3-Day South Gobi by Shuttle Bus
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Ulaanbaatar β Dalanzadgad β Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)
We pick you up from your accommodation at 07:00 and transfer you to the bus station for the ride south to Dalanzadgad, about 600 km and 9 hours on a paved road, watching the green steppe slowly turn into the dry plains of the Gobi. On arrival, your local guide and driver meet you and drive you about 100 km (2 hours on dirt tracks) to Bayanzag. American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews reached this place in the 1920s and named it the 'Flaming Cliffs,' and many important dinosaur finds, including Protoceratops skeletons and the first dinosaur eggs ever discovered, were made here. The soft red sandstone cliffs, laid down some 70 to 80 million years ago, are imposing from a distance and glow especially fiery in the light of the setting sun, which is exactly when you arrive. Take a short walk around the site in the evening, then spend the night nearby.
Moltsog Els Camel Ride β Yol Gorge
After breakfast, drive about 40 km (1 hour on dirt roads) to the Moltsog Els sand dunes. They are small compared with the distant Khongor dunes, but still great fun: admire their graceful shapes and the colors that shift through the day, and set off on an hour's camel ride. Two-humped Bactrian camels are very comfortable to ride, walking slowly and gently while you sit snugly between the humps. After lunch, drive about 100 km (2 hours on dirt roads) 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 and visit the small natural history museum; an optional horse ride is also possible here. Spend the night nearby.
Yol Gorge β Dalanzadgad β Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, drive about 50 km (1 hour on a paved road) straight to the bus station in Dalanzadgad and catch the bus back to Ulaanbaatar, about 600 km and 9 hours on a paved road. It is a good time to rest, look through your photos, and watch the desert slowly turn back into green steppe. When you arrive in the city at around 17:00, we pick you up and take you to your accommodation.