Dunes in the morning, caves in the afternoon — dodging both the heat and the crowds
Mingsha Mountain in the morning, then the caves in the afternoon — eight of them with a guide, after two short films that make sense of what you are about to see.
No photography inside the caves. If that is a dealbreaker, this is the wrong booking.
The Class A ticket is the one with eight caves. Cheaper Class B tickets exist elsewhere and get you four.
Pick-up from any hotel in Dunhuang city; the driver confirms the time the evening before
Local time (GMT+8). Cave entry follows the booked slot, so the order may swap.
Collected in route order; about 15 minutes to the dunes
About three hours: climb for the full view of the crescent, ride a camel (¥100, own expense), sand-sled. The spring has stayed put among the dunes for two thousand years
Donkey-meat noodles are the local standard — Da Ji and Shun Zhang are the old names. Try the apricot juice, and huyang menbing — flatbread braised with lamb
The dome-screen film blows up caves such as 220 to full size. After it, the real caves read very differently
Shuttle to the cliff, then an official site guide. The nine-storey façade of Cave 96 hides a 35.5 m Buddha; Cave 17 is the Library Cave, where Dunhuang studies began
About 25 minutes
Ask to be dropped at the night market for skewers and cold beer
Dunes first, caves second works well with children. The caves are dim and involve standing for a while, so under-fives may struggle.
$125 per person on the group tour, or from $256 per vehicle for a private car with driver and guide. The group price includes the driver, guide and admission; the private price is for the whole vehicle, whatever the party size.
It runs 08:00 to 18:00 — about 10 hours from pick-up to drop-off, including the drive. If you are catching a train or flight the same evening, book it for after 19:30.
Any hotel in Dunhuang. Your driver and guide meet you there; the exact spot is confirmed the day before travel.
Mogao Class A ticket (film, shuttle, eight caves with a guide); Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake admission (¥110); Vehicle and transfers from any Dunhuang hotel.
Lunch; Camel ride ¥100, sand-sledding ¥30, sand-proof shoe covers ¥15.
Two days. We do not accept same-day or next-day bookings because the car, guide and admission have to be arranged in advance. Cancellation is free up to 7 days before the tour; inside that it steps to 20% (6–3 days) and 60% (2–1 days), and nothing is refunded on the day itself.
The digital films first, then eight caves with a guide — that order makes sense. The colours on the murals are still vivid after a thousand years, and the giant Buddha in the nine-storey hall stops you dead.
莫高窟不愧是丝路文化瑰宝，先观看数字影片铺垫历史，再跟随讲解员参观洞窟。千年壁画色彩依旧动人，九层楼大佛气势震撼。
The centrepiece of the Hexi Corridor. No photography inside, which is a good thing — you end up actually looking. Book the A ticket; the B ticket only gets you four caves.
河西走廊行程重头戏莫高窟，来这里就是看石窟、读千年历史。洞窟内禁止拍照，只能靠眼睛去感受。
Sixteen Kingdoms to Yuan dynasty in a few hundred metres of cliff — you can read the change in faces and drapery cave by cave. A guide is essential, or it is just dark rooms.
名副其实的千年艺术瑰宝，从十六国到元代，每个朝代的造像风格都不同，站在洞窟里直面壁画与彩塑时真的很被打动。
