Mongolia - Naran Dats

Naran Dats (or Naran Daats) is a spring in the middle of the Gobi. We had driven from Khongor Els sand dunes, left the standard tourist route and ventured deeper into the desert, camped in the proverbial middle of nowhere, and continued driving. A map of our entire trip shows how we made a giant clockwise loop:

(As you can see, I started keeping track of more
landmarks towards the second half of our trip..)

 This is where we are at this stage of our trip, in Naran Dats:

From Ulaanbaatar to Mandalgovi to Dalanzadgad to here: Naran Dats.
Further stops on our trip on this map: Bayankhongor and Kharkhorin

And this was only the en route stopover on our way to Khermen Tsav. We would keep driving further west for one more day, away from Ulaanbaatar, camp the night, and then start making our way north and northeast.

It was an overcast day and when we arrived at the "Motherland of Baatar" ger camp, where we were to stop for the evening, it was drizzling. Still, we wanted to explore: we had seen some incredible sandstone rock formations on our way which continued in this area and we very much wanted to investigate. We could see there was a statue or some kind of monument atop the hill above the camp, which was a bright verdant green because of the spring: such a contrast to the rest of the scraggly desert! There was a small herd of cattle in this valley as well, which we had not seen since we started our trip into the Gobi. Other than the elderly couple which ran the ger camp, we did not see anyone else. It was quite a developed camp as well with a large 'dining room' ger (closed while we were the only ones there of course) as well as shower facilities (also closed), a gazebo and paved walkways between the gers lined with pieces of petrified wood. Somehow I didn't take any photos of the ger camp itself.. which I regret now.

Bleak, cloudy Gobi.

Walking around in this area was really amazing: it ended up being one of my favorite stops on our entire trip; if only it was a little easier to get to so that we could go back and explore some day! The sandstone gullies and canyons, carved by rain, and all the different colored rocks on the white sand: from purple and red to green and gray. I could have spent hours, days walking around here. There was so much to explore, and there were so many amazing rocks! My favorites were inevitably too big to bring with us, but there were a lot of really fascinating striped rocks of different shades of green.

Another reason this was such a highlight of our trip: just before dinner we saw a huge double rainbow over the desert. I don't know if I have ever seen the full uninterrupted arc of a rainbow before, from horizon to horizon, let alone a double rainbow. It was incredible, the setting sun turning the yellow sandstone hills gold, the rainbow, and the utter stillness and quiet. Definitely the best rainbow I have ever seen!

The next morning we got up early, as was our custom, to take a walk before breakfast. The skies were clear and the sun was shining. The ground was wet from dew and the air was cool, but the sun was bright and warm. We walked in a different direction from the day before and climbed to the top of a hill, low clouds in the distance obscuring the mountains. It was almost too bright: it was hard to see the canyons and the different layers of the rocks. We saw some different desert flowers and a lizard, and on our way back we saw the old man of the camp wave us over. We followed him to a distant hill where: much to our surprise, dinosaur bones were laid out in the sand. The past day we had felt we were in a landscape where you could just turn over a rock and find a fossil, and here they were. After we had looked and taken some photos, the man covered the fossils up again: waiting for the next time some tourists might wander through.

All in all, it was unforgettable, and like I said: I would love to go back here and explore more of this part of Mongolia. I wasn't expecting the desert to be so beautiful and so fascinating, but it truly was.

Mongolia - Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes

Our next destination was Khongoryn Els sand dunes - also known as the "Singing Sands" because of the sound of the sand whistling in the wind. The dunes are located at the foot of the Altai Mountains and are also in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (the same park of Yolym Am Valley.) The dunes are enormous- stretching 100 km long and 15 km wide.

It was another fairly long driving day and even though we had a bit of clouds in the morning, overall it was a hot one. We arrived at our ger camp in the afternoon and spent the afternoon resting and attempting to stay cool, then went to the the area of tallest dunes as twilight began to fall. Climbing up the dune was no easy feat - not for us nor all the other tourists - but somehow we made it to the top just in time to see the sun set. It was pretty amazing - but exhausting!

The next day we took it pretty easy - it was even hotter and there wasn't much to be done except try to beat the heat. We watched rain clouds pass over the dunes and kept hoping we would get some precipitation, even a cloud to pass in front of the sun--but no such luck. We sat under a covered gazebo, read and took photos of grazing horses, camels and a herd of goats and sheep that wandered by. Also, we experienced riding camels! It was interesting - but not one I am keen to revisit. Camels have a reputation for smelling bad because they smell terrible. Also, my camel seemed to protest and made a long, long screaming or shrieking noise for a good twenty minutes after we started. As I said: worth the experience, but not something I feel compelled to do again.

We left camp in mid-afternoon and drove along the dunes south-eastward, where the dunes are somewhat smaller until we found the passage through to the other side. We crossed over to the other side of the dunes which is very much off the tourist circuit and drove through wide open rocky plains beneath distant mountains. We filled up for petrol at the last town (and last petrol station) we would see for a few days and continued on our way.

We stopped to make camp in the middle of a wide open field, surrounded by mountains on all sides. It seemed absolutely empty and deserted but for an occasional vehicle driving by in the distance every now and again. But as night fell we could see lights of gers far away in the distance, tucked up against the foot of the mountains all around us. And when we woke up in the morning, there was a herd of camels crossing the plain: so we weren't so far from civilization after all.

We were lucky: even though we saw rain in the distance, we didn't get any the night we camped! It was quite lucky, although the next day would be cloudy and drizzly, but even that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Next up will be our drive to Naran dats and all the amazing rocks we saw there!

Mongolia - Foal Round-up

One of the most coolest experiences of our trip, by far, happened during our drive the day we left the area around Bayan zag. Driving through wide-open gravelly desert, covered with flowering garlic chives, we came across a huge herd of galloping horses. The horses were being chased and herded by a few men on horseback, on foot, and on motorbike.

They were rounding up the foals: every day the foals have to be caught so that the mares can be milked. Even our guide remarked this was the biggest herd he had ever seen in this part of the Gobi. Our driver got out of the van and joined them, never one to stand by and watch when there is work to be done.

It was really incredible: watching and listening to the horses thundering around us, the smell of garlic chives perfuming the air. The foals were fast - really fast - and it was hard work catching them when the entire herd was running together. It was amazing to watch the skill of the riders lassoing them (and then bringing them to a stop and wrestling them to the ground, so they could be secured.) According to our guide, horses are basically wild until they are about two years old, and you could really see - even the adults aren't tame until they have a saddle on them!

Mongolia - Bayan zag

Eroding sandstone cliffs at Bayan zag

Our next destination on our trip was Bayan zag, an area of sandstone cliffs. Bayan means "rich with" and zag is a saxual desert tree, the only type of tree found in much of the Gobi (and more common in this area.) Apart from the striking landscape: "Flaming Cliffs" as named by English explorers in the 1920s for the red of the cliffs at sunset, the area is notable for paleontological finds: most famous for the first discovery of fossilized dinosaur eggs.

The cliffs and rocks are of course really incredible: the sculpted, eroded forms, the washed out ravines and the trails of where the water has run stretching into the distance. In the distance we could see a few lakes from all the recent rain. For most of our time at the cliffs it was cloudy with rain clouds in the distance, but as we walked around the base of the cliffs, the sun came out and it was scorching hot and we would walk a little and then seek refuge in the shadow of the rocks.

Our ger camp near Bayan zag was situated in the middle of a nearby plateau, on the edge of a very wide, flat plain. Walk to the edge of the plateau and we could see the cliffs of Bayan zag in the distance. Walking the other direction and we came to a huge dry river bed.

It was a really stunning evening: we were surrounded on the north, west, and south by huge clouds with flashes of lightning throughout the sky. It was a magnificent sunset and a herd of camels passing by in the distance made for some good photos. But despite all the rain we saw in the distance during the day, it never rained a drop where we were.

The next morning we headed out for a walk before breakfast, as was our custom. We had hoped to be able to walk to the zag forest, but it was further than we bargained for and had to settle for some photos from a distance. It's too bad we didn't get to explore it further - looking at the photos now, it looks like it would have been pretty neat.

Mongolia - Yolym Am

Beautiful Yolym (or Yolim) Am

From Tsagaan Suvarga we drove south, stopping in the city of Dalanzadgad and then continuing on to the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park. Gurvan Saikhan is the name of the mountain range (part of the Altai Gobi mountains) which means "Three Beauties" in Mongolia. Yolym Am - Yol Valley is in the Zuun Saikhany Nuruu area - "the Eastern Beauty". Yol Valley is so called for the yol - the Mongolian word for Lammergeier vultures, which are common.

The drive to Yol Valley was pretty incredible: going across the Gobi we actually passed through some flooded areas on our way to Dalanzadgad (and the Gobi still green of course with all the rain), and reaching the magnificent far eastern edge of the Altai Mountains was really incredible. The landscape of the mountains was accentuated by the perfect weather: bright blue skies and huge, fast moving clouds. We would be freezing cold in the shadow of a cloud one moment, the wind cutting through the valley, and then when the sun came out and the wind died down it was amazingly hot. The steep rocky cliffs of the mountains were in stark contrast with the rolling foothills and the lush, green valleys.

The drive was also a bit nerve-wracking: following the road through the valley (mostly), sometimes having to drive up and around it because of rocks or mud or the overflowing river (and sometimes just driving through the river.) There was one troublesome spot where we saw two vans get stuck in the mud.. luckily we (our driver) was able to pull them out!

Yol Valley stretches all the way through the mountains - it is possible to walk the entire length of the valley and come out on the other side (if you are really ambitious, or if you have your driver pick you up.) However that is only possible if it is a relatively dry year - or if you don't mind getting your feet wet! The cliffs narrow to only a couple metres across - when we walked through we came to a point where the river completely filled the valley between the rocks. We did see some people wading to go further, but the water was rushing pretty fast and deep over the wet rocks which was not for us.

Yol Valley is also famous for its ice fields, and the steep cliffs mean that hardly any sun reaches into the valley below. While the ice and snow used to last year round, in more recent times the ice melts over the summer. We saw Mongolian pika and one lone vulture, high in the sky. The area is also home to wolves, foxes, deer, and snow leopards.

Our ger camp for the evening was perhaps 20 kilometres from the park, in the rocky foothills of the mountains. It was such a beautiful area and we really enjoyed walking around, even in the rain! It was really spectacular. As you will see from all the photos, we really loved the landscapes of this part of our trip and thought it was one of the most beautiful places we'd ever been.