Yolyn Am
Ёлын Ам
Ömnögovi Province, Mongolia · 43°29′36″N 104°04′04″E
A narrow gorge in the Gobi where a field of ice survives most of the summer in the shade of 200 m walls, with lammergeiers overhead and pikas underfoot.
Yolyn Am, the Valley of the Vultures, cuts into the Zuun Saikhan range at 2,200 m. The walls close to a few metres apart and block the sun, so meltwater freezes into a sheet up to several metres thick that lasts into July in most years. Bearded vultures (yol) nest on the cliffs. The walk from the car park is 2.5 km along the stream.
The gorge is part of Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park; the Khongoryn Els singing dunes are 150 km west.
Why it stays quiet
It is on the standard Gobi loop, but the Gobi loop itself is not crowded: a few jeeps a day in July, none in May or September.
Where it is
Before you go
Small park fee. Weather can be freezing even in summer inside the gorge. The ice has melted early in some recent years.
Updated 2026-09-06 · Suggest a correction
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