HOW TO NAVIGATE IN THE STEPPE
Only few years ago, traveling in Mongolia was like a real expedition. Petrol was very difficult to find, food almost non existent, maps written in cyrillic and of very bad quality. Today, thanks to the new technology, things have become much easier.
From far, the best way to navigate in the steppe is to use the GPS on your smartphone. You can download free GPS applications that can be used without being connected to internet. Your phone can be charged on a cigarette lighter socket on the motorbike and there you go: cheap, efficient and easy…
Be careful, the same village can have several different names which adds to the confusion. The best application is Mapsme which can be downloaded for free and whose names roughly match those of the map of Mongolia. Google maps is only recommended to find hotels. The names of the villages are often different
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Petrol stations can be found in any small villages (maximum distance between 2 stations won't exceed 100 kilometers. The motorbike autonomy is more than 300 kilometers) as well as food shops.
HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONGOLIAN STEPPE ?
DOWNLOAD THE FREE APPLICATION - KOMOOT - ON YOUR SMARTPHONE SO YOU CAN USE THE GPS WITHOUT INTERNET CONNECTION. WORKS PERFECTLY IN THE MONGOLIAN STEPPE.
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GOOGLE EARTH is the tool for anyone wishing to travel safely in Mongolia. It is free to download and let you create routes with great precision. By paying attention, you can see the tracks that crisscross the steppe and insert your own path. It may also indicate villages, confluences of rivers, lakes and estimated distances. We propose some routes as well as important landmarks that you can download to your GPS.
FOR THOSE WHO DON'T OWN A SMARTPHONE
ETREX 10: THE ESSENTIEL TOOL TO AVOID GETTING LOST
The eTrex 10 has a monochrome screen that enables an increase in autonomy and a compass . Interface with PC / MAC is via USB port. A basemap of worldwide basis is provided and up to 2000 waypoints and 200 routes can be saved. We entered waypoints of more than 100 towns and villages in Mongolia and several itinareries.
WE RENT THIS GPS FOR 2€ PER DAY.
