A trip to the oasis and dunes near Dunhuang

Dunhuang lies essentially on a plateau in a large oasis. Behind the last houses and trees rise huge dunes, up to three hundred meters high. The visitor center is quite monumental to handle the crowds of local excursionists. There are significantly fewer foreigners here, mostly almost none, after all, Dunhuang is a bit out of hand for the main itineraries in China. Behind a huge paved area lies this photogenic stone and then only an unimaginable desert.

Although it is less than a kilometer and a half from the entrance to the desert to the oasis, few Chinese go on foot. There are hundreds of camels here

You can set off in the direction of an oasis along a wide path or directly on the sand

We disconnect from the crowds and climb the dune. The views from the top are just as beautiful

Climbing the dune is no honey, anyone who has tried so knows. In addition, you can still see some higher than where we are.

The higher we are, the wider the view. In the distance you can see the endless green oasis of Dunhuang and directly below us both places surrounded by sand

Our goal is the highest dune far and wide

The ascent to the highest dune is tiring, but amazing at the same time. Their height above the surrounding landscape is really great

Finally we are up and crowds of Chinese tourists for miles

The descent back is already significantly faster. We are finally going to look at the official destination of this trip – a pagoda and a lake

In a few places you will also come across a dune ladder

The temple and the lake are worth walking around from all sides, because the view is always different and always great

The oasis is really perfect

You won't find a livestock further north on the dune

Sun and sand protection must be provided