Along with its natural riches, this aimag is endowed with coal, copper ore, iron ore, fluorite, nephrite, jade, graphite, marble, and chalcedony. The main branch of the economy is animal husbandry.

BAGA GAZRIIN CHULUU is a granitic rock formation rising in the center of dusty plains at an altitude of 1,768 m. Rock carvings made by two revered lamas who lived in the 19th century are revered by the local people and other pilgrims from around the country. A cave with an underground lake is found in the heart of the mountain.

Dundgovi aimag is proud of the beautiful panoramic landscapes of Ikh Gazriin Chuluu, Baga Gazriin Chuluu, Sum Khukh Oasis, and Uush Sand Dunes.

ONGIIN KHIID is the only monastery to survive Stalinist purges out of nine, transforming into a warehouse and shop reopened in 1990 and visited by the current Dalai Lama in 1992. Built to commemorate the Dalai Lama's first visit to Mongolia, it was once used by 500 lamas.

The inscriptions of DUUT ROCK have been surprisingly well preserved considering that the 30-verse poetry was carved by Prince Tsogt Taij in 1636, a renowned poet of the 17th century.

DORNOGOVI aimag is located in the southeast of the country and borders China to the south. The area is famous for medicinal herbs such as licorice, Australian dodder, and for annual and perennial species such as wild leek, saksaul, elm, Mongolian onion, and glasswort. Among the wildlife are the wild horse, wild donkey, wild sheep, ibex, black-tailed gazelle, white antelope, and lynx.

SAINSHAND is located 463 km from the city of Ulaanbaatar and is a key international railway hub connecting Moscow-Ulaanbaatar-Beijing. The aimag has reserves of fluorite, oil, and bituminous coal. In the 1950s, oil was extracted in the Zuunbayan soum, and currently, a facility is being built to restore oil extraction.

Dornogovi is home to NOYON KHUTAGT DANZANRAVJAA (1803-56), a distinguished writer, composer, painter, and healer. Sainshand has a museum with a collection of gifts presented to Danzanravjaa by Chinese and Tibetan leaders, costumes used in his works, Buddhist statues presented by the tenth Dalai Lama, and some of his paintings. He was also deeply interested in traditional medicine, so the museum has a collection of herbs.

KHAMARIIN KHIID has always been regarded as the energetic center of Mongolia, where locals believe in the existence of a living god. The image of the deity is stitched onto a carpet decorating the main hall of the monastery. The original monastery was built in 1821 by Danzanravjaa and destroyed during religious purges. The surrounding landscape has caves for meditation where Danzanravjaa would retreat with his students.

The people of UMNUGOVI AIMAG are extremely proud of their land, which stretches for almost 2,000 km across the lower third of Mongolia - and with good reason! On the territory of the aimag, over 250 species of plants grow, including medicinal plants and herbs such as astragalus, gentian, nitracia aroma, cynomorium, agriophyllium, and trees like saxaul, oleaster, populus diversifolia, and elm. Rare animals include wild horses, wild sheep, ibex, wild camels, black-tailed antelopes, white antelopes, lynxes, foxes, rabbits, and badgers.

While the country's largest aimag has a population density of 0.3 people per square kilometer, it is home to a quarter or 93,000 domesticated Bactrian camels.

Did you know... that the first dinosaur egg was discovered in Mongolia in 1922?

In 1921, American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews discovered dinosaur eggs, putting Mongolia on the map for adventure seekers and international explorers. With its origins in ancient seabeds, Umnugovi holds a treasure trove of late Cretaceous dinosaurs located at BAYANZAG or the Flaming Cliffs, where rocks emit orange and red hues that appear to glow at sunset.

Other dinosaur fossil deposits include Nemegt, Altan Uul, Bugiin Tsav, and Guriliin Tsav. Many unique dinosaur skeletons such as "Fighting Dinosaurs" (Velociraptor and Protoceratops), "Oviraptor Embryo," "Protoceratops Infant," complete skeletons of the giant carnivorous dinosaur Tarbosaurus, and dinosaur eggs have been found here and are currently on display at the Natural History Museum of Ulaanbaatar.

The 100 km stretch of KHONGORIIN ELS or the Singing Sands reaches heights of 800 m, creating the largest accumulation of sand in the Gobi, which led Umnugovi to win the Best of Adventure 2008 Destinations nomination from the National Geographic Adventure Magazine.

The YOLIIN AM or Vulture's Mouth, established to preserve the regional avifauna, has become a favorite destination for its spectacular and unusual natural landscape shaped by an imposing mountain gorge in the midst of the Gobi Desert with perennial ice.

The GOBI GURVANSAIKHAN PROTECTED AREA, named after the Gurvansaikhan Mountain (The Three Beauties of the Gobi), was established in 1993 and spans 27,000 square kilometers, making it the country's largest national park. The protected area safeguards the Mongolian portion of a largely undisturbed part of the vast Gobi Desert and provides a last refuge for representatives of the ancient terrestrial fauna of Central Asia with over 620 species of flowering plants and 38 endemic species. Here, 52 mammal species are found, including eight species listed in the Mongolian Red Book as endangered. The area hosts over 240 bird species, including 34 resident species, 99 breeding species, and 70 migratory species. The park is rich in wildlife such as snow leopards, ibex, argali sheep, wild boar, gazelles, various species of vultures, rodents, northern pikas, various lizards, lynxes, and Mazalai, the Gobi bear.

Stop dreaming, come visit us. Immerse yourself in the tranquil silence of this vast desert interrupted by occasional caravans of two-humped camels, the "living dinosaurs of the Gobi"!

The "Ten Thousand Camels" festival organized annually during Tsagaan Sar by residents of the Mandal-Ovoo settlement, also known as Sharkhulsan, featuring herds of high-quality camels reaching 14,000, is a real attraction. The camels traverse the Gobi for 18 km.

Often overlooked by visitors to Mongolia, BAYANKHONGOR AIMAG is located at the crossroads between the mountain steppe region and the Gobi Desert. With an average elevation of 1,859 meters above sea level, rocky peaks tower over ever-changing landscapes ideal for archaeological explorations, birdwatching, wildlife observation, hiking, and mountaineering. Among its numerous peaks, canyons, and valleys, one of the most revered sites in the province is MOUNT IKH BOGD, standing at 3,957 meters, the tallest in the Gobi Altai range.

Other notable attractions include BICHIGT KHAD, a world-class petroglyph site with rock paintings dating back to the Bronze Age. The nearby White Cave of TSAGAAN AGUI is believed to be the site of the earliest human population in Mongolia, with evidence of human presence dating back to 700,000 years ago. The archaeological richness is also evidenced by petrified forests and fossils found throughout the Aimag. Equally enticing are the approximately 300 hot and cold mineral springs of Shargaljuut, offering visitors the unique opportunity to bathe in the oases of the Gobi, while nearby spas and ger camps provide necessary amenities.

Did you know... that the Gobi comprises 33 different desert landscapes, but sand dunes make up only 3% of the region?