Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark

Wind-eroded yardang rock formations rising from the Gobi floor

Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark - known locally as the "Devil City" (Mogui Cheng) for the eerie howl the wind makes through its corridors - is one of China's largest and most dramatic yardang landforms. Over hundreds of thousands of years, fierce desert winds have carved the dry lakebed into a fleet of clay-and-sandstone ridges shaped like castles, fortresses, ships and sphinxes, stretching across the flat Gobi roughly 180 km northwest of Dunhuang and about 80 km beyond Yumen Pass.

What to see

The park is laid out as a loop of named formations - the "Golden Lion Welcoming Guests", the "Western Sea Fleet" of ship-like ridges, the "Peacock" and others - best appreciated from the sightseeing bus that stops at four viewing areas. The scale only registers when a tiny vehicle crawls past a ridge the size of a city block.

Eroded clay ridges stretching across the desert at sunset

When it shines

This is a sunset destination. As the sun drops, the ochre ridges glow red-gold and the shadows between them deepen, while the wind picks up its famous moan. Photographers and stargazers often linger after dark, when the Gobi sky fills with stars.

Castle-like rock formation glowing in low desert light

Opening hours & tickets

Open daily with long hours (roughly 06:00 to after sunset; last entry about 19:30). Admission is around 120 yuan, which typically bundles the entrance fee with the compulsory shuttle bus that links the four viewpoints - you cannot drive your own car through the core zone. Self-drive deep-route tours are offered at extra cost.

Getting there

There is no public bus. Most travellers join a "west-line" day tour by chartered minibus that strings together Yumen Pass, the Han Great Wall and the geopark, returning to Dunhuang late. Budget a full day for the round trip.