Dunhuang Tours

Our Dunhuang tours include memorable highlights. You can ride a camel on the Echoing Sands Dune, or simply appreciate the cultural relics and unique desert oasis landscape of the area. Crescent Lake, Yadan National Geological Park, and Yumenguan Pass are all highlights of a Dunhuang tour.

Highlights of our Dunhuang tours include:

• Mogao Caves – Boasting over 700 caves, 2,000 painted statues, and 40 thousand square meters of mural paintings, the Mogao Grottoes are spectacular on another level.
• Echoing Sands Dune – Located just out of Dunhuang, Echoing Sands Dune is a geological phenomenon. Apart from the sheer scale, the dune is remarkable for the echoing sound made due to the particular climate, geography, and sand particles blown by the wind.
• Crescent Spring – Crescent Spring is a crescent-shaped lake found in an oasis located just outside Dunhuang in Gansu.
• Yumenguan Pass – Imagine the importance of this jade trading gateway in a defense line along the Great Wall, a point of departure for those traveling east or west along the Silk Road.
• Great Wall of the Han Dynasty – This part of the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD) formed a defense of trade on the Silk Road. Owing to construction of this part of the wall with materials different from other areas, much has eroded into dunes, with beacon towers remaining.
• Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark – The geological phenomena of Yardangs have been created over time by erosion of the soft earth by rain and wind, leaving spectacular and unusual rock formations.

Jiayuguan is a four-hour scenic drive from Dunhuang during which you’ll take in the vast Gobi desert. Well worth including on any Dunhuang tour, in Jiayuguan you can enjoy the history and stories of this city, which is considered the official end of China’s Great Wall and the start of remote China proper.

While in Jiayuguan, add to your understanding of the Silk Road’s history by visiting:

• Overhanging Great Wall – Built on a steeply sloping valley, the Great Overhanging Wall looks like a picture that hangs over the mountain when viewed from a distance.
• Wei and Jin Dynasties’ Graves – Here you’ll be taken back to life in a different era when viewing the fresco tombs of the Wei and Jin dynasties dating back to 220-419. Paintings on the frescoes depict scenes of daily life and art of that time.
• Jiayuguan Museum – Gain a further appreciation of the history of four sections of the Great Wall during significant periods: of battling warlords and endless warfare; unification and prosperity; economic and cultural development; and decline with invasions from Mongolia

Want to see something not included as part of our Dunhuang tours or take an extended Silk Road tour? Let’s include it for you. Dunhuang offers a unique blend of western and eastern culture and we’re happy to integrate any of these into your tour itinerary to truly personalize your experience.