GOBI DESERT DAY 3
MONGOLIA
On day three in the Gobi Desert, we ventured to Ich Gazaryn Chuluu National Park, encountering mineral springs, nomadic hospitality, and stunning 20-million-year-old rock formations along our remote journey.
Traveling in the Gobi Desert
Day 3: Ich Nacht Nature Reserve to Ich Gazaryn Chuluu National Park
Eastern Gobi, Distance: 280 km
On the third day in the Gobi Desert, we woke to a warm, sunny day with no wind. After breakfast, we set off across the Gobi, sometimes on the track, sometimes not, heading to Ich Gazaryn Chuluu National Park, a remote park in Eastern Gobi.
Along the way, we stopped at a mineral spring in the absolute middle of nowhere. The spring is said to cure everything, but to me, it tasted just like sulfur.
Our journey south included some concerns about the road’s condition, so we stopped several times to ask for directions from nomads. It seemed every nomad gave us a different direction, and it felt like we were driving in circles. Our last stop was at the ger of a 73-year-old lady who had fallen off her horse last year and broken her hip. She invited us in for tea, fermented yogurt, and a chat. She told us about her family: her daughter was a vet, and her son a doctor. Her family was wealthy, with over 1,000 head of stock, a status recognized by the Mongolian government as very special. After the lady had broken her hip, the family had bought her a car from the earnings of their cashmere.
This story was common in Mongolia. In one generation, families had gone from being nomadic herders to having university graduates.
We finally arrived at Ich Gazaryn Chuluu National Park, which has the most amazing 20-million-year-old rock formations. Stunning. This Gobi Desert park is considered remote, and here I was thinking all of the Gobi was pretty remote!
The area is also popular with rock climbers.
This is the venue for an annual Long-Song contest set in a natural amphitheater, and high on the hill nearby is a monument to the country’s most famous Long-Song singer. We camped the night among the rocks, opened a bottle of wine, and watched the sunset.
In the morning, it was still and quiet, and I popped Dobby the drone up to have a look. I got some nice photos, although I was getting some kind of magnetic interference with Dobby’s compass—very strange.
We all agreed we could have spent four or five days at this beautiful spot. Unfortunately, we could not, so it was back in the car and onto the next destination across the vast Gobi Desert.
