National Geographic didn't lie to me, Zhangye Danxia is truly beautiful
About Zhangye Danxia Scenic Area:
Must-visit spots: Jinxiu Terrace, Hongxia Terrace, Night Tour Danxia/Returning to Zhangye Strategy, stayed up late to organize for everyone, please see below ↓
About Zhangye Danxia Scenic Area: 'Returning to Zhangye' & Night Tour Danxia (choose one);
By the way, the 'Night Tour Danxia' project that opens at night is a bit expensive (188 yuan for adults). Taking the scenic sightseeing bus into the depths of Danxia Mountain, you will see a visual feast that revolves around the mythological stories of the Yugur people, integrating sound, light, shadow, fog, and character modeling, transcending time and space. Pictures 8 and 9 (it is recommended to search for official promotional pictures)
Returning to Zhangye is a stage play in Stone City. I heard it is very good, but I haven't seen it. Please refer to it at your discretion.
Travel Guide:
D1:
Various places—Zhangye West Station/Train Station, stay in Zhangye city for accommodation and rest for the day.
Recommended food in the city: beef noodles, fried bolla, fried firecrackers, big pot table, iron pot lamb, Liu Yingying spicy hot pot, fried cuoyu.
❗Friendly reminder: When eating beef noodles in the city, do not choose 'Dongfang Palace', choose any other place, and go to the one with more people.
D2:
06:00 - 07:00: Depart from the city and head to the Qicai Danxia Scenic Area.
07:00 - 08:00: Arrive at the scenic area.
09:00 - 11:00: Take the sightseeing bus from the north gate of the scenic area to the depths of the scenic area. The main attractions of Qicai Danxia are (Qicai Xianyuan Terrace, Qicai Yunhai Terrace, Jinxiu Terrace, Qicai Hongxia Terrace).
🉑TIPs: The best photo spots are Jinxiu Terrace and Hongxia Terrace. Hongxia Terrace is where National Geographic took photos, so you can stay a bit longer here.
Emphasize: Many people say Qicai Danxia is a 'photo trick', but it is not! For those who haven't seen the most beautiful side of Danxia, I can only tell them one thing: 'Nature will punish everyone who doesn't do their homework'. The best time to see Qicai Danxia is after the rain when the sky clears , in the early morning when the sun rises , and in the afternoon at sunset .
Zhangye has a constant northwest wind 💨 all year round, and it is very close to Inner Mongolia. In spring and autumn, there is a high possibility of sandstorms 🌫, so locals rarely choose these two seasons to visit Danxia.
12:30: Arrive at Danxia Stone City, choose a restaurant you like to have lunch.
14:30: Buy tickets to watch the stage play 'Returning to Zhangye'. Note that this performance has time slots, usually at 15:00, 18:00, and 21:30. If you miss the time, you will have a wasted trip. There are three areas for the performance, namely Area A, Area B, and VIP Area. Area B is the cheapest, 158 yuan per person. If you don't watch 'Returning to Zhangye', you can drive to the 'Yugur Style Grand Corridor', which is relatively cooler than Danxia.