Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)

Bayanzag, the Flaming Cliffs, is a line of red and orange sandstone bluffs rising out of the flat Gobi plain in Ömnögovi. It is the place where the first dinosaur eggs recognised by science were found in the 1920s, and the cliffs still turn a deep red in the last hour of sunlight. The Mongolian name means 'rich in saxaul', after the desert trees that grow on the plain nearby.

A landscape of eroded sandstone

The cliffs expose the soft, sandy rocks of the Djadokhta Formation, laid down when this area was a dry landscape of sand dunes. Wind and rare cloudbursts have carved the edge into gullies, buttresses and free-standing pillars, and the rock crumbles easily underfoot. Fossils of Protoceratops, Velociraptor, Oviraptor and the armoured Pinacosaurus have all come from these beds. Fragments still weather out of the slopes, but removing fossils without a permit is illegal in Mongolia, so look and leave them in place.

The saxaul woodland

A short drive from the cliffs grows a stand of saxaul (Haloxylon ammodendron), a leafless-looking shrub or small tree that usually grows 2 to 8 m tall. Its leaves are reduced to tiny scales and its spongy bark holds water, which lets it survive on sand where little else grows. The trees help to hold the sand in place. Collecting the dead wood for fires damages this rare woodland, so bring your own fuel.

Planning your time

Most visitors spend an afternoon and evening here: two hours on the rim and in the gullies, then the sunset. The edge is undercut in places and can give way, so keep well back from overhangs and do not climb the pillars. Summer days are hot, often around 30 °C in July, so walk early or late, carry water and wear shoes with good grip.