The Gobi - Mongolia - page 369

ANCIENT GOBI ROCK CARVINGS
If you take the long, sweeping, main route from Dalanzadgad to Khongoryn Els,
keeping the Gurvan Saikhan National Park mountain range to your left as you go,
you will have the chance to hunt in the hills for the Khavtsgait Petroglyphs (GPS: N
43°54.256', E 103°31.345', elev 1822m) , an exceptional collection of rock carvings, dating
from between 3000 BC and 8000 BC.
You'll pass a number of petroglyphs as you scale the rocky hill that leads up to
your right from the trailhead (GPS: N 43°54.245', E 103°31.628', elev 1715m) , where your jeep
can park. Other, more impressive ones are located at the top of what is a
30-minute, 120m climb.
The 1st group (GPS: N 43°54.207', E 103°31.514'; elev 1780m) you reach includes antelopes,
ibexes and mountain sheep. Just beyond here, a 2nd group (GPS: N 43°54.208', E
103°31.464'; elev 1808m) has a rare depiction of a camel. Once at the top of the hill, a
3rd group (GPS: N 43°54.201', E 103°31.377'; elev 1836m) includes a large red deer, an ibex,
hunters hunting other red deer and a cat-like animal, possibly a tiger. Nearby, a 4th
group (GPS: N 43°54.172', E 103°31.360'; elev 1831m) shows horses and hunters in a scene
dominated by a mysterious spiral pattern. Further along the top of the hill, a 5th
group (GPS: N 43°54.256', E 103°31.345'; elev 1822m) is the highlight: on one 2m-wide rock
face are a number of scenes of the era: galloping horses, hunters, camels with
riders, wheeled carts beside a rudimentary ger and people offering gifts to their
rulers. Not far away, towards the edge of the hill, overlooking the vast steppe, is a
6th group (GPS: N 43°54.267', E 103°31.336'; elev 1819m) , which offers one of the few clear
depictions of a wolf, painted hunting a majestic red deer with huge antlers.
The trailhead is up to your left as you drive west from Three Camel Lodge ( Click
here ), 12km away, on the main route from Dalanzadgad (about 75km) to Khon-
goryn Els (about 100km). From the trailhead, climb the pathway leading up to your
right. There are no facilities here.
Sights & Activities
Yolyn Am VALLEY
(Vulture's Mouth) Yolyn Am was originally established to conserve the birdlife in the re-
gion, 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. Yolyn Am
is in the Zuun Saikhan Nuruu, 46km west of Dalanzadgad (return taxi T100,000, one to
two hours).
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