Khongoryn Els

We arrived at Khongoryn Els early, if not as early as I'd have liked. If I visit again I must camp here so I can catch the first delicate pre-dawn glow. While most of our group climbed the dunes to take pictures of sand, I was fascinated by the contrast between the verdant meadow beside the stream and the surrounding desert, and set out to try to capture something of that feeling.

Try looking so round the above QuickTime VR 360° panorama to see what I saw. The Shift and Control keys should control zooming (at least, they do on my Macintosh).

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 kilometers, is the largest national park in Mongolia.

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. 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.