The Gobi Desert

The Gobi desert, one of the world's great deserts, covers much of the southern part of Mongolia. Unlike the Sahara there are few sand dunes in the Gobi; rather you'll find large barren expenses of gravel plains and rocky outcrops. The climate here is extreme. Temperatures reach +40° C. in summer, and -40 in winter. Precipitation averages less than 100 mm per year, while some areas only get rain once every two or three years. Strong winds up to 140 km/h make travel dangerous in spring and fall. Great Gobi National Park is one of the largest World Biospheres, with an area larger than Switzerland. It contains the last remaining wild Bactrian (two-humped) camels, wild ass, and a small population of Gobi bears, the only desert-inhabiting bear.

                                                                   Khongoryn Els (Singing Dunes) Omngobi Aimag

This is one of the few areas of sand dune formations. Up to 200m tall and many km long, the Khongoryn Els are a popular tourist destination.

                                                     The Khongoryn Els dunes stretch forever

                                                      Hikers climbing Khongoryn Els dunes

                                                               Tourists riding camels