The Gobi Desert is the last refuge of the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) — a two-humped, genetically distinct species from its domesticated cousin, with fewer than 1,000 individuals surviving in the vast Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area of southwestern Mongolia and the adjacent Lop Nur reserve in China. Sightings are rare and demand a serious multi-day expedition with specialised operators out of Ulaanbaatar or Dalanzadgad. Domesticated Bactrian camels kept by nomadic Mongolian herders are a far more common encounter throughout the Gobi, often seen at traditional ger camps and during the annual Thousand Camel Festival in Bulgan Sum (early March).
