The Taklamakan Desert: the Dunhuang Dunes and the 500 Buddhist Caves of Mogao.

Dunhuang. The name doesn’t ring a bell for most people – but it should! Not to worry, for we’re going to fix that right here, right now – as it’s next on the travel itinerary of our China-2024 trip…

So, Dunhuang. It’s a small city built around an oasis and surrounded by the rocky landscapes of the Taklamakan Desert (here). Once a major hub on the Silk Road, it’s a truly ancient place (being founded possibly as far back as 2000BC!). But let’s not get too deep into its history: we’re not historians – just meditative tourists here to take in the exceptional views (and share them with you photographically too:)…

There’s definitely plenty to see here. First and foremost: one of the world’s largest deserts, the Taklamakan, which the city’s situated next to and which features some impressive dunes:

Where the desert meets civilization, you get some really unusual, contrasting sights:

This place is called the Mingsha Mountain Crescent-Lake Nature Park. At the entrance, you find a gate just standing there in the middle of nowhere:

Well, guess we should walk through it (not around it:) ->

From here, you can either hop on to a minibus or walk 1.5km to a very scenic lake and pagoda. Obviously, we opted for the latter…

Tourists are taken around en masse on camels:

Camel traffic light! ->

And here’s the main attraction:

Such a beautiful place – pagoda, lake, dunes. I don’t have much historical info on it, so let’s just enjoy the photos:

Good-luck cards:

And here’s where you can buy one and join in the tradition:

Nice little spot, but it’s time to hit the dunes!…

Oh wow – they think of everything! Climbing up sand dunes isn’t the jolliest activity – so they’ve laid out an on-the-ground ladder to make it easier! And you can even buy shoe covers at the entrance to keep the sand out of your shoes!

I guess the “steps” are especially handy footy for those in… business suits and sneakers?! :) ->

The dunes aren’t huge – it only takes about 15 minutes to reach the top. And what a view!

The inevitable photoshoots:

And in the other direction ->

Not quite Namibia, but still pretty spectacular:

The camel “parking lot” near the entrance (there are hundreds of them!) ->

As evening approaches, more and more folks start climbing up to the top of the dune. Apparently, there’s some kind of light-and-music show takes place here at sunset; unfortunately, we didn’t have time for it…

But… what’s that glimmering atop that dune over there? ->

Zooming in – it’s some kind of unidentified phenomenon. What could it be? No idea…

I tried searching for it on Google Maps but found nothing. Instead, I stumbled upon a satellite image of a plane flying across it:

And that was that for this spot! Time to be heading back down, which is waaay more fun than climbing up a dune :). And if you’re in the mood for some extra adventure, you can rent a special… sandboard and – wheee! – slide down. But we opted for an old-school walk:

We headed back to the city of Dunhuang, which is packed with other must-sees – both natural and historical. No wonder it was such an important hub on the Silk Road for centuries! You could easily spend a few jam-packed days here…

One of the absolute must-see places in Dunhuang? -> the Mogao Caves – a complex of about 500 caves carved into a rock face by Buddhist monks over the course of around a thousand years ->

A fascinating place! Some caves you can actually enter, but – alas! – photography inside is strictly forbidden. We’ll have to settle for exterior shots. A shame, because the caves are famous for their unique Buddhist frescoes – each with their own story.

Each cave has a numbered plaque above its “door” – as if they’re all part of a hotel complex! ->

To be honest, it’s not the most visually stunning sightseeing experience, but for history buffs, and especially those interested in Buddhism, this place must be super-interesting:

This building is officially referred to as the “library” – but I think it could be called the “world’s oldest library”. Why? Because this is where the world’s oldest printed book, the Diamond Sutra, was found! ->