The Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert, sprawling across southern Mongolia, is one of the great deserts of the world, a vast, remote and hauntingly beautiful wilderness of endless space, though far from all sand. Its highlights include the Khongoryn Els, the towering golden singing dunes that hum in the wind, the Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag, where the first scientifically recognised dinosaur eggs were found and whose red rocks glow at sunset, and the Yolyn Am, a dramatic canyon that holds ice deep into summer, all explored across immense distances by four-wheel drive.

History

The name comes from the Mongolian gov', "dryland", used for all the waterless regions of the plateau. People began using the desert's oases in the Mesolithic, from about 13,500 years ago, and from about 8000 years ago a warm, wet phase raised the lakes of the western Gobi to their highest level around 7500 years ago (Wikipedia, Gobi Desert).

Highlights

• The singing dunes - the towering golden Khongoryn Els sand dunes.
• The Flaming Cliffs - the red cliffs of dinosaur-fossil fame at sunset.
• Yolyn Am - the dramatic canyon holding ice into summer.
• A ger camp stay - the traditional felt-tent camps and starry skies.

When to go

June to September, the summer, for the most bearable temperatures, though the desert is extreme, scorching by day and cold at night, with the shoulder months of the season milder; winter is brutally cold. It is a land of extremes, so pack for both heat and cold.

Before you go

It is vast, remote and reached across immense distances on rough tracks by four-wheel drive, so a Gobi trip involves long days of driving between widely scattered sights, with basic ger-camp accommodation; it is a genuine adventure, not a quick trip. The climate is extreme. Its appeal is the sheer scale, emptiness, silence and stark beauty rather than dense attractions, an unforgettable wilderness for the adventurous.

Nearby

The wider Gobi, the Yol Valley and the route back to Ulaanbaatar are the region.

Key facts