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Summary: An orange rocky cliffside view with optional short trails best viewed at sunset.
Welcome to the desert. This area is truly big sky country. The vastness of the Gobi, even from up here in its Northern edges, is immediately noticed. The so-called Flaming Cliffs will probably be your first stop in the desert if you are self-driving the country. Large orange-ish tinted rock and mineral-filled dirt give the cliffs here a bright hue made even more dramatic by the golden light of sunset. Hence the “flaming”. It’s yet another exceptional viewpoint in Mongolia. Not my favorite by a long shot, but people with little desert experience or who haven’t been to Utah and Arizona in the USA will be much more impressed.
A Complete Guide to the Flaming Cliffs, Mongolia
Here’s everything you should know before you visit the Flaming Cliffs of Mongolia
Best Time of Year to Visit
The best time of year to visit is the same throughout Mongolia. The Gobi season is perhaps even a little shorter to avoid the dramatically swinging temperatures.
Peak season = May-September.
What to Expect During Your Visit
Visited by nearly every group tour in Mongolia the Flaming Cliffs are crowded at the most popular viewpoints. But the beauty of this orange expanse of desert is there is no shortage of breathtaking vantage points.
You’ll arrive through the main gate and proceed to the cliffside by foot or vehicle. From here, you’ll watch the sunset paint the canyon a bright orange shade or proceed into the crumbling crevasse to walk beneath the spires. Personally, I think the best view is from above.
This is one of those places that you need your own transport or a tour to see properly. There is no public transport because there is no actual town very close to the Flaming Cliffs.
Best Time of Day to Visit
Sunset. That’s when you’ll get those bright orange and red hues cast onto the cliff.
Road Conditions Getting to the Flaming Cliffs
Both the North and South route to the Flaming Cliffs is composed of flat hard-packed road that is easily navigable by Maps.Me. This area is great for spotting camels and covering some fast kilometers on the hard-packed dirt road.
That being said, the dirt road would be awful in the rain. So, keep that in mind.
Rent Your 4×4 Car With AVIS.
Mongolia has expanded the car rental horizons over the last five years. As tourism to the country grows, so does your car rental options. Previously, road-trippers chose between a Prius and an expensive, bulky 4×4 from the early 2000s. While both options will get you around the country (trust me, you’ll see a local in a Prius everywhere), they might not be your ideal overland travel rig. AVIS Mongolia has expanded its fleet of rentals to include the Toyota Landcruiser 79 and 76 models AND for lovers of automatic vehicles, the Toyota Prado or the Toyota Landcruiser 250. These reliable and high-end vehicles are new to the Mongolian taiga and fit groups of up to 5 travelers (which brings down the costs tremendously). If there’s one thing you should not skimp on in Mongolia, it’s your vehicle rental and camping gear. Trust me.
For travelers in a smaller group or working on a tighter budget, MyCar.Rent offers older vehicles for as low as $100 per day! This is a steal in Mongolia. While they might not be outfitted with the same gear and might not be *as* ready for off-road adventure as the Landcruiser series with AVIS, they will get you where you need to go if you’re planning on sticking to the main routes.
If you’re interested in self-driving but nervous about all the route planning and/or getting lost, I recommend you join an AVIS Self Drive “Tour”. Here, there’s no guide or ride-along companion, but instead, you’ll receive a pre-programmed GPS unit with your rental to guide you on your quest. AVIS will also handle all the booking of gers, homestays, and activities for you, so it’s truly no hassle!
Map of the Flaming Cliffs
If you want a map of our route to the Flaming Cliffs check out our full Mongolia road trip itinerary.
Where to Stay Around the Flaming Cliffs
There are loads of ger camps within spitting distance of the cliffs. We had only about a 5-10 minute drive to reach them. This is ideal because if you stay through sunset you don’t want to be driving back in complete darkness trying to find your tent in the wide open landscape.
All the gers here have similar amenities (better here than in other regions of the country) and cost about 150k Tugrik ($42) for 2 people. You can expect full western-style bathrooms throughout the Gobi region.
This can seem rather expensive– because it is. The Gobi is one of the most expensive regions in Mongolia. There could be cheaper options but you’ll have to compromise in location.
Camping Situation at the Flaming Cliffs
This is not the most ideal situation for camping and I don’t recommend it. You can’t camp AT the cliffs themselves because they are in a protected area. And all the surrounding area is hard packed dirt desert filled with scrub brush or rock. Not really tent-friendly material.
Opt for the gers here instead.
Read More: Tips for Independent Travelers in Mongolia.
Quick Things to Know Before You Go
- The entrance fee is about 10k Tugrik ($3) per person. This is one of the most expensive attractions in Mongolia.
- You won’t need long here. Maybe an hour or so unless you plan to spend some time hiking along the cliff edge.
- There is one clear spot that all the tourists go to. It’s a nice view but I feel like the best view was actually on the other side of the canyon closer to the camel statues.
- Speaking of camel, this area is great for spotting the endangered fuzzy Bactrian camel.
- Drones are allowed here! This is how you can get really dramatic cliffside photos.
- The Flaming Cliffs, along with everywhere else in the Gobi Desert, is great for fossil finding. You obviously can’t keep anything you spot but it’s worth it to poke around. People are still finding millions of year-old fossils all the time within this shifting landscape.
- If you have to choose, the White Stupa is a more impressive cliffside formation. Maybe that’s just me, having been to Bryce Canyon in Utah, I found it quite similar. But less dramatic.
Facts About the Flaming Cliffs in Mongolia
For people who love to learn here are a few things you should know about the geologic formation.
These cliffs are a Djadochta Formation which means that are made of layers of sand and calcareous matter. They were formed sometime between 71-75 million years ago. Locals call this area Bayanzag which means “rich in saxaul”. Saxaul is one of the only plants that can thrive in the harsh environment. What really makes this spot incredibly important isn’t the view or the rock itself even. It’s the fossils.
The Flaming Cliffs was where the very first dinosaur eggs were ever discovered back in 1920. New fossils are still unearthed all the time.
The Flaming Cliffs are an iconic Mongolia sight and offer some variety to the monotony of a hard-packed desert. Whether this is your first or your last sight within the Gobi it’s well worth a single night stop before you continue on to more noteworthy sights within the country.
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