On horseback (CP in ear-warming bandana) at the entrance to Yolyn Am (Mong. Ёлын Ам) in the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (protected as a national reserve in 1965 and becoming part of the national park in 1993). Yolyn Am Valley goes through between high rocky mountain massifs, a formation of Paleozoic gabbros. Yolyn Am was originally established to conserve the region’s bird life, but it’s now more famous for its dramatic rocky cliffs and narrow, heavily shaded canyons that allow sheets of blue-veined ice to survive well into the summer. A narrow stream flows through the valley. Yolyn Am is 46km west of Dalanzadgad, the capital of Ömnögovi Aimag and 540kms south of the nation’s capital Ulan Bator. 21 September 2005. Photo: L.Rigdol
On horseback (CP in ear-warming bandana) at the entrance to Yolyn Am (Mong. Ёлын Ам) in the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (protected as a national reserve in 1965 and becoming part of the national park in 1993). Yolyn Am Valley goes through between high rocky mountain massifs, a formation of Paleozoic gabbros. Yolyn Am was originally established to conserve the region’s bird life, but it’s now more famous for its dramatic rocky cliffs and narrow, heavily shaded canyons that allow sheets of blue-veined ice to survive well into the summer. A narrow stream flows through the valley. Yolyn Am is 46km west of Dalanzadgad, the capital of Ömnögovi Aimag and 540kms south of the nation’s capital Ulan Bator. 21 September 2005. Photo: L.Rigdol