Route: Ulaanbaatar → Tsagaan Suvarga → Yolyn Am → Khongoryn Els → Bayanzag → (flight) Ulaanbaatar
The Gobi is not an empty sea of sand but a landscape of astonishing variety. With an experienced local driver and guide, you cross the Middle Gobi to the eroded, pastel-coloured cliffs of Tsagaan Suvarga, hike into Yolyn Am, a narrow gorge where ice often lingers into early summer, and climb the towering Khongoryn Els dunes to hear them 'sing' in the wind.
You ride Bactrian camels with a herding family, search for traces of dinosaurs at the Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag, where the first dinosaur eggs were discovered in 1923, and spend your nights in comfortable ger camps under a sky full of stars. A domestic flight back to Ulaanbaatar saves a long day on the road.
Your guide meets you at Chinggis Khaan International Airport and accompanies you to the hotel. In the afternoon, visit Gandan Monastery, the country's most important Buddhist centre, and Sükhbaatar Square with the Government Palace. In the evening, the team welcomes you with a dinner of Mongolian specialities and a briefing on the expedition.
Leave the capital early and head south across the rolling Middle Gobi steppe, passing herds of horses, goats and camels (about 450 km, 7–8 hours). In the late afternoon, reach Tsagaan Suvarga, the 'White Stupa', a 60-metre escarpment of eroded limestone striped in white, pink and ochre. Watch the colours glow at sunset before dinner at the ger camp.
Drive south-west to the Gurvan Saikhan National Park (about 5 hours). Hike through Yolyn Am, the 'Valley of the Vultures', a deep, narrow gorge where a thick ice field often survives until June or July. Keep an eye out for bearded vultures, ibex and pikas along the way, and visit the small natural history museum at the park entrance.
Continue west along the foot of the Gobi Altai mountains to Khongoryn Els (about 180 km, 5 hours), a belt of sand dunes stretching over 100 km and rising up to 300 metres. In the late afternoon, climb the steep crest of the highest dune – a tough but unforgettable effort – and listen to the deep hum of the shifting sand as the sun sets over the desert.
Spend the morning with a local camel-herding family: learn how they live in the desert, taste camel-milk tea and dried curd, and set off on a ride along the dunes on the gentle two-humped Bactrian camels. The afternoon is free to relax, walk to the green oasis along the Seruun Bulag stream or photograph the dunes in the evening light.
Drive north-east to Bayanzag (about 5 hours), named the 'Flaming Cliffs' by the American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, who found the world's first scientifically recognised dinosaur eggs here in 1923. Walk along the red sandstone canyons and through a nearby saxaul forest, then watch the cliffs blaze orange and crimson at sunset.
Drive to Dalanzadgad (about 2 hours) and take the domestic flight back to Ulaanbaatar (about 1.5 hours). In the afternoon, enjoy panoramic views of the city from the Zaisan Memorial and time for cashmere shopping. In the evening, attend a traditional concert with throat singing, the horse-head fiddle and contortionists, followed by a farewell dinner.
After breakfast, time at leisure depending on your flight schedule. Transfer to Chinggis Khaan International Airport for your journey home.
Prices per person in USD. The final price is confirmed with your booking. Child (2–11 years): −20%.
The cancellation terms for this tour are confirmed in writing together with your booking, before you pay anything.
Read our cancellation & refund policyExpect 5–8 hours a day, much of it on unpaved desert tracks. The tour is not recommended for travellers with serious back problems.
Tourist ger camps have beds, shared toilet and shower blocks and limited solar electricity. Hot showers and charging may cost a small fee.
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