Travelling In The Gobi Desert Day 8 and 9 – The Ultimate Guide

Days 8 & 9: Flaming Cliffs to Holy Mountain

Distance: 400 km

We awoke to a breathtakingly clear and cold morning in the Gobi Desert. The recent storm had left a dusting of snow on the nearby mountains, creating a picturesque scene across the vast plain.

After a hearty breakfast, we packed up the van and set out to revisit the Flaming Cliffs, also known as Bayanzag, named by the American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews. First excavated in 1922, this site is renowned worldwide for the discovery of numerous dinosaur bones and eggs, many of which are now displayed in museums globally.

The Flaming Cliffs offer a stunning view of red cliffs overlooking a sprawling Gobi Desert plain, which was once a prehistoric sea where dinosaurs roamed. On the day of our visit, the air was crisp and cold, with snow-capped mountains in the distance. The area was eerily quiet, and we had it all to ourselves, enhancing the sense of wonder.

Our journey then took us 400 km north towards Holy Mountain. We decided to split this leg of the trip into two days to make the drive more manageable. The remainder of the day was spent bumping along rugged tracks, with a few stops in small towns for water, fuel, and supplies. Along the way, we observed local herders watering their horses and enjoyed lunch at the first running creek we had seen in days.

That night, we camped on a vast, empty plain, with no rocks, bushes, or mounds to offer any cover. The cold was biting, but the wind had subsided. We gathered around a campfire fueled by horse dung, sipping vodka and marveling at the star-filled sky.

The next morning greeted us with howling winds and freezing temperatures. Packing up the tents was a challenge, and the cold was so intense that we had to eat our breakfast in the truck. With no reason to linger, we continued our journey north, stopping at a regional town for more water, fuel, and supplies. In the Gobi, water is bought similarly to fuel, from a pumping station with an attendant. During our travels, we had seen only two creeks with water, with the rest of the landscape being dry.

In the town, we visited a monastery that had been destroyed by the Russians and rebuilt in the 1960s. Restoration work is still ongoing today, reflecting the resilience and dedication of the local community.

Our lunch was once again amidst the flat, barren plain, with no vegetation or elevation in sight. By around 4 p.m., we arrived at Holy Mountain, a stunning mountain range that includes our destination. The sight was nothing short of spectacular. After two days of traversing flat, dusty plains, Mongolia had yet again revealed a dramatically different and awe-inspiring landscape, leaving us in awe of its beauty and diversity.