The solitary Northwest, the pinnacle of freedom!

My favorite Northwest is here! Ring road travelogue: Zhangye Danxia Rainbow Mountains_Viewing Platform_Rainbow Mountains_Travelogue_Attractions_Landscape_Travel_Zhangye Danxia Rainbow Mountains Tourist Area_Travel_Travel Tips_Attraction Tips 🚙 Itinerary: Wuwei City - Rainbow Mountains - Zhangye City Let's start with the conclusion: The Rainbow Mountains are definitely worth a visit, and the sunset is also worth waiting for! It's suitable for photographers, geography enthusiasts, or just tourists who want to pursue a visual shock. Rainbow Mountains Guide: There are a total of 4 viewing platforms in the scenic area, and you need to take the scenic area's sightseeing bus to go to each one in turn. (If you're short on time, you can also choose to only get off at some of the viewing points) 1. Rainbow Connection Advantages: It is the first viewing platform after entering the scenic area, with colors only second to the 4th platform, and the walking distance after getting off is relatively short. You can find a good panoramic position at the highest point of the viewing platform. 2. Rainbow Clouds Advantages: The terrain is relatively high, allowing you to overlook the Danxia landform. Disadvantages: The colors here are relatively monotonous, mainly to appreciate the texture of the Danxia landform. If you're really short on time, I personally think you can skip it. 3. Rainbow Brocade Advantages and Disadvantages: The 3rd viewing platform has a very long tour route, but the view along the way is very open, and the scenery is actually better than that on the viewing platform. 4. Rainbow Halo Advantages: The viewing platform with the richest colors of Danxia, and the platform faces due east. During sunset, the setting sun casts its light from behind, further deepening the colors of the Danxia in front, which is very beautiful. Disadvantages: Everyone knows that the 4th platform is beautiful, so there are too many people, especially during sunset, the queues to and from the viewing platform are like the Great Wall of Beijing during the National Day holiday. Tips: 1. If you're after good photos, it's best to wait for the sunset. The colors are not as splendid under the strong noon light as they are under the sunset. (For reference, compare the light difference between p1-3 vs p4, with p4 being the noon period, where the light is much harsher) 2. Many online guides suggest heading straight for the 4th viewing platform, but personally, I feel that each viewing platform has its own highlights, such as the geological landscape of the 2nd platform and the distant views along the 3rd platform, which are surprises for photographers. 3. Clothing recommendation: Don't wear clothes with too many patterns, simple solid colors are best. I encountered a young lady wearing a black, dark red camisole dress, and a couple dressed in a similar American retro style, which looked super good. 4. If you are driving yourself, after coming down from the 4th viewing platform, you need to take the sightseeing bus back to the original entrance to find the parking lot, so be aware of whether you came in from the west gate or the north gate. To be honest, the real Danxia landform is not as splendid as the pictures on the internet. The quality of the photos depends largely on the weather, framing, post-processing, and many other factors. But for a place that has only existed in books, seeing it with your own eyes brings a touch that is hard to get from just looking at pictures. After having this mindset, I began to understand the saying that travel is an experience.