Gobi desert top tourist attractions and best places to visit.
LOCATION: 230 km south of Ulaanbaatar, mostly on the paved roads, and 37 km northwest of Delgertsogt town, Dundgobi province.
For most travelers or tours, Bagaazariin Chuluu would be the first stop when traveling the Gobi desert overland.
Baga Gazariin Chuluu is a zone of flat layers of granite stone mountains towers up to 200 m on the plains, covering an area of 300 sq.km. 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.
This 15 km long, 10 km wide mountainous area is home to wild animals. Particularly, wild mountain sheep and ibex.
It is a great place for hiking, scrambling, bouldering, or camping while enjoying the Gobi desert calmness, interesting shape rock formations, and granite canyons formed by wind-polishing.
LOCATION: 20 km south of Saikhan-Ovoo town in Dundgobi province.
The monastery is an overnight area to split long driving when traveling between the Gobi desert and central Mongolia.
Although, the location of the monastery is spectacular among the Gobi desert mountains.
About 240 to 320 years old two separate monastery ruins exist on opposite shores of Ongi River surrounded by picturesque mountains.
At the time, the monastery had 4 religious institutions, 22 temples, and numerous other constructions housed by over 1000 monks. Unfortunately, no temple remained after the 1930s communist purge except for a stupa.
In 1990, few monks returned to the monastery and completed a small temple in 2004.
There are view ger camps within 10-20 min walking distance for the monastery ruin.
LOCATION: Situated about 300 km southeast of Ulaanbaatar.
A paradise for nature lovers and wildlife adventures, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve is home to 33 species of mammals, 6 species of reptiles, 125 species of birds, and over 200 species of plants.
Established in 1996, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve covers an area of about 66,000 hectares of grassland, semi-desert steppe, and granite stone zones where they have been implementing projects to protect Argali wild sheep, Siberian Ibex, and Cinereous Vulture.
Many visitors visit the nature reserve to observe the wild animals in nature and enjoy the calmness of the Gobi desert.
An eco-friendly ger camp or camping are the options to stay in the nature reserve.
LOCATION: Its location is extremely remote in the depths of the Gobi desert. 250 m from the Khongor sand dunes, 450 km from the provincial center Dalanzadgad and 120 km northeast of Gurban Tes town, Umnugobi province.
Not only the foreign visitors, but the Gobi desert locals also amaze its beauty and say it the real Gobi desert. This beautifully carved 60-300 m deep, 10 km long massive mud cliffs and gorges once were the ancient sea bed. As well as was home to the dinosaurs. Fossilized dinosaur skeleton, insects, birds, tortoises, and plant species found here made the Gobi desert renowned.
Some of the canyons are attractive with oases edged by reeds, broom-grass, sexual trees, poplar trees, and tamarisk.
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 120 km to reach Khermentsav from Dalanzadgad or Khongor sand dunes. Therefore, we recommend choosing a great driver, reliable vehicle, abundant food, and water. The American archaeologist Roy Chapman Andrews named Khermen Tsav “The end of the World.”
LOCATION: Situated 60 km north of Gurban Tes town and 320 km west of Dalanzadgad city of Umnugobi province.
The Nemegt Formation is composed of large mudstone and sandstone cliffs deposited by ancient lakes, streams, and flood plains.
Known as one of the 7 wonders of the Gobi desert, the area is rich in wildlife and amazingly picturesque with still existing fossils. Visitors will enjoy gentle hiking through the gorges finding pieces of fossils, and admiring how fascinating the views of the giant cliffs are. Russian-Mongolia joint expedition found 72-68 years ago herbivorous dinosaur species fossil in 1946, named it Nemegtosaurus including the nearby mountain name. No accommodation is available nearby. Therefore, plan a visit with camping overnight.
LOCATION: 90 km northwest of the provincial center Dalanzadgad and 17 km east of Bulgan town of Umnugobi province.
The red sandstone cliffs and canyons of Flaming Cliffs is known in the world as one of the important paleontological sites after the 1922 discovery of the first dinosaur eggs ever revealed. Thus the paleontologists hypothesized that the dinosaurs lay eggs.
An information center and a small museum serve the visitors of Flaming Cliffs.
There are several ger camps on the steppes that surround the Flaming Cliffs.
5 km to the north of Flaming Cliffs is a Saxual tree (Haloxylon ammodendron) grove known as Bayanzag. This tree tolerates dryness and droughts of the Gobi desert, sometimes used as an emergency fodder for camels or as fuel by the desert nomads. The tree grows from 1.5 m up to 4 m in height.
The tree prevents the Gobi desert soil from wind erosion and reduces the expansion of desert sands.
LOCATION: 420 km from Ulaanbaatar, 85 km from Ulziit town in Dundgobi province, and 30 km east of the Ulaanbaatar-Umnugobi main road.
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 awe-inspiring early morning and evening. Tsagaan Suvarga was named after its shape resembles the Buddhist relict stupas or pagodas.
There are several ger camps and family-run ger guest gers near Tsagaan Suvarga.
LOCATION: Situated about 470 km south of Ulaanbaatar, 70 km northwest of Tsogt-Ovoo town, and 50 km east of Ovoo Mandal-Ovoo town, in Umnugobi province.
The least traveled picturesque and wild areas of red cliffs and badlands of Alguu Ulaantsav still preserve the fossils.
It is the only closest area where the travelers see the dinosaur fossils in nature and make their discovery while enjoying gentle walking, vastness, and emptiness of the Gobi desert.
There is only one ger camp near Alguu Ulaan Tsav.
LOCATION: By road 62 km west of provincial center Dalanzadgad city in Umnugobi province. In the East Saikhan/Zuun Saikhan Mountain of the Gobi Gurban Saikhan Mountain National Park.
The Gobi Gurban Saikhan Mountain is the end of the Altai Mountain range and is a breathtaking national park with many picturesque vegetated valleys rich in wildlife.
Yoliin Am is one of the valleys, was named after the Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture, which is called Yol in Mongolian.
The Yol stream has been eroding Eagle Valley forming high canyons. The stream 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.
Seeing the canyon requires 4 km of pleasant hiking in a return way. The first 1.5 km of hiking is gentle. You will hike obstacle areas for the last 500 meters – on the rocky surface, hop over a stream 2-3 times, or on the slippery ice if you travel in winter, spring, and early in summer.
Alternatively, you could walk through the gorge approximately 8 km to the other side of the mountain.
There are plenty of ger camps and other forms of accommodations available within a 10 to 50 km radius.
A small museum at the gate of the main road to Yoliin Am displays fossils, a large Bearded Vulture taxidermy outstretched its wings, stuffed animals of the mountain, steppe, and the Gobi desert such as fox, snow leopard, ibex, argali, gazelle, some rodents, and amphibians.
LOCATION: 180 km from the provincial center Dalanzadgad in Umnugobi province
First of the Gobi desert top attractions is Khongor sand dunes.
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 highlights in the Gobi desert. The dunes tower about 300 m above the Gobi desert plain. The locals call the highest dune a Singing Dune because of the high-pitched airplane engine like sound created by the wind blow over the dune. Climbing top of the highest dune is a challenge. Therefore, most visitors choose to climb bit lower peaks where they could hear the Sand Singing when spreading the sand downwards.
The northern edge of the dune borders with green meadows of Khongoryn gol, a small river.
A tour to the Gobi desert will be incomplete without a visit to Khongoryn Els.
The Gobi desert views are rewarding from the top of the dune.
Several ger camps are in the vicinity of Khongor sand dune.
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