Must-Have Guide for Your First Trip to Dunhuang Yardang – Save It!

A journey of life experience, an unprecedented adventure, begins at the Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark. Perhaps you've never been here before, or maybe you only know it from books. In our spare time, we gathered various materials and put together this essential guide for rookies heading to Dunhuang Yardang. It’s packed with useful tips worth saving.

I. What Is Yardang?

A beautiful legend is told here: the infatuated daughter of the desert, the wind, met the masculine Gobi. A soul-stirring love chase and a moving embrace of life and death carved this enchanting Yardang landform and built this castle of love. It is also known as the Devil City, where people say ghostly wails and wolf howls can be heard under the force of the wind at nightfall.

A mysterious hand shaped Yardang, this city of mirages and wonders. People say Yardang is where demons dwell because it is so eerily beautiful. Within the solitude of Yardang, there is indeed a magic you cannot resist, drawing you toward it.

It is a masterpiece of nature’s carving and uncanny workmanship. It was formed through lakebed sedimentation, crustal movements, rain erosion, and strong winds. The black surface and yellow mounds offer a superb visual experience. We also found that the Dunhuang Yardang landform is the largest, most mature, and most visually appealing Yardang landform cluster discovered so far in the world.

II. Preparation

Before officially setting out, we consulted some travel notes and guides to get advance information about Dunhuang Yardang, such as weather conditions, temperature, essential items, and precautions.

1. Weather Conditions

The Dunhuang Yardang area has an arid desert climate: dry and hot, with much sand and little rain or snow, and large temperature differences between day and night.

2. Transportation Information

The distance from downtown Dunhuang to the Yardang scenic area is 160 km. Generally, people charter a car or drive there. Inside the scenic area, sightseeing buses are used for tours (departing on the hour).

3. Ticket Information

Entrance ticket: 50 yuan/person; Sightseeing bus: 70 yuan/person

Discount information:

- Seniors aged 60-69 are exempt from the entrance ticket.

- Holders of membership cards from the China Photographers Association, China Artists Association, China Musicians Association, or China Calligraphers Association are exempt.

- Journalists with valid press cards issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, or with valid Hong Kong or Macau press cards.

- Active Chinese military personnel, armed police, disabled soldiers, military retirees, and cadets with relevant documents are exempt.

- Residents of Qilizhen with their ID card and internal household registration book.

- Children under 1.2 meters in height.

- Tour guides with a tour group dispatch order.

Huixi Travel Jiuquan Activity:

Nationwide, medical workers and police officers can enjoy a 1+1 ticket discount policy with valid documents such as a Physician Practice Certificate, Nurse Practice Certificate, or People's Police Card (valid until December 31, 2020).

4. Item Checklist

- The scenic area requires real-name entry with valid documents such as resident ID cards or student IDs (documents mentioned in the discount policy).

- The area is dry and hot; bring a hat, scarf, sunglasses, mask, etc. Due to large temperature differences, bring a jacket or windbreaker.

- Carry drinking water to stay hydrated, and you may also bring sunscreen and other items.

- The Yardang landform is khaki yellow; wearing bright clothes like red or bringing a brightly colored scarf can make for better photos.

A breathtaking Yardang trip can be spontaneous! A sneak peek: the four attractions in the North Zone – Golden Lion Welcoming Guests, Sphinx, Peacock Standing Gracefully, and West Sea Fleet. If you take the sightseeing bus at 19:00–19:30, you can also enjoy the brilliant sunset.

III. Starting the Yardang Tour

Golden Lion Welcoming Guests: As the name suggests, the shape resembles two stone lions guarding a gate. Entering the Yardang landform group at different times gives a different feeling. Under the influence of light, what you see in the morning, afternoon, and evening is slightly different. Nature-carved Yardang requires viewing from a specific angle to see the resemblance. At Yardang, give full play to your imagination!

Sphinx: Named for its resemblance to the Sphinx in front of the Egyptian pyramids. The lion's body symbolizes bravery, and the human face symbolizes wisdom. Yardang looks like a medieval city. This special city has walls, streets, buildings, squares, churches, and sculptures – vivid and lifelike, leaving you in awe. Many structures from around the world can be found here in miniature, such as the Sphinx and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

Yardang Geopark is a natural museum of sculptural art. Approaching Yardang feels like entering a maze in the vast sea, stirring your heart and setting your thoughts adrift. Heading westward, full of surprises.

Peacock Standing Gracefully: Named for its lifelike peacock shape. It is the most vivid and realistic Yardang formation in the scenic area. Thirty percent depends on the shape, seventy percent on imagination. When visiting Yardang, you need to mobilize your observation and imagination – get your little brain working!

West Sea Fleet: The most spectacular Yardang cluster in the scenic area, also called Fleet Setting Sail. It consists of neatly arranged Yardang formations, each in the shape of a ridge trending north-south, just like a fleet at anchor – majestic and spectacular.

Everything ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, people and events, scenes and objects from the vast world can find their reflection in Dunhuang Yardang. A single attraction is like a mysterious scripture for you to read; like a philosopher's sculpture for you to ponder; like a masterpiece of wind and rain for you to admire. There are even more Yardang shapes in the South Zone, which is not yet fully developed. Interested friends can take an off-road vehicle to explore the hinterland of the South Zone.

You are watching the scenery on the road, and I am watching you – that's the charm of the Yardang highway. The roads passing through are also a highlight for photography at Yardang. Some tourists have used their creativity to leave various imaginative poses.

Friendly reminder: Pay attention to passing vehicles when taking photos on the road. Safety first!

Set aside enough time, slow down, and watch the clouds roll and unfurl, sunrise and sunset. The most beautiful sunrise and sunset are at Dunhuang Yardang.

Nature's finely carved Yardang takes on myriad forms, ever-changing, magnificent, and spectacular. In the early morning, climb high and look far: patches of morning glow, golden rays shining in all directions, a scene of infinite variety.

In the evening, the huge red sun sinks slowly westward, with brilliant rays overhead – a gift of nature. As the sunset gradually approaches the horizon, the original golden sky and earth deepen into red. Unnoticed, nature's hand adds deep red to the sunset palette. The slanting sun reflects among the sand and rocks, a thousand sails vying on an endless expanse; the Gobi is like a sea, the setting sun like blood. As the last light fades below the horizon, all Yardang becomes black silhouettes.

In the cycles of life, it is enough to have someone to watch the scenery with. The magnificent sunrise and sunset at Yardang bring awe and emotion. Finally, here is the June sunrise and sunset timetable for Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark. Pack your bags; let’s continue our journey!