In Pictures: 7 Days in The Gobi Desert

In Pictures: 7 Days in The Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert tour is one of the must-do activities for travellers in Mongolia. In more visuals than words, here's what you can expect.

Contributed by Alvin Yeoh

If you’re travelling to Mongolia for the first time, Ulaanbaatar (UB) will most likely be your first stop upon leaving Chinggis Khan International Airport or UB Railway Station.

While there is no lack of interesting things to see and do in UB, a journey into the countryside is definitely not to be missed. After all, this is the country that’s best known for its steppes, endless expanses of grasslands and nomadic lifestyle.

This post will cover the first part of my adventure in Mongolia where I went on a seven-day tour of the Gobi Desert with Sunpath Mongolia. I’ll be letting the pictures and their accompanying captions do most of the talking.

Day 1

Kicking off our road trip adventure

Start of the adventure on the trusty Russian UAZ 452 van.

Catching the sunset from Tsagaan Suvarga (White Stupa)

Tsagaan Suvarga was a seabed made of colourful limestone rocks. Its rocky formations were created by wind erosion over thousands of years. When viewed from the east, the shapes of the limestone rocks look similar to Buddhist stupas hence the name “White Stupa”.

View from the top

Image credit: Sunpath Mongolia

View of Tsagaan Suvarga from the bottom

View of the surroundings from the bottom

Catching the sunset from the top

Day 2

Getting accustomed to the Mongolian Ger

A Ger, the traditional dwelling of the nomads, can easily be assembled and disassembled. We stayed at a different Ger camp each day. Every camp that we arrived in, we would first be greeted by the friendly host and invited in for tea and snacks before getting sent off to retire in our assigned Ger. These would vary in size but they mostly accommodate four to five people each.

Setting off for Yol Valley

Pit stop to say hello to…

Double hump (Bactrian) camels roaming about

Seeing Yol Valley in Gobi Gurvan Saikhan (Three Beauties of Gobi) National Park

Yol Valley, a deep and narrow gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains, is home to thriving flora and fauna. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to experience its famous ice fields during my time there in summer. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable hike!

Image credit: Sunpath Mongolia

Having tea and curds with our host

Day 3

Getting friendly with (more) goats & camels

The photogenic one.

Riding a camel to the Khongor sand dunes

gobi desert itinerary

Journeying to the top of the dunes

The Khongor sand dunes are popularly known as the “Singing Sands” because of the strong sound that’s made from the shifting of sand caused by wind and small avalanches.

The climb up was so tough and tiring. Every step up felt like I was rewarded with two steps down. The non-athletic me took 40 minutes to ascend to the top, but the great views (and satisfaction) make it all worthwhile in the end.

My pal Matthew pictured here with the gorgeous view behind him.

gobi desert itinerary

End of another day.

Day 4

Discovering the Flaming Cliffs

The Flaming Cliffs, also known as Bayanzag, is famous for being the site where dinosaur eggs were discovered. Many dinosaur fossils were also found here.

Panorama picture of the Flaming Cliffs. | Image credit: Zoharby

Day 5

Walking through the Ongi Monastery Ruins

Ancient Rock Carvings (Petroglyphs)

Enjoying tea with our host

…while everyone cooed over the adorable baby sleeping on the carpet.

Day 6

Exploring Erdene Zuu Monastery in Kharkhorin, the ancient capital of Mongolia

gobi desert itinerary

Image credit: Sunpath Mongolia

Checking into our last Ger camp

View from the camp. Note the hordes of goats and sheep in the middle right.

Milking goats with the host

Riding a horse into the night

gobi desert itinerary

The end of another day and our last night out in the wildness of Mongolia.

Day 7

Catching the sunrise from atop a hill

Greeted by a slightly visible rainbow while waiting for the sunrise in the cold morning breeze.

gobi desert itinerary

Snap of our Ger camp with an approaching thunderstorm. Note the chimney with smoke billowing out of it as our guide prepares breakfast.

The rest of the day consisted of our long drive back to UB while I reminisced about all the sights and experiences over the past week. Aside from the great memories, I’m also glad to have made new lifelong friends among my tour mates and guide. So here are a few parting shots of us!

About Author

Alvin Yeoh
Alvin Yeoh

Alvin discovered his love for backpacking just recently. When he is not facing a monitor in his 9 to 5 or writing in an attempt to improve his English, he can be found trekking or hiking through the wilderness to escape the concrete city of Singapore.

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