MONGOLIA

Singing sands

Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park is a national park in southern Mongolia. The park was established in 1993, and expanded to its current size in 2000. The park, at nearly 27,000 square kilometers, is the largest national park in Mongolia, stretching 380 km from east to west and 80 km from north to south. The park lies on the northern edge of the Gobi desert. The higher elevations contain areas of steppe, and reach elevations of up to 2,600 meters. A number of rare plants and animals are found in the park, including the elusive snow leopard and the Gobi Camel. Areas of sand dunes are found, most famously the Khongoryn Els - the Singing Sands. Another major tourist destination is Yolyn Am, a mountain valley that contains a large ice field through most of the year.

Received from: 4ajka