The great Gobi Desert stretches across much of southern Mongolia and its border with neighbouring China, and ranges from the towering sand dunes at Khongoryn Els to more forgiving terrain home to ibex, camel and the rare Gobi bear. Across this sparsely populated region great herds of dinosaurs once roamed, and some of the world’s best-preserved fossil remains were discovered in the region at the Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag. Also nearby is the extraordinary Yolyn Am Canyon, a series of gorges so sheer that thick ice remains in their depths throughout the scorching summer months. The area has regular flight connections with the capital or can be visited as part of an overland journey to Karakorum and beyond.