4-Day Gobi Straight from the Airport via Baga Gazar
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Chinggis Khaan Airport β Baga Gazar Rock
We meet you at Chinggis Khaan International Airport and drive straight south, about 230 km (3 hours on a paved road), to Baga Gazar Rock (Baga Gazriin Chuluu) in the Middle Gobi. Rising unexpectedly from the flat steppe, this cluster of weathered granite outcrops has been eroded by wind and frost into rounded towers, balanced boulders, and narrow clefts. The area has long been considered sacred, and its sheltered gullies hold springs and trees that attract argali sheep and ibex. Spend the late afternoon hiking among the rocks and enjoying the sunset over the open plains, then settle in for your first night in Mongolia at a ger camp.
Baga Gazar β Yol Gorge β Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)
After breakfast, drive about 430 km (6 hours 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 sunlight, so ice formed by its small stream in winter often survives until mid-July. Enjoy an hour's hike through the gorge and visit the small natural history museum at the park entrance. Then 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. Walk around the site and spend the night with a local family nearby. Optional horse and camel rides are possible here.
Moltsog Sands β Tsagaan Suvarga β Mandalgobi
After breakfast, drive about 30 km (1 hour on dirt roads) to the Moltsog Sands, a smaller dune field near Bayanzag where you can walk on the golden sand. Then continue about 200 km (4 hours, mostly on a paved road) to Tsagaan Suvarga, a tall escarpment that was once the floor of an ancient sea. Its layered sediments, laid down over millions of years, show as bands of white, pink, orange, and red, and from a distance the eroded cliffs look like the ruins of a ghost city. After exploring the cliffs, drive about 190 km (3 hours on a paved road) to Mandalgobi, the provincial center of the Middle Gobi, for a night in a local hotel.
Mandalgobi β Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, drive about 300 km (4 hours on a paved road) north back to Ulaanbaatar as the dry Gobi plains turn back into green steppe. On arrival in the city at around 13:00, we transfer you to your accommodation.