Western Mongolia - Mongolia - page 544

northern Khövsgöl and the Ereentsav-Solovyevsk crossing in Dornod are not open to
third-country nationals.
Processing Both the road and rail crossings are slow but at least on the road journey you
can get out and stretch your legs. Train travellers have been stranded for up to 10 hours
on the Russian side, spending much of this time locked inside the train wagons. Proced-
ures on the Ulaanbaatar-Moscow train are faster than on the local trains. Heading out of
Russia, you will be asked to fill out a customs declaration form. You should note on the
form how much currency you are taking out of the country.
BUS
Bus is probably the fastest form of public transport between Mongolia and Russia.
From Mongolia A daily bus operated by Vostok Trans ( 7011 0696) departs Ulaan-
baatar bound for Ulan Ude. It departs at 7.30am, and the journey takes 12 hours and
costs T47,000. Buses leave from the parking lot in front of the train station. Tickets are
sold inside the domestic railway ticket office on the 2nd floor. You can buy a ticket one
week in advance.
To Mongolia An Ulan Ude bus (R1300) departs at the same time for Ulaanbaatar, leaving
from the fountain/Opera House in Ulan Ude. In Ulan Ude contact Trio-Impex (
3012-217 277; [e-mail] ) or Buryat-Intour ( 3012-216 954;
www.buryatintour.ru ; ul Kirova 28a).
CAR & MOTORCYCLE
It's possible to drive between Russia and Mongolia at Tsagaannuur (Bayan-Ölgii) and
Altanbulag (Selenge). For more details on the classic Mongolian road trip, Click here .
Processing These road crossings can be difficult and time consuming - up to six hours if
traffic is backed up or if you have visa problems.
Paperwork In order to speed things up, it may help to have a letter written by the Mongo-
lian consular (or Russian consular if you are headed that way) when you get your visa.
The letter should state that you are authorised to take a car or motorcycle across the bor-
der. A carnet (passport for your car) may be useful but is not necessary.
Walking Foreigners are currently not allowed to 'walk' across the Kyakhta-Altanbulag
border, but they are allowed to pass through in a car or even on a motorcycle, so you may
have to pay someone to drive you across.
TRAIN
Besides the Trans-Mongolian Railway ( Click here ) connecting Moscow and Bĕijīng, there
is a direct train twice a week connecting Ulaanbaatar and Moscow, which is easier to
book from Ulaanbaatar. The epic trip takes four days.