Some millions of years ago Dundgovi Province was at the bottom of the sea. The sedimentary light coloured limestone formation is the perfect evidence. The sea dried up and since then the ancient seabed structures have been eroded by winds that eventually changed the original forms and colours. The limestone massive has two interesting spots to explore, namely Khevtee Bosoo agui (Lie and Stand Cave) and Del Uul (Back Mountain ) which boasts the largest Bronze Age drawings found in Central Asia. The Best season to visit the White Stupa is May to September.

Yolyn Am (Vulture’s Mouth) was originally established to conserve the birdlife in the region, but it’s now more famous for its dramatic and ver unusual scenery – it is a valley in the middle of the Gobi Desert, with metres-thick ice almost all year-round. The small nature museum at the gate on the main road to Yolyn Am has a collection of dinosaur eggs and bones , stuffed birds and a snow leopard. The Valley is located within Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park.Yolyn Am is found in the Zuun Saikhanii Nuruu (the Eastern Beauty) subrange of the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains. The modern ice field to disappear by September.

The Khongor Sand Dunes are some of the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia. Also known as the duut mankhan (singing dunes), they are up to 800m high, 12km wide and about 100km long. The largest dunes are at the north-west corner of the range. You can climb to the top of the dunes with a lot of effort and the slide back down if you have a garbage bag handy. The views of the desert from the top are wonderful.

Bayanzag, which means “rich in sexual shrubs”, is more commonly known as the (Flaming Cliffs), penned by the palaeontologist, Roy Chapman Andrews. First excavated in 1992, it is renowned worldwide for the number of dinosaur bones and eggs found in the area, which you can see in the Museum of National History in Ulaanbaatar or, mostly, in other museums around the world. Even if you’re not a ‘dinophile’, the eerie beauty of the surrounding landscape is a good reason to visit. It’s a classic desert of rock, red sands, scrub, sun and awesome emptiness. There’s not much to do once you’re here except explore the cliffs.

This small mountainous area along the river, the Ongiin-Gol, in the western sum of Saikhan-Ovoo, makes a good resting place to break a trip between the south Gobi and either Ulaanbaatar of Arvaikheer. The bend in the river marks the remains of two ruined monasteries, the Barlim Khiid on the north bank, and the Khutagt Khiid on the south. Together the complex is Ongiin Khiid. There’s not much left to see, but there are plenty of interesting ruins to explore.

This is another granite rock formation in the middle of the dusty plains. In the 19^th century, two revered monks lived here in gers-remnants of their rock drawings can be found in the area. The rocks are worshipped by locals who sometimes make pilgrimages here. Naturally, there is a legend that Chinggis Khaan stayed at the rocks. Five kilometres away, the highest peak in the area, Baga Gazriin Uul (1768m), will take about five hours to climb. The mountains also contains a cave with an underground lake. The mineral water springs and trees in the region make it a great spot to camp, and there are plenty of rocky hills, topped by ovoo (sacred pyramid-shaped collections of stone and wood ) to explore.

The capital of Omnogov aimag. Dalanzadgad is a soulless and windy town. Sitting in the shadow of the Gurvansaikhan Nuruu range, the town has reasonable facilities and regular transport, so it’s a good base for explorations into the desert

Hermen Tsav is located in 10km from Gurvantes soum, Umnugobi province. Khermen means “wall” and Tsav means “fissure” . Thousand of years of erosion formed this majestic canyon, in which rocks are balanced 30 metres above ground. The first dinosaur skeleton was found in Hermen Tsav. The scientists agreethat 200 millions years ago, the place was covered with an inner sea.