Roy Chapman Andrews Legacy Expedition 2025

A Century Later: The Roy Chapman Andrews Legacy Expedition Begins in the Gobi

The Roy Chapman Andrews Legacy Expedition is a major, three-year research undertaking spanning 2025, 2026, and 2027. Its first chapter took place from June 15 to 29, 2025, organized by Nomadify Expeditions and marking a historic journey across the sands of the Gobi Desert.

The expedition sought to fulfill a mission that legendary explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, famous for discovering dinosaur eggs in Mongolia, had planned for 1925 but was forced to abandon amid revolution and mounting foreign pressure. A century later, his unfinished mission was brought back to life.

30 Scientists from 8 Countries, 38 Camels, 15 Days

The expedition was conceived and launched by Robert Atwater of The Explorers Club; Saruul Batbayar, CEO of Nomadify Expeditions; Sisi Undrakh, COO of Nomadify Expeditions; and Mainbayar Buuvei of the Institute of Paleontology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences. The same founding team is leading the three-year Roy Chapman Andrews Legacy Expedition from 2025 through 2027.

Together, 30 international scientists from eight countries, alongside 22 Mongolian scientists and support staff, formed a team of 52 people. Traveling under the official flag of The Explorers Club, they crossed the Taats River, Oosh Mountain, and Ongi River before reaching the Flaming Cliffs, journeying across the Gobi on 38 Bactrian camels.

What Did They Discover?

🦴 Paleontology — Led by paleontologist Mainbayar Buuvei and team leader Jordi Canal-Soler, the team documented 1,391 fossil bone fragments, including two complete Psittacosaurus skeletons and one complete Protoceratops skeleton.

🏺 Archaeology — Led by achaeologist Urtnasan Enkhbayar and team leader Meg Berkle documented Bronze Age, Xiongnu, and Yuan Dynasty artifacts, burial mounds, and petroglyphs across six sites.

🌿 Botany — Led by botanist Usukhjargal and team leader Dr. Anika Salim collected more than 100 plant specimens, including mosses and lichens that may represent previously undocumented species.

⛰️ Geology — Led by geologist Delgerzaya and team leader Dr. Bob Tallent conducted studies of sandstone formations at the Flaming Cliffs and Oosh Mountain.

🏕️ Cultural Heritage — Led by ethnographer Gerelmaa Erdenechuluun and team leader J. Robert Harris documented 12 topics related to Mongolian cultural heritage, ranging from traditional ger life and long-song singing to felt-making and horse culture.

A Dream a Hundred Years in the Making

In the spring of 1923, a document was drawn up and sealed in the archives of Mongolia's General Directorate of Intelligence. Prime Minister Tserendorj and Foreign Affairs Secretary Tsogt-Ochir, together with explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, signed a confidential, 14-article agreement outlining an ambitious expedition route for 1925–1927.

But the plan never had the chance to unfold. Political upheaval and mounting pressure from Soviet Russia forced Andrews' team to abandon its plans and flee across the border into China.

A century later, 38 Bactrian camels once again crossed the Gobi sands, retracing the spirit of that unfinished journey. And once again, the Flaming Cliffs came into view through Andrews' own 1920s binoculars.

With the 2026 and 2027 chapters still ahead, this first expedition marks not an ending, but the beginning of a new chapter in the legacy of Roy Chapman Andrews.