Gobi Desert
The Mongolian Gobi is a place of diverse environments. It is not a single zone but several, in fact there are more than 33 different types of Gobi in Mongolia. The thorn scrub semi-desert and arid, sandy desert make up only three percent of the Gobi's character. It sprawls across the southern part of the country covering the provinces of East Gobi, Middle Gobi, South Gobi and Gobi Alt
ai, all sharing the name of Gobi. Of these four Gobi, the South Gobi is the largest and lies within South Gobi province. The Gobi contains many unique types of flora and fauna including numerous rare and unusual animal species, for example; mountain sheep (argali), ibex, snow leopard, lynx, wild ass (khulan), gazelles, saiga, khavtgai (wild camel, ancestor of the Bactrian camel), mazaalai (gobi bear), fox, wolf and steppe fox. It is also home to several distinct trees and plants adapted to the extremes of the Gobi like; shrub , tamarisk, red trees and wild thyme to name but a few. Flora and fauna are not the only treasures the vast Gobi holds. Over time and the interplay of light and structure, precious gems and jewels are formed. The resulting transformations found beneath the surface of the Gobi include turquoise, jasper, agate and crystal. The Gobi also draws packs of paleontologists and archaeologists who love nothing better than to dig around in the desert in search of buried bones and remnants of cultures long past. This vast desert is a veritable dinosaur graveyard, with some fossilized remains lying only inches from the surface. In the 1920s and 30's a caravan of scientists from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City journeyed into the unknown heart of Mongolia’s Gobi desert on five expeditions. They endured dust storms, breakdowns, skirmishes with bandits and returned with a bounty of mammal and dinosaur fossils including dinosaur eggs. The scientists, were led by Roy Chapman Andrews, the man credited with inspiring the Indiana Jones character. His autobiography, Under a Lucky Star, brings the Gobi to life through western eyes and provides an interesting read before planning your own expedition into the great Gobi. If a dinosaur femur gets your juices flowing or if you're a lover of history, horses, open spaces and spectacular scenery, the country they call the 'big sky land' is the place to go. Meet some of the nations 400,000 nomads about half the population of Mongolia, who tend herds of some 40 million camels, horses, goats, sheep and yaks. Witness a way of life unique to Mongolia as you visit nomadic ger camps, pristine national parks and view a diverse variety of wildlife from Ibex to Camels to Gazelles to wild Mongolian Horses.
