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Gansu · 张掖丹霞

Zhangye Danxia

Bands of red and ochre fold through the hills at the edge of the Hexi Corridor.

Bands of ochre, rose and pale yellow cut diagonally across rounded sandstone hills.
Zhangye DanxiaLate-afternoon light reveals the colored rock layers of the Rainbow Mountains in Zhangye.

The layered hills of Zhangye’s Colourful Danxia area.

Zhangye Danxia through the year

UNESCO · Zhangye Global Geopark

March–May

Spring

Spring ridges at Zhangye Danxia

Follow the park’s marked viewpoints for a view across the ridges. Side light brings out the relief of the exposed rock.

Ridges of pale yellow and burnt orange rock rise in layers at Zhangye Danxia.
Spring ridges at Zhangye DanxiaSlanting March light picks out pale yellow folds and steep rust-coloured ridges at Zhangye Danxia.

June–August

Summer

Winding road at Zhangye Danxia

The open ridges offer little shade. Look for the winding road from an official overlook and save the exposed stops for cooler hours.

Three white buses follow an S-shaped road between red sandstone ridges at Zhangye Danxia.
Winding road at Zhangye DanxiaThree buses give a sense of scale to the winding road through the red ridges of Zhangye Danxia.

September–November

Autumn

Binggou Danxia rock towers

At Binggou Danxia, look for the capped towers and shadowed clefts carved into the rock by erosion.

Orange sandstone towers in Binggou Danxia catch the sun against a deep blue sky.
Binggou Danxia rock towersOctober sunlight gives the capped sandstone towers at Binggou Danxia a sharp edge.

December–February

Winter

Snow on the Zhangye Colorful Hills

After a snowfall, look for white lines in the shaded gullies beneath the striped hills. Check local access before setting out.

Snow traces the gullies between sunlit ochre ridges in the Zhangye Colorful Hills.
Snow on the Zhangye Colorful HillsJanuary sunlight throws long shadows across the Zhangye Colorful Hills, with snow lingering in the gullies.