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.

Driving by a herd of blue-horned goats

Goats in the road. Everywhere we went there were herds of animals in the road:
it was just a matter of slowing down and waiting for them to scamper away.

Gobi-Altai in the distance

Very windy

Approaching Bayan zag

Looking out from the top of the cliffs.

The thin, crumbling edge of the sandstone cliffs.
We were warned not to walk too close.

All the tour vans parked on top of the cliff

Rain in the distance

You know it's a popular tourist spot when there are vendors under tents

Walking among fallen boulders

In a run-off ravine

The orange of the rocks just in the afternoon sun. We did not see the cliffs at
sunset, but it is easy to imagine how red they would appear!

Cyrillic, Roman, and Mongolian script

The inside of our ger. Not all were decorated so intricately, but every ger
we stayed in on our trip was painted orange inside.

Our ger with the beautifully painted door. Inside you might be able to make
out the shape of a towel.. this was our evaporative cooling method for drinks

The view outside our ger door. On the left is a communal sink, filled with
bottled water.

Row of ger in the desert. This would have been one of the larger ger camps
we stayed at, with eight guest gers.

Rain in the distance

Camels on the horizon

Rainy sunset

Camels under dramatic sunset clouds.

Heading out for our morning walk

Land of a big wide-open blue sky

The zag forest in the distance

Delicate desert flowers

The Bayan zag cliffs in the early morning haze

A plant in the middle of the rocky desert

Desert thistle