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South Gobi, Umnogovi aimag. Umnogovi, Omnogovi, Mongolia, Gobi Desert, dunes, Dalanzadgad. Gurvansaikhan Natural Park. Bayanzag. Khongoryn Els.

ABOUT MONGOLIA

THE REGIONS OF MONGOLIA

UMNUGOBI AIMAG.

Архангай аймак Баян-Хонгор аймак. Баян-Улгий аймак. Булган аймак. Дорнод аймак. Дорноговь аймак. Дундговь аймак. Говь-Алтай аймак. Хэнтий аймак. Ховд аймак. Хувсгул аймак. Селенге аймак. Сухэбатор аймак. Тувь аймак. Умнговь аймак. Увс аймак. Увурхангай аймак. Завхан аймак.

  • Territory - 63,861 sq, miles (165,400 sq.km.)
  • Center - Dalanzadgad town, located 344 miles
    (553 km.) from Ulaanbaatar.
  • Number of somons - 15
  • Umnugobi aimag was established in 1931.
  • Meaning of province name: South Gobi 
     


Umnugobi province in southern Mongolia is one of Mongolias largest provinces, with a population density of only 0.3 people per sq km. The few people who live here are of the Khaikh ethnic group. It's not hard to see why humans prefer to live elsewhere. With an average annual precipitation of only 130mm a year, and summer temperatures reaching an average of up to 38C, this is the driest, hottest and harshest region in the country.
 

The Gurvansaikhan Nuruu range in the center provides the main topographic relief in this pancake-flat region. These mountains reach an altitude of 2825m and support a diverse range of wildlife, including the extremely rare snow leopard. The mountains also make human habitation marginally possible by capturing snow in winter, which melts and feeds springs on the plains below, providing water for some limited livestock.
 

Omnogov supports thousands of black-tailed gazelle, which you may see darting across the open plains. The aimag is also home to one-quarter (93,000) of Mongolia's domesticated camels. The two-million-hectare Gurvansaikhan National Park protects a lot of wildlife and is home to dinosaur fossils, sand dunes and rock formations. The 1,839,176 hectare Small Gobi Strictly Protected Area, in the south-eastern section of the aimag, is the last great bastion of the khudan, or wild ass.
 

The territory of the aimag is semi-desert. The average altitude is about 4,265-5,249 feet (1,300-1,600 m.) above sea level. The famous tourist destinations include Gurvan saikhan, Tost, Servei, Noyon Bogda, Nomgon, Nemegt, Altana and Gilbent, which are the extension of the Altai mountain range, and rise up to 9,843 feet (3,000 m.) above sea level. The world's famous Gobi desert is located in this province. Its parts are Khongor sand, Galba, Borzon, Zeemeg, Zag, Suzh. Khongor sand stretches for 36 square miles (92,5 sq. km.), and its length is 115 miles (185 km.) and the width is 12 miles (20 km.). The average temperature is around 39 F (+3.9 C) in main areas, with the average in July 68 F-77 F (+20 C to +25 C) and 59 F-77 F (-15 C to -25 C) in January. The average precipitation is about 5 inches (133 mm.). There are many cold springs in the province such as Khadaat, Nemegt, Zoloon, Enger buleen, Talkhit. The Elgen and Salkhit are hot springs. Over 250 species of flora grow in the territory of the Umnugovi aimag. Many medical herbs, such as astragalus, gentian, flavor nitracia, cynomorium, agriophyllium, and trees such as saksaul, oleaster, populus diversifolia and elm are found in Umnugovi. The rare animals include wild horses, wild sheep, ibex, wild camels. The aimag is famous of the black tailed antelopes, white antelopes, lynxes, foxes, corsas, rabbits and badgers. In the territory of the aimag there are many places of interests such as the mirror rock, and salt lake, beautiful oasis with groves of elm, populus diversifolia, cleaster and vast valleys of sand dunes. Popular destinations are Gurvan Zeerd, Dulaan buut huge caves, the famous national park Yoliin valley, refered to as "Khangai in the Gobi", Dungeneegiin valley, and Kherem hillock. The South has bright soil, and in the North soil is brown semi-desert. This aimag is well-known for dinosaur fossils as old as 60 - 80 million years, and finds from Stone Age, and Bronze Age. Also there are ruins of ancient cities, fortifications, and ancient graves, and monuments. The main section of the economy is animal husbandry. The annual production reaches 1,800 million tugriks, trade turnover is 2,000 million tugriks.

PLACES TO VISITED.
  • Dalanzadgad. Dalanzadgad (Mongolian: ) is the capital of Ömnögovi Aimag in Mongolia. It is located 540 kilometers (340 mi) south of the national capital Ulaanbaatar. The altitude of the city center is 1,470 meters (4,823 feet).
     
  • Mandal - Ovoo. This village, also known as Sharkhulsan, is renowned for the number (about 14,000) and quality of its camels. Just before the start of Tsagaan Sar (Lunar New Year), which takes place in January or February, Sharkhulsan hosts the annual festival, the Holiday of the Ten Thousand Camels.
    The highlight of this festive, family occasion is the 18km camel race across a nearby region called the Ongiin-Tal steppes. In 1996 nearly 200 camels took part, and the winner took just 45 minutes.
    Nearby is Ulaan Nuur (Red Lake), the largest and just about the only lake in Umnogov. It may not be there when you visit because it often dries out; and it won't quench your thirst either - it is very salty.
     
  • Bayanzag. Bayanzag, 120km northwest of Dalanzadgad, earned its place in history as the first spot dinosaur remains were found in Asia by US paleontologists in 1921. It is called Bayanzag because it is rich in saxual trees (haloxylon ammodendron). Skeletons of protoceratops and tarbosaurus have been found here. With its huge red cliffs, Bayanzag is a beautiful place with unusual land formations. The Americans dubbed these cliffs the Flaming Cliffs in 1921. Because it is such a big tourist attraction, there are plenty of souvenirs for sale here. You can also hire camels to ride.
     
  • Gurvansaikhan Natural Park. Stretching from the border with Bayan-khongor almost to Dalanzadgad, the 2.7 million hectare Gurvansaikhan National Park is the highlight of the aimag, and the overwhelming reason why any tourist comes here. Unlike other national parks in the Gobi, the Gurvansaikhan does contain a few attractions, and its facilities - ger camps and roads - are reasonably good.
    Gurvansaikhan, which means the 'three beauties' and refers to its three ridges (though there are four), contains mountains, dinosaur fossils, sand dunes, rock forma-tions and a valley which, incredibly, has ice for most of the year.
    The park also contains over 200 species of birds, including the Mongolian desert finch, cinereous vulture, desert warbler and houbara bustard. Spring brings further waves of migratory birds.
    The park also has maybe 600 or more types of plants (a lot of which only bloom after very infrequent heavy rain). The sparse vegetation does manage to support numerous types of animals, such as the black-tailed gazelle, Kozlov's pygmy jer-boa and wild ass, and endangered species of wild camel, snow leopard, ibex and argali sheep. In 2000, the park was expanded by over half a million hectares, stretching into Bayankhongor aimag.
     
  • Yolyn Am. Yolyn Am (Vulture's Mouth) was originally established to conserve the birdlife in the region, but it's now more famous for its dra-matic and very unusual scenery - it is a valley in the middle of the Gobi Desert, with metres-thick ice almost all year-round.
    The small nature museum at the gate on the main road to Yolyn Am has a collection of dinosaur eggs and bones, stuffed birds and a snow leopard. There is also an ethnography museum in a ger, which is worth a visit.
    Look out for the remarkable petrified wood lying by the roadside. The ranger office and museum sell some good souvenirs, including l
     
  • Khongoryn Els (Khongor sand dunes). The Khongoryn Els are some of the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia. There is an exotic sand dune called Khongor in the territory of Sevrei soum of Sout govi province. This sand dune stretches in 130 kilometer area of the province. The width of the sand dune is 3-5 kilometers and gets to 20 kilometers in some parts. The height of the Khongor sand dune is approximately 80 meters.  Perfect harmony in nature.
     
  • Mukhar Shiver. This location is very similar to Yolyn Am and it has been made into a protected area. As a result, entering the area by car is forbidden. Like Yolyn Am, it is frozen almost all year round and is surrounded by rocks.
     
  • Moltsog Els. These sand dunes are smaller than those at Khongoryn Els, however it is a popular spot for tourists who cannot go to Khongoryn Els. The area is also worth seeing for its saxual forest with its thick and uniquely shaped wood.
     
  • Khermen Tsav. Hermen Tsav is a canyon with beautiful oasis, 6 km in width and 15 km in length located in a distance of 400 km from Dalanzadgad city. The canyon is full of 30 meters high natural formations of cliffs, and looks like remains of ancient cities and temples, iceberg drifting on a sea, huge dinosaurs, turtles and crocodiles. As scientists defined it was an inland sea bottom some 200 million years ago.
     
  • Shar tsav. After you go through Oyu Tolgoi deposit that has made Mongolia known throughout the world you will head to a place called Shar tsav. Shar tsav is situated at the border of Manlai soum of South govi province. This is the only place with clearest footprints of dinasours. These footprints depict picture of small dinasours spinning around larger ones right before a major calamity happened. The smaller ones had footprints like chickens whereas larger ones had footprints as long as one meter. Several hundred such footprints are left in an area with 100 meter in diameter. The gigantic dinasours walked one meter long. The famous journalist G. Badamsambuu was the one who first took a photo of this spot and prepared TV program which was broadcast via Mongolian National Television channel. Since then both foreign and domestic tourists started heading towards this wonderful tourist attraction, Shar tsav is one of the few places in the world with such interesting formation and history.
     
  • Ukhaa Tolgod oasis. Between Nemegt and Sevrei lies one of the parks most significant dinosaur discoveries, an inconspicuous fossil-laden cluster of red hills called Ukhaa Tolgod.
     
  • Zulganai. West Nemegt Mountain, the Gobi becomes a harsh, herder less desert. Travelers must have knowledge of water sources, like the Zulganai oasis. GPS: 43 35. 00 N 100 04.00 E

    Gobi is usually assumed to be a desert where there is no border. But people get to notice that water, plants and animals do inhabit in their own ways in gobi desert, as they travel deep into the territory. There is an oasis called Zulganai at the territory of Gurvan Tes soum of South govi province. It is incredible to suddenly spot a small but beautiful oasis in the middle of the gobi. Bamboos and reeds and woody plants of the gobi surround the oasis and animals satiate their drinking needs in the water in the middle of this area. Here deers, antelopes, wild horses and camels, wolves are seen many in numbers. To wonder you may encounter deers drinking water shoulder to shoulder with wolves as they are too thirsty. Oasis is the most dangerous in one hand as they may face any types of enemis and is a lifesaver on the other hand. The Zulganai oasis had had wild boar. However these animals went extinct in the 1960s.
     
  • Nemegt canyon. Dry canyons south of Nemegt Mountain provide interesting but strenuous hiking. Fossils, sometimes found on the surface, should never be moved. Nemegt Uul. GPS: 43 40.00 N. 100 55.0 E
     
  • Nemegt Mountain. Nemeht and Altan Mountains are located in the territory of Curvan tes soum which are referred to be a homeland of dinasours. Up until now dinasour fossils are found around these mountains. This soum has many mountains famous for their beauties. There are more areas, which are gorgeous such as Zuun mod, Zulganai, Mermen tsav, Naran, Naran daats, Khailaast having fabulous rivers and oasis. These mountains located 400 kilometers away from South govi province are rich with dinasour fossils. It is said that people had manually excavated gold around 1900s and transported to China through the China Mongolia border. The mountain is called Altan due to its untapped gold resources. This mountain preserves footprints of ancient people who had excavated gold. Eastern and western parts of Nemeht mountain used to be home for mazaalai bears. However, mazaalai bears are becoming almost extinct.
     
  • Nemegt Badlands. Sprawl below the southern slopes of Nemegt and Altan Mountains. This is dinosaur country, where some of the worlds most dramatic fossil discoveries nave been made. Its also extremely rugged and remote. A trip here requires self-sufficiency and careful planning. Beyond Nemegt Zulganai, an oasis in the far west where poplar trees and reeds are supported by a small river. In the northwest, near Ikh Bayan Mountain. Bichiegt Valley Is rich in petroglyphs. The area is best approached from Bayankhongor, on the north side. Guides are available through the Bichegt community
     
  • Sevrei Mountain. The road west from Sevrei runs along the base of Sevrei Mountain /2631 m/, one of the highest peaks in the Gobi and considered sacred by local people. GPS; 43 36.00 N. 104.02.10 E.
INFORMATION:
PAGES OF THE PICTURE ALBUM
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- Umnogovi (Umngobi) aimag.

- Umnogovi aimag map.
 

- Dalanzadgad. The administrative center.
 

- Yolyn am canyon.

- Khongoryn Els (Khongor sand dunes).

- Bayanzag. Flaming Cliffs.

- Nemegt Geological formation.

- Khermen Tsav canyon.
 

- Umnogovi. Pages of the pictures album.

 
 
 

- Regins of Mongolia

- Mongolian citis
 

- General map of Mongolia

- Administrative map of Mongolia

 

 

- Ulaanbaatar 
 

 

 

- Darkhan uul

- Govi-Sumber

- Orkhon 
 

 

 

- Tuv Aimag

- Uvurkhangai Aimag

- Arkhangai Aimag 
 

 

 

- Khuvsgul Aimag

- Bulgan Aimag

- Selenge Aimag 
 

 

 

- Khentii Aimag

- Dornod Aimag

- Sukhbaatar Aimag 
 

 

 

- Bayan-Ulgii Aimag

- Khovd Aimag

- Uvs Aimag

- Zavkhan Aimag 
 

 

   

- Dundgovi Aimag

- Umnugovi Aimag

- Dornogovi Aimag

- Bayan-Khongor Aimag

- Gobi-Altai Aimag
 

 

 

Classic tours

Horse riding tours

Trekking tours

Short tours

Fishing tours

Automobile tours

Special tours

Mongolia - Baikal

Mongolia - China

 

General information

Facts for the visitors

Mongolian history

Mongolian art and culture
 

The regions of Mongolia

The maps of Mongolia 

Information for driver
 

Naadam festival

Fishing in Mongolia
 

Mongolia photo album

 

About Ulaanbaatar

Sights of interest

Ulaanbaatar museums

Ulaanbaatar monasteries

Art Galleries in Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar Suburbs

 

Train and plane time table 

- Ulaanbaatar train time table

- International flight time table

- Domestic flight time table
 

Hotels in Ulaanbaatar
 

Tourist camps in Mongolia
 

Mongolian visas.

Diplomatic representatives
         of Mongolia

The embassies in Mongolia

 

Accommodation booking 

- Hotel

- Home stay

- Tourist camp in Mongolia
 

Ticket booking

- Air ticket

- Train ticket
 

Visa support service

- Invitation to Mongolia

- Russian visa support
 

Other services 

- Guide service in Mongolia

- Transfer

- Reservation car in Mongolia

- Camping equipment

   
 

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