The Gobi Desert conjures images of endless sand dunes and scorching heat, but this massive expanse – spanning southern Mongolia and northern China – revealed so much more. Ancient dunes gave way to rocky canyons, fossil beds, and camel herds led by nomadic herders.

Khongor Sand Dunes, stretching up to 180 kilometers with peaks reaching 300 meters, sang when the wind blew right. Climbing to the ridge at sunset, I watched shadows creep across the dunes as the temperature dropped rapidly. Down below, my camel waited patiently, breathing slow sighs into the cooling air.

The Flaming Cliffs at sunset were genuinely otherworldly – layers of orange and red sandstone glowing as if lit from within. It was here that dinosaur fossils were first discovered in the 1920s, remains of creatures that once wandered when this was a lush forest. The silence here felt prehistoric.

Night temperatures plummeted below freezing even in summer, but the sky compensated with unreduced generosity. The Gobi nights were for stargazing – undisturbed by light pollution, with satellites crossing overhead and occasional meteor showers. Sleeping under these stars, cocooned in traditional Mongolian fashion, was unforgettable.

– Carmel