Yumen Pass & Yadan

How far are Yumen Pass and Yadan from Dunhuang?

Yumen Pass is about 90 km away, 1.5 hours by car; Yadan is about 70 km further, 160 to 180 km from town. Yangguan sits about 85 km from Yumen Pass, in the other direction.

The legs of the trip, from China Discovery and our listings:

Add it up and the car time is about 4 hours even before Yangguan. Bring something to read.

What is there to see at Yumen Pass?

Three ruins on one ticket: Xiaofangpan, the square fort; Hecang Cheng, a Han granary; and a stretch of the Han Great Wall built of earth and reeds.

Xiaofangpan is the rammed-earth fort near the visitor center, the image on every postcard. Hecang Cheng, about 15 km west, was a military supply depot from the Han to the Wei-Jin period, now a long block of eroded earthen walls. The Han wall here is not stone: it is layers of gravel, earth and reed bundles, still standing after two thousand years in the dry air. In Dunhuang the Han wall runs about 136 km with more than 80 beacon towers (Travel China Guide).

The park bus loops from the visitor center to Hecang and the wall and back, and in peak season it allows only 10 to 15 minutes at each stop. The exhibition hall at the visitor center takes about 15 minutes and is worth it: it explains what you are about to see.

How much are the tickets at Yumen Pass, Yadan and Yangguan?

Yumen Pass CNY 40 plus a CNY 50 park bus, Yadan about CNY 120 including its compulsory bus, Yangguan about CNY 50. Around CNY 260 per person for all three.

Sources: China Discovery for Yumen Pass, Travel China Guide for Yadan, and Sina Travel, July 2026 for the summer prices. At Yadan, children between 1.2 and 1.4 m pay half and smaller children go free. Carry your passport: tickets at the big Chinese sites are real-name.

Yumen Pass, the Han wall and the Yadan yardangs in one private day, with entry fees and both park buses in the price.

★ 5.0 · 6 to 8 hours · from $279

Explore the Yumen Pass and Yadan private tour → Tour details

What is the Yadan National Geopark like?

A plain of yardangs, ridges and towers of clay carved by the wind, seen from a compulsory park bus with stops at named formations. The visit takes about 1.5 to 2 hours.

Locals call it the Devil City, for the noise the wind makes between the rocks. The park bus runs a fixed loop past formations with names such as the Golden Lion Greeting Guests, the Sphinx, the Peacock and the Western Sea Fleet, and you get out at each viewpoint. One private-tour guest: "Yadan is just speechless stunning."

Set your expectations, too. A 4-star guest on the jeep tour found the site beautiful but far, the bus visit tightly managed and quick at about 1.5 to 2 hours, and the one restaurant out there noisy and full. In summer it is very hot. The sunset is the best light: around 20:00 to 21:00 from April to September and 18:00 to 19:00 from October to March.

Private tour, small group or jeep: which Gobi day?

Private if you want a guide and your own timing; small group if price matters most; the jeep tour if Yadan is the point of your trip.

Two catches. The private Gobi tour lists meals as excluded, while its own description says lunch is included: confirm before you go. The small group excludes lunch and the park bus at Yumen Pass (CNY 50), and runs either as a shared group of up to 8 or a private group of up to 6. All prices are from-prices for the largest group.

Is the Yadan jeep ride worth it?

If you want to leave the bus loop, yes. Guests who added one say it reached parts of the desert the standard route skips.

From a 5-star review of the private Gobi day: "Decided to add a jeep ride to the tour. A great idea. The driver took us through desert routes not covered on the standard route." The Yadan jeep tour builds the day around it, with a private jeep, guide, entry and lunch, from $399.

Its listing warns that bad weather can cancel the trip, and that it doesn't suit travellers with back problems or pregnant travellers: the ride is bumpy. Other paid extras exist inside the park. One guest tried a desert buggy and found the session very short for the price, so ask how long it lasts before you pay.

A private jeep, a guide and lunch at the Yadan yardangs. Not suitable for back problems or pregnancy.

★ 4.0 · 6 to 7 hours · from $399

Explore the Yadan jeep tour → Tour details

Should you add Yangguan to the Gobi day?

Only if you have the full 12 hours. Yangguan lies about 85 km from Yumen Pass in the other direction, so it adds 1.5 hours of driving.

Yangguan was the southern of the two Han passes out of Dunhuang, as Yumen Pass was the northern. What you see today is a beacon tower ruin on a ridge, a museum, and camel rides on offer. It is the less dramatic of the three sites, and it makes the day long. The small group covers it in a 12-hour day starting at 9:00; the 3-day private tour gives it a day with Yumen Pass and the Han wall, and leaves Yadan out.

Our pick for a first visit: Yumen Pass and Yadan, then home for dinner.

What should you bring for the Gobi day?

Water, snacks, sun protection and a warm layer. Food stops are few, and the wind is cold even in the sun.

• Food: lunch options are thin out here. Pack snacks even if your tour mentions lunch.
• Water: two litres each in summer. The air is very dry.
• Sun: a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. There is no shade at the fort or on the yardang plain.
• Layers: October averages highs of about 20 °C and lows near 2 °C, and the Gobi wind cuts through a T-shirt.
• Passport: for the real-name tickets.
• Toilets: at the visitor centers. Use them.

For how this day fits a longer stay, see the Dunhuang itinerary guide.

Frequently asked questions