4.5Mogao Caves(880 reviews) - Educational, cultural and a genuinely interesting place to visit! Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Historic Sites • Caverns & Caves • Religious Sites
Located in the Gobi desert, the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas feature beautiful wall fresco paintings and more than 3,000 sculptures dating from the forth to the fourteenth century.See more..
4.5Maiji Shan Caves(125 reviews) - Don't be old! Historic Sites • Caverns & Caves • Religious Sites
First time I went two years ago we were dropped off at the foot of the mountain. The climb killed me. This time we were independent. Despite taking the bus from the entrance we were still left with a mountain to climb before getting to the mountain! Fitness and health are all in this endeavour. Allow at least two hours from drop off at the entrance to getting back to your taxi or whatever.See more..
A nice stop , worth visiting grottoes without the massive crowds of Mogao- you will likely be alone. Not as comprehensive or as impressive as Mogao but still quite amazing. Most of the caves are redone by Ming dynasty but original sculpture bases from Tang and Song can be observed and the paintings are generally in good shape as well, with a fair number from the Western Xia period. Tour will cover about 6-7 caves and last about 1 hr. About a 2.5 hr drive from Dunhuang, so if you are on the way to or from the town it makes sense to visit but would not advise going if you are in Dunhuang already- the Mogao will be more than sufficient and you will likely feel the long drive was not worth it.See more..
4.0Tianti Grottoes(10 reviews) - Rock cut grottoes Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Caverns & Caves
Very impressive rock cut grottoes. They are home to Buddhist cave temples, and other places of worship containing magnificent rock carved/cut statues. There were 19 caves, but some have been destroyed by earthquakes and by the creation of a water reservoir. Beautiful scenic water and mountain views. See more..
