Yolyn Am

Yolyn Am lies within Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, established in 1993 to protect the mountains and desert of the southern Gobi and their wildlife. The ice field once lasted all year, but in recent decades it has tended to melt away by late summer, and both climate change and heavy foot traffic are thought to affect it.

A small museum at the entrance to the protected area introduces the plants, animals and fossils of the region. The gorge has been a fixture of Gobi travel for decades because it is so easily reached by paved road from Dalanzadgad.

Herding families graze yaks, goats and horses in the cooler, higher valleys of the Gurvan Saikhan range, and their camps are part of the landscape around the park. As elsewhere in Mongolia, ask before photographing people, and if you see a stone cairn (ovoo) on a pass, walk around it clockwise; adding a stone is a customary mark of respect.