Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park

A ger with the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains behind

Sand dunes

Bactrian camels by the sand dunes of Khongoryn Els.

Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (Mongolian: Говь гурван сайхан байгалийн цогцолбор газар, Gobi three beauties nature complex) is a national park in southern Mongolia. The park was established in 1993, and expanded to its current size in 2000. The park, at nearly 27,000 square kilometres, is the largest national park in Mongolia, stretching 380 km from east to west and 80 km from north to south.^[1]

The park is named for the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains, which translates to the Three Beauties. The name is derived from three subranges, the East, Middle and West Beauty. The range forms the eastern half of the park.

The park lies on the northern edge of the Gobi desert. The higher elevations contain areas of steppe, and reach elevations of up to 2,600 metres. A number of rare plants and animals are found in the park, including the elusive snow leopard and the Gobi camel. Areas of sand dunes are found, most famously the Khongoryn Els - the Singing Sands. Another major tourist destination is Yolyn Am, a mountain valley that contains a large ice field through most of the year.

The park is usually accessed via the town of Dalanzadgad, which has airport service to Ulaanbaatar.

Wildlife

The park is a haven for some endangered species like the argali sheep, snow leopard and Siberian ibex. The eponymous mountains of the park are inhabited by the magnificent lammergeier, or bearded vulture.

References

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park.

Coordinates: 43°48′10″N 101°35′23″E / 43.802729°N 101.589663°E / 43.802729; 101.589663