Backpacking in China: Danxia Landforms - Gansu Province

Posted: November 4 2023 | Tagged: China
The Danxia Landforms or Danxia Rock Formations that you can see in Gansu Province are sculptured by the elements. Brutally hot summers and equally brutal cold winters, the wind and some rare rain, make their effect.
Billions of years ago, this place was a salt lake. As the climate and oxidizing - reduction conditions of the lake basins changed, the iron ions in the sedimentary deposits were oxidised to ferric oxides. This caused the sedimentary rocks which formed afterwards to become red, yellow, green, purple, grey and white. As a result of crustal uplift and tectonic movement, the sedimentary rocks became sloped, then twisted and ultimately transformed into tilted hills
This post is from my travels in China back in 2015 (so some of the details might have changed) and first appeared, most likely unseen on my previous blog, White Monkey Travels, which was taken off line after it was hacked.

Posts from China that have already been rehashed include:
If you are curious about how to get a Chinese Visa in 2024, check out this post, Kevin and Kate at Happy Irish Wanderers wrote for Nomadic backpacker
There are 4 main view areas, each with a number of platforms looking out over the landforms. Just as you would see in any cave system, with wild imagination you can see figures. From monkeys to sleeping Buddhas, fire-breathing dragons and scallop shells.
Small mini vans shuttle you from platform to platform but I walked. Go off season and go early to avoid the onslaught of loud large-camera wielding, litter throwing, spitting domestic tourists. Wrap up well. Cold wind.

Getting there and away:

You need to base yourself in Zhangye. There is now a fast rail link from Xining. A mere 2 hours for the 300km instead of a 7-9 hour bus ride. For Danxia, buses depart from the West bus station (10¥ every 30 mins of so, first bus in March was 07:30 1 hour). You'll be dropped off in Ganjunzhen, on the main road and you can walk to the entrance of Danxia National Geopark Tourist Service Center.

Lucky tip:

Fake student id gets you in for 20¥ instead of 40¥ but you still have to pay 20¥ more for the shuttle bus whether you use it or not. Best time to go is in June cos after rain, the hills come live with colour. But as a traveller, you just have to see it as it is the day you get there. I was there in March 2015.

Where to stay:

The Foot Print International Hostel (see map below, entrance is round the back!) is a 30-minute walk from Zhangye West Train station. Call first to say your coming other wise you'll wait as neighbours try to get hold of the guy. Tell him you saw the dorm price for 40¥ otherwise he'll wanna charge you 96¥, the price on booking com. Weird, yes.
​NOMADIC BACKPACKER © 2024.