As of today, peak season now, through ~June 30. Earth Exhibit tracks the live conditions and flags it the moment it is on.
In the southern Gobi, where the day's heat can be fierce, a narrow gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains holds a secret it refuses to give up easily: ice.
Yolyn Am, the 'Valley of the Lammergeier', is a deep, steep-walled canyon so shaded and cold at its floor that a sheet of ice builds up over winter, reaching several metres thick and stretching kilometres along the gorge.
Long after the surrounding desert has baked, that ice lingers, often holding into June or July before finally melting away, so visitors can walk on a frozen river while sand and rock shimmer with heat just beyond the canyon walls.
The gorge cuts through the Zuun Saikhan range at around 2,500 metres, a sliver of cool, green, stream-fed shade in a sunburnt land.
Overhead ride the bearded vultures, or lammergeiers, that give the valley its name, alongside Himalayan and cinereous vultures, while ibex and wild sheep pick across the high cliffs.
Reached by a gentle walk up the canyon from the trailhead, it is one of the Gobi's strangest and most beloved sights: a desert that keeps its ice.
Where to see it
A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.
| Viewing spots |
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| Yolyn Am Ice Gorge |
This is the short version
This page shows a taste. The app has the full list of where to see this, the exact timing, and live conditions for 1,000+ natural phenomena worldwide, so you know the moment one is genuinely worth the trip.