Gobi Desert Travel Guide

The Gobi Desert is the largest in Asia and covers areas of Northern China and Southern Mongolia. It is the Mongolian Gobi which offers the best travel opportunities with jeep and camel trekking trips of a week or more the best way to immerse yourself into this stunning and largely unspoiled region of Asia. It is not all dunes though with the chance to see dinosaur remains, wind sculpted rock formations and the unique wildlife of the desert as well as meet the isolated pockets of nomads who survive in this harshest of regions.

A visit to the dunes of the Gobi is one of the highlights of Mongolia. This is an adventure in it’s purest sense visiting an unspoiled part of Asia seen by very few people.

★  Dinosaurs – search for dinosaur remains around Sainshand just off the rail line down to Beijing.

★  Camels – Take a camel trek of just a few hours or many days across this starkly beautiful region.

★  Dunes – Climb the enormous dunes outside of Dalanzadgad or visit the singing dunes at Khongoryn Eels.

★  Nomads – If you thought nomadic life on the grasslands was tough then try experiencing it in the deserts.

The large dunes of the Gobi are found at Khongoriin Els which can be done as a multi-day side trip from Ulaanbaatar. You can also experience the Gobi desert around Sainshand as a stop on the Trans-Mongolian from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar.

The only accommodation option in the gobi are Mongolian Gers. These are camps designed for tourists and are a comfortable and authentic experience that is often a highlight of a Trans-Siberian trip. Click here to learn more about Mongolian Gers.

Click any of the destinations below to explore other places in Mongolia that can be incorporated into your Trans-Siberian tour.

By Phil Stanley & Headseast – TCTC Destination Expert.