MN
Gobi Desert
Singing dunes, flaming cliffs and dinosaur bones
Singing dunes, flaming cliffs and dinosaur bones
The Singing Dunes rise up to 300 metres and stretch for over 100 kilometres, humming in the wind. Climbing to the crest for sunset over the sand sea is a Gobi highlight.
💡 The climb is steep in soft sand; go barefoot and start late afternoon.
This deep, narrow gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan mountains stays so cold that a thick sheet of ice often lingers into summer, a startling contrast to the surrounding desert.
💡 Walk the gorge on foot or ride a horse in from the entrance.
These rust-red sandstone cliffs glow at sunset and are world-famous in palaeontology as the place the first dinosaur eggs were discovered in the 1920s.
💡 Sunset sets the cliffs ablaze with colour; bring a camera.
Ride a shaggy two-humped Bactrian camel across the sands with local herders, the traditional way to travel the Gobi and get close to its rhythms.
💡 Even a short ride at the dunes is memorable; longer treks can be arranged.
Nights are spent in felt gers at family camps, sharing meals with herders under skies so dark the Milky Way blazes from horizon to horizon.
💡 Bring a warm layer; desert nights are cold even in summer.
Out in the Gobi, food comes from the ger camps and your tour cook: mutton is the staple, in dumplings, noodles and soups, alongside dairy like dried curds and airag. Fresh vegetables are scarce, so meals are simple and hearty. Camps serve tea constantly, and staying with a herder family may mean sampling home-made cheese and fermented mare’s milk.
Fly or drive south and hike Yolyn Am gorge, spotting ibex and the summer ice, then settle into a ger camp.
Cross to Khongoryn Els, ride a camel across the sands and climb the great dunes for sunset over the desert.
Visit the fossil-rich Bayanzag flaming cliffs, glowing red at sunset, before the journey back toward the capital.
Overland to the Gobi is very long; a flight to Dalanzadgad turns days of driving into hours.
There is no infrastructure or public transport; a guided tour with driver and cook is essential.
Hot days and cold nights are the norm; bring layers, sun protection and a warm sleeping layer.
There are no ATMs in the desert; bring enough togrog for the whole trip.
Nomad-capital Ulaanbaatar, the dunes of the Gobi, the empire ruins at Kharkhorin, the Blue Pearl of Lake Khovsgol and easy Terelj — Mongolia end to end.