Industrial action doesn’t often lead to life- changing moments, but it did for film-set dresser Gina Son. Last year’s strikes in the US film industry left her with time on her hands, so when a work colleague asked if she fancied joining him on a motorcycle trip across Mongolia she thought, ‘Why not?’

Brooklyn-based Son, 31, only took to motorcycling in 2021, but the bug bit hard and now she rides her 1700cc Victory cruiser around New York City on a daily basis. But compared with covering 1,000 miles from one side of Mongolia to the other on a nimble dirt bike, dodging yellow taxis and aggressive commuters in the Big Apple seemed like a doddle. ‘It took us around three weeks to travel from the east of the country to the west – and we did the majority of the journey on tracks and trails,’ she says.

‘I knew it was going to be physically taxing, but that made it a challenge that was fun to overcome. And now all I keep thinking about is the next two-wheel adventure.’

The Mongolia trip was organised by fellow New Yorker Kerry Sano, whose business, AOTR (Adventure On The Rocks), promises to take similarly open-minded motorcyclists out of their comfort zone and into some of the less-touched corners of the world. I met Sano last spring while on assignment for Brummell , covering a ride across Tuscany on classic superbikes.

She told me about her plan to organise a trip to the land of legendary warrior Genghis Khan, invited me to join – and, a few months later, I found myself in the mining town of Bayan-Ölgii, where I had arranged to rendezvous with Sano and the rest of the small group towards the end of their cross-country odyssey.

Unlike Son, Sano and two other travellers from the movie world – Gina Chin, who works in post-production, and Jason Watt, a producer – I didn’t have the luxury of time and could only make it for the last five days of the trip. But it was sufficient to get a taste of wild Mongolia, and to discover that our “go anywhere” KTM 350 enduro machines offered a far more interesting way of seeing it than being in the back of a tour organiser’s SUV.

The country is gradually opening up to travellers, but it still falls far short of being a popular destination – which might be seen as a bonus to those who bemoan the fact that the number of “undiscovered” places in the world is fast diminishing. It certainly appealed to me, along with the fact that this country, covering an area of more than 1.5 million square kilometres, is criss-crossed by a vast spider’s web of tracks and trails that make it a nirvana for anyone who loves to climb aboard an off-road motorcycle and head out into the unknown.

One of the specific aims at this stage of the trip was to visit the celebrated Sagsai Golden Eagle Festival, a journey that involved traversing 60 miles entirely off-road before we found the eagle hunters in the middle of a vast plain bordered by towering mountains. The fur-clad hunters galloped to and fro on the stout, powerful ponies that have been Mongolia’s literal workhorses for centuries, often with eagles on their arms in preparation for their turn to compete. Watching the huge raptors respond to their handlers’ calls was a truly epic experience.

The remainder of my too-short stay was spent riding out into Mongolia’s seemingly endless wilderness, discovering its raw beauty and marvelling at unexpected encounters with herds of camels, yaks and horses. Returning to Bayan- Ölgii each evening also gave us a chance to discover Mongolian cooking, which is typically meat-heavy and features dishes such as Buuz dumplings and Tsuivan stir-fried noodles – all delicious, warming and welcome after a long day’s ride in which we experienced all weathers, from blizzards to clear blue skies.

Like Son, I would go back to ride motorcycles there at the drop of a hat – but it’s an adventure not to be tackled alone because, with a population of fewer than 4 million people (almost half of whom live in the capital, Ulaanbaatar) it’s possible to travel hundreds of miles across the Mongolian steppe without seeing another soul. Which is why Sano teamed up with a small crew of Mongolian guides who know which of the numerous insignificant paths lead to inhabited areas, be that small colonies of yurts or gers of the type that provide shelter to the country’s thousands of nomads or, once in a while, a built-up village.

In her day job, Sano services, repairs and restores exotic Ducati motorcycles – work that enables her to pursue her passion for two-wheeled travel through Adventure On The Rocks. ‘A motorcycle can take you to so many more places than a car or a bus, and Mongolia has been on my bucket list since I was six,’ she says. Sano’s trips are aimed at people who have ‘seen it all and done it all’ in terms of visiting conventional destinations, but feel a burning desire for true adventure.

But they are not for everyone. ‘These are hardcore journeys for people who feel comfortable about riding long distances off-road over periods of several hours in places that are often a long, long way from anyone or anything,’ explains Sano. ‘We vet everyone for suitability before allowing them to sign up, and we absolutely insist that they have cast-iron travel insurance – in the event of an accident, we could be 300 miles from the nearest town so there has to be the possibility of being air-lifted to safety.

‘This really is not something most people would be capable of planning on their own. What we offer is the chance to enjoy the journey without having to work out the logistics or worry about what to do if something goes wrong.’

The next trips to Mongolia with Adventure On The Rocks are scheduled for March-September. They start at $4,800 per person. Other rides available include India and Sri Lanka (between June and September, $3,400); advontherocks.com