Plizio Visual Lab

Gobi Desert

Plizio editorial teamUpdated: Jun 2026Data Sources

Mountain

Weather…

The Gobi Desert is a vast, arid region in northern China and southern Mongolia, covering approximately 1.295 million square kilometers. It is the sixth-largest desert in the world and the second-largest in Asia. Formed by the rain shadow cast by the Himalayan plateau, the Gobi experiences extreme temperature fluctuations, ranging from -40 °C in winter to over +50 °C in summer. Unlike typical sandy deserts, much of the Gobi consists of exposed bare rock and gravel plains known as "hamada." The region is historically significant as part of the Mongol Empire and home to several important stops along the Silk Road. In the 1920s, paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the first fossilized dinosaur eggs in the Flaming Cliffs of the Gobi, revolutionizing the field of paleontology. Today, it supports unique wildlife such as the critically endangered Gobi bear and wild Bactrian camels, while facing significant challenges from desertification. The desert continues to expand southward toward Beijing, leading to large-scale reforestation efforts by the Chinese government.

Best time to visit & climate

The most pleasant time to visit is May, Jun, Aug.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg °C	-12	-7	1	9	16	23	26	23	16	7	-2	-10
Rain mm	2	2	3	5	13	23	30	27	18	5	3	2

📋 Practical info

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Getting there

The colossal desert region is typically accessed from major regional hubs like Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia or Dunhuang in China, with almost all visiting tourists utilizing well-organized overland driving tours, often in large convoys.

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Best season

Late spring and early autumn are by far the absolute best times for a visit, in order to successfully avoid the freezing winter snowstorms and the extremely scorching, highly unbearable peak temperatures of mid-summer.

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Terrain & paths

Unlike pure, endless sand deserts, the terrain here is highly diverse, heavily comprising vast hard gravel plains, jagged rock formations, extensive dry steppes, and only occasional high sand dunes, making off-road drives bumpy.

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What to bring

Layered clothing for the drastic temperature swings between day and night, very strong sun protection, lip balm for windburn, dust covers for faces and cameras, and comfortable, highly resilient hiking shoes are indispensable here.

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Parking

In the boundless expanse, overland expedition vehicles simply park inside traditional nomad yurt camps or actively form their very own temporary vehicle corrals out in the wild nature for highly secure overnight stargazing and camping.

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Safety

The distances are truly colossal and the environment is entirely unforgiving; never travel off the precise routes of experienced guides, always keep a massive supply of emergency water ready, and beware of sudden, blinding sandstorms.

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Time needed

A journey into this fascinating region is definitely not a short day trip; meaningful driving tours require a bare minimum of three to five full days of transit, but very often weeks, just to begin to experience the deeper, true desert.