Zhangye Prefecture

An oasis city in the middle of the Hexi Corridor, famous for its rainbow-colored Danxia landforms and Qilian Mountain grasslands.

Zhangye Prefecture lies in the middle of Gansu's Hexi Corridor, backed by the Heli Mountains to the north and the Qilian Mountains to the south, with the Heihe River running through the city. Known anciently as Ganzhou, it was a key hub on the Silk Road. The Zhangye Rainbow Danxia landforms are strikingly colorful and a favorite with photographers; Bingguo Danxia, Mati Temple Grottoes, Shandan Military Horse Farm, Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple and the wetlands on the city's outskirts are also worth a visit. Summer and autumn are the best seasons, and the grasslands and Danxia look their finest from June to September. Zhangye can be reached via Zhangye Ganzhou Airport or Zhangye West Station on the Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed railway, and it is often a stop on self-drive trips along the Hexi Corridor and the Qinghai–Gansu Grand Loop.

Destinations

• Zhangye
• Jiayuguan

Itineraries

• Hexi Corridor Silk Road by Rail – Travel west by train from Lanzhou through Wuwei, Zhangye, and Jiayuguan to Dunhuang on a seamless one-way journey.
• Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop Classic Route – A closed-loop route starting from Xining, circling Qinghai Lake, Qaidam, Dunhuang, the Hexi Corridor, and the Qilian Mo…
• Zhangye In-Depth with a Day Trip to Jiayuguan – Take your time with Zhangye's Danxia landforms, grottoes and canyons, plus a day trip by high-speed rail to Jiayuguan P…
• Yinchuan, Hexi Corridor & Dunhuang 11-Day Silk Road Rail Tour – Travel from Yinchuan through Zhongwei and Lanzhou, across the Hexi Corridor to Dunhuang, on a long-distance Silk Road j…
• Xi'an to Dunhuang Grottoes Silk Road – Travel west from Xi'an along the Longhai and Lanzhou-Xinjiang lines to see Maijishan, Bingling Temple, Labrang Monaster…
• Silk Road High-Speed Rail: Xi'an to Dunhuang – Journey west along the Silk Road from Xi'an to the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, passing through Maijishan, Lanzhou, Zhangye…
• Silk Road Rail Journey: Urumqi to Lanzhou – Travel from west to east along the Lanxin Railway, visiting Turpan, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Zhangye, and Lanzhou
• Zhangye's Classic Danxia and Grottoes, First Visit – Based in the city, spend three days on Seven-Color Danxia at sunset, the Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon, the Matisi Grottoe…
• Zhangye Danxia Photography at Dawn and Dusk – Stay at the gate of the Seven-Color Danxia scenic area to shoot sunset at Seven-Color Danxia, dawn at Binggou Danxia an…
• Zhangye Silk Road Old Towns and Grottoes – The Giant Buddha Temple, Heishuiguo, Camel City, the Han-Ming Great Wall and the Matisi Grottoes trace two thousand yea…
• Zhangye Danxia and Qilian Grassland Horse Ranch – See Zhangye's Danxia canyons, cross Biandu Pass to spend two nights in Qilian and visit Zhuoer Mountain, then return vi…
• Badain Jaran Desert & Ejina Populus Euphratica Crossing – Enter from Yinchuan and exit from Jiayuguan, traverse Alxa, venture deep into the desert, and catch the golden autumn P…