Mongolia - Foot and Mouth Disease closing roads?
 

Hi all,

I've got a friend in Ulaanbaatar that I'm flying out to meet in a few days and go riding with off-road for 2 weeks. He's been hearing about areas and routes being closed due to a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak. Foot-and-mouth disease prompts martial law in 12 Mongolian provinces - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Does anyone have any information on what areas are off-limits? Or if they actually still are? Our plan is to ride in a big circle starting and ending in UB. The circle will we heading west, and anti-clockwise. UB will be at the 3 O'clock position of our circular route.

Cheers guys. And as I couldn't find any posts in the forum about this, I'll report back with my findings to help others.

I've not got any current information, but have experience of this in 2010.

Basically there is no movement allowed between villages or towns, unless you have a quarantine permit. You can apply at a police station, but usually you need a good reason. There are also disinfection points outside settlements. All this adds up to a lot of disruption. You can of course try to sneak round them; I did this unknowingly and was kept in a police station (but free to walk around town) in Erdenetsagaan for three days.

I rode from UB to the westernmost border with Russia in 2013 and didn't experience a single checkpoint of any kind or any mention of it by any traveller I met. I wonder how we find what areas are affected?

Yes, it doesn't necessarily happen every year.

I've never been there, but Oasis Guest House seems to be a hub for travellers in Mongolia, maybe they can help you.

The people organising the Mongol Rally also have good information sources in Mongolia I think.

In 2013 this disease was in the Bayan Ulgii Aymag in western Mongolia between Olgii and Khovd.

We coukd go through and had to desinfect the bikes.
No problem.

Last year there was the disease north of UB and people were not allowed to move in or out for weeks.

So it is different.

Interesting. In 2010 It was in Sükhbaatar, Dornod and, if I remember correctly, Khentii.

Maybe the desert of the far south is a safe bet. Lots of beautiful landscapes down there too.

I came to UB yesterday, and all what I saw was a carpet for desinfection where I had to go over.
And pay 500 TUG

I was asking for this quarantaine and actually there are some regions closed but should not affect the areas where we are travelling.

There is one road direktly west from UB to Egi Nuur, which is closed, but if you take the road to Kharkhorin and then Tsertseleg you are fine.