Why this ride
On the way it passes Landscapes of Dauria, Mongol Daguur SPNA and back through Landscapes of Dauria. It crosses from Russia into Mongolia - carry ID and check the toll rules. Rivers set the line for much of the day.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R and Mongol Daguur SPNA
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 212 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 39
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Chita to Dauria Reserve
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 38 km this is Chita to Dauria Reserve, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 38 km
- Named road
- Chita to Dauria Reserve
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R
Dauria is a grassland that does not care about borders. Here, where Russia's Zabaykalsky region meets Mongolia and China, the steppe rolls away in pale gold waves toward the horizon, broken by salt lakes and low hills. The name on this point stands for two Russian reserves, the Daursky Biosphere Reserve and the Valley of Dzeren, which together with the Mongolian reserves nearby form a protected landscape recognised by UNESCO in 2017. Dzeren is the Mongolian gazelle, a pale, fast antelope, and the valley is named after the herds that come and go across the frontier in search of better grass.
Read the complete Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R is where the day begins. Next is Landscapes of Dauria.
2. Landscapes of Dauria
Dauria is the great steppe that straddles the border between Russia's Zabaykalsky region and northeastern Mongolia, and it is one of the last places on earth where you can see a grassland ecosystem working on its own terms. UNESCO listed the landscapes of Dauria in 2017 as a joint Russian and Mongolian site, recognising the importance of its steppe, wetlands and wildlife. The scale is vast: rolling grasslands stretching to the horizon, dotted with lakes, under a sky that seems to go on forever.
Read the complete Landscapes of Dauria write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Landscapes of Dauria comes up about 68 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mongol Daguur SPNA.
3. Mongol Daguur SPNA
Mongol Daguur is a strictly protected area in the far east of Mongolia, in Dornod province, where the steppe rolls away towards the Russian and Chinese borders under a sky that seems twice the size of any other. Together with Russia's Daursky reserve across the border, it forms the Landscapes of Dauria, a World Heritage site covering one of the last great intact steppe ecosystems on Earth. There are no fences, no villages, barely any tracks, just grass, lakes, wind and wildlife.
Read the complete Mongol Daguur SPNA write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 106 km into the recorded legs you reach Mongol Daguur SPNA. Next is back through Landscapes of Dauria.
4. back through Landscapes of Dauria
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Landscapes of Dauria write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Landscapes of Dauria, late in the day. Next is Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R.
5. Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R to Landscapes of Dauria
Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R → Landscapes of Dauria is 68 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Landscapes of Dauria to Mongol Daguur SPNA
Landscapes of Dauria → Mongol Daguur SPNA is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mongol Daguur SPNA to back through Landscapes of Dauria
Mongol Daguur SPNA → back through Landscapes of Dauria is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Landscapes of Dauria to Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R
back through Landscapes of Dauria → Daursky SNBR and Valley of Dzeren Nature R is 68 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.