Urho World Devil City (Yardang)
世界魔鬼城
One of China's most typical yardang landscapes, where wind-eroded mounds stand like castles. The wind howls like crying ghosts, and at sunset the whole area of earthen towers glows gold and red.
Urho World Devil City is located in Urho District of Karamay, about 100 km from downtown Karamay, right beside National Highway G217. It was once a Cretaceous lake. Over hundreds of millions of years, wind has eroded the sandstone and mudstone deposited on the lakebed into yardang mounds of varying heights, shaped like castles, palaces and animals, spread across dozens of square kilometers. Strong winds rushing through the mounds produce eerie howling sounds, which gave the place its name, “Devil City.” The area has yielded many dinosaur and pterosaur fossils and was a filming location for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and other films. Private cars cannot enter. Visitors transfer to sightseeing buses at the visitor center and get off at several viewpoints along the loop road for photos. The full loop takes about 1.5–2 hours. Horseback riding and off-road vehicle tours are also available. The best time is to enter two hours before sunset, when the mounds glow gold and red in the setting sun. Combined tickets and shuttle buses cost about 100 yuan (check with the scenic area). Getting there: it takes about 1.5 hours to drive from Karamay city. From Urumqi, you can drive along G3014/G217 for about 5 hours. It is a required stop on the Northern Xinjiang Grand Loop on the way to Burqin and Kanas. Note that the Gobi is scorching in the daytime and windy and sandy, so bring sunscreen and goggles, and do not leave the paths to venture into the uninhabited areas.
Opening hours
approx. 09:00–21:00 (Beijing time; seasonal adjustment)