Yolyn Am Canyon: Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park Travel Guide

Out here the Gobi is gravel plain, and then the Zuun Saikhan mountains rise out of it. Yolyn Am cuts into them as a crack in grey rock. A stream runs over the valley floor and grass grows along the bottom. The walls close in until the sky above you is a thin strip.

Ice in the desert

The name means “Valley of the Lammergeier.” The lammergeier is the bearded vulture, and it still rides the air over the ridges. The canyon is best known for its ice field. In the deepest shade, ice can build up several metres thick in winter.

In the past that ice lasted well into summer. These days it often melts by early summer, so a July visit may just find a wet streambed. The other wildlife is easier to spot:

• Pikas, small round relatives of the rabbit, darting between burrows on the grassy floor
• Siberian ibex and argali sheep on the high slopes, best scanned for with binoculars
• Raptors, including lammergeiers and other vultures, circling above the rim

Reaching the gorge

Dalanzadgad, the Ömnögovi provincial capital, is your base. It has an airport with flights from Ulaanbaatar. The canyon is about an hour’s drive west of town. That drive ends inside the park, at a car park where the trail starts.

You pay a national park fee at the entrance gate. The current amount is posted there. A small natural history museum near the entrance has stuffed local animals and regional fossils, and it’s a useful ten-minute primer before the walk.

Most travellers come on a multi-day Gobi tour by 4x4, usually with Khongoryn Els sand dunes and the Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag on the same loop. Hiring a driver in Dalanzadgad also works if you’re on your own.

Walking Yolyn Am

From the car park, the trail follows the stream for roughly 2 km to the narrowest point. It’s mostly flat but crosses the water several times, and the rocks can be slick. Plan on 2–3 hours for the walk there and back, including time for photos.

What to bring:

• Shoes that can get wet, since the ice melt floods the path in spring
• A warm layer, because the shaded gorge is far colder than the desert outside
• Sun protection for the open stretches near the car park
• Water and snacks, as you can’t count on anything for sale beyond the trailhead

Horses and camels are often for hire at the trailhead if you’d rather ride the first stretch.

Trail manners in the Gobi

Mongolians call the place Ёлын Ам (Yolyn Am), and drivers will know it by that name. Herders bring the horses for hire. Agree the price and the turnaround point before you mount, and carry cash in tögrög. Card readers are rare outside Dalanzadgad.

Keep to the stream path and don’t climb the walls, because the pika burrows break apart underfoot. If you pass an ovoo, one of the stone cairns tied with blue khadag scarves, walk around it clockwise. Locals often add a stone as they go.

The canyon gets fewer visitors than the big Gobi stops. Even so, tour groups usually arrive late morning. Getting there early or in the late afternoon tends to give you a quieter gorge and softer light on the rock.