Red rock
Glows at sunset.
Bernard Gagnon — CC0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC0 · Zoharby — CC BY-SA 3.0
Cliffs of red and orange sandstone in the heart of the Gobi Desert, named the Flaming Cliffs by the American palaeontologist Roy Chapman Andrews when he came in the 1920s, as they glow like fire at sunset. Mongolians call them Bayanzag, after the many saxaul shrubs around them. The site became world-famous after the first dinosaur eggs known to science were found here, along with many small dinosaur skeletons, making it one of the world's most important fossil sites. Small bone fragments still sometimes surface, and taking them is forbidden. Visitors walk along the eroded cliff edge among wind-carved towers and gullies looking over the wide desert plains. The best time is the last hour before sunset, when the rock flares red. The site is generally free, reached by 4x4. Keep back from the crumbling edges. UK travel advice reported fuel shortages in 2026 that may disrupt domestic flights and road travel to remote areas, so check with your operator before setting out.
Glows at sunset.
Dinosaurs.
To the horizon.
Gobi Desert, about 100 km north-west of Dalanzadgad
Because the first dinosaur eggs known to science were found here in the 1920s, with many skeletons.