Riding in Yolyn Am in the Gobi. C Pleteshner

As you go deeper into the valley, it gets cold! When we visited in 2005, the Yolyn Am Valley was still inhabited by mammals and birds: Yol vultures (gypaetus barbarous) with white feathers around their neck, the tiny and cautious Altai snow cock, ibex and wild sheep (both cliff climbers and difficult to see because of how their colour blends in so seamlessly with the natural environment.) Ibex are wild goats, the species in Asia’s mountains called the Siberian Ibex. They typically live above the tree line.  A male Ibex’s most distinctive feature is undoubtedly his long, scimitar-shaped horns which can sometimes grow to nearly five feet long, and it is the largest species of wild goats in the world. On this particular day, a splendid male Ibex and his small entourage chose to reveal themselves to us. That is what we are all staring at. 21 September 2005. Photo: L.Rigdol.

As you go deeper into the valley, it gets cold! When we visited in 2005, the Yolyn Am Valley was still inhabited by mammals and birds: Yol vultures (gypaetus barbarous) with white feathers around their neck, the tiny and cautious Altai snow cock, ibex and wild sheep (both cliff climbers and difficult to see because of how their colour blends in so seamlessly with the natural environment.) Ibex are wild goats, the species in Asia’s mountains called the Siberian Ibex. They typically live above the tree line.  A male Ibex’s most distinctive feature is undoubtedly his long, scimitar-shaped horns which can sometimes grow to nearly five feet long, and it is the largest species of wild goats in the world. On this particular day, a splendid male Ibex and his small entourage chose to reveal themselves to us. That is what we are all staring at. 21 September 2005. Photo: L.Rigdol.

As you go deeper into the valley, it gets cold! When we visited in 2005, the Yolyn Am Valley was still inhabited by mammals and birds: Yol vultures (gypaetus barbarous) with white feathers around their neck, the tiny and cautious Altai snow cock, ibex and wild sheep (both cliff climbers and difficult to see because of how their colour blends in so seamlessly with the natural environment.) Ibex are wild goats, the species in Asia’s mountains called the Siberian Ibex. They typically live above the tree line.  A male Ibex’s most distinctive feature is undoubtedly his long, scimitar-shaped horns which can sometimes grow to nearly five feet long, and it is the largest species of wild goats in the world. On this particular day, a splendid male Ibex and his small entourage chose to reveal themselves to us. That is what we are all staring at. 21 September 2005. Photo: L.Rigdol.