July, 2025
On the road again …
I was just home for over a week before the next adventure was up? And this would was always very high on my list, but once visiting, I wanted to get a deeper insight. Since I travelled the Stans not too long ago I wanted to focus on the Mongolian culture and the South with the Gobi Desert.
There was a rocky start to the trip due to the lateness of the feeder flight into Frankfurt from where the only direct flight from Europe with Mongolian Airlines goes to Ulaanbaatar. As a result we missed this plane and were redirected over Beijing, but lost almost 11 hours.
Dalanzadgad, Tsagaan Survarga Cliff
Once on Mongolian soil, our driver Batka, immediately started driving south towards Dalanzadgad where we finally ended our almost 2 day journey with falling to sleep in a ger camp close to Tsagaan Survarga.
We visited the cliffs the next morning including the “White Stupta”. Yet in all fairness there are a lot of similar, but much bigger sight around the world. What makes this experience so special as one gets to see all of this almost alone and there are no barriers or fences, impossible in most other places on this planet.
Batka surprised us by showing his home and wife which we did not asked for but were very greatful to get such an insight in real Mongolian life.
The rest of the afternoon we took a hike Ito the Yol Gorge which is also very popular by locals.
Khongorin Els Sand Dune & Bayanzag
The next days was something I was dying to see since a very long time. After again dring off-road for hours and see more of the life of the locals in the Gobi desert, we were approaching the huge and long sand dune Khongorin Else in the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan N.P. The sheer size, the whole surroundings with the river, lush green und wild horses was almost unreal. The photos and videos speak for themselves.
After that came the Bayanzag stone formation which also happens to be THE place where Roy Chapman Andrews found a huge amount of dinosaur bones including entire eggs dring his first exploration in 1923.
Ongi Ruin, Kharkorin & Ulaanbaatar
Next up was a site which I did not know about, and I guess so are most visitors. Batka brought us to a hill in the middle of nowhere covered with ancient paintings on rocks just laying around in the arid landscape. No signs, not fences no entry fee, a plain miracle that they are all still there.
On we went to the ruins of the Ongi Monastery. There is not a lot left, but the setting in a hilly surrounding and a beautiful ger resort.
On the way back to the capital we also stopped at the former ancient capital of Chinggis Khan which today is more of a religious site for the Mongolian people which are can clearly be noticed.
Last up was Ulaanbaatar, a city and intriguing capital which, like the entire country, stretches from tradition to modernity. It’s a great place to see how Mongolia strives to the future to become a better places for everybody. The vibe in the streets, all the little corner stores, restaurants, bars and night clubs filled with upbeat, friendly and curious locals is just infectious.
