Gobi Desert
Dunes up to 80 metres high that hum in the wind, a band of green pasture at their foot, and camel herders working the edges of the South Gobi.
- Arrival
- Dalanzadgad · DLZ
- To the dunes
- About 180 km from Dalanzadgad
- Private jets
- DLZ, after customs at Ulaanbaatar
- Best time
- May to September
The city
The Singing Sands.
Khongoryn Els runs for about 100 km inside Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, a ridge of sand 6 to 12 km wide. When the wind moves across it, or a slope gives way, the dunes make a low sound, which is why they are called the Singing Sands. Along the northern edge a small river, the Khongoryn Gol, keeps a strip of grass green, and herders graze their camels and horses there.
This is a cold desert. Winter days stay below freezing; in July they reach 29 °C, and almost no rain falls in any month. May to September is the time to come.
- Khongoryn Els The highest point of the dune field stands about 300 metres up, and the sand sounds as it slides.
- Bayanzag The Flaming Cliffs, red sandstone where expeditions in the 1920s found dinosaur bones and eggs.
- Yolyn Am A narrow gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan mountains where ice can linger well into summer.
Arriving
Dalanzadgad, then the desert tracks.
Dalanzadgad, the provincial capital, has the region’s airport, 6 km north-west of town. The dunes lie about 180 km further on.
- Beijing 2 h 00
- Almaty 3 h 00
- Seoul 3 h 05
- Delhi 4 h 00
- Los Angeles 13 h 45 long-range jet
When to go
May to September.
Dry in every month: even July, the wettest, averages only 28 mm. From May to September highs run from 21 to 29 °C. Winters are harsh, with January highs of minus 7.
- -7° J 0
- -3° F 1
- 5° M 1
- 14° A 2
- 22° M 7
- 27° J 12
- 29° J 28
- 27° A 19
- 21° S 6
- 13° O 3
- 2° N 1
- -5° D 0
Where to stay
One lodge in the South Gobi.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Elsewhere in Mongolia
More reasons to come.
Flying to Gobi Desert?
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