How to get here?

The desert is just south of Dunhuang. If you are staying in the center of Dunhuang, I would recommend taking the free bus, this should be Bus 3. You can take this from a lot of places in Dunhuang, so I would recommend checking AMap navigation and choosing a bus station near you.

The other option is by taking a taxi, which should be around 20 yuan (around 3 euros).

What to do?

After the entrance you go hiking up into the desert. They put down small wooden stairs, to make walking easier. This can be a bit slow because a lot of people have difficulty hiking in the sand, so you can also try to walk up without the stairs, but this is very difficult.

Once you are at the top you can see the Crescent Moon Lake from above, and you can see the Mingsha Mountain in front of you. If you want you can go and hike Mingsha Mountain. This will be very tough, and you need to be in good shape. At the top of the mountain you have an amazing view of the whole desert, and the mountains on the horizon. If you think you can do it, I would recommend doing this. Bring enough water with you!

You can also decide to ride a camel here, if that is your thing. A camel ride should cost around 100 yuan (around 13 euros). The camels look like they are treated well, but if you care about animal welfare you shouldn’t do this.

Weather and clothing

You will be inside the desert, so it will be hot. Bring sunscreen, also at the end of the day. I recommend good shoes, because walking in the sand will be difficult. If you are planning on hiking the Mingsha Mountain you should bring enough water.

After the entrance you can buy special shoe covers, which will keep the sand out of your shoes. This should be very cheap.

Additional information

When you buy a ticket, you can enter the desert three times. So you have multiple days to explore the area.

The entrance price is 110 yuan (around 15 euros) between May and October and 55 yuan (around 7 euros) between November and April. You can enter the desert for 3 days in a row with one ticket.