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The Gobi

The Gobi reveals itself in pockets of amazing scenery, bridged by vast stretches of desolation where smartphone signals die and silence saturates. It can be daunting to be this far out in such harsh conditions, but this is where desert foliage shimmers in greens and golds, and where Tibetan lamas etched ancient messages on red rock cliffs. You’ll watch horses romp and gazelles sprint, hear goats and sheep cry, and commiserate with camels huddling in fierce winds that gather and roll across the steppe. At night galaxies erupt on the domed sky.

No wonder it's one of Mongolia's top-draw regions, promising colossal sand dunes, ice-filled canyons, dinosaur fossils, camel treks, and hospitable nomadic herders who will shower you with warmth, and more than a little milky tea. So choose one of those criss-crossed two-wheel tracks and follow it ever deeper into the mystery.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout The Gobi.

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Ongiin Khiid
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 was built in 1810 on the north bank, the same side of the river as the area's tourist ger camps. Khutagt Lam Khiid was built in 1760 on the south. It was formerly one of the largest monasteries in Mongolia, and home to over a thousand monks. In the monasteries' heyday there were 17 temples on the northern side of the river and 11 on its southern bank, along with four Buddhist universities. Ongiin Khiid was a place of devotion and scholarship until the complex was destroyed in the 1937 communist purges when over 200 lamas were murdered. Others suffered forced conscription into the communist army and still others ran away to become herders and hopefully live in peace. After the temple was destroyed the river was soon rerouted to support local mines run by the communist government, and when the river dried up local herders were forced out of the area in search of water. Happily, once the Cold War ended in 1990 a small but growing contingent of monks arrived to set up shop amid the ruins, completing a small temple in 2004 and incorporating some original beams from the old ruined monastery in the new structure. A few monks live here full time, and every morning, before an altar flickering with candles and graced with a framed photo of the Dalai Lama, they worship and chant. Services begin at roughly 9am and last until about noon. You are welcome to join them. In summer their numbers swell. The ger beside the temple houses a small but interesting museum showcasing some artefacts found at the site, many of which were hidden by monks to save them from the purges. Views of the monochromatic mudbrick ruins and the surrounding area are impressive from the ibex monument at the top of the complex, where you can find broken original roof tiles. Khutagt Lam Khiid can only be accessed when the water level of the river is low, or when the river is iced over in winter.
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Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve
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 (big-horn sheep), gazelles, black vultures, wolves and other wildlife. There are 10 nomadic herder families living in the park, which is studded with spectacular glacial rock formations, their winter corrals built into red cliffs. Aside from the remote location, one of the reasons there is so much wildlife here is because of the water. There are three natural springs in the park. The one near Khalzan Uul (Bald Mountain) is considered a local health remedy. Burgasan Amny Rashaan is another mineral spring a few kilometres south of Khalzan Uul. August rains form ponds in the valley to which migrating birds descend, just as the Silk Road caravans once did to rest up and hydrate before making the push further north. Several ancient burial mounds and additional Tibetan petroglyphs (GPS: N 45°60.787’, E 108°57.201’; N 45°60.237’, E 108°55.959’; N 45°59.175’, E 108°61.397’) can be found throughout the park, but the reason it's on the tourist radar is the wildlife, specifically a healthy population of the globally threatened argali sheep. A team of international biologists have been conducting a long-term study that has partly habituated the sheep to the presence of humans, so if you spend a few days you’re almost guaranteed to see one. In recent years the Argali Project has expanded to include the ibex and been joined by the Carnivore Project and the Vulture Project. Some locals consider the natural springs near Khalzan Uul (Bald Mountain) a cure for everything from hangovers to HIV.
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Shambhala
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. Indeed, he died three years later and the site was marked by an ovoo. Shambhala is now surrounded by 108 new stupas (‘108’ being a sacred number in Buddhism). Festivities are held here on 10 September, but at any time of year you may see families lighting incense, throwing rice, circling the ovoo and chanting into the wind with their palms up as if feeling an infusion from the spirit world.
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Byamba's Tree Nursery
Retired forest engineer and local conservationist Byamba Tseyen helped establish, and now maintains, this small tree-planting nursery on the edge of town, in an attempt to fend off desertification from the Gobi's shifting sands. She and her family have planted more than 10,000 trees and shrubs here, and you can help their cause by planting one of your own. The equivalent of US$10 will get you lunch at their family home, and a sapling, which they will then help you plant. Contact Byamba, or her English-speaking daughter Goyo, through the nursery's website, or find her at Byamba's Family Homestay.
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Lamyn Gegeenii Gon Gandan Dedlin Khiid
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 government in 1937. The current version is a hub of activity where locals come to seek counsel from among the 30 resident lamas. There was a pop-up medical clinic serving low-income residents when we stopped by. Daily services start at 10am in the aromatic and atmospheric main ‘brick ger’ temple, which is suffused with incense and features a statue of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha) flanked by a green-and-white Tara.
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Gimpil Darjaalan Khiid
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 ever visit to Mongolia by a Dalai Lama and was once used by about 500 monks. It reopened in 1990 and is now home to about a half-dozen monks. The spacious temple has a central statue of Tsongkhapa (founder of the ‘Yellow Hat’ sect of Buddhism), some large parasols and huge drums. Seek permission if you want to take photographs inside the temple.
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Mandalgov Museum
This enjoyable and informative museum is divided into two main sections: a taxidermy-heavy natural history section and a more interesting ethnography and historical section where you'll peruse a collection of priceless thangkas (scroll paintings), old flintlock rifles, bronze arrowheads, silver snuffboxes, pipes, chess sets carved out of ivory, and an unnerving collection of, ahem, castration knives.
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Museum of Danzan Ravjaa
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 southwest of Sainshand, are honoured in this small but well-put-together museum. Look out for the glass jar which contains Danzan Ravjaa’s bones; his mummified body was burned along with his monastery in the 1930s.
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Norovbanzad Theatre
A surreal amphitheatre tucked into the rocks, 1.5km south of the park ranger's camp. It's named in honour of a famous Mongolian long-song singer and hosts concerts during the local naadam festival.