Travel to Flaming Cliffs

Flaming Cliffs, Mongolia

This was a fairly short travel day and it took us less than four hours to travel to Flaming Cliffs from Gobi Erdene Ger camp. When we arrived, we got settled into our luxurious ger and relaxed before enjoying lunch. In general, the camps fed us so well and Mongol Gobi did a great job to make vegetarian food. My stomach was rebelling against so much meat, so I mainly ate vegetarian food for the rest of the trip.

In the afternoon, we hiked around the Flaming Cliffs, enjoying the views from every angle. Our guide told showed us the Saxaul trees, which only grow in the Central Asian Gobi. They have unusual leaves and do not grow very big. After our visit, we all shopped at the local souvenir shop and visited the camel caravan statues. Then we went back to camp for dinner, and went out afterwards to see the sunset at the cliffs. I also woke up early the next morning to walk to the cliffs for the sunrise view. It was so quiet and peaceful, and I passed a herd of horses grazing on the steppe grass.

Finally, on our way out of the area, we were met by a man on a motorbike who had a mobile souvenir shop with items made by his mother. He was smiling and so lovely, and we all bought some stuff. We also visited an area with more Saxaul trees and desert thumbs (aka Cynomorium).

Flaming Cliffs hiking
Sunset at the Flaming Cliffs
Camel caravan by Yo. Dalkh-Ochir

Highlights

  • Walking through the Flaming Cliffs and going back for sunset and sunrise through the peaceful steppe
  • Local souvenir shop with crafts including stuffed camels
  • Wild horses grazing on the grass
  • Luxurious Ger camp with a view
  • Ancient Tea Road camel caravan by Yo. Dalkh-Ochir

Before you go

  • There are very few cash machines in the Gobi, so ensure to get your cash in Ulaanbaatar
  • Weather can be warm during the day and cold at night
  • Mobile data is sporadic and there is no wifi
  • It is safe to wander around the area on foot
  • Watch your step at the Flaming cliffs as the bridge path had some holes
  • Saxaul is the main tree in the Gobi Desert that grows only in the Central Asian Gobi
Flaming Cliffs hiking
Lone basketball hoop
Mongol Gobi Tourist Camp view

Transport

  • For travel around the rural areas, you must go with a driver who knows the area. We booked via Agate Travel which then used a local company called Amicus Travel. Luckily, we had an excellent guide and driver!

Accommodation

  • We stayed at Mongol Gobi Ger Camp, which was quite luxurious with hot water and a ger with glass doors and windows to enjoy the views
  • Since there are few websites reviewing Ger camps, I wrote my own Mongolia Ger Reviews.
Sunrise at Flaming Cliffs
Horses grazing at dawn
Sunrise at Mongol Gobi Camp
Mongol Gobi Tourist Camp Mutton stew
Fried khuushuur vegetable dumplings, Mongol Gobi
Breakfast at Mongol Gobi Ger Camp
Mongol Gobi Tourist Camp vegetable stir-fry

Food

Mongol Gobi Ger Camp had some of the best food of the trip, and they made me delicious vegetarian food. My favourite dish was fried khuushuur vegetable dumplings. And I have since made khuushuur at home, but with meat filling, so I would like to try to replicate the potato vegetable filling.

For lunch, we all had pumpkin soup as the starter. Then the main course was mutton stew, yellow rice, potatoes and cooked cucumbers. I had a similar plate but with a mushroom and pepper stirfry instead of the mutton and cucumbers. Delicious! We even got chocolates for dessert.

For dinner, the starter was an interesting pasta salad with pineapple and mayonnaise. The main course was chicken fried steak, and I had the vegetable khuushuur, rice and broccoli. Very tasty and filling.

In the morning, the breakfast choice was great. I had a mix of sweet and savoury foods. I had been for a long walk in the morning back to the cliffs, so I was feeling quite hungry.



Local mobile souvenir guy
Desert thumbs known as Gojo, used to make vodka
Saxaul tree forest

FAQs

Q: Do I need a tour guide?

A: Yes, you need a driver and preferably a guide to reach this area and see the nature

Q: Do people speak English?

A: Most people at the Ger camps speak a little English, but we relied a lot on our guide

Q: Is it a walkable area?

A: It is not walkable to get to the area, however

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