Umnugobi province

Umnugobi province in southern Mongolia is one of Mongolia’s largest provinces, with a population density of only 0.3 people per sq km. The few people who live here are of the Khaikh ethnic group. It's not hard to see why humans prefer to live elsewhere. With an average annual precipitation of only 130mm a year, and summer temperatures reaching an average of up to 38°C, this is the driest, hottest and harshest region in the country.

The Gurvansaikhan Nuruu range in the center provides the main topographic relief in this pancake-flat region. These mountains reach an altitude of 2825m and support a diverse range of wildlife, including the extremely rare snow leopard. The mountains also make human habitation marginally possible by capturing snow in winter, which melts and feeds springs on the plains below, providing water for some limited livestock. 

The territory of the aimag is semi-desert. The famous tourist destinations include Gurvan saikhan, Tost, Servei, Noyon Bogda, Nomgon, Nemegt, Altana and Gilbent, which are the extension of the Altai mountain range. The world's famous Gobi desert is located in this province. Its parts are Khongor sand, Galba, Borzon, Zeemeg, Zag, Suzh. Khongor sand stretches for 36 square miles (92,5 sq. km.), and its length is 115 miles (185 km.) and the width is 12 miles (20 km.). There are many cold springs in the province such as Khadaat, Nemegt, Zoloon, Enger buleen, Talkhit. The Elgen and Salkhit are hot springs. In the territory of the aimag there are many places of interests such as the mirror rock, and salt lake, beautiful oasis with groves of elm, populus diversifolia, cleaster and vast valleys of sand dunes. Popular destinations are Gurvan Zeerd, Dulaan buut huge caves, the famous national park Yoliin valley, refered to as "Khangai in the Gobi", Dungeneegiin valley, and Kherem hillock.  This aimag is well-known for dinosaur fossils as old as 60 - 80 million years, and finds from Stone Age, and Bronze Age. Also there are ruins of ancient cities, fortifications, and ancient graves, and monuments. 

• Dalanzadgad - 
YOL VALLEY
Yolyn Am (Vulture's Mouth) was originally established to conserve the birdlife in the region, but it's now more famous for its dra-matic and very unusual scenery - it is a valley in the middle of the Gobi Desert, with metres-thick ice almost all year-round.
The small nature museum at the gate on the main road to Yolyn Am has a collection of dinosaur eggs and bones, stuffed birds and a snow leopard. There is also an ethnography museum in a ger, which is worth a visit.
Look out for the remarkable petrified wood lying by the roadside. The ranger office and museum sell some good souvenirs, including landscape paintings and, amaz-ingly, one of the best collections of Mongolian stamps in the country. 
From the museum, the road continues for another 10km to a car park. From there, a pleasant 25-minute walk, following the stream, leads to a gorge full of ice. In winter, the ice is up to 10m high, and continues down the gorge for another 10km. It remains frozen for most of the year, except lor about a month starting in late August.
You can walk on the ice - but be careful, especially in late summer.
The surrounding hills offer plenty of opportunities for some fine, if somewhat strenuous, day hikes. If you are lucky you might spot ibex or argali sheep along the steep valley ridges.
Mukhar Shiver. This location is very similar to Yolyn Am and it has been made into a protected area. As a result, entering the area by car is forbidden. Like Yolyn Am, it is frozen almost all year round and is surrounded by rocks.