Yolyn Am

Yolyn Am - the valley of the lammergeier vulture - cuts a narrow gorge into the Gurvan Saikhan mountains at the northern edge of the Gobi, and it upends every expectation of desert. The walls close in until the sky is a strip, a stream runs along the floor, wildflowers and mosses grow in the shade, and in many years a sheet of ice survives deep into summer where the sun never reaches. Bearded vultures nest on the cliffs, pikas whistle from the scree, and ibex sometimes appear on the skyline. Walking in from the mouth takes an hour or so and is one of the Gobi's genuine surprises.

What you actually see

• The narrow gorge - the walk in as the walls close and the temperature drops.
• Summer ice - the shaded ice sheet that lingers in the deepest section.
• Lammergeiers and ibex - the cliff-nesting vultures the valley is named for.
• The Gobi contrast - alpine meadow flowers within sight of desert plains.

When to go

May to September is the accessible season. The ice is thickest in early summer and shrinks through the season, often gone by late August - go in June or July if the ice is the draw. Mornings are cool and best for wildlife; the desert outside the gorge gets very hot by midday.

Honest expectations

The ice is not guaranteed and has thinned in recent years; some summers it disappears entirely. Access is by 4x4 from Dalanzadgad, usually as part of a longer Gobi itinerary with sand dunes and the Flaming Cliffs. The walk is easy but the stream crossings mean wet feet in spring. Temperature swings between the gorge and the open desert are large - carry a layer even on a hot day.

Nearby

Khongoryn Els sand dunes, the Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs and the wider Gobi Gurvansaikhan park.