Badain Jaran Desert (Alxa Right Banner)
The world's tallest sand dunes rise beside more than a hundred desert lakes, with Bilutu Peak, Miaohaizi Lake and the Yindertu sacred spring at the heart of a mysterious sea of sand.
The Badain Jaran Desert lies in the north of Alxa Right Banner, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia. Covering about 49,000 km², it is China's third-largest desert. It is famous for the remarkable sight of towering dunes standing among more than 140 lakes; in 2024 the “Badain Jaran Desert – Towers of Sand and Lakes” was inscribed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, and it is also the core area of the Alxa Desert UNESCO Global Geopark. Bilutu Peak, with a relative height of about 460 m, is known as the world's tallest stationary sand dune. Some of the lakes between the dunes are as salty as brine, while others have freshwater springs bubbling up in the middle, and the dunes can even produce “singing sand.”
Use Badain Jaran Town, the seat of Alxa Right Banner, as your base: it has Badain Jaran Airport (flights are few and seasonal), or you can drive about 3 hours from Zhangye in Gansu. The entrance to the Badain Jaran Desert Scenic Area on the southern edge of the desert is about 90 km from the banner seat; from here you switch to the scenic area's off-road vehicles, heading via Badan Lake deep into the desert to Miaohaizi, Bilutu Peak and Yindertu. A day trip can cover the classic loop, but we recommend spending 1–2 nights at a camp in the desert interior for sunsets and the Milky Way. Around the banner seat is the Eributai Grand Canyon (about 54 km south), while the Mandela Mountain petroglyphs about 200 km to the northeast and the Haisen Chulu wind-eroded landforms about 160 km to the northwest each need a separate day trip.
The best season is Sep–Oct, followed by May–Jun. In Jul–Aug the sand surface can exceed 60°C, winter nights often drop below −20°C, and spring brings frequent sandstorms. In the desert interior you must ride in licensed scenic-area off-road vehicles or travel with a professional convoy; driving or trekking across on your own is strictly prohibited. Bring plenty of water, sun protection and warm clothing; mobile signal in the interior is patchy. Allow 3–4 days. The heritage site's ecosystem is fragile, so do not swim or wash in the lakes, and leave no litter. The populus euphratica forests and Juyan Lake in Ejin Banner to the north belong to a separate destination.
Top sights
- Bilutu Peak – A 'world's tallest sand dune' with a relative height of about 460 meters. From the summit you can look down on the lakes scattered across t…
- Badain Jaran Temple & Miaohaizi Lake – A small white-walled, golden-roofed temple on the lakeshore, ringed by sand dunes. Known as the 'Sand Desert Forbidden City', it is the mos…
- Yindeertu Spring – More than a hundred freshwater springs well up from a rocky islet in a saltwater lake, earning it the name 'desert sacred spring.'
- Badan Lake – The most accessible desert lake on the southern edge of the scenic area. It is a rare freshwater lake, with herders' villages and campsites…
- Mandela Mountain Petroglyphs – More than 6,000 ancient rock carvings cover a black basalt hill, depicting everything from hunting and herding to religious symbols. It is…
- Haisenchulu Rock Forest – Honeycomb rocks, mushroom rocks, and stone walls formed by millions of years of wind erosion and salt weathering of granite, with an otherw…
- Eribugai Grand Canyon – A red danxia canyon south of the banner seat, with towering walls and a floor so narrow that the sky looks like a sliver. It suits a half-d…
- Nuoertu Lake – A saltwater desert lake at the foot of Bilutu Peak, with herder settlements. Seven lakes can be seen from the peak, and it is the core camp…
Where to eat
- Bayin Menggele Restaurant – A long-standing Mongolian restaurant on the pedestrian street of Badain Jaran Town, serving hand-grabbed mutton, mutton…
Itineraries
- 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…