The Gobi
The bend in the river here marks the remains of two ruined monasteries which are today considered one vast complex known as Ongiin Khiid. Bari Lam Khiid…
Must-see attractions in The Gobi
Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve
The Gobi
This 670-sq-km nature reserve, only a four-hour drive from Ulaanbaatar, at an elevation of 2200m, is home to hundreds of ibexes (mountain goats), argali …
The Gobi
Khongoryn Els are some of the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia. Also known as the Duut Mankhan (Singing Dunes – from the sound they…
The Gobi
A pleasant 2km path leads from the parking area to this gorge filled with blue ice, one of the park's can't-miss sights. You can hike, bike or hire a…
The Gobi
In 1853 Danzan Ravjaa told the local people that he would die in three years but that they could forever come to this place and speak to his spirit…
The Gobi
The so-called Flaming Cliffs are a Gobi highlight and an important palaeontology site first excavated by Roy Chapman Andrews in 1922. Even if you are not…
The Gobi
Yolyn Am was originally established to conserve the region's bird life, but it’s now more famous for its dramatic rocky cliffs and narrow, heavily shaded…
The Gobi
Gurvan Saikhan National Park (20,000 sq km) offers a wealth of sand dunes, canyons, dinosaur fossils and mountainous terrain. Desert wildlife includes…
The Gobi
A 400m-long jigsaw of white-sand cliffs, striped pastel shades of purple, orange and red. That's the scene awaiting you at Tsagaan Suvarga, a sight…
The Gobi
If you take the main route from Dalanzadgad to Khongoryn Els, keeping the mountains to your left as you go, you can stop and hunt the hills for this…
The Gobi
If you are headed from Yolyn Am to Khongoryn Els, an adventurous and rough alternative route takes you through the Dugany Am, a spectacular and narrow…
The Gobi
This old monastery survived Stalin’s purges by becoming a warehouse and shop. The monastery was built in the late 18th century to commemorate the first…
The Gobi
The ruined 10th-century temple Süm Khökh Burd sits on an island in the middle of a seasonal lake, and was built from rocks that can only be found more…
The Gobi
Like a miniature Joshua Tree National Park, this granite-rock formation in the middle of the dusty plains sheltered Zanabazar during conflicts between the…
The Gobi
The main hall at this new-build compound that rises from blonde desert sands is an impressive ger-like structure with a golden tower. It can be reached by…
Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve
The Gobi
The Tost Mountains are a rugged, rocky range that sheds shale, and sprouts with enough vegetation to look green in the spring. This 8163-sq-km portion of…
The Gobi
Retired forest engineer and local conservationist Byamba Tseyen helped establish, and now maintains, this small tree-planting nursery on the edge of town,…
The Gobi
One of many monasteries destroyed in the purges of the 1930s, the Delgeriin Choiriin Khiid is in the process of being rebuilt and sequestered. In the…
The Gobi
The 22.5-sq-km Eej Khairkhan Nature Reserve was created to protect the general environment. Near the base of Eej Khairkhan Uul (2275m), you can camp at…
Lamyn Gegeenii Gon Gandan Dedlin Khiid
The Gobi
The original monastery by this name, one of Mongolia's largest at the time, was located 20km east of Bayankhongor City. It was levelled by the communist…
The Gobi
An unusual sight is the half-hidden stone ruins of the 200-year-old monastery, Tsorjiin Khureenii Khiid. Concealed among the rocks, and shaded by a grove…
The Gobi
About 8km west of the main dirt tracks as you head south from Altai to Biger, and about 10km southwest of Altai itself, among the blemished land scarred…
Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area
The Gobi
Split in two for management purposes, but considered one protected area, together they form the fourth-largest biosphere reserve in the world. It protects…
The Gobi
This ruined monastery once housed around 1000 monks until its destruction in 1937 by Stalin’s forces. Its claim to fame is that the 13th Dalai Lama, while…
The Gobi
This fertile oasis located deep in the southern Gobi produces a tremendous amount of fruit and vegetables, and is probably the only place in Mongolia…
The Gobi
This tiny freshwater spring is covered with a stone. Lift it off the opening and use the crude ladle fashioned from a stick and the business end of a…
The Gobi
This site is the mountain home of the spirit of the third Noyon Khutagt (a predecessor of Danzan Ravjaa). The temple halfway up the mountain is as far as…
Biger Nomin Khan Monastery Ruins
The Gobi
The official road-side sign for these monastery ruins states that they are around 750 years old. We doubt they are quite that old, but they're interesting…
The Gobi
This enjoyable and informative museum is divided into two main sections: a taxidermy-heavy natural history section and a more interesting ethnography and…
The Gobi
The views from the temple at the top of this somewhat dreary park set behind a drab monastery are vast. They overlook town and the mountains beyond, but…
The Gobi
This research station has been set up to protect the reintroduced takhi (Przewalski’s horse). Most of the takhi now run free, although a few still live in…
The Gobi
The 5km stretch of 40ft-tall, sugary sand dunes that rises and falls in the desert 22km northeast of Bayanzag makes for some brief, breathless hikes and…
The Gobi
The life and achievements of Noyon Khutagt Danzan Ravjaa (1803–56), a well-known Mongolian writer, composer, painter and medic who was born about 100km…
The Gobi
This cave has a funnel-like opening through which you can squeeze into a ger-sized cavern 18m below. One hundred years ago it glowed with quartz crystal,…
The Gobi
In 1936 there were 53 temples in Dundgovi; a year later the Mongolian KGB reduced nearly all to ash and rubble. In 1991 Dashgimpeliin Khiid was opened for…
The Gobi
Set in the Great Gobi A reserve, this centre specializes in breeding wild camels and releasing them into the wild to maintain the population. They are not…
The Gobi
Travellers descend on this remote Gobi nature reserve to wander the boulder-strewn moonscape scenery, clamber around and over abstract rock formations and…
Sainshand Natural History Museum
The Gobi
This well-appointed museum houses plenty of stuffed Gobi animals, and a collection of seashells and marine fossils (Dornogovi was once beneath the sea)…
The Gobi
Surprisingly, this museum has little on dinosaurs – just a few legs, arms and eggs. (All of the best exhibits are in Ulaanbaatar or in other museums…
The Gobi
The Altai Museum shows off some excellent bronze statues, scroll paintings, genuine Mongol army chain-mail, and an interesting shaman costume and drum…
