Zhangye(张掖) in Gansu Province is known for its unique landscape – Danxia landform.Named Ganzhou(甘州) in ancient China, it was one of the important stopping-off points on the Silk Road. Marco Polo once stayed there for about a year.
Some people believe that God overturned his palette, and the out-of-a-fairy-tail Zhangye Danxia Landform formed. While for naturalists, they praise the Danxia Landform as one of the greatest masterpiece of our Mother Nature. As for tourists, you really have to visit this incredible natural wonder, and if possible do some real photography here.
Type: Geologic Formations, Nature & Parks
Best Seasons: Summer/Autumn
Recommended Visiting Time: half day
Opening Hours: Summer(7:00-18:00); Winter(7:30-17:00)
Tickets: ￥60 (all year around)
Address: Within Yuquan Town, Yuquan Town, Jiayuguan 735100, China
Introduction of Zhangye Danxia Landform Geographical Park
On the year 2,000, a journalist and a farmer Lei Yixing in Leize County found the magical Danxia Landform land and reported on the newspaper. People were all shocked after seeing the photos, and attracted to explore this rare and new landscape. Till today, this magic land has become a popular tourist attraction – Zhangye Danxia Landform Geographical Park (Chinese: 张掖丹霞国家地质公园), and listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.
How Was the Danxia Landform Formed
Zhangye Danxia Landform is famous for the spectacular colorful mountain range of rock formation – with mixed colors of red, yellow, blue, white, green...It took more than 24 million years of arduous deposition of mineral settlings with different colors to form layers. As time passed by, these weighty rock layers were condensed into rock mountains, and then a slight and slow ripple from the impact between Indo-Australian and Eurasian continental shelfs wrinkled the mountains into some incredible fluctuation. At the same time, wild, rain, sunlight and time together sculpted the mountains extraordinary shapes with different colors, patterns and sizes – towers, palaces, stage, pillars, ravines…
Danxia - Great Masterpiece of Nature
Zhangye Danxia Landorm Sightseeing - The Linze Danxia Scenic Area
Traveling in Zhangye Danxia Landform Geographical Park is simply to views the splendid Danxia landscape from great high sightseeing platforms and hiking on the well-paved stop paths from one sightseeing platform to next. To help travelers enjoy the best beauty of the Danxia Landform, there are four sightseeing platform having been built on the top of some higher mountains. Travelers need to hike up some uprising winding stone steps to get to the top of the platform. Since the Danxia Landform Park covering large areas of mountains and valleys, the distance between 4 platforms are over 20 kilometers. So it is not recommended to walk the whole distance also because of the very high temperature, dry air and strong sunlight. Traveler can take the park bus to transfer between sightseeing platforms.
No. 1 Sightseeing Platform
After entering the gate of the Linze Danxia Scenic Area, you will get on a park bus to the foothill of the No. 1 Sightseeing Platform, which will take only about 10 minutes to get there. Getting off the bus, you will climb up stone steps to a wide, long and gentle slope where is the No. 1 Platform seated on. The No. 1 Sightseeing Platform is the largest platform in the park which is the best place to get the panoramic views of Danxia landscape. The biggest feature here is that you can see many incredible shapes of red-yellow-white mountains – some looking like a giant scallop, some looking like monkeys seeing over sea, some like many Buddha statues sitting together, some like flowing rivers…Here you can spend about a half tour to see around.
No. 2 Sightseeing Platform
Walking down from the No. 1 platform to the site of broadways, you will board a park bus to No. 2 Sightseeing Platform, which will take about 20 minutes. The No. 2 platform is located in a flat area in a valley. Here you will get a closer view of Danxia Landform – a bold mountain range without any plants but appearing beautiful long and colorful wrinkle on the layer of the mountains.
No. 3 Sightseeing Platform
To get to the No. 3 Sightseeing Platform, you don’t have to take a park bus this time. Because it is on the top of a mountain just hundreds meters away. You only have to take the path aside the broadways, and climb up the stone steps to get to the platform. The biggest highlight here is in front of your eyes sitting a large and stretching Danxia mountain which is the biggest in the park with clear red colors.
No. 4 Sightseeing Platform
At the foothill of No. 3 platform, you will take a short ride by bus to the final platform which is also believed to the most beautiful platform in the park. Still you have to hike up several hundred meters’ stone steps to reach the top of the No. 4 Platform. Here is the best location for Danxia landscape photography. During the late afternoon hours, the golden sunset lights spraying over the Danxia mountains which create a stunning scene. This platform is relatively narrow, so you’d better get there early to get a good position.
Best Season and Hours to Visit
The best months of a year to see Zhangye Danxia Landform are June, July, August and September when the weather is comfortable. The moderate rainfall in the summer can cool the high temperature, more importantly deeper the colors of the mountain. Other months are usually very dry and windy. Winter is very cold, not a good time for visit Zhangye.
The best hours for sightseeing are the early morning and late afternoonwhen the temperatures are lower, colors are clearer. The most beautiful moment is the sunset when the golden sunlight shining on the red mountains.
Visit Danxia in Summer and Autumn
Photography Tips
The four sightseeing platforms are the best locations to take photos. Generally, autumn is the best season for both visiting and photography when the weather is cool and fresh. The snow in winter is helpful to take some spectacular photos of Danxia Landform in winter. Sunrise and sunset are the best hours for taking photos. The golden sunlight makes the red mountains morbidezza and soft. The sunrise usually appears around 06:00 in summer and 07:30 in winter. The sunset happens around 19:00~20:00 in summer and 18:00~19:00 in winter.
As for equipment for photography, you can bring frequently-used lenses and tripod (for sunrise and sunset).
