Binggou Danxia

Binggou Danxia is mainly distributed in Sunan County, Zhangye, Gansu, and it is known as “first under heaven marvelous sight”. It has been successively rated as one of the “7 most beautiful Danxia landforms in China" and one of the “Top 10 Magical Geographic Wonders in the World” by China National Geographic and  National Geographic in USA. Every place is majestic and red in color, making Binggou Danxia a favorite photo spot for photographers.

Besides, Binggou Danxia Geopark is an important part of Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park. The total area of the scenic spot is 300 square kilometers, and the core tourist area occupies about 120 square kilometers. It is divided into Xiaoxitian Scenic Area and Daxitian Scenic Area. Binggou Danxia is a masterpiece of nature and has high ornamental and scientific research value. If you are interested in geology and photography, it is an amazing place to visit and explore.

Features

Chinese Name: 冰沟丹霞 [ bīng gōu dān xiá ]

Location: Mainly distributed in Sunan County, Zhangye, Gansu Province

Popular activities: photography, sightseeing, scientific research

Suited to: everyone

Time needed: 2-3 hours

Highlights

Unique Danxia Landform Scenery

This primitive gully, which began in the Jurassic period, is said to have been formed by a violent crustal movement hundreds of millions of years ago. After being carved and polished by wind, rain and running water for a long time, it became what it is today. Binggou Danxia is generally in the shape of a “y”. Danxia here is rich in types and peculiar in shape. Diverse forms, good combinations, and rare in the world, it is a tourist attraction that integrates majesty, danger, strangeness, and seclusion. If you take out the illustrated book The Classic of Mountains and Seas for comparison, you may be able to see the prototypes of all kinds of strange beasts and be shocked and moved by them. There are many amazing stone and rock statues here such as the hump, the  Phantom of the Louvre, the Qilian Torch, the Braised Frog-Shaped Abalone, the Eagle Head Rock, the Black Tortoise Gate, the Seven Goddess Peak and so on.

Things to Do

Take scenic tour bus to enjoy the unique view & photography

Binggou Danxia is one of the most complete and unique Danxia landforms in China; at the same time, it is also the most typical Danxia landform in arid regions of China. There are many amazing stone and rock statues here. For example, the hump; it is a soft and hard rock formation. Due to the different weathering rates, it forms a typical old-age sandstone landform and is one of the iconic landscapes of the Binggou Scenic Area. Besides, the Phantom of the Louvre - it looks like the French royal palace. The palace is about 150 meters wide and 50 meters high, nearly 20 meters higher than the real Louvre. It is formed by purplish red sandstone, conglomerate sandwiched with glutenite by crustal uplift and erosion by flowing water, and is a typical representative of castle-like sandstone landforms. And the Qilian Torch - it is a stone pillar formed by differential weathering. The Qilian Torch is 5 meters high and 1.8 meters wide at its widest point; it is shaped like a torch and stands on the top of the mountain. In addition, the Braised Frog-Shaped Abalone - it is a residual pictographic rock block formed by differential weathering, with a height of about 2 meters and a vivid shape. And the the Eagle Head Rock is a shaped rock mound that remains on the top of the cliff after the surrounding rock layers have been weathered and denuded. Furthermore, the Black Tortoise Gate - this rock wall formed by purple-red sandstone, conglomerate and glutenite is about 80 meters wide and 50 meters high. Therefore, if you have enough time you can also take some fabulous photos and explore more about these amazing stone and rock statues. And also can take scenic tour bus to enjoy the unique view; looking at it from different angles, you can always get different visual effects. You can travel around them freely according to your own interests.

Travel Tips

Best time for visiting

The best time to travel to Binggou Danxia is from July to November. The climate here is relatively dry, and the sun is very strong on sunny days. It is recommended to prepare sunscreen and dustproof equipment such as sun hats, sunglasses, and headscarves. Besides, shopping in the scenic spot is inconvenient, so don’t forget to bring some dry food and drinking water.

Don’t worry about missing sunrise or sunset, our local guide knows the best times, and will arrange your tour to make sure you get the most beautiful scenes.

How to get to the Binggou Danxia Geopark from Zhangye

Flight to Zhangye:

Lanzhou, Xi'an, Urumqi, and Dunhuang have direct flights to Zhangye Ganzhou Airport. You can hire a taxi to the park at the airport. Otherwise, you can take a cab to Zhangye West Bus Station, and take bus No. 4 to Binggou Danxia Station. Departure time: 7:30-18:30; fare: about 11 yuan; you can get off at the entrance of Binggou Danxia Scenic Area.

Get to Lanzhou first and Transfer to Zhangye:

Lanzhou is more convenient to get to Zhangye. One can get to Lanzhou first and then take a flight, high-speed train (Lanzhou West Railway Station - Zhangye West Railway Station), or bus (at Lanzhou East Bus Station) to get to Zhangye, and then go to West Bus Station of the city to take a bus to the Binggou Danxia Geopark.

Travel Information

Opening Time:

January 1st - December 31st; Monday - Sunday.

 09:00-17:00 (low season) & 08:30-18:30 (peak season)

Customer Service Phone:

0936-6280015 / 0936-6280018 / 0936-6280039

Tickets:

 Admission fee: 40CNY/PP

Scenic tour bus: 20CNY/PP

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