Zhangye Danxia: A Practical Visitor Guide
Plan a Zhangye Danxia visit: the seven viewing platforms, CNY 70 admission from January 2026, sunrise-based opening hours and distances from Zhangye.
Photo: Jeremy Wong / Pexels
Contents
Zhangye Danxia is a broad landscape of striped, colour-washed hills in Gansu, not a single viewpoint. The scenic area lies across Linze and Sunan counties, about 40 kilometres west of Zhangye city and 20 kilometres south of Linze county town, and covers 50 square kilometres, of which a 4-square-kilometre core is open to visitors.[1]
Choose a focused visit around the viewing platforms
Seven viewing platforms stand in the visitor core: Colourful Sea of Clouds (Qicai Yunhai), Colourful Immortal Bond (Qicai Xianyuan), Colourful Brocade (Qicai Jinxiu), Colourful Rainbow Glow (Qicai Hongxia), Best Photo Spot (Zuijia Sheying Dian), Colourful Aohe Terrace (Qicai Aohetai) and Wanxiang Earth Forest Valley (Wanxiang Tulin Gu). From them the layered hills glow in purple-red, grey-green, yellow-green and grey-black, and the light at dawn and dusk sets them alight. Rock formations have nicknames such as the Sleeping Beauty, the Big Scallop and the Monks Worshipping Buddha.[1] With limited time, pick the platforms with the views you care about most and build your route around them.
The colours come from layered rock, not paint. Thick Cretaceous red beds of conglomerate and sandstone, 135 to 65 million years old, were shaped by tectonic movement and by water and wind erosion. The park also offers helicopter flights, hot-air balloon flights, camel rides and a deeper exploration tour.[1]
Things to Do
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Tickets and opening hours
Admission costs CNY 70 per person per visit from 5 January 2026, up from CNY 54. The scenic area must apply the official concessions for children, students, older people, people with disabilities and current or former military personnel.[2]
Opening hours follow sunrise and sunset and change through the year. From 28 April to 31 August 2026 the gates opened at 05:30 and closed at 19:00, which is also the ticket-sales window, and deep-tour visitors had to enter by 18:00, an hour before closing. Follow the park's official WeChat account for changes, or call 0936-5623666.[3]
Getting there
Zhangye city lies 40 kilometres from the scenic area and Linze county town 20 kilometres.[1] Arrange both directions before you go, and plan to be at the platforms for sunrise or the last light of the day.
By train, get off at Zhangye West high-speed railway station. Since 23 May 2026 a tourist coach links the station with Danxiakou Cultural Tourism Town at the scenic area's north entrance. It is free if you hold the "Huidao Zhangye" voucher, which you get at the town's travel agency desk in the station. The coach also stops at guesthouses around the park, such as Liyuan Xincun, Xiangqing Jiayuan, Mingzhu Hotel and Qicai Town, and its frequency follows the season and the train timetable. Before the coach, most independent visitors came by self-drive or ride-hailing.[4]
For other destinations, see our China travel guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Zhangye Municipal People's Government, Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism: Zhangye Colorful Danxia Scenic Area. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- [2] Zhangye Municipal Development and Reform Commission: Policy interpretation: adjustment of Zhangye Colorful Danxia ticket price. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- [3] Linze County Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism: Notice adjusting scenic-area opening and closing times for 28 April to 31 August 2026. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- [4] Linze County People's Government: Linze: Danxiakou tourist line to open (丹霞口文旅小镇旅游专线即将开通). Retrieved October 26, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
The scenic area lies across Linze and Sunan counties in Gansu, about 40 kilometres west of Zhangye city and 20 kilometres south of Linze county town.
Seven viewing platforms in the 4-square-kilometre visitor core: Colourful Sea of Clouds (Qicai Yunhai), Colourful Immortal Bond (Qicai Xianyuan), Colourful Brocade (Qicai Jinxiu), Colourful Rainbow Glow (Qicai Hongxia), Best Photo Spot (Zuijia Sheying Dian), Colourful Aohe Terrace (Qicai Aohetai) and Wanxiang Earth Forest Valley (Wanxiang Tulin Gu).
Cretaceous red beds of conglomerate and sandstone, 135 to 65 million years old, shaped by tectonic movement and by water and wind erosion. The coloured bands are geological layers.
CNY 70 per person per visit from 5 January 2026. Children, students, older people, people with disabilities and current or former military personnel get concessions.
Yes. The park offers helicopter flights, hot-air balloon flights and camel rides, and a deeper exploration tour on foot.
Hours follow sunrise and sunset. From 28 April to 31 August 2026 the gates opened at 05:30 and closed at 19:00, and deep-tour visitors entered by 18:00. Follow the park's official WeChat account for changes.
About 40 kilometres from Zhangye city and 20 kilometres from Linze county town.
Since 23 May 2026 a tourist coach runs from Zhangye West high-speed station to Danxiakou Cultural Tourism Town at the scenic area's north entrance. It is free with the "Huidao Zhangye" voucher from the travel agency desk in the station, and its frequency follows the season and the train timetable.
