Yol Valley - Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park

Discover beautiful Yolyn Am or also known as Yol Valley (translates to Lammergeier Gorge or Lammergeier Valley) located in the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. Very wide at the entrance, it narrows gradually into a remarkable gorge. Ice formed by a brook is visible even in summer (until the end of July) and tourists admire the mountain sheep and goats on the almost vertical slopes.

The Gurvan Saikhan range, which formed by three separate groups of mountains: Baruun (western) Saikhan, Dund (middle) Saikhan, and Zuun (eastern) Saikan, rise to 2,800 m above sea level.
National Park is comprised of 27 million hectares in the area.

Gobi Gurvan Saikhan (Three Beauties of Gobi) National Park is situated in the west of Dalanzadgad, the central town in Umnugobi province, which is the largest province in Mongolia. The national park is well known to people because of the infamous Yolyn Am or also known as Yol Valley (Lammergeier Gorge). The national park is rich in Fauna. There are mountain sheep, goats, leopards, black-tailed marten of cliffs, lynx, wildcats, squirrels, white gazelles, and other mammal animals.

The park was protected in 1965 for reserving the beautiful nature of Yolyn Am of the East Saikhan Mountain. In 1993, by Parliament resolution No.83, its territory was extended by further including territories of Khongor Sand Dunes, as well as precious paleontological sites of Nemegt, Khermen Tsav, and Zulganai river.

Yolyn Am or also known as Yol Valley (Lammergeier Gorge or Lammergeier Valley): is situated in east north part of Zuun Saikhan mountain. This area has been main attraction of tourists for many decades. Very wide at the entrance, it narrows gradually into a remarkable gorge. Ice formed by a brook is visible even in summer (until the end of July) and tourists admire the mountain sheep and goats on the almost vertical slopes.

THE BEST SEASON TO VISIT YOL VALLEY

Summer is the best season to visit Yolyn Am in the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park because of longer daylight and warmer weather. But summer can be overcrowded with tourists, especially July during Naadam Festival. September is also suitable for visiting the Gobi Desert region. The weather is not hot like summer, but not cold either.

The average temperature is 28 C in the day and 14.5 C in the night in the Gobi Desert region during Summer. There is about 21.5 mm of the precipitation and 34 percent of the humidity.

ACTIVITIES TO DO NEAR YOL VALLEY

Hiking or Horseback Riding

Hiking through Yol Valley is a memorable activity with sightseeing many kinds of animals, including the Lammergeier /Bearded Vulture/.

Horseback riding is possible from the parking spot in Yol Valley near the entrance, but it is not possible to go further than Ovoo, which is sacred stone heaps used as altars or shrines in Mongolian folk religious practice. Ovoo is situated about 1.5 km from the parking spot.