An ice field in the middle of the Gobi desert?
Located in the mountains of Gurkhan Saikhan in Mongolia's southern province of Omnogovi, Yolin Am is a long and narrow gorge that becomes an ice field each winter.
Sometimes known as the Gobi Glacier, the ice field can be several metres thick and about 2km long. Some parts of the gorge are so narrow that the sun does not reach the bottom of the gorge easily or long enough to melt the ice. Hence, in the past, the ice formed in the gorge at winter can remain all year long.
Of late, the ice tend to disappear as early as August.
The night before, we camped nearby, just a little way away from the control post / entrance to the Gurkhan Saikhan National Park. This morning, we paid the entrance fee of 3,000 Tugrik (USD 1.30) per person and made our way to Yolin Am, stopping mid way to have breakfast.
It is quite a distance to hike from the car park to the ice fields. We did not mind the walk, breathing in the fresh air and every now and then we stopped to watch the animals and birds around here.
Sometimes known as the Gobi Glacier, the ice field can be several metres thick and about 2km long. Some parts of the gorge are so narrow that the sun does not reach the bottom of the gorge easily or long enough to melt the ice. Hence, in the past, the ice formed in the gorge at winter can remain all year long.
Of late, the ice tend to disappear as early as August.
The night before, we camped nearby, just a little way away from the control post / entrance to the Gurkhan Saikhan National Park. This morning, we paid the entrance fee of 3,000 Tugrik (USD 1.30) per person and made our way to Yolin Am, stopping mid way to have breakfast.
It is quite a distance to hike from the car park to the ice fields. We did not mind the walk, breathing in the fresh air and every now and then we stopped to watch the animals and birds around here.
Horseback riding is another option to get from the car park to the ice fields.
The gorge gets quite narrow the further in we got. The melting ice made it very slippery and difficult to traverse. Some parts are so narrow that we had to walk in the flowing stream.
Views around the Yolin-Am gorge:
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