Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area
The 40-km-long Mingsha Mountain glows with golden sand, and camel trains carry cheerful visitors across the dune crests. Crescent Lake, cradled on three sides by the dunes,…
Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area, Dunhuang · AI illustration for China Trip
Key facts
- Admission
- ¥110
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Getting there
- Take Bus 3 from the city centre directly to the scenic area
- Guidebook rating
- 5 / 5
From China Self Guided Travel 2025, page 758. Open in Google Maps
About Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area
The 40-km-long Mingsha Mountain glows with golden sand, and camel trains carry cheerful visitors across the dune crests. Crescent Lake, cradled on three sides by the dunes, is revered as a sacred spring because “the sand never fills the water, and the water never dries up.”
Mingsha Mountain, Crescent Lake and the art of the Mogao Caves form one landscape. Together, they are the “two wonders” of southern Dunhuang. Some say Crescent Lake is a teardrop in the sand.
The best times to see Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake: sunrise on summer mornings and sunset on summer evenings; in winter, midday is best. The sunset over Mingsha Mountain is spectacular and not to be missed, so plan your visit for a summer dusk. When riding camels in the scenic area, agree on the price beforehand to avoid trouble. The dunes are very windy, so take some precautions.
Tips from the guidebook
- For ¥10 you can enjoy the thrill of sand sledding. Riding a camel up Mingsha Mountain and down to Crescent Lake costs ¥100; the whole trip takes about 60 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area cost?
Admission to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area is ¥110, as listed in the 2025 guidebook. Prices can change; check the official channel before you go.
How do I get to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area?
Take Bus 3 from the city centre directly to the scenic area
How long should I spend at Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area?
Plan on 3–4 hours for Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area.
Where is Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area?
Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area is in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, in the Northwest of China.
More places in Dunhuang
Yadan National Geopark
Located 85 km west of Yumen Pass, this is a classic yardang landform cluster that, seen as a whole, resembles a medieval walled city. Many famous buildings of the world have their counterparts here: the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the Potala Palace in Tibet, the Egyptian pyramids, Arabian mosques and more. The masterpieces shaped by nature leave visitors in awe, as if they had stepped into a museum of world architecture.
¥120 (includes sightseeing shuttle) · 2–3 hours
Mogao Caves
Located 25 km southeast of Dunhuang city, on the southern side of Mingsha Mountain, the Mogao Caves are China’s largest cave complex. Their finest treasures are the murals and painted sculptures, created from the Former Qin dynasty through the Sui and Tang, making them a treasure of Chinese art. In 1900, the Daoist monk Wang Yuanlu discovered the Library Cave, which held nearly 60,000 historical artefacts, including Buddhist scriptures in various scripts, historical records, letters, literary works and social documents, making it a treasure trove for the study of Chinese history from the 4th to the 11th century. Unfortunately, social upheaval in the late Qing and early Republican periods led to large numbers of these materials being taken away by foreigners, and fewer than one-third of the Library Cave artefacts remain in China. Today there are 492 caves, containing 2,415 painted sculptures and 45,000 square metres of murals. The Nine-Storey Pavilion is the emblem of the Mogao Caves; it houses a 34-metre Tang-dynasty Buddha made of clay over a stone core, which, together with another 26-metre Buddha, is known as the Northern and Southern Great Buddhas.
Peak season: full ticket ¥238 (admission to 8 physical caves ¥180 + digital film ¥48 + round-trip shuttle to Mogao ¥10); film-only ticket ¥50 (includes the digital film “Millennium Mogao” and the dome film “Dreamlike Buddhist Palace”) Off-season: full ticket ¥140 (admission to 12 physical caves ¥90 + digital film ¥40 + round-trip shuttle to Mogao ¥10); Flying Apsaras special route ticket ¥140 (guided visit on the Flying Apsaras theme route + digital virtual experience); film-only ticket ¥40 (includes the digital film “Millennium Mogao” and the dome film “Dreamlike Buddhist Palace”) · More than 3 hours
Yangguan Pass Scenic Area
At the foot of the hills lies a small reed lake, strikingly beautiful against the Gobi and desert. The drive there and back passes yardang landforms, tall poplars, tamarisk and reeds in the river valleys, and a little hut on a distant hilltop where grapes are dried, making for a journey that is never dull. “Let me urge you to drink one more cup of wine: west of Yang Pass, there are no old friends.” This ancient fort, recited by poets and scholars for centuries, has kept watch over its last beacon tower for a thousand years.
¥50 (includes the Yangguan Museum) · 2–3 hours
Yumenguan Pass Ruins Scenic Area
This is the place referred to in the sorrowful line “the spring breeze does not reach Yumen Pass.” The melancholy of that poem has moved generation after generation and filled people with longing for this ancient and mysterious frontier fort. The weathering of the years and the layers of history will keep this “Small Square City” shining forever.
¥40 · 1 hour
West Thousand Buddha Caves
These caves date from the same period as the Mogao Caves and lie just across Mingsha Mountain from them. Their structure, painted sculptures and mural style are close to the Mogao system, and they contain statues and murals. However, due to natural erosion and human damage, only 16 caves survive, of which 9 are open to visitors.
¥30 · 1 hour
Dunhuang Ancient City
Dunhuang Ancient City is an important stop on the Western Route of Dunhuang and is usually visited together with Yangguan Pass Ruins, Yumen Pass and Yardang National Geopark. The city was built to resemble the ancient Shazhou city of the Song dynasty for the 1987 China-Japan co-produced historical film *Dunhuang*. It has since served as a filming location for many TV series and variety shows, including *Investiture of the Gods*, *New Dragon Gate Inn* and *Keep Running*. Visitors can admire the traditional architecture and streets of northwest China, take atmospheric photos, and look for scenes they recognise from various productions. The ancient city has five main streets: Dunhuang Street, Gaochang Street, Ganzhou Street, Xingqing Street and Bianliang Street. Each street's architecture represents a different region, so strolling through them gives a remarkable sense of travelling across regions.
¥40 · 1–2 hours