Travel Guide Le Grand Gobi

Divided into two parts, the protected area covers a total area of 53,117 km², making it one of the largest nature reserves in the world. It includes desert regions, but also mountainous parts, since one of the portions of the protected area is located in the foothills of the Altai. The desert is mainly made up of pebbles and rocks, and undulates to the rhythm of small, widely spaced mountain ranges. The slopes of this relief are covered with saxaul forests, which manage to limit the movement of the soil, and thus fight against the desertification of even larger areas. The protected area is home to a few animals, some of which are very rare. The Gobi bear is the only bear in the world to live in the desert. Its preferred habitat is near oases, such as Ekhiin Gol, Tsagaan Burgas, Shar Khuls and Tallin Meltes. Unfortunately, there may be only 22 Gobi bears left, so they are very difficult to observe. In its southern part, the Gobi Desert is home to a few wild camels, but also wild cats, saiga antelopes, Siberian ibex, black-tailed gazelles, Asian wild dogs, snow leopards, snow cocks... A few Takhi (or Przewalski) horses have also been reintroduced in the northern part of the park, in a specially designated area: the Takhin Tal. Wild horses were once very numerous in this area