THE GOBI DESERT

The Gobi Desert is a vast zone of desert and desert steppe covering almost 30 percent of the Mongolian territory. The area is often imagined as a lifeless desert like in many other parts of the world. In reality, most part of the Gobi Desert is a land of steppes and it is the home for camel breeders rich with wildlife and vegetation. Wild asses, camels, snow leopards, mountain sheep and gazelles flourish here, as do different types of flora.Dinosaur skeletons and their petrified eggs have been preserved here to the present day. Mongolians consider that there are 33 different Gobi, where sandy desert occupies only 3 percent of the total territory. Climate is extreme with 40 degrees Celcius in summer and severe winter. The Great Gobi Reservation established in 1975 was designated by the United Nations as the fourth largest Biosphere Reserve in the world in 1991.  One and a half hour's travel by plane. Located 600 km from Ulaanbaatar, in foothills of the Altai mountains at an altidude of 1521 metres above sea level. Two areas have been set aparlin the reserve. One, spreading over 44/9 hectares, claims the largest part of the Trans-Altai Gobi, the other, covering 881000 hectares is within the Dungar Gobi