Tsagaannuur - Tashanta crossing reports [Russia - Mongolia]

[steven]

Please read and post reports on the Tsagaannuur - Tashanta border crossing between Mongolia and Russia below.

We summarize all info on the Mongolia border crossings page.

[boats.and.bikes]

For Information on entry to Russian Altai Region from Mongolia ... Tashanta border zone.
On entering the border area and having my passport and visa checked I received a 2.5hr 'chat' (interrogation) with cups of tea about my cycling, time in Turkey, time in China, who my friends were, do I have links to British security etc etc etc. I had received warnings of this possibility so was not surprised but was still a little daunted by having 3 military personnel question me. They were very pleasant but asked lots of questions about world affairs and politics and my views. THIS IS NOT TO WORRY ANYONE BUT IT APPEARS TO BE THE NORM AND IT PAYS TO BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY!

[Tobbe]

Hey Friends. I wanna cross that border from mongolia to russiain mid july on my bike. I will have my 10 day transit visa by then and wanna ask you for any recent experiences from other people. At the russian consulate in UB i was told that i cannot cross by foot or bike. therefore i needed to provide a bus plate number and i was told that appears on the visa. So but i also read that other cyclists were able to cycle across before so does anybody have recent experiences?

2. question: We will take the main road to barnaul from taschanta and then straight down to rubtsovsk/kazakh border. BUT, isnt there a shortcut also passing the beluha mountain area? what about that? is it allowed to ride there or even possible? Any experiences on that topic are highly appreciated. Thanks!

[Vasil]

Hey Tobbe!
Bikers I've seen were crossing borders without any problem. Some of them had to talk with drivers and pass the customs together as if biker was driver's passenger
2. There's a trail, used for trekking and horse riding. I don't think it's a right option for 10-days visa Besides, you'll need a permit to enter the border area (Belukha is situated on the border with KZ) and should apply for it 60 days before visit. Just drive=enjoy the Chuyskiy trakt - it's the most beautiful road of Russia! Near Kurai village you'll see fantastic mountain panorama (better than Beluha, I tell you) There are also Martian landscape, petroglyphs, picturesque lakes and waterfalls not far from highway.
Of course, you don't need to drive to Barnaul - there's a road via Cherga, Soloneshnoe, Petropavlovskoe and Zmeinogorsk.

Good luck!

[Tobbe]

wow!! thanks for your reply! that really helps me!
but i have additional question to understand better:

So for the chuysky Trail, NO permit is needed right? and for crossing TSAGANNUUR---> Taschanta NO border is needed too right? You mean permit is just needed for going Near beluha mountains???
And the road via cherga , there is no permit required ?

[Tobbe]

and the road via Cherga, Soloneshnoe, Petropavlovskoe and Zmeinogorsk, is it paved? of what quality is it??

[Tobbe]

and that road road via Cherga, Soloneshnoe, Petropavlovskoe and Zmeinogorsk. Is Open for tourists? no permit needed?
Do you recommend driving it?

[Vasil]

No permits for Chuyskiy trakt and no permits for border crossing as well as no permits to drive Cherga-Soloneshnoe-Zmeinogorsk route
Yes, permits needed around Beluha mount and other border areas which you are not going to enter while moving on Chuyskiy trakt (it's a federal route M52 or R256)
I'd recommend you to drive the M52 till Souzga village because the pavement is very good. Just stop at Chagan-Uzun village to see Mars, at Kalbak Tash (Geopark archaeological site) and ask locals for more info while riding
From Souzga I'd recommend to turn left to Aya village, then to Altayskoe, Belokuriha (you shouldn't drive into the Belokuriha unless you fond of hot springs), there's a turn to Soloneshnoe/Petropavlovskoe. The road from Belokuriha to Soloneshnoe is on the natural border of Altai mountains and steppes - fantastic view! The pavement from Souzga to Belokuriha is nice, fresh asphalt. There's still an asphalt from Belokuriha to Soloneshnoe, but it's old and impossible to drive on car faster than 80km/hour. There are also some gravel roads from Solonovka to petropavlovskoe, but they are not so bad. The road from Petropavlovskoe to Zmeinogorsk is also asphalt paved, good enough. You can enter Kazakstan near zmeinogorsk,there's a tiny border control by the Shemonaiha village. It's a quicker option for KZ border crossing
Hope you'll find all village names on your map
The road from Cherga to Altaiskoe or Soloneshnoe is worse option due to mountain pass and roads condition.

[CianoH]

Whole border crossing with car took about 5hours. Leaving Russia wasnt too long but entering Mongolia took some time. Initially we paid 5 dollars to first guy for quarantine/spray car with disinfectant. Mongolian border guards waved through locals but kept us at the gate for sometime, then got through by giving border guard lady some chocolates that she asked for. Another hour of car searching, visa stamping and customs checking. Once leave Mongolian border and enter Mongolia you are waved over by people selling insurance and "eco" tax. Not sure how legitimate these services were but a guy closed a gate until we paid it. We paid in the end as it was only about 20 dollars for both and insurance document looked legit. Area was extremely cold mid August

[navarro]

Tashanta - Tsagaannuur
I crossed hitchhiking the border, not allowed to walk, so I was asking to the cars. A Russian car picked me up. The guard in the Russian border speaks English, you can ask for help, maybe he can ask the tracks (although very probably they won't take you).
As reported before, leaving from Russia wasn't too long (not short either, but as I crossed with Russians, it was easier). Mongolian border is slower due to lunch-break. In total it took me 6 hours (now it's the Mongolian Race, more foreigner cars to cross), but my car was probably waiting there since several hours ago.

The border opens from 9:00 to 18:00. The Mongolian side closes 2 hours for lunch-break from 12:00 to 14:00 (half an hour up-down, as I'm not 100% sure of the timings). You'll need to be at the border before opening time, otherwise you have chances to get stuck in the border. If you get stuck in no-man's land, at the Mongolian border, my reports says that they'll allow you to pass to sleep at the village after the border (Myangani), but the car will stay in no-man's land until next day to pass the control.

Be aware of the following SCAMS AND MISBEHAVIOR IN THE MONGOLIAN SIDE:

• Disinfection Quarantine (Official Unavoidable Scam): Before entering the border a uniformed guy will ask you for 50 rubles and give you a ticket. Then he'll spray water (with something?) over your wheels (close the window if you don't want to taste it).
  • What does make it official?
    • They give you a stamped ticket of the payment
    • The guy is dressed with official uniform
    • There's an office cabinet where it's written "Disinfection Quarantine"
  • What does make it a scam?
    • They ask you to pay in rubles
    • The price in the ticket is 1000 MNT, which is half of 50 rubles (try to pay the official price, not the 50 rubles)
    • Trucks don't pay for it
    • Mongolian cars pay for it but they don't get sprayed
    • It's absolutely ridiculous as Russia and Mongolia share hundreds of km of border, and people, cars, animals and plagues are continuously crossing without those controls
  • Why is it unavoidable? Because they'll ask you for the ticket once you pass the passport control and if you don't have it you'll have to go back with the car to the line (or negotiate to go back, pay the scam and jump the queue).
• Insurance for non-Mongolian cars (Official Avoidable Scam): After leaving the border a uniformed gal will ask you to put your car apart (you don't really need to do it, you already passed the border, the girl is officially there for the entrance to the border). She will tell you that you need to have an insurance to drive on the Mongolian roads (I don't know if that's actually true) and ask you for 2400 rubles to do that insurance for you.
  • What does make it official?
    • The woman is dressed with official uniform
    • There is a sign at the building where the woman stays which warns you (in Russian, German and English) that you need that an insurance in Mongolia and that police fines are 6 times higher.
    • They give you a contract of the hired insurance
  • What does make it a scam?
    • They ask you to pay in rubles
    • They don't write the amount charged in the insurance papers
    • If you don't get the insurance, they'll call to the Police post that is few kilometers ahead on the way to Ölgii, at Tsagaannuur, so they stop you and fine you.
  • How to avoid it?
    • Get an insurance before entering Mongolia
      OR
    • Enter the village Tsagaannuur by dirt roads to skip the police post, and then leave towards Ölgii safely. I've uploaded to OpenStreetMaps (which you can see in Maps.Me app) a couple of dirt roads to exit the asphalt road with mentions to corrupted police. I recommend to take the dirt roads as soon as possible, to avoid the police to see you entering the village, as the cars are visible from far for them(it's a long plain straight road).
      • Coordinates of corrupted police station: 49.497559, 89.724915
      • Approximated coordinates of last recommended path to avoid corrupted police: 49.503083, 89.705444
      • Approximated coordinates of a more risky path to avoid corrupted police: 49.498847, 89.720992
• Misbehavior of officials:
  • When I was crossing the border there was a couple of foreigners doing the Mongolian Race that were stopped at the passport control because they were peeing (yes, peeing in the countryside, such a crime), near the border, in no-man's land and they were caught by the cams.
    • The people have to wait for hours at both sides to cross the border.
    • Mongolian side close 2 hours for lunch and there is nobody to ask anything.
    • There are no indications about where the toilet is, if there is (now you have a location in OpenStreetMaps and Maps.Me).
    • Yaks and cows pee in the countryside too and they can cross the border.
    • Littering, much more environmentally damaging than peeing, is normal among Mongolians and Russians, and they can cross the border.
  • Mongolians cars will jump the queue of cars waiting, and officials will allow it.