Yadan National Geopark

Due to the need to protect the surface, tourists can only enter by bus and will be dropped off at designated locations, and they cannot cross the guardrails. As soon as you get off the bus, you will feel lost. The surrounding area is full of Yadan landforms, the surface is black sand, and there are raised mounds of various shapes in the middle. It feels like being in the ocean, amazing~

The first time I saw the Yadan landform, I once again admired the uncanny workmanship of nature. The Yadan landform is also my favorite in this trip ~ probably because I have never seen it before. You will sigh at the nature and its uncanny workmanship, you will involuntarily want to cherish this landscape, you will be afraid that the strong wind will blow away the loess bit by bit, and the descendants in a few hundred years will no longer be able to see this spectacular sight.

90 kilometers west of Yumen Pass in Gansu, there is a typical Yadan landform community. When the wind blows, ghosts make eerie sounds, and people cannot get out at night. People call it the Devil City. The whole looks like an ancient city in the Middle Ages. This special "castle" has walls, streets, buildings, squares, churches, and sculptures. Its image is vivid and lifelike, which amazes the world. These masterpieces of nature are amazing and wonderful.

The scenic shuttle bus stops at four stations along the way, each stop lasting about 10 minutes. At each station, tourists get off the bus and gather in front of the Yadans that require imagination, listening to explanations, reading instructions, and taking photos. There are railings in front of the scenic spots to prevent tourists from entering and destroying the Yadans without permission. However, near the third stop, there are groups of four-wheel drive off-road vehicles. If tourists are willing to pay 400 yuan, they can take an off-road vehicle through the railings, go deep into the scenic area, and get close to the Yadans.

The shuttle bus will take you to several regular attractions - "Golden Lion Welcoming Guests", "Sphinx", "Peacock", and "West Sea Fleet". It is highly recommended to take an off-road vehicle for 400 yuan at the Peacock point to the South District. The off-road driver will take you to the South District, where you can see several points such as "Aliens" on the shuttle ticket. Some drivers told us that it looks like a camel from a distance, but as long as the driver drives a little further forward, the "camel" disappears and becomes two large rocks far away. The "road signs" are difficult to identify, and the compass fails from time to time. No wonder so many explorers and scientists get lost and die here.

If it is a regular tour, watching the sunset at the last point of the West Sea Fleet is a good choice.

You can arrange the order by yourself, but you must grasp the last time to enter Yadan Geopark.

To be honest, Yadan is much worse than I imagined. Probably for the sake of protecting the geological structure, all the scenic spots are fenced off, and all the landforms can only be viewed from a distance, which is far from the shock of being there in person. And the three or four spots that can be seen make me, who once imagined the Devil City to be awe-inspiring, a little disappointed. It is said that if you are willing to spend money to go to the unopened southern area, you can see better scenery. Maybe that is where the imagined Devil City is.

The West Sea Fleet is quite spectacular, but you can only watch it from a distance and can't take a panoramic photo. The foggy weather also made the idea of watching the sunset completely futile, which was a pity.

This Yadan landform in Dunhuang is already at the edge of Lop Nur, with an area of about 400 square kilometers. It took about 700,000 to 300,000 years to form. When strong winds blow, it will make all kinds of strange noises, so it is also called the Dunhuang Yadan Ghost City.

When we went there in 2016, most of this road had been paved, and the rest were probably some bridges, connecting lines, etc. If you go there now, you won't have to go through these hardships. The Internet says, "The road conditions are very good and there are few cars." I'm so envious!

Yadan National Geopark is far from the city, about 400 kilometers round trip, but it is worth visiting!

On the way to Yadan, there is a barren Gobi Desert. The car can be parked in the harbor area. You can take photos on the road. The sky and the earth are the best background.

You can see uninhabited protected areas along the way. It is recommended not to enter for your own safety.

You will pass Yumen Pass on the way. If you leave after lunch, you might as well take a step into Yumen Pass to take a look. It is okay to waste some time.

If you choose to watch the sunset, it is recommended to arrive at Yadan before 7pm. If you go too early, you can only catch up on sleep in the car while waiting, because the sightseeing bus departs at a certain time, and the sunset is around 8:30, so if you go too early, you basically can't see the sunset, because the staff will not let you play freely in Yadan, because it is very dangerous...

After entering the park and visiting the second scenic spot where the sightseeing bus stops, there will be an advanced tour project. The colorful and beautiful jeep needs to be paid separately, 500 yuan per car, which can seat three people.

Then, when you get on this bus, it is a more private tour route, which is different from the sightseeing route of the bus. At the same time, you can watch the sunset at the highest peak of Yadan.

The scenery is really amazing. On the road chasing the sunset, the mood continues to rise and fall among hope, disappointment, expectation, and surprise. Those who can finally see the complete sunset are the blessed people accompanied by good luck!

Of course, you can also watch the sunrise at Yadan. Because the distance is far, I didn't buy the morning ticket, so you can go there at your own discretion.

In short, the journey is long, the scenery is strange, the sun is scorching, and the night is really dark. When returning, please keep a safe distance. Safety first

I wish you all a happy time, and all the photos you take are beautiful~

The area of the entire park is still very large. The scenic area tour bus will take tourists to play about 3 scenic spots, and it is not possible to visit the scenic area in depth. Tourists who want to watch the sunset are advised to rent an off-road vehicle in the scenic area directly. The driver will take you deep into the Yadan landform, and the photos taken are also beautiful. We chose this road, really just for the concave shape. The scenic area tour bus is equipped with a special tour guide who will tell you the origin of the name of each scenic spot. Sometimes you can easily see the shape of the mound, but more often you need to use your imagination. However, no matter whether it looks like it or not, when you see so many strange-shaped mounds standing here, you will still be deeply impressed by the creativity of nature. Because the structure of these mounds is relatively loose and there is a possibility of collapse at any time, the surrounding area is surrounded by ropes, and tourists cannot get close. Standing on a high place and looking down, you can more intuitively feel the magnificence of the Yadan landform, and people and cars are particularly small in it.

The formation time of the Yadan landform in Dunhuang is very long, the landform is peculiar and diverse, the scale is large, and the artistic taste is high. It can be called the world's only desert geological museum. In this magical land of Dunhuang, nature has created many wonders and strange sights. Located at the junction of Xinjiang and Gansu, more than 80 kilometers northwest of Yumen Pass, there is a typical Yadan landform community with an orderly layout and peculiar shapes. It is a rare natural sculpture museum. It can be called another wonder of Dunhuang. It is a natural masterpiece of nature's ingenious workmanship and infinite wonders.

Holiday Charter Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop ~~~ Located in Dunhuang City at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, about 90 kilometers northwest of Dunhuang City, it is one of the two passes in the western frontier of the Han Dynasty. It is the only pass for the ancient Silk Road to go west from Dunhuang to the northern and central roads of the Western Regions. It has been the gateway for the Central Plains to enter the Western Regions since ancient times. It is about 25 kilometers long from east to west and about 1-2 kilometers wide from north to south. When the wind blows, the ghosts make eerie sounds, and people walk at night without turning around. People call it the Devil City. (The above is from Baidu) Another saying about the Devil City is: In the afternoon, the wind will blow here. The sound made by the wind is like a ghost cry, so it is called the Devil City. There are different specific statements. I won’t say too much about the Yadan landform, you can Baidu it yourself! Before going, it is recommended to see the difference between Yadan and Danxia, don’t confuse them. It is a very suitable place for taking pictures 📷. Warm reminder, be sure to pay attention to safety when taking pictures of the highway on this road ⚠️Because the traffic volume on this road is relatively large, especially in the peak tourist season, remember! Remember! Remember!

Although the operation mode of the Yadan Scenic Area has turned the so-called geological park into a "useless" attraction where people can only sleep on the bus and take photos when they get off, it has to be admitted that some thought was put into the construction of the scenic area.

It is nice to go to Yadan to take photos when the weather is good, but don’t go if it is cloudy, as the cost-effectiveness is too low.

Yadan National Geopark is the last stop of our trip to Dunhuang West Line and also a highlight attraction. It is also called Yadan Devil City. The park is dominated by a large area of unique Yadan landforms, which appear fantastic and spectacular on the Gobi Desert. It is said that after nightfall, the sharp wind makes a terrifying howl, like thousands of wild beasts roaring, which is creepy, and hence the name "Devil City".



The first feeling I had about the Yadan landform was shock, the kind of shock that goes deep into people's hearts, which makes people have to sigh at the ingenuity and wonder of nature. It is said that after thousands of years, all the Yadans will disintegrate and turn into ordinary yellow sand. The tour guide even said: "Every breath we take may accelerate the demise of the Yadan." Although it feels a bit exaggerated, this kind of wonder is really the kind that you will never see again.



After seeing several regular-shaped Yadans such as the "Golden Lion Welcoming Guests" and the "Sphinx", we chose to take an off-road vehicle inside the scenic area to go deep into the Yadan hinterland and continue to visit several Yadans that are not accessible by regular routes. The uniform price for an off-road vehicle is 500 yuan per vehicle, which can seat 4 people. If there are not enough people, you can find someone to share the vehicle on site.



There were exactly 4 of us this time, so we didn't have to bother to find someone to share a car with. The driver of the off-road vehicle was a relatively young driver under 30 years old, who was said to have worked in this scenic area for more than 3 years. The space for the off-road vehicle was quite spacious, and the driver took us to many Yadans that were not fenced, some of which could be climbed, which was especially suitable for taking beautiful photos.



The common route is to watch the sunset of Yadan from the "West Sea Fleet", while the off-road vehicle will take you to another commanding point of Yadan to watch the sunset, where the location is better and there are fewer people. The sunset of Yadan is more beautiful than the sunset of Mingsha Mountain. When the afterglow of the sunset slowly falls to the horizon, the golden, dazzling light is like a golden disk, shining on people's faces.



Yadan National Geopark is really a place that makes people linger. When we watched the sunset and the off-road vehicle driver took us back, I actually felt a little reluctant to leave. The magnificence of Yadan far exceeded my expectations. It was really worth the trip.

Yadan Ghost City, a product of nature, a Gobi desert that can only be entered but not exited in countless novels, and a series of "warships" carved by history, are extremely wonderful.

The sunset is beautiful, and the desert is beautiful too.

Also known as the Yadan Ghost City, it is located in the westernmost part of Dunhuang and the farthest scenic spot from the city. Going forward is the mysterious Lop Nur in Xinjiang. In fact, Yadan landforms are not unique to this place, there are many in Xinjiang. Yadan landforms are really the work of nature. Seeing them with your own eyes is far more shocking than seeing them in photos. It is estimated that the angle of aerial photography is even more amazing, like an alien planet.

As it is too far from the city, transportation to the Devil City is a problem. There are only two ways to visit it: the first is to rent a car by yourself; the second, which is also the one that Evan recommends the most, is to join a one-day tour. Because the attractions in Dunhuang are very distinctive, they can be divided into two major sections: the urban section and the western section. The western one-day tour starts from the city and goes west, passing through the Dunhuang Film and Television Ancient City, the Western Thousand Buddha Caves, Yangguan, Yumenguan, and then playing all the way to the Yadan Devil City, and then returning to the city. It takes just one day and can be easily done.

The last stop of the Dunhuang West Line One-Day Tour is the Yadan Ghost City. First of all, from the perspective of characteristics, it is quite distinctive. It belongs to the Yadan landform. There are also many Yadan landforms in the world, but this one with such a large area is also relatively famous, a scenic spot. First of all, I want to complain about the ticket. The ticket is 50, but the shuttle bus, that is, the sightseeing bus, costs 70 yuan, and the total ticket is 120 yuan. No matter who you are, even if you are free of tickets, you still have to pay 70 yuan for the sightseeing bus ticket. There are national regulations, and the tickets for certain scenic spots are stipulated, and they cannot exceed a certain amount of money, so these scenic spots make a big fuss about the sightseeing bus and raise the price of the sightseeing bus ticket to a very high level. I personally like historical relics and scenic spots, so I am not very interested in these natural wonders. In addition, I have been to Danxia Mountain and Zhangye's colorful Danxia before, so I followed the carpoolers to the entrance of this scenic spot without buying a ticket. I thought it would be boring to stay in the car or sit at the entrance alone, waiting for them for two hours, but then I found that there was a video to watch at the ticket office of the scenic spot, and there was a large screen to watch the video, and there was a free museum next door. Because I am more careful, I was very serious when I visited the museum, reading every text message, so when I finished the museum, the time was almost up. Then it happened that they were going to get off work after they finished. After they got off work, there was no one guarding the gate, and I could run in and take a super beautiful sunset photo. At the same time, those friends who went in to see it didn't have time to eat dinner, because they said they had to catch the last sightseeing bus, so I had a slow dinner here at the entrance of the scenic spot, of course, instant noodles, which cost 10 yuan. Friends who don't want to be ripped off must bring their own rice porridge or something, come here, and eat here, otherwise you will be ripped off. I waited until they got off work, and no one was watching me, so I sneaked in and took a few photos. I think it was enough for me. Suddenly I realized that I saved 120 yuan, so happy, this 120 yuan is enough for me to stay in a youth hostel for 30,000 or 40,000 yuan.

Yadan is a scenic spot worth visiting. It is far from the city of Dunhuang and requires a chartered car to go there. It is more convenient to find a one-day tour online (about 70 yuan/person in the off-season), and you can also visit other scenic spots along the way! ! Yadan is the last scenic spot, so when you arrive there, you just catch the last sightseeing bus and can see the sunset. Here you can feel how amazing the nature is. Rows of strangely shaped mounds stand in this vast desert, standing for thousands of years. Yadan has another name "Devil City" because when the wind blows at night, the sound of the wind hitting the mounds is like the howling of ghosts and wolves. There is basically no signal for mobile phones here, so for the safety of tourists, there will be sightseeing cars to take you into the scenic spot, and then go to the next scenic spot after seeing one scenic spot. In order to protect the scenic spot, the periphery is surrounded by guardrails, so it cannot be touched. Yadan is specially arranged as the last one in the one-day tour, and it is also the farthest scenic spot, so you can see the most beautiful sunset here. When the sun slowly sets and it starts to get dark all around, before you come to your senses from the beautiful sunset, Yadan finally begins to show its terrifying and eerie side. This ever-changing Yadan is worth seeing.

The bus only allowed us to see about four attractions. If we wanted to see more attractions, we had to charter a car. The driver of our chartered car was very good at reading our expressions. He only knew that we were not very interested in some of the image attractions, but he allowed us to take photos along the way. The photos turned out to be really beautiful.

It's majestic, cold, and the wind is so strong that it can blow you away. But you have to go and see this geographical wonder.

Spectacular! The desert is full of jagged rocks, and I am once again impressed by the wonders of nature. It is great to pose for photos at sunset!

The weather was good and the off-road driver was good at taking photos. He waited for the sunset in the Devil City.

Feel the wonders of nature and appreciate the natural landscape of the stall next door. It is really shocking and spectacular, and it is worth going.

Fortunately, the sunset was beautiful that day.

We don’t know how far the West Sea Fleet is from us. There are only a few scenic spots close to it. Watching the sunset in this place is a bit Zen.

The sunset is nice and there is an endless road. You can take a jeep to the hillside to watch the sunset. Be careful, there are a lot of mosquitoes and they are particularly poisonous.

The Devil City is so magnificent that it is worth seeing.

I watched the mound for a whole day, just for the sunset and the starry sky on the way home. The weather was good today, so it was worth it

It's far, and you have to hire a car to get there. I thought Yadan Ghost City was great, but after the trip, I was disappointed. It's not what I imagined. The explanation on the bus is so fast that I can't tell what it's saying... I think the ticket is not worth it in the off-season. I just treat it as the end of a trip. This is the farthest on the west line

What a scam! A huge scam! Do you suggest that everyone should not go to this unscrupulous attraction? I drove to the entrance of the scenic spot and saw a sign saying "Vehicles entering Xinjiang must park and check and register"! An assistant police officer from the scenic spot police station asked me to register my ID card, and after registration, he asked me to negotiate with the scenic spot to let me pass. The scenic spot refused to let me drive into the only way to enter Xinjiang. They just wanted me to buy tickets and scenic area bus tickets! If you, the police and the scenic spot, don't let vehicles pass, why did you put up such a sign? Please help!

The sunset was so beautiful, beyond my expectations.

The Yadan landform in Dunhuang is part of the ancient Lop Nur. In this magical land of Dunhuang, nature has created many wonders. Located at the junction of Xinjiang and Gansu, more than 80 kilometers northwest of Yumen Pass, the Yadan in Dunhuang is a typical Yadan landform community with an orderly layout and peculiar shapes. It is a rare natural sculpture museum.

They come from 700,000 years ago. After many changes, various strange Yadan landforms have appeared. It is a natural sculpture museum. The soil here is hard and light red, which forms a strong contrast with the blue Gobi Desert. It is particularly eye-catching against the blue sky and white clouds. If you enter the Yadan at night, the sound of wind and ghosts is so eerie that you can't get out. It is really thrilling, so the locals also call Yadan "Devil City". Interestingly, the tour guide claimed that the Yadan in front of us is shaped like the West Sea Fleet, riding the wind and waves in the sea of sand. I said that we have the South China Sea Fleet in Zhanjiang, riding the waves in the sea, which just echoes yours.

I took pictures of the majestic beauty of the setting sun over the long river here. In fact, the reality is more shocking than what is presented in the image, and my mood is more easily affected. There is a kind of sadness that I can't do anything about watching time pass by so quickly.

As the last ray of afterglow sank into the desolate horizon in the distance, the air became increasingly cold and my mood slowly calmed down.

In fact, this attraction is dispensable to us, because we have been to the Devil City in Karamay and are not too obsessed with the Yadan landform.

The tour guide pointed out various pictographic landforms to us one by one. Due to the influence of wind erosion and water intrusion, some earth mounds looked like lions, some like pyramids, some like sphinxes, some like peacocks, and there was also a "West Sea Fleet". I guess children with rich imagination will be happier here.

In general, we were not very interested in this geological park. We just visited it with the mentality of "make the best of it". If the price was not so high, I think we would have fewer complaints.

Known as the Devil's Town, I don't like it very much. My friend went in to see that it was said to be formed by water erosion. He went in and took a picture, and I took a look.

Yadan is a mature scenic spot with complete facilities and reasonable route planning. Tourists can only follow the shuttle bus to visit one scenic spot after another. Looking at these brown stone cities eroded by wind, they are in strange shapes and stand alone on this boundless land, which is spectacular.

The landforms are stunning, but the tickets are a bit unbelievable. It is best to charter a car after entering the scenic area so that you can have more fun.

The naturally formed scenery is spectacular. Compared with the mature tourism in the Jiangnan water town, I prefer this kind of pure natural scenery without too much commercialization~

The bus takes you to various photo spots in the Devil City, which is quite plain. You can only enjoy the view if you rent an off-road vehicle to go deep into the hinterland.

The environment here is a vast Gobi Desert, dry and arid, with gusts of evil wind blowing, and the bullies in this barren land.

It was very far. I got up at 3 o'clock in the morning and watched the sunrise in the Gobi Desert.

It is a great place to film, but you cannot move freely. You can only shoot for 10 minutes at a time and you cannot get close to the Yadan itself.

Yadan landform is a natural wind erosion phenomenon. No entrance fee is required for the Yadan here. You can enjoy it at will. The large and small mounds have undergone years of weathering and have become different in appearance. It is recommended to choose a mountain to climb to the top of the mountain and overlook the vastness of the surroundings in 360 degrees. It is really spectacular! ! I heard that when the wind blows here, there will be ghosts crying and wolves howling, so it is named "Devil City" (haha, we didn't hear it when we were inside)

It is not recommended to go too deep into the Devil City to avoid getting lost. This is an uninhabited area with poor signal. It would be very troublesome if you get lost.

Even the poor quality of the images on my phone cannot hide the shock in my heart.

When you arrive at the scenic spot, you will first pass through an exhibition hall that introduces the Yadan landform and the origin of its name. After leaving the exhibition hall, there will be a bus to take tourists to four major attractions.

From the last scenic spot, you can overlook the Yadan landform, which looks like a row of ships lined up in the sand sea in an orderly manner, and is called the "West Sea Fleet".

The Yadan landform is quite nice. I heard that this scenic spot is now fenced off and many people don't cherish it.

It is generally recommended to watch the sunset. In this case, you need to arrive before 19:00. You can catch the sightseeing bus at 19:00 or 19:30. Currently, the sightseeing bus at 19:30 is the last one.

It was just after 17:00 when we arrived. As the weather was not very good that day, the staff did not recommend waiting until after 19:00 to enter the scenic area, fearing that the weather would be changeable and we might not be able to see the scenery clearly by then.

There is a tour guide on the bus who will introduce everyone. The bus will stop at four famous scenic spots in the scenic area for everyone to appreciate and take pictures. However, the first three scenic spots will not stay for long. At the last scenic spot, everyone can stay until sunset to take pictures and then go back with the bus.

When you stop at the third scenic spot, there is an off-road vehicle service. One vehicle can take 4 people, excluding the driver, and each person costs 100 yuan. If there are fewer people, you can group up and carpool. We are 4 adults and one child, and we still charge 400 yuan. You can pay the driver at the end of the tour. The driver may ask for a tip at that time. It's up to you.

After changing to an off-road vehicle, you don't need to take the sightseeing bus anymore. The off-road vehicle will take you to the fourth scenic spot. Then drive to the deeper South District (which the sightseeing bus does not go to) for a visit. There are fewer people in the South District, and the scenery is more beautiful. You can take photos at will. The driver can help everyone take group photos. If you are interested in driving, the driver will agree.

However, there is also a time limit for riding an off-road vehicle, which is generally 1 hour, and no more than 1.5 hours. That is to say, it should not exceed 1.5 hours from getting on the bus at Scenic Spot No. 3 to driving back to the entrance of the scenic spot.

Yadan Ghost City is more than 100 kilometers away from Dunhuang and belongs to the same region as Lop Nur in Xinjiang. The wind erosion landform inside is very unique. The first feeling is like being on Mars. The stone shapes inside are strange and bizarre, and 30% of them are like the real thing and 70% are up to imagination.

I have to complain that the 70 yuan fare is too expensive, more expensive than the ticket. If you don't see the sunset, it's really a loss. You must buy a ticket for this attraction, and then the guide will take a car of people to visit 4 attractions. The first attraction is the Golden Lion Welcoming Guests, just take a photo and leave, nothing else. The second is the Sphinx, which is actually not very similar, and you just take two photos and leave. The third one is a little bigger, it is a peacock, you can walk in a little bit, take more photos of Yadan, and you can also take photos on the road. There are off-road vehicles, paragliders and helicopters here. It seems that the helicopter is 600 yuan per person and the off-road vehicle is 400 yuan per car. The off-road vehicle can be taken to the southern part of the scenic area for fun, I don't know how it works. In fact, after seeing the three attractions, I feel that if it is like this, it will be a big loss. As a result, I saw that the fourth attraction, the West Sea Fleet, is particularly spectacular, and taking photos at sunset is also very beautiful. In general, it is worth seeing. I will pass a panoramic view of the West Sea Fleet for your reference.

Please note that China-TravelNote has marked this address wrong. It is actually an hour's drive from Yumen Pass.

The whole way is next to each other. The tour bus only stops at a few fixed points. Tourists get off the bus and take photos in a limited time and area. The scenic area prohibits tourists from doing private activities. There have been many accidents caused by tourists walking into the scenic area privately (there is no mobile phone signal in this area). Once you enter the scenic area, the tour bus and seats are fixed, and you will be urged to get on the bus when the time is up. The sunset scenery is beautiful.

When we arrived at Yadan, the wind started blowing, bringing sand and rocks to our faces, like a thousand horses galloping, flags fluttering, ghosts crying and wolves howling, it was truly a ghost town. This was probably the first sandstorm I experienced.

The geology here is worth seeing if you have never seen it before, and it can really give you the feeling of taking a blockbuster movie.

Yadan Ghost City is really worth visiting. There are four scenic spots that are more beautiful. The first one seems to be the Golden Lion Welcoming Guests, the second one is the Sphinx, and the third one is the Peacock. The first three are wind-eroded stone mountains, and the last one is the West Sea Fleet landform, which is the most spectacular one!!! It is really beautiful, well, it is breathtaking...

The ticket is 70 yuan, and the sightseeing bus is 50 yuan, a total of 120 yuan. When we were close to the entrance of the scenic area, there were Yadan landforms on both sides. It was also our fault that we didn't do our homework and didn't know that the tickets were so expensive, so we thought that since we had already taken a rough look at the entrance, we would not go in. So this attraction can be visited or not, because it is a detour.

We arrived early, the light was very good, and the photos were beautiful. If we went there at noon, it would be too sunny. The wind in the scenic area was quite strong, and my hair was messy. There were also off-road vehicles, and you could pay to take you to see the Yadan in more depth.

For southerners, this is a vast scenery that makes people cry. Waiting for the sunset in the strong wind makes the heart become quiet and broad.

The khaki-colored castle stands out against the black sandstone ground. There is also a sphinx inside.

Yadan Ghost City is the last stop on the west line. It is also quite far away. The sunset at Yadan is quite beautiful, so many people rush to Yadan in the evening.

Standing abruptly on the black Gobi Desert are golden, bizarrely shaped, sculpture-like mountains of earth. Their scale and number are magnificent, and it is magical just to think about it.

The entrance fee to the scenic spot is 50 yuan, and a student ID card can be discounted by 50%. The bus ticket is 70 yuan, and no discount is available. The bus runs in a very small area in the scenic area. There are a total of four viewing points. The average stay time at each scenic spot is 5-10 minutes, and the last scenic spot is about 30 minutes. There are also some rules for the seats you sit after queuing up to get on the bus. It is recommended to sit in a position close to the door. Of course, it is impossible for everyone to be the first or second in line, so try to grab a position close to the back door as much as possible, so that you can rush out of the door and take photos at the first time~! Many people recommend getting off at the third viewing point and taking an off-road vehicle to the south line. A car costs 400 yuan, and if four people get together, it will only cost 100 per person. I have to complain that you can choose to take an off-road vehicle after taking a 75 yuan sightseeing bus, which means you have to pay the fare twice. The off-road vehicle will take you to the depths of the rarely visited scenic area, and explore the magical and slightly terrifying Yadan in depth, which must be magnificent.

The Yadan Ghost City looks very spectacular from a distance. The Yadan landforms are like a huge army with various shapes. The sun slowly moves down on the horizon. The spectacular scenery and the charm of nature make people calm down instantly and appreciate the long river and the setting sun in the desert.

There are professional tour guides in the scenic area. You can take the scenic bus and get off the bus to take pictures at four scenic spots. You can also take off-road vehicles at the scenic spots for an additional fee. There are also helicopters. It is a spectacular and mysterious country. Why is it called the Devil City? It is because wind erosion will cause the sand and gravel on the ground to hit and grind the stones, producing a terrible sound. Anyway, I have never heard of it.

I drove from Dunhuang. Although the navigation showed that it was less than 200 kilometers, the speed limit started from the 215 National Highway to the Geopark! There were 3 sections of speed measurement, which added up to more than 100 kilometers! It took more than 4 hours to get there. Remember to fill up the gas in advance! After arriving at the scenic spot, I took the scenic bus for a tour. There was a tour guide on the bus to introduce the whole journey, which took about 2 hours! It was quite spectacular.

The Yadan landform is a very dry yellow color with large protruding rocks. I'm not sure if they are called large rocks. But it's still very spectacular. My companion said it was like the pictures in the middle school geography textbook. It felt like walking into the middle school geography textbook one day. The tour guide said that the further you go in, the more beautiful it will be, but few tourists can go inside. We didn't go in either, because it was almost two o'clock, but we hadn't had lunch yet, so we just took a general look, stayed for a while, took a few photos, checked in, and left.

The scale of both individual and overall figures is rare, so it is impossible to reach them on foot, and it is impossible to see them one by one. You can only take the shuttle bus to choose some unique shapes to appreciate and take pictures. The uncanny work of nature becomes more wonderful and vivid under our "three parts image and seven parts imagination": the lion in the desert looks intently, as if everything is ready to welcome tourists from all directions at any time, a great "golden lion welcoming guests"; the "Sphinx" that has stood for more than 300,000 years should be the ancestor of the Egyptian pyramids; the most charming one is of course the "peacock spreading its tail", it looks back with its head raised, dragging its extremely gorgeous long skirt, noble and imposing; the most spectacular one is the "West Sea Fleet", a row of high-spirited fleets are ready to go, just waiting for the whistle to blow, and they are moving forward in a mighty manner... The scorching sun shines directly on the Gobi Desert, leaving a golden red mark, adding a bit of strange and mysterious atmosphere to these ancient sculptures created by nature.

Currently, the Yadan National Geopark is divided into two areas, north and south. You can only visit several specific scenic spots in the north area along fixed roads by taking the scenic bus. If you want to visit the two areas freely, you must change to an off-road vehicle at the last scenic spot in the north area. You can also choose to take a helicopter to overlook the panoramic view of the geological park. Of course, the latter two are very expensive and unnecessary for ordinary tourists. The scenery along the bus route is enough to appreciate the uniqueness of the Yadan landform.

The guide on the bus said that although the weather in Yadan Ghost City is bad all year round and it is difficult for humans to reproduce, some people still take this route to Lop Nur.

Yadan is an erosional landform. The fate of Yadan is to gradually become smaller until it disappears completely.

A naturally formed landform, quite spectacular, the ultraviolet rays are still very strong, the scenery along the way to Dunhuang.

Yadan National Geopark is also known as Yadan Ghost City. It is said that the geomagnetic anomaly here makes it easy to get lost.

The scenic area implements chartered vehicles, each vehicle is equipped with a tour guide, the stop time at each viewing point is different, and passengers enter and exit in the same vehicle.

After the formation of the Yadan, it is impossible to keep the original appearance once and for all, because the action of external forces including wind and water will never stop, so the appearance of the Yadan will also change constantly. As the erosion continues, the depression will become larger and larger, while the raised earth mound will gradually shrink and become isolated, and eventually collapse and disappear. As time goes by, the Yadan is collapsing, and it is possible that this scenic spot will no longer exist in a few decades.

In comparison, the colors of Yadan are far inferior to those of Danxia landform. Moreover, Yadan is for us to view from the ground, with a relatively low viewing angle. It is mainly a car tour, with four photo spots provided and a specified stay time. It is a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg, very sunny and a bit boring. However, if we really stay longer, no one can stand it. It is too sunny and hot in the open air. We cannot get close to Yadan. There are fences around it and guides are watching.

We had lunch in the park. Before we set off, the tour guide said that this meal would be the most unpalatable for tourists from many places, but somehow, the first few groups of tourists from Shaoxing thought that the food here was most to our liking. Sure enough, the food was light and very good. Everyone said that there must be a Shaoxing chef here.

The magic of this place lies in the uncanny craftsmanship of nature. In the boundless Gobi Desert, in the desolate and uninhabited desert, the "statues" standing one after another are in various shapes and forms, telling the mystery and weirdness. The sculptors of these statues are nature, and the tools of carving are the sharp knives of the desert wind. Peacocks, turtles, generals, sphinxes... In Yadan Devil City, every stone and every statue has its own form and story. Walking into this mysterious place where even a compass will lose its function, lingering in this maze-like uninhabited city, let your imagination unfold. Legend has it that this was originally a majestic castle. Because humans were evil in their hearts and were punished by the gods, all of them were buried under this desert. So, every late night, the dead souls in the underground cried and complained, and the sound was very scary. This is the legend of the "Devil City". In fact, the wailing of Yadan Devil City every night is real. I waited for the sunset. The weather in Dunhuang is changeable. If there are too many clouds, it is difficult to see the sunrise and sunset. So I was lucky to see the sunset. The boundless desert was dyed red. Orange, light red, dark red, as red as blood, adding to the coldness and tragedy. The Yadan landform under the sunset also changed. Every statue - every life, is so bright red. It felt so weird and scary in an instant. I would rather believe the legend - now, are the dead souls under the ground eager to tell and confess?

You must buy a sightseeing bus ticket because you must take a sightseeing bus to enter Yadan Ghost City.

Each sightseeing bus has a girl as a tour guide to introduce Yadan Ghost City to tourists. When entering Yadan Ghost City, you must follow the guide's instructions. Because it is very dangerous here, not only the mobile phone has no signal, but even the compass is useless. Walking alone is life-threatening at any time.

It's a spectacular geological landscape and worth a visit. It's very sunny, so be careful with sun protection.

The Yadan Ghost City is very large, and there are many unopened areas. You can only see four viewing platforms by taking the shuttle bus, and there is a time limit, so there is really no good camera position for taking photos. However, you can get a glimpse of the majestic Yadan landform through several famous viewing platforms, which is worth the trip. It feels like a déjà vu of the vicissitudes of life.

Entering the Yadan Ghost City, you will see strange loess piles standing on the gravel sand sea. If you look at any one of the stones alone, there is nothing special about the landscape here, but when you look at it as a whole, the momentum makes you have to sigh at the uncanny workmanship of nature. Such great beauty can only be seen here in person with your eyes. Once it is captured in a photo, most of the beauty is lost. When you walk among these huge weathered rocks, you will naturally feel the greatness of nature and the insignificance of human beings. This is a scenery that we can never feel in the south.

The wonders will eventually disappear, so you must visit them in your lifetime. Take a sightseeing bus to see the four wonders along the way. You can choose helicopters, gliders, and off-road vehicles (at your own expense, deep into the landforms). We encountered air currents that day, so we chose an off-road vehicle.

There are many Yardang landforms on land, but Yardang on water is extremely rare, a landform wonder in the desert!

In Xinjiang's Lop Nur, you can see countless wild Yadan landforms, where you can play whatever you want. I realized later that it was not necessary to go to the Devil City, which costs more than 100 yuan. But if you only want to play in Dunhuang, I still recommend going to the Devil City, where the Yadan landform is very interesting.

The tour route and time in Yadan Geopark are fixed. The shuttle bus stops at 4 points. The third point (Red Bird Jade Stands) stops for half an hour, and the other points stop for 10 minutes. The whole journey is 25 kilometers and takes 1.5 hours.

To get to Yadan Geopark, you must pass Yumen Pass. Some online travel notes have said that you must buy a 40-yuan ticket to Yumen Pass, but in fact you don’t have to buy one. Not buying a ticket only means you can’t go to Yumen Pass, but it won’t affect your trip to Yadan Geopark. However, real-name registration is required for parking at Yumen Pass.

Unfortunately, at sunset that day, dark clouds came to disturb us. After the sun went down, there was a strong wind, and the sand was blown everywhere. The sand hit our bodies and scratched our faces, which was very painful.