You Gotta Wander

Whilst much of the Gobi Desert tours will be along flat, rugged and rocky terrain, this day welcomed us with the sand dunes within the heart of the Gobi, which most of us look forward to when embarking on this tour.

Day 3 – Yolyn Am to Khongor Sand Dunes

Driving from Yolyn Am

After having spent a night in the Khanbogd Tourist Ger camp, we set out at 8am. I managed to wake up at 6:30 to catch the sunrise, and the earthy orange tones of the land and mountains glowed beautifully under the orange sunrise.

We started driving, and before long, we were again thrown in the depths of the Gobi, where there was no one around for large swathes of land. Every now and then, however, we did drive past some 2 or 3 nomadic family gers in the distance.

The immense beauty of the Gobi can’t be overstated. At times, there were these huge gashes through the desert landscape, which clearly indicate that during the rainy seasons, or after the snow falls in winter, the Gobi would be gushing with water and greenery.

It would be a beauty to see the Gobi be anything but a desert during those times of the year.

We stopped at a town for a break, and at this point, you can really see the direness of Soviet planning.

Sadly, given that this is a beaten track and the number of tourists that are hauled through the same areas and roads, there is litter along the way. It is quite sad to know that even in 2026, people have not become more aware of their impact to natural environments. I’d even go as far as to say why would their friends even allow them to just casually litter like that… Awareness of your own impact and footprint in natural landscapes is not just a personal matter, but is also something that should be enforced by your friendship groups and other people around you.

The initial ride was very smooth, as it was mostly on a sealed highway. Before long, we did a strong right turn off the highway onto an unsealed road (if it could even be called that). The journey seemed to be a drive up the side of a hill, and it was very bumpy. At this point, I started to feel as if I was being thrown onto a set of Mad Max.

Approaching the Khongor Sand Dunes

At several points along the way, the driver stopped and we all did a bit of vulture and gazelle gazing. Apparently, it is very hard to spot these creatures as they are quite reclusive and baulk at the first sight of humans.

As the drive continued, we dawned closer to the ruggedness of the mountains that were just a faint mound of jagged land in the distance when we were still on the highway. After being thrown about in the Russian van for at least 1 hour, we finally saw the sand dunes rise from the horizon in the distance. There was a sense of relief that everyone in the van felt.

We arrived at the family ger camp, where we were staying that night. We were ushered into the main tent, at which we were all offered some airag. We also had our first try of a snuff bottle, and I honestly liked it. Essentially, the snuff bottle contained powdered tobacco, and the host will invite every guest to sniff the powdered tobacco. You open the lid, which has a spoon attached, and scoop a bit of powdered tobacco onto the back of your hand. You then sniff the powder, and then return the bottle. If you’re in the mood to socialise and talk, the custom is to not completely close the bottle and leave the lid just a ajar. If you’re not in the mood to talk, then the custom is to fully close the lid.

Once the welcoming party was over, we were all ushered to our ger to decompress and unpack. As it was a family ger camp, the ger only had one power socket. So I got my solar panel out and started charging my gadgets, taking advantage of the blaring sun.

Camel riding

After an hour of rest, it was time for the camel ride. This was average, as the ride was only for 40 minutes and did not go anywhere worth raving about. It was nice being able to look at the landscape on the back of a camel as opposed to in a bumpy van ride.

Our next activity was a cooking ‘class’. We were tasked with making buuz and huushur. Buuz is essentially steamed dumplings, whereas huushur is deep/pan-fried. This was actually quite challenging… I’ve never been a fan of folding dumplings, rather finding folding wontons much easier.

We made our own dumpling sheets, and the filling was made by the tour guides. There was a vegetarian one which had cheese in it, and the meat ones that were made with lamb meat. The promise was that we make these dumplings now, and eat them after we visited the sand dunes for sunset.

Khongor Sand Dunes

An hour before sunset, we began the van ride to the sand dunes. We weren’t prepared for what to expect, but when we approached our destination, we were met with all these other vans, as well as what could be described as something that looked like a mass of ants trailing up the sand dunes.

We finally realised that we had to climb at least 350m up the sand dunes, and walking around other struggling walkers. This was not easy! I had a slight chest infection, and did not have water on me. All in all, it took around 45-50 minutes of hard going to finally get up to the top of the sand dunes. I am an avid hiker, but nothing prepared me for this arduous trek to the top of the sand dunes.

My throat felt so dried up after I got to the top. Passing other tourists, I started laughing at how hard it all was, and everyone around couldn’t help but also laugh at how tough the climb was – I show of camaraderie that was spirit boosting to say the least.

Some people gave up half way and relaxed on the side of the sand dune, resolving to sliding down on these sledges they were carrying up. Good on them!

HOWEVER, the view at the top was insane. The sand dunes below us kept going across the horizon, and the sun was slowly falling into its embrace. The orange and the shadows were dancing across the sand dunes, making for a view that was completely worth ignoring how painful my body felt as I was climbing up.

The sand dune ridge was full of people, and honestly if you take any videos up here for posting, you might want to post them audio free.

We spent around 90 minutes up here, taking a range of photos and taking in the scenery. Before we knew it, the sun had rested below the horizon and we were all ushered back to the van.

As promised, we had the dumplings we made earlier for dinner, which despite our awful folding, ended up tasting really good. They were served with a salad and some coleslaw, which made for a pretty hearty meal in the desert after having climbed those giant sand dunes.

That night was also supposed to be the peak time to see the Perseids Meteor shower. Unfortunately, I was too tired and the night sky was littered with clouds, and so I did not stay up until 3am to see. Apparently some of the others in the group stayed up and saw a few, but I wasn’t going to count my chances for a good night sleep.