Journey to the Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert, in southern Mongolia, is one of the largest and most surprising deserts in Asia. In this article, we share our journey among dunes, canyons, ger camps and nomadic culture, with practical tips to help you plan it.

We have always looked for trips with a strong cultural and landscape component.
And if, along the way, we can also test our limits… even better.

Before we started telling the world through Paguro Journey, we mostly chased these feelings in warm and tropical destinations, being true “hermit crabs” (aka paguros) ourselves. Then, in 2015, between the Salar de Uyuni and San Pedro de Atacama, at altitudes that still make us remember the heart palpitations of our first night in La Paz, something changed.

We realized that maybe even two “hermit crabs” like us, used to searching for isolated beaches, were beginning to feel wonderfully overwhelmed by vast landscapes. The kind of places that make you feel small. Truly small.

So our wish list began to change shape. Palm trees, yes, but also horizons made of more than just the sea.

Among the destinations slowly climbing the ranking, there she was: Mongolia.

Valentina had been talking about it forever, since middle school geography books: the Gobi Desert, Genghis Khan, endless steppes.
Mattia, on the other hand, remembered a surreal, non-travel book read at university, Mongolski Bedeker.

Two different inspirations, same direction.

It took years, and several returns “home” to Indonesia, then the still off-the-beaten-path Kyrgyzstan, and finally, in August 2025, Mongolia jumped into pole position.

Organizing a trip to the Gobi Desert: itinerary and local guide

Every journey has a precise moment when it stops being an idea and becomes real.

In our case, it almost always coincides with Valentina entering what Mattia calls “extreme organization mode.”

Excel sheet open. Ten browser tabs. Flights compared across three different platforms.
Plan A, B and C ready in case Plan A is too expensive and Plan B includes an unlikely layover in a city we can’t even pronounce.

Mongolia is not a cheap destination. Flights aren’t the easiest, and above all, traveling independently in the Gobi Desert needs a lot of time.

For this reason, we decided to rely on a local agency and build a tailor-made itinerary adapted to our budget.

We chose Back to Bek Travel (https://www.backtobektravel.com), with whom we designed the route together, balancing:
• length of each stop
• type of ger camp
• internal transfers
• cultural experiences

We didn’t want a standard pre-packaged tour.
We wanted to understand what was truly possible with the time and budget available.

And we have to say: it worked out wonderfully.

Arriving in Ulaanbaatar: between Soviet echoes and steppes

The journey begins with a flight from Istanbul to Ulaanbaatar.

Ulaanbaatar (or Ulan Bator) is a surprising capital.
A mix of Soviet heritage, chaotic modernity and ger districts spreading across the hills.

A long central avenue, chaotic traffic (very chaotic), unlikely monuments like the one dedicated to The Beatles, and unpredictable weather: warm sun, icy wind, jacket on, jacket off.

It is the coldest capital city in the world by average annual temperature, but in August it can swing between 10°C and 30°C in the same day.

Ulaanbaatar is a decompression stop. You get your SIM card, exchange tugriks (local currency), walk around jet-lagged. Then the real journey begins.

About an hour’s flight south and you land in Dalanzadgad.
Below us: the Gobi.

The Gobi Desert: much more than sand

The Gobi Desert is one of the largest deserts in the world, stretching across southern Mongolia and northern China. It covers about 1.3 million km².

And no, it is not an endless sea of dunes.

Dunes represent about 5% of the territory. The rest is a continuous alternation of arid steppes, canyons, mountains, rocky valleys and wind-beaten plateaus.

It is a cold desert.
In winter it can reach -40°C.
In summer it can exceed +40°C.
Rainfall is extremely rare.

And it is precisely this variety that makes it so surprising.

Guide and driver: essential, not optional

In the Gobi there are no real roads. There are tracks. Trails. Directions.

The spaces are gigantic. Phone signal often disappears. GPS can be unreliable.

In our opinion, having a guide and a driver is essential.

Not only to navigate, but to understand what you are looking at, learn about contemporary nomadic culture and build a real connection with the territory.

In our case, our guide and driver became an integral part of the experience.

It’s important to know one thing: in Mongolia, it is normal for guides and drivers to have lunch and dinner with guests.

You eat together. You talk. You share your days.

For us, it was one of the most beautiful aspects of the journey. Talking about -40° winters, city life versus nomadic life, traditions and economic changes gave depth to every stop.

What to see in the Gobi Desert: must-see places

Yolin Am: the Gobi’s refrigerator

Our first stop is Yolin Am Canyon, nestled in the Gurvan Saikhan mountains.

Until a few years ago, this canyon preserved ice sheets even in the middle of summer. A natural refrigerator in the heart of the desert.

Here you can walk or explore on horseback.

It is the first taste of how different the Gobi is from what you imagine.

Sleeping in a ger

Gers, often mistakenly called yurts, are traditional Mongolian nomadic dwellings.

Wooden structure, felt covering, circular shape. They can be assembled and dismantled in just a few hours.

Today, ger camps exist in every category: from very basic to almost “luxury” versions with private bathrooms and thick duvets. And, lucky us, we received an unexpected upgrade for one night in one of these luxury gers… crazy guys (you can see it in the video).

The Gobi portion of the trip, honestly, was surprisingly comfortable.

The real discomfort would come later, toward the Altai Mountains, but that’s another story.

Khongoryn Els: climbing a dune in the Gobi

The dunes of Khongoryn Els stretch for about 180 km.
Heat, constant wind, sand everywhere. We decide to climb the highest dune to watch the sunset.

It takes at least an hour to reach the top. The last section is extremely steep, and every step slides backward. We are not athletes. We are stubborn travelers.

Many people stop halfway. Some give up. The dune can get quite crowded, especially in the late afternoon.

But in our opinion, it is absolutely worth it.

When we reach the top, the wind is incredibly strong.

“We’re on top of a dune in the Gobi Desert. When will this ever happen again?”

To descend, you can choose: sandboard down or walk, as we did.

It feels like sliding on a cloud.

An hour and a half to climb. Five minutes to descend.

It’s safe, just pay attention and follow instructions.

Nomadic festival beneath the dunes

A stroke of luck: at the foot of the dunes, a local festival is taking place.

Archers, traditional competitions, street vendors, nomadic families arriving from nearby areas.

The Gobi is not only landscape. It is living culture.

It is not a frozen postcard. It is an inhabited land, with traditions still practiced and proudly passed down.

Seeing children running between tents, men in colorful deels preparing for competitions, elders observing in silence… reminded us that the desert is not empty. It is full of stories.

Flaming Cliffs: dinosaurs, explorers and childhood dreams

The Flaming Cliffs, known as Bayanzag, are among the most iconic places in the Gobi.

But saying it like that is reductive.

You arrive and feel like you’re inside a movie. Fragile red rock, wind, dust rising in backlight. An almost unreal landscape.

Here, in the 1920s, explorer Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the first dinosaur eggs ever found.

It is said that he inspired the character of Indiana Jones.

And for Valentina, who knows the films by heart and has watched them an embarrassing number of times, this place was pure magic.

There is also a small museum nearby, simple but unmissable, with historical photographs and projections from the original expeditions. It is absolutely worth a visit.

Getting lost in the Gobi

There are no marked roads in the Gobi.

Sometimes our driver had to search for the right tracks in the middle of nowhere.
Sometimes there was no phone signal.

Yes, you can get lost.

But in the Gobi, getting lost is not just a logistical risk. It is almost a mental condition.

When you have no visual reference points, when the horizon looks identical in every direction, you begin to lose the illusion of control.

And that’s when the journey changes.

Is the Gobi difficult?

Honestly? Much less than we expected.

If organized with a local guide and structured ger camps, it is an accessible trip.

Distances are long. The wind is constant. The climate can be extreme.

But in terms of services, we were impressed.

We met groups of retirees, including Italians, and families with children.

The Gobi does not destroy you physically.

It resizes you.

It reminds you how small we are in front of immense spaces.

And perhaps that’s exactly why we had always dreamed of it.

Food and Mongolian kindness

Food in the Gobi is simple and deeply tied to nomadic tradition: meat, dairy products, hearty soups.

If you are vegetarian, it is essential to communicate this clearly before departure and remind people during the trip. It is not impossible, but it still feels quite unusual here.

Another thing that struck us is Mongolian kindness.

Not intrusive. Not constructed.

A calm, almost silent availability.

Perhaps that is also what makes the Gobi such a powerful journey: the immensity of the landscape and the humanity of the people who inhabit it.

When to visit the Gobi Desert

The best time to visit the Gobi Desert is from June to September.

In August, temperatures vary significantly between day and night. Dressing in layers is essential.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about traveling to the Gobi Desert

Do you need a guide to visit the Gobi?
No, but it is strongly recommended.

How long should a Gobi itinerary be?
At least 4–5 days.

How do you get there?
The fastest way is to take a domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad, which takes about 50 minutes.
Alternatively, a much longer option (8–10 hours) is to travel by car from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad.

What temperatures should you expect in August?
Being a desert, there are significant temperature swings: during the day temperatures can reach 30–35°C (86–95°F), while at night they can drop to 10–15°C (50–59°F). Wind is a constant factor.

Is the Gobi Desert only sand?
No. Sand dunes represent only about 5% of the territory.