Zhangye Danxia national geopark or in short Chinese Rainbow Mountains are a geological wonder of the world. The mountains are mainly known for their colors, from white, yellow to red, blue or green. The Rainbow mountains consist of chalk sandstone and silt silt. Iron and other trace minerals were deposited in this mixture, providing it with a key component for color formation.
Where is the Zhangye Danxia located in China
Danxia national geopark is located in the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains and about 32 km from the city Zhangye in Gansu province. We came there by overnight train from Beijing.
How to get to Danxia geopark by bus from Zhangye
We went to Danxia Park by bus from Zhangye, which costs 15 RMB / person. The bus departs from West bus station at 07:30, 08:00, 08:40, 09:20, 10:00, 12:00, 13:30, 14:30, 15:00 and 17:00. We did not buy return tickets because we did not know how it would be in the park and what time we would like to return (the last bus goes back at 18:00).
The journey to the park lasted 50 minutes and the driver drove like a crazy. He was overtaking even when the cars were driving against us : D Luckily we arrived fine.
Entrance Fee to Zhangye Danxia Park
Admission to the park costs 75 yuan (20 yuan per shuttle bus and 55 yuan per entrance), but we were very lucky. The treasurer told us it was a special day and we had to only pay for the shuttle bus, so we got into the park for 40 yuan.
There are 5 viewpoints in the park, but we only saw 4 of them, as view number 2 was closed to the public. For this we went around the park twice, because the afternoon was much better light and colors were more pronounced. It is said that the most beautiful are the colors at sunrise and sunset, but unfortunately we missed it, because the park closed at 18:00.
Description of viewpoints in Danxia geopark
There are 5 viewpoints in the park, but we only saw only 4 of them, as viewpoint number 2 was closed to the public. We went around the park twice, because in the afternoon there was much better light and colors were more pronounced. It is said that the most beautiful are the colors during the sunrise and sunset, but unfortunately we missed it, because the park closed at 18:00.
Viewpoint no. 1
This area played in all possible colors – from yellow, red to blue and gray. If you go to the end of its route, you will be almost alone (most Chinese are lazy and usually do not go so far).
Viewpoint no. 3
This viewpoint offered us a panorama of the park. Again it played in all possible colors, but we had to climb a few steps to enjoy its full view.
Viewpoint no. 4
This area was dominated mainly by red and white colors. Its coloring was the nicest during the afternoon, specifically after 3 pm!
Viewpoint no. 5
The last area is one of the TOP viewpoints, so it was the most overcrowded. When we were around 12 pm, we didn’t like it so much. But when we visited her again around 4 pm, we immediately changed our mind. It is colorful and can be seen far into the distance. It is also the most popular place for watching the sunset :).
We left Danxia Geopark at 5:00 pm and we paid for the ride in the bus to the driver, which meant that we did not have a seat reservation and 2 Chinese people had to sit in the aisle on a small chair.
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Better come to the town “Purmamarca” in Argentina, there you really have the whole rainbow in colors.