The Monastery of Khamariin Khiid
This place is famous as “Energetic center” among the Mongolians. A monastery in which Noyon Khutagt Danzanravjaa, a great poet of the 19th centrury, put on his famous show “Saran Khukhuu” in 1830. Tudev, who was a servant of Prince Danzanravjaa, saved the books and gilded gods of the monastery and they were kept by his generation, and at last were displayed in 1990.
Tsagaan Suvraga
Tsagaan Suvraga /literally means that “White Stupa”/is cliffs sculptured by the wind, located in Ulziit village of Dundgobi province. It is formed by mud of ancient ocean, which eroded by the natural phenomenon during thousands of years. It is interesting to see the sheer slope, facing east, from a distance it seems to be the ruins of ancient city. To see from other side, it looks like White Stupa. The cliff is 60 meters high and around 400 meters wide. Over thousands of years the wind has created this amazing structure. It has 90 degrees angle. Rain water flowing from Tsagaan Suvraga looks like big waterfall.
Ikh Gazriin Chuluu
In 2003, Ikh Gazriin Chuluu was officially announced as state protected area for its beauty. Its’ rocky mountains are located 1565-1709 meter above sea level, stretching 30 km long and 15 km wide. Among those high mountains, there are many of them admired by their unique existence. At the same time, the area contains more than 40 caves, the biggest one is “Tagtaagiin Agui” /meaning Pigeon’s Cave/ 30 m long, 3.5 m wide, 10 m high. The steppe contains more than 30 kinds of rare birds used in medical fields. You will find rare species that are forbidden to hunt such as dodge, wild goat, lynx, and many others like fox, steppe fox, badger, wild cat etc. Unique structured rocky mountains in the desert look like man-made beautiful and miracle city in a fairy tail.
Baga Gazriin Chuluu
It is splendid rocky mountain with altitude of 1768 m above sea level that located alone in the vast Gobi. It is situated at 37 km in north west of Delgertsogt village, Dundgobi province. It covers 300 square km area. There are many interesting places to see here. On the rock called Ger Chuluu /meaning Stone Ger/ various valuable rock paintings are engraved. Particularly there is image of man who is leashing two ibexes that attract many scientists. Another famous site of Baga Gazar is Sudut Am. In old time, plenty of Sud /burnet/ that is one of the herbs, were grown at this place. That is why, this place is named by the name of this herb. Three hundreds years ago, two monks who practice meditation, used to live in the mouth of rocky mountain gorge, where grove of aspen were grown. At 1 km from Sudut Am, there is Jargalant Cave that is 18 m long inside. Eye Springs is located at 1 km from Jargalnat Cave and Sudut Am each. Eye Spring is small hole with 50 centimeter depth, 7 centimeter diameter on the rock as if someone drilled it on purpose. Takhulganii Khavtsal is the highest peak of Baga Gazriin Chuluu, elevated at 1768 m above sea level. This splendid mountain has sheer rock wall and canyon.
Mount Nemegt
It is one of the famous places in the Gobi for dinosaur findings. After 2nd world war, Russian scientists found skeleton of new species of dinosaur with the height of 30 meters and 4 legs that had never been found before in the world. They named the dinosaur as “Nemegtsaur” using the name of the mountain because it was new species of dinosaur.
Toromkhonii Valley
It is located in the territory of Bayanlig village of Gobi Altai Province. It is a valley of the way to ascend Tsagaan mountain range which belongs to east side of Ikh Bogd Mountain that is the highest peak of Gobi Altai Mountain range. In the beginning and middle of the valley, there are wells.
Zulganai Oasis
It is an oasis that locates 40 km far from the north of Khermentsav. The Zulganai river takes its source from the West Mountain of Altan flows to the west 20 km and dissolves.
Bugiin Tsav
This is one of the places in Central Asia that is rich with paleontological findings of dinosaur bones. It is located in Bulgan village, south Gobi province, distanced at 50 km from Khermentsav. Fossils dinosaur that lived 70-80 million years ago, lie on the ground of this place. Currently, in the Natural History museum there is a skeleton of flesh-eating Tarbosaur was found from here.
Zuun Mod Oasis
Zuun Mod is an oasis in the middle of the desert and has bushes, trees, and low sand dunes and this is the start of the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park.
Part B – Dzungarian Gobi
Part B is 250 km from Altai and covers 8000 square km. It comprises the South Gobi of the Altai Mountains and Zuungar Gobi. Its width is about 80 km. Altogether the Strictly Protected Area (A+B) has a total area of 53117 square km, making it one of the biggest reserves in the world. It has been protected since 1975.
Part A southern Altai Gobi
Part A is located 500 km from Bayankhongor town and covers 45149 square km including Edrengiin Nuruu, Atas, Chinggis, Segs Tsagaan Bogd and the boundless Gobi Nomin and Tsenkher. Its width is -100 km.
Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area
The Great Gobi is designated a Strictly Protected Area, but is actually in two geographical parts.
Shank Monastery
It is one of the ancient monasteries of Mongolia and was established in 1950. The Sariin River lows by east of the Baruun Khuree monastery that was recently renewed and Undur Gegeen Zanabazar, Mongolian first Bogd king spent his childhood here.
Ongii Monastery
It used to be major religious center 300 years ago. This monastery was erected about 250 years ago and at that time had almost 1,000 monks worshipping at this place daily. Now, you can locate just a few stupas and one temple that have not been destroyed.
Special rare Gobi flora and fauna
Special rare Gobi flora and fauna including Zag /sexual tree, wild ass, black tailed gazelle, snow leopard, corsac fox, fox and wild sheep, ibex etc/
Moltsog Els
This sand reminds the Gobi in the regions of semi steppe and forest and valley of Tuul River. It covers 10 square km. It is very special sand that is good for some disease of kidney, back, join and urinary bladder.
Ulaan Hongil
It is a high bank locates in the foot of Nemegt Mountain in the Gobi beyond the Altai. Ulaan Khongil (meaning Red Corridor) is a very interesting place for its rich findings of Dinosaurs that lived in Cretaceous Period.
Khermen Tsav
It is big wild thyme with over 1000 meters high, 250 square km, and 100-200 meters deep and 10 km wide at the end of it. However, it has not well studied yet, some fossils of dinosaur were found from here. This place is considered to be most possible place where new findings might be. Hermen Tsav. This is a canyon made from thousands of years of erosion of red sand and which stretches for about 10kms in the Gobi desert. The area has desert plants and trees and many fossilized remains of ancient animals.
Tugrugiin Shiree
The find known as the “Fighting Dinosaurs” has made this place famous throughout the world. The flesh-eating Velociraptor and a protoceratops dinosaur were found in the position they died in while fighting each other. A deadly velociraptor thrusts a claw into the neck of a heavily armored protoceratops, which has bitten the arm of its adversary. Locked in mortal combat for 80 million years, the fossilized foes are considered among the greatest dinosaur finds ever. A collapsing sand dune may have buried the two combatants. They remained entombed in the white sandstone cliffs of the southern Gobi desert until a team of Polish and Mongolian scientists unearthed them in 1971.
Khongor river
Khongor river originates from flood water that flows from Zuulun mountain and flows through sand dune and is absorbed in the soil. This absorbed water come out on the ground in the back of the sand dune, thus creating streams of Seruunbulag and Argana which flows along the edge of the sand dune for 10 km; thus creating breathtaking green oasis.
Khongor Sand Dune
Mongolian largest sand dune, stretches for 180 km to the right side of Gurvan Saikhan Mountain Range behind of Zuulun and Sevrei. It covers 1 percent of Mongolian total territory. It is 3-15 km wide, 100-300 m high. When you climb up the peak of the sand dune, you can see hundreds of sand hills. To see picture of Khongor sand dune, it looks that there is big rocky mountain in the front and there is big sandy mountain in the middle, and there is stream and beautiful green oasis in the back of sand dune.
Eagle Valley (Literally means “A mouth of Lammergeyer”)
It is the narrow canyon of a river which flows through Zuun Saikhan mountain, 62 km from northwest of Dalanzadgad town. The gorge has sheer rock walls with height of about 200 meters in the center. It has been protected since 1965 and has an area of 70 square km. Today it is Strictly Protected Area. This Valley is nestled deep within the hills and is a haven from the desert heat. Some areas of the valley are continually sheltered from the hot sun and house huge, blocks of ice that gradually melt away during the summer. The rain which falls at the summit of the mountainflows down into the sheer canyon forming four waterfalls. It is enjoyable to watch waterfalls streaming over the rim in the winter. Only two people can pass in the narrowest part. Despite the sunshine, the place is quite dark. If you see the sky, it is only as s narrow blue line. Argali and Siberian Ibex are found in this place.
Bayanzag known as “Flaming Cliff”
It is a paleontological famous site where large number of rare species of dinosaur skeletons were found. Bayanzag, the reddish sandstone cliffs and canyons rich in Saxaul. Bayanzag is well known as the location where the American scholar Roy Chapman Andrews launched his famous exploration in the 1920’s and made their most spectacular discoveries here. The Gobi stands tall among world sites for fossils from the Late Cretaceous period, roughly 80 millions years ago. Gobi fossils tend to be well preserved, revealing minute details. They are abundant, sometimes lying exposed on the desert surface, yet little affected by human activity. Large areas have not yet been thoroughly explored. It is not just dinosaurs. Fossils found here are from species that bridge the epic transition between the age of dinosaurs and the age of mammals. Ponderous bones of reptilian monsters- the tarbosaurs, ankylosaurs, hadrosaurs, velociraptors, oviraptors and others-lie near the tiny and delicate ones of rodents, whose remains would seem insignificant except for the place in history. The late Cretaceous was the last stage of dinosaur dominance. The furry creatures scurrying around their toes would eventually inherit the earth. Birds too: The Gobi is rich in the fossils of light- boned, bird-like creatures, some with primitive feathers. The most notable of these is mononykus. The size of a turkey with only suggestion of feathers, it was a dinosaur on its way to becoming a bird. Flaming cliff is most famous as the place where dinosaur eggs were first found in the Gobi. Eggs had been found in other places, but never in such good condition, nor so abundant, nor clearly identified as coming from dinosaurs. The signature fossil of Bayanzag is the protoceraptors, a parrot-beaked, low-slung creature the size of sheep that lived in herbs and was a precursor to well-known species like the triceratops. Also discovered here were oviraptor, named because on skeleton seemed to be in act of robbing nest of protoceraptors eggs. Another species was velociraptor, the small swift carnivore made famous by movie “Jurassic Park”. After series expeditions made at known sites and Ukhaa Tolgod in 1990, it proved to be the richest of all fossil sites found so far, including many nests of eggs with exquisitely preserved embryos. These turned out to be eggs of oviraptors and an old mistake was rectified. What Andrews thought were egg-robbers at Bayanzag were in fact adults guarding their own nests. The dinosaur remains located in Mongolia through his expeditions are now kept in the Natural History Museum in the United States.
Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park
It takes in a magnificent chunk of this landscape. The largest of Mongolia’s national parks, its boundaries include some 27,000 square kilometers. It measures roughly 400 km from eat to west, and 80 km from north to south spanning 10 villages, mostly in South Gobi province. The national park was established in 1993, and enlarged to its current size in 2000, with addition of nearly 500 square km in Bayan Khongor province. The park is named for three mountain ranges, Baruun Saikhan, Dund Saikhan and Zuun Saikhan- The Eastern, Middle, Western beauties. These are “Three Beauties” of the Gobi. Gurvan Saikhan Mountain Range, which is part of the Altai Mountains, stretching from the northwest corner of Mongolia. The mountain range is composed of schist and sedimentary rocks of Palaeozoic age and extends for 100 km. The highest peak is Zuun Saikhan which reaches 2815 m above sea level. For all its open space and rock-bound appearance, the park supports a diverse and sometimes hidden community of living things, including more than 600 plant species, 240 bird species, and about 50 mammals. These include the marquis species of central Asia: ibex, argali sheep, Asian wild ass, Mongolian gazelles, gray wolves, snow leopards, and Eurasian lynx. Occasional rumors circulate of Gobi bears having been sighted in the western reaches to park. An exceedingly rare relative of northern brown bear, the Gobi bear hangs on the edge of extinction. Perhaps 25 individuals survive in Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area, which lies west of Gurvan Saikhan.
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