Mongolia

In 1965, before the creation of Gurvan Saikhan National Park, a small 69 square kilometers (26,64 square miles) area around Yoliin Am Canyon was already a protected area. Yoliin Am is located about 60 kilometres (37 miles) Southwest Dalanzadgad, in the mountains of Züün Saikhan. The bearded vulture, Yol in Mongolian, gave its name to the Yoliin Am Valley, the Gorge of Bearded Vultures.

Located at a height of 2500 metres (8202,10 feet), Yol Canyon forms a gorge that is so deep and so narrow, that only two persons can pass in some places. The water forms four small waterfalls. Although the sun shines a lot in this region, the canyon remains dark, so that in the bottom, a part of the river remains nearly all year long covered by a thick layer of ice.

Here, travelers can discover permanent glaciers, endemic plants, and rare animals such as Siberian ibex, argalis, or bearded vultures. Snow leopards and other predators also live in the Yol Valley area.

North of the massif, dinosaurs’ skeletons dating back from more than 70 millions of years, have been found.