Gobi Desert trip guide: getting there, heat, cold and what to expect

The Gobi isn't only sand. Along with the Khongoryn Els dunes, our route passes granite towers, red cliffs, a narrow gorge and eroded, layered cliffs. Distances are long, nights are cool even in summer, and the night sky is what many of our travellers write about afterwards. Here's how a trip works from Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong.

Every Gobi trip starts in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital. The desert is a road trip south from there in a 4WD jeep, and the airport transfer is included.

• From Singapore: check MIAT's current timetable for seasonal direct flights rather than assuming they operate on your dates. For our May–October trips, compare connecting services; our trip pages estimate 10–12 hours for a connecting journey.
• From Hong Kong: check MIAT's current services to Ulaanbaatar and the schedule for your dates.
• From Kuala Lumpur: compare connecting services to Ulaanbaatar for your chosen dates.

The group pickup at Chinggis Khaan International Airport is at 2pm on day 1, so aim to land before noon. Our trip pages suggest an overnight flight from Singapore.

Our 8-day Gobi Sandpocalypse loops south from Ulaanbaatar and back:

1. Ulaanbaatar. Arrive, then a welcome dinner.
2. Baga Gazariin Chuluu. Granite towers you can climb, with the remains of old Buddhist monasteries among them.
3. Bayanzag, the Flaming Cliffs. Known for dinosaur finds, including fossilised eggs. You hike the cliffs.
4. Khongoryn Els. The big dune field inside Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park: a camel ride, a hike to the top for sunset and sand sliding on the way down.
5. Yolyn Am (Vulture Valley). A gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan mountains, with a hike and a horse-riding lesson.
6. Tsagaan Suvraga. Wind-eroded, layered cliffs, then a night at a remote desert lodge for stargazing.
7. Back to Ulaanbaatar and a farewell dinner.
8. Fly home.

The 12-day Epic Mongolia Expedition does the same Gobi loop in the other direction, then adds central Mongolia: Ugii Lake, the UNESCO-listed Orkhon Valley and the old capital, Kharkhorum, with Erdene Zuu Monastery.

The Mini Gobi is not the Gobi. Our week-long Central Mongolia trip includes a camel ride in the "Mini Gobi", a strip of dunes in central Mongolia. It's fun and saves days of driving, but it isn't the Gobi Desert. If dunes and desert cliffs are the point, choose one of the two trips above.

Days and nights differ by about 13 °C all season. In October, average lows are just below freezing, so pack a down jacket as well as sunscreen.

July and August are the warmest months and also the "wettest", though at about 30 mm a month the Gobi stays dry by any Singaporean standard.

The Gobi is big, and much of each day is spent in the jeep. Raelene K., after the Epic trip in June 2025, called it a "rather chill itinerary with enough activities despite the long drives (understandable, the country is too big…)". If you get carsick, bring tablets and keep snacks handy.

In Ulaanbaatar you stay in apartments, in twin or triple rooms. In the desert you stay in tourist ger camps, four people to a ger, plus one night in twin or triple rooms at the desert lodge on Gobi Sandpocalypse. Camps vary: Raelene K. found "some beautiful ger camps with toilets better than expected."

Both Gobi trips build in stargazing: at the desert lodge on Gobi Sandpocalypse, and at a campfire night on the Epic expedition. "Saw my first ever shooting stars, milky way, riding horses and camel," wrote Eeling L. after the August 2026 Epic trip. Cher T., on the same departure: "I was not expecting to see shooting stars but I saw 7 of them over this trip."

• About one English-speaking guide for every 4–6 travellers, plus a Sotravel trip leader. Yen L., Gobi Sandpocalypse, August 2025: "Great itinerary pace with a lot of free time to spare, spacious space during accommodations & car rides, good ratio of guides to participants."
• Groups of 6 to 20.
• Reserve for SGD 0. The 20% deposit is charged only when your departure is confirmed.

Gobi Sandpocalypse costs from SGD 1,899 (MYR 6,080, HKD 11,669) and the Epic Mongolia Expedition from SGD 2,629 (MYR 8,410, HKD 16,149), as of 23 October 2026. International flights are extra. For the rest of the country, including the north and winter trips, see our Mongolia group tours guide.

Traveller quotes come from Sotravel trip reviews, shown as first name and initial. Reviewers receive a small travel credit for leaving a review, whatever their rating.