Things to do in Zhangye

I highly recommend it! If you're going to see the sunrise, be sure to enter from the West Gate; if you're going to see the sunset, enter from the North Gate. The landscape is truly amazing and there's a lot to explore. I didn't have enough time this time, so I only had a brief look around. If you want to take pictures of textbook covers, you have to do it at sunset; if you go in the morning, the glare will greatly reduce the quality.

Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon, located in Pingshan Lake Mongolian Township, Ganzhou District, Zhangye City, about 60 kilometers from the city center, is a national 4A-level scenic area, known as the "Silk Road Secret Realm." Sculpted by millions of years of water and wind, the entire landscape is torn apart by crisscrossing crimson ravines, majestic, desolate, and wild—a stark contrast to the soft and beautiful style of the Rainbow Mountains. Nine Dragons Converging at the Sea, Lovers' Peak, One Line Sky, and Heavenly Ladder—each a unique scenic wonder hidden deep within the canyon. Visitors can stroll along the trails to enjoy the scenery, explore the valley floor on foot, or participate in various adventure activities such as off-road vehicles and camel riding. The scenic area is vast, and exploring it completely requires considerable physical exertion. With significant temperature differences between day and night, be sure to bring plenty of water, sun protection, and a warm jacket. If you come to Zhangye and see the Rainbow Mountains, you might as well come here to experience the rugged and magnificent canyon scenery and appreciate the unique wilderness beauty of the Hexi Corridor.

Don't just visit Danxia when you come to Zhangye! The Giant Buddha Temple has a rich history, and the ancient mortise and tenon joint architecture of the Giant Buddha Hall is worth seeing. The environment is quiet and peaceful, suitable for a peaceful visit. 1-1.5 hours is just right.

After years of longing to visit Mati Temple, I finally arrived during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday! Regarding transportation: Driving is convenient, but please remember that Mati Temple and the Rainbow Mountains are in opposite directions, and it's also quite a distance from Sunan Sacred Mountain and the grasslands. I suggest planning your time accordingly if you plan to visit. Regarding the attractions: The visit was breathtaking, but more than anything, it left me with a sense of regret and sorrow. The cultural relics were utterly destroyed, almost unrecognizable, just empty shells, leaving visitors to imagine their former glory. I have a few suggestions: First, besides the grottoes where staff provide guidance, the Thousand Buddha Caves also require staff guidance, especially at the Upper Medicine Buddha Hall. The long queues and climbing were dangerous, but thankfully, the tourists that day were well-behaved and patiently waited in line, so no uncivilized behavior occurred. Second, the Upper Medicine Buddha Hall's pavilion houses the best-preserved Buddha statues and carvings, but there are no guides or protection! Also, the interiors of the grottoes are densely covered with names, which is disheartening. These should either be addressed or corrected. Furthermore, the grottoes also contain many exquisite murals, which are also lacking protection and explanation—a real pity!

A very satisfying trip! The half-day tour of Binggou Danxia was just over 40 yuan per person for transportation, including door-to-door pick-up and drop-off – excellent value for money. Especially our driver, Mr. Zhao, was incredibly warm, attentive, and considerate – very professional, punctual, and responsible. Highly recommended!

I recommend driving there; it's a thousand-year-old pastoral idyll nestled at the foot of the Qilian Mountains. The Royal Horse Ranch, founded by Huo Qubing, is said to be the world's largest and oldest military horse ranch. Even after an hour's drive, we still couldn't reach the edge. Now, snow-capped mountains, rapeseed flowers, and herds of horses are all framed together. The most moving sight is the horses scattered across the grasslands, some grazing with their heads down, others galloping with their manes flying, completely relaxed and at ease.

On the third day of the National Day trip, the journey from Zhangye to Jiuquan was long, so we arranged to go to the snow mountain first. It is indeed not famous, but the scenery is nice, and you may see marmots, but we didn’t see any. It was cold and windy, so you needed to wear a thin down jacket and gloves. There were plank roads all the way, but the altitude was 3900-4000m. This was the day with the fewest steps on the trip. We walked more than 8,000 meters and had not yet reached the end. I flew a drone, and it may not have been halfway, but I still felt very tired. It took 2 hours, plus the round trip bus ride was about 3 hours. There were not many people in the scenic area, so there was no need to queue.

What's confusing about this scenic area is that the navigation leads to the visitor center on the map, but after asking a staff member, I learned that I had to go up to the second floor to exchange for tickets, get a navigation address and a pass, and then drive more than ten kilometers to actually reach the scenic area. Make sure you don't lose your pass; you'll need to check it before entering. Also, it might be inconvenient if you're not driving. During the summer, which is probably peak season, I didn't see any buses for individual tourists; it was all private cars. The scenery inside the scenic area is definitely worth seeing, and the fact that drones can fly is a great feature 👍