Related Tours
Red sandstone cliffs and canyons, Flaming Cliffs is one of the most famous paleontological sites in the world and one of famious landmarks in Mongolia. The area was so named by the American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews due to its outstanding orange color seen at sunset. Among the numerous fossils excavated here, Roy Chapman Andrews’s discovery in 1922 of the first dinosaur eggs ever revealed in the world made the area famous. Thus the paleontologists hypothesized that the dinosaurs gave birth babies.
The Gobi Gurban Saikhan Mountain itself a national park and the end of the Gobi Altai Mountain range. The mountain has many beautiful valleys. Among them, Yoliin Am/Eagle Valley/Vulture Valley is the one accessible by car. Yoliin Am was named after the Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture, which is called Yol in Mongolian.
It is great to see the lush green valley and breathe cooling air in the summer hot of the Gobi desert. The valley has been eroded by Yol stream that freezes in winter, building up to 8 meters thick ice. Dramatic rock cliffs and heavily shaded narrow canyons let the ice remain till the beginning of July.
100 km long, up to 7 km wide Khongor sand dunes or the Khongoryn Els, also known as the SINGING DUNES is one of the top attractions in the Gobi desert. The dunes tower about 300 m above the Gobi desert plain. The locals call the highest dune as a Singing Dune because of the high-pitched airplane engine like sound created by the wind blow over the dune.
Climbing the highest dune is a challenge. Therefore, most visitors choose to climb bit lower peaks where people can hear the Sand Singing when spreading the sand northwards against the wind.
30-60 m high, 400 m long, colorful limestone formation, once was the ocean bed where the visitors find marine fossils and clamshells. Its colors are outstanding early morning and evening. Tsagaan Suvarga was named after its shape resembles the Buddhist relict stupas or pagodas. There are some trails to hike down and up through the cliffs.
Except for the cliffs, 50m-long Khevtee Bosoo Cave is worth a visit.
Nestling on the south and north banks of the Ongi River bend, Ongi was one of the important monasteries in the Gobi desert - consisted of two separate monasteries connected by a bridge. On the southern river bank was 320 years old Hutagt Monastery comprised of 9 main temples, plus small temples and stupas. The Balim Monastery was built relatively late about 240 years ago on the northern bank of the river and consisted of 13 main temples except for the other constructions, stupas, etc.
A zone of flat layers of granite stone mountains towers up to 200 m on the plains, covering an area of 300 sq.km. 1768 m high Takhilgat peaks is the highest summit. Many streams flow through the mountain valleys; some of them have aspen groves between the gorges. The mountains have been keeping some historical remains such as ancient tombs, burial mounds, rock drawings, rock inscriptions, and monuments dating back to The Bronze Age, Huns State, Turkic State, the Great Mongol Empire, and the 16th to 17th century. Also, you can see the ruins of temples dates back to the 17th and 19th centuries.
Beautifully carved red mud cliffs once were the ancient sea bed, as well as home to the dinosaurs is located in the extreme remoteness of the Gobi desert. The 60-300 m deep massive mud cliffs and gorges stretch 10 km. Among the canyons are many attractive oases edged by reeds and broom-grass.
Truly off the beaten place, travelers should expect to experience an expedition, not a tour. There are no nomads, no people, no water, and no birds for the last 250 km to reach Khermentsav from Dalanzadgad or Khongor sand dunes.
Situated about 300 km south-southeast of Ulaanbaatar, the most common way to access Ikh Nart is by a car while some people reach Shivee Gobi station on the train. Then arrange a vehicle to drive to Ikh Nart 50 km on one-way and 100 km in a return way.
Ikh Nart is home to 33 species of mammals, 6 species of reptiles, 125 species of birds, and over 200 species of plants.
Khamaryn Khiid or Khamar Monastery is known as the World Energy Center along with its surrounding mountains.
A writer, architect, composer, poet, painter, and physician Danzanravjaa (1803-1856), who belonged to the order of Red Hat Buddhism in Mongolia, initiated the Khamaryn Khiid Monastery in 1820 when he was 17 years old based on his observation of the area's spiritual energy.
3000-2000 BC Khavtsgait rock drawing dates back to the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age, stands on the northern slope of West Saikhan Mountain in the Gobi Gurban Saikhan National Park.
Among the numerous rock drawings in the mountain, Khavtsgair rock drawing is unique in terms of its expression and composition. Repeatedly depicted animal features such as tiger, bison, and birds similar to ostriches, do not exist in Mongolia.
