Yol Gorge & Bayanzag Day Trip from Dalanzadgad

Yol Gorge & Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)

We pick you up from your accommodation in Dalanzadgad at around 08:00 and drive 50 km (1 hour on a paved road) to Yol Gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan mountain range. 'Yol' means bearded vulture in Mongolian, and the gorge stretches for more than 10 km. At its narrowest point only three or four people can walk side by side, and the high rock walls shade the valley floor from direct sun, so ice formed by its small stream in winter often survives until mid-July. Enjoy an hour's hike through the gorge, watch for ibex and vultures on the cliffs, and visit the small natural history museum at the park entrance; an optional horse ride is also possible here. After lunch at a tourist ger camp, drive about 100 km (2 hours on dirt roads) to Bayanzag. American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews named this place the 'Flaming Cliffs' in the 1920s, and many important dinosaur finds, including Protoceratops skeletons and the first dinosaur eggs ever discovered, were made here. The red sandstone cliffs are imposing from a distance and glow fiery in the late-afternoon light. Walk around the site, then drive about 100 km (2 hours on dirt roads) back to Dalanzadgad, arriving at your hotel at around 19:00.