Yardang National Park

Summary

Yardang National Park is a wouderful geological park with large scale of yardang landform, a kind of landform formed by wind erosion. It is a rare natural museum of natural sculptures with ordered mounds in peculiar shapes.

Overview

Yardang National Park is known as 'Town of Demons' in the locality, because there will be sound similar to ‘ghostly screaming’ when wind blowing pass the area. It is about 185 kilometers (115 miles) from Dunhuang City, 85 kilometers (53 miles) west from Jade Gate Pass (also known as Yumen Pass, and it was used to be an important pass along the Silk Road).

The yardang landform in Dunhuang has hard soil property which is light red and covers an area of about 50 square kilometers (about 19.3 square miles). This unique landform is usually exists in dry area. The area was actually once a stretch of highland with cracks, after the function of wind erosion for years, the yardang landform formed with the appearance as a ruined ancient town.

Starting from Dunhuang City, getting across a large stretch of gobi desert, visitors can arrive at Jade Gate Pass, which takes about 1 hour. Then go along the ancient Silk Road, the Yardang National Park is 85 kilometers (53 miles) from Jade Gate Pass. On the way to the park, visitors can retrace the ancient Western China with those historical of the Great Wall built in Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) and ancient beacons (used to send messages during wartime). The landscape formed with blue sky, marsh, meadows, lakes, wild ducks and wild gooses gives visitors a simple sketch of western area in China. At last, all scenery above disappears, and then visitors can find the yardang landform with many miniatures similar to famous architectures in the world (such as the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the Potala Palace in Tibet and pyramids in Egypt) if they use their imagination.

Travel Essentials

How to Get There
It is about 200 kilometers from Dunhuang urban area to Yardang National Park. In consideration of the long journey, it must be better to hire a car or a taxi, which costs about 500 yuan (including the ticket fee of Jade Gate Pass, 40 yuan). Of course, visitors also can take buses directly departing to Yardang National Park at the bus station in Dunhuang.

Ticket Price
50 yuan per person (if one need the service of sightseeing bus, he/she needs to charge another 20 yuan).