Yardang National Geopark


Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark (Chinese: 敦煌雅丹国家地质公园) is a national park in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China, that shows the Yardang geological feature of the area. Yardang has been created over time by the soft part of the earth's surface being eroded by wind and rain, with the hard part of the rocks remaining in the desert.

The geopark is located about 180 kilometers northwest of Dunhuang's town center and covers an area of 398 square kilometers.  Some of the uniquely shaped rocks in the geopark are named "Mongolian Bao", "Camel", "Stone Bird", "Peacock", "The Golden Lion Welcoming His Guests" (Chinese: 金狮迎客), etc.

The unique rock formations in the park developed over a period of 700,000 years. The Yardang geomorphic formations found in the Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark are the largest in China.

One of the most remarkable sites in the Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark is the Yardang Ghost Town. Located within the Ghost Town is the Aisikexiaer Castle. The word 'Aisikexiaer' means 'old city' in the Uyghur language.

Client’s Reviews

  • Fei Z

    Reviewed 15thAugust2014

    A must visit place, please bring umbrellas, it is extremely hot. It can easily reach 50+ degrees, and sometimes 60+ degrees.

  • JasperF368

    Reviewed 22ndApril2013

    We paid €30 per person to get to Yadan, Han great wall, Jade gate pass and the thousand buddha grottoes. On hindsight I think this is a fair deal, the downside is that we had to go by tourbus, which includes a lot of chinese...More

  • Sarawaklaksa

    Reviewed 27thMarch2015

    feel the space and see the natural rock formations for its beauty . mother nature never fails to impress.

  • rosie38c

    Reviewed 26thMay2016

    I wasn't sure what to expect but I had hired a guide for 3 days and this was our first day and the weather was great and i was the only "wai guo ren" foreigner in the park but really enjoyed it. I have seen...More

  • Jim B

    Reviewed 2ndJune2017

    If you have an extra day, these rock formations are worth seeing but I wouldn't go out of my way. Bryce Canyon, Utah is much more spectacular.

  • TravellingNature

    Reviewed 12thOctober2013

    If you travel as an individual tourist, this is the place to avoid. They make you wait up to an hour until they have a full bus load. Of course the tourist groups get immediate attention because of their numbers. The individual tourist gets the...More

  • DawgAbroad

    Reviewed 15thAugust2014

    You wait in lines to board packed tour busses with a Chinese tour guide yelling into a megaphone in Mandarin the entire time. The tour busses make five stops to let everyone take photos of the yardangs that the tourism board thinks resemble animals. Totally...More

  • Simon B

    Reviewed 6thApril2016

    If you think Y120 is a bit steep, there's enough rock formations to see walking around the car park, as well as plenty of pictures and information in two museums. We spent the rest of our time there reading in the bus while the driver...More

  • Eve420

    Reviewed 4thNovember2016

    The nature of Yadan where one can leisurely admire is spoilt by the fact that tourists have to stick closely to the bus routes. Every drop off point was given about 10 minutes and you have to hop back to the bus and continue to...More

  • theworldismyhomeblog

    Reviewed 24thApril2012

    After being in Zhangye Danxia, Yadan is not so interesting. It's a long ride, 1hr from Yumeng Guan.

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