Ekhiin Gol The Gobi

This fertile oasis located deep in the southern Gobi produces a tremendous amount of fruit and vegetables, and is probably the only place in Mongolia where, upon entering a ger, travellers are served tomato juice rather than tea. Until the 1920s Chinese farmers grew opium here, an era that ended when a psychopathic lama-turned-bandit named Dambijantsan slaughtered them all. Today it's considered a good place to start or end a camel trek from Shinejist.