with no other noise. Shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism mingle in local belief, and you may see ovaa, stone cairns hung with ribbons, on passes and hilltops, where travellers add a stone for good luck. Take your cue from locals and walk around them clockwise.
For fuel, plan carefully. The small settlements may have a pump, but supplies can run out, and the nearest places with reliable stations are well to the north. Carry food and water, a repair kit and warm clothing, and leave your plan with someone. Border zone rules apply this close to Mongolia, so check permits in advance. The reward is a landscape of huge sky, cold clean air and the occasional kindness of a herder offering tea with salt and milk.