heymongolia
Nature & landscapes

Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)

Red sandstone cliffs where the first dinosaur eggs known to science were found in the 1920s.

The American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews named them the Flaming Cliffs after seeing them glow orange at sunset. Expeditions here uncovered Velociraptor, Protoceratops and the first recognised dinosaur eggs.

Today it is an easy walk along the cliff edge with wide views over the Gobi plain, and local sellers offer saxaul-wood crafts.

  • Region: Gobi Desert (Ömnögovi)
  • Best time: May–September, at sunset
  • Time needed: 1–2 hours
  • Entry: Small site fee

Tips

  • Stay on paths at the cliff edge; the sandstone crumbles easily.
  • Fossils are protected: it is illegal to take any.

Tours that visit Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)

  • Treasures of Mongolia (12 days · Several regions · Tour Mongolia (Active & Adventure Tours Mongolia) · from $2,480)
    A 12-day minivan loop from Ulaanbaatar through the Gobi and central Mongolia, staying in ger camps and with herding families, with camel and horse riding along the way.
  • Discover Mongolia Tour (14 days · Several regions · Discover Mongolia · from $2,596)
    A 14-day tour combining the South Gobi, central Mongolia and Khuvsgul Lake, using domestic flights and vans, with ger camp nights and a nomad family stay.
  • Beauty of Mongolia Tour (11 days · Several regions · Discover Mongolia · from $1,930)
    An 11-day tour from Ulaanbaatar covering Terelj, Hustai, Karakorum and the South Gobi, travelling by van with a flight back, staying in ger camps and one night with a nomad family.
  • Beauty of Mongolia Tour and Local Naadam Festival (13 days · Several regions · Discover Mongolia · from $2,477)
    A 13-day July tour timed for the local Naadam in Kharkhorin, continuing south through Ongi and the South Gobi before flying back to Ulaanbaatar.
  • Discover Mongolia Tour and Local Naadam Kharkhorin (16 days · Central Mongolia · Discover Mongolia · from $3,082)
    A 16-day July tour joining the Kharkhorin local Naadam with the South Gobi, central lakes and hot springs, and Khuvsgul Lake, using two domestic flights.
  • Mongolian Epic Overland Adventure (15 days · Several regions · Nomadic Expeditions · from $15,830)
    A 15-day overland 4WD journey from Lake Khuvsgul in the north through central Mongolia to the Gobi, with gers, Karakorum and a stay at a Gobi lodge.
  • Gobi Desert: A Family Adventure (8 days · Gobi Desert · Nomadic Expeditions)
    An 8-day family trip from Ulaanbaatar to the Gobi, based at a desert lodge, with camel rides, a fossil hunt with a paleontologist and nomad family visits.
  • Ultimate Gobi (10 days · Gobi Desert · Nomadic Expeditions · from $10,650)
    A 10-day active Gobi trip from Ulaanbaatar, flying south and basing at a desert lodge for hiking, camel and horse riding, mountain biking and visits to fossil sites.

Nearby places