4.5Zhangye Danxia Geopark(301 reviews) - Gorgeous spot to just sit and be! Parks • Geologic Formations
I’ve been dreaming of coming to the Rainbow Mountains since I moved to China in 2012 and they did not disappoint. Some say 3 hours at the park is enough, but not for me! I love that they have hop on hop off buses so you can enjoy the spots at your own pace. At the first stop (if you come in from the West Gate…No. 2 is what some call it), there is a coffee shop up a ways with great coffee and some shady spots to enjoy the view. At every stop there are food, vending machines, and restrooms. When you buy a ticket, it is also good for the next day (but you’ll need to pay 20¥ for the bus fee on the second day at the ticket counter). You can go in at 5:30 and experience the morning sunlight on the mountains. So gorgeous and much quieter without all the hustle and bustle of the midday crowds. The no. 4 platform was by far my favorite stop on the bus route to just sit and be and enjoy. Definitely worth the trip!See more..
4.5Yadan National Geological Park(179 reviews) - Remote, Scenic Sites in Dunhuang Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM National Parks • Parks • Geologic Formations
The Yadan (Dunhuang) Geological Park is a large, remote desert area that had been designated by UNESCO as both a World Cultural Heritage Site and a Global Geopark for its importance in the history (Silk Road) and a unique, natural scenic area. in the GeoPark, there is a modern visitor center with displays describing the area's history. Just outside the rear door of the visitor center, is the Small Fangpan Castle and is located in Yumen Pass. Also from the Visitor Center, there are shuttle buses that takes you to the ancient Han Dynasty Great Wall section. As can be seen in my photos of this section of the Great Wall, the design and construction is very much different than the sections of the Great Wall that is located in central and eastern China. So if you are interested in seeing ancient and historic sites of the Silk Road era like I am, then these attractions are for you.See more..
4.5Yellow River Stone Forest of Jingtai(22 reviews) - Breathtaking geological creation Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Parks • Geologic Formations
Spectacular, breathtaking scenery in all directions. The stone forest is massive and has an estimated creation date going back four billion years. See more..
I visited this glacier QiYi(7 1 in English) in May 15 years ago for my first hike to a glacier. The glacier is at elevation of 4300 m or 12,000 ft . The hike from base park to mouth of glacier (2kms?) took about 2 hours. for every 3 steps forward I stopped to catch my breadth. There is no climbing needed but tracking up a path that followed the contour up. Many of the trip members complained about headaches as they ascend and feeling nauseous and gave up after walking 0.2km. We were not well prepared wearing only sport shoes. If we have snow shoes, we would have been able to walk into the glacier. This hike is not for the unfit and you need to walk 2km up the mountain to see the glacier. Don t try if you are unfit or have high blood pressure or heart problems . See more..
4.5Dunhuang Anxi Qiaowan City(3 reviews) - Magnificent but at present not easy to reach Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Geologic Formations • History Museums These caves which go by various names (Thousand-Buddha Gap, Yulin Caves/Grottoes) are magnificent and, in my view just as good as those at Mogao. However, at the time of writing (4/17) it is something of a challenge to reach them. But, my goodness it was worth the effort. The presentation is not on the same level as the introduction at Mogao. Indeed, there is no introduction but the caves are marvellous. The road is gravel most of the way but it looks as though it is being upgraded. As a result there were less than 100 visitors. The caves are either side of the river where it runs through a canyon. The paintings are remarkably well preserved. 43 caves are from the Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia, Uiger, Yuan and Qing dynasties. We were only a small group and so received almost personal attention and the caves were much bigger than Mogao and very cold once inside. Some of the black ink drawings were exquisite. There has been some restoration carried out some 100 years ago to the figures and to the paintings so the colours are quite bright but a great deal of the art is original. There is little in the way of facilities although a new visitor centre is being built. I would suggest one takes one's own torch although the guide will have one but the caves are large. Clearly the site will, in due course, be on the tourist route but I would suggest one visits whilst it is so simple and charming.See more..
4.5Mengke Glacier(2 reviews) - A LONG, but worthwhile experience. Wednesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Geologic Formations • Valleys
It's a VERY long road trip from Dunhuang, (did there AND back in one day), and not the most exciting road trip I've evere made. Felt spent too much time in the car, so better to stay somewhere nearer if possible. Be prepared for the high altitude, I wasn't, so felt quite dizzy when there. Saying all this, I'm glad I went to see it as it's probably the first and last glacier that I'll ever get to see ;it's mother nature at one of her best.See more..
4.0Zecha Stone Forest(1 review) - Interesting geological formation Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Geologic Formations Beautiful rock formation in the northeastern edge of the Qinghai Tibetan plateau. Near to the road crossing from Langzhou to chendu across the ruoergai plateau- full of grasslands, lakes and peatlands.See more..
