Zhangye Danxia,
stripes across the hills
Hills painted in horizontal bands of red, orange and yellow. Zhangye Danxia is layer upon layer of sandstone and conglomerate, tilted and worn, and at sunset the colours are at their most intense.
Zhangye Danxia lies at 1,480 m in Gansu, on the eighth day of the Grand Route between Jiayuguan and Qilian. The hills are built of banded sandstone and conglomerate, laid down in layers and then squeezed and tilted, so the strata run as stripes across the slopes in red, orange and yellow. The park covers a wide area of rounded hills, gullies and ridges, and the bands follow the shape of the land rather than any single cliff.
There is no single viewpoint: the park is a set of platforms linked by shuttle buses, and the light decides which one looks best. Sunset is the classic time, when the colours deepen and the shadows pick out the bands. Binggou Danxia, a quieter and more rugged neighbour, is nearby if you have time and would rather have fewer people around.
What to see
Banded sandstone hills
Horizontal stripes of red, orange and yellow running across the slopes, formed by tilted layers of rock.
The viewing platforms
A set of platforms linked by shuttle buses. Each gives a different angle, and the light decides which is best.
Sunset over the colours
The classic hour. As the sun drops, the bands deepen and the shadows bring out the texture of the hills.
Binggou Danxia nearby
A quieter neighbour of similar banded rock, more rugged and far less visited than the main park.
A shuttle-bus park
You move between the viewpoints by park bus rather than on foot, so the visit is easy but needs timing.
The Heihe wetlands
Green wetland and standing water below the dry hills, a softer landscape a short drive from the park.
How the stripes formed
The hills began as layers of sandstone and conglomerate, laid down flat over a long period and then compressed, lifted and gently tilted. Erosion has since cut into the tilted layers, so the edges of the beds show as bands across every slope. That is why the stripes look painted on: they are the exposed ends of sedimentary strata, not surface colour.
- Banded sandstone and conglomerate.
- Laid down flat, then tilted and raised.
- Erosion exposes the edges of the layers.
- The bands run across the slope, not just over the surface.
Sunset and the platforms
The park is a set of viewing platforms connected by shuttle buses, and the order you visit them matters. Sunset is the classic window, when the low light deepens the colours and the shadows reveal the layering. Midday light washes the hills out, so we build the day around the end rather than the middle.
- Arrive with time to move between platforms.
- Wait for sunset: the colours deepen as the sun drops.
- The best platform shifts with the light and the season.
- Your guide picks the order on the day.
Binggou and around
If the main park feels busy, Binggou Danxia is the answer: the same kind of banded rock, more rugged, with far fewer visitors. The Heihe wetlands nearby give a green counterpoint to the dry hills, and both fit comfortably into a relaxed day around Zhangye.
- Aim to be at the platforms for sunset; that is when the colours are at their deepest.
- Take the shuttle buses and plan the order, because the park is large and the light moves.
- Wear grippy shoes for the steps up to the viewing platforms.
- If you want fewer crowds, ask about Binggou Danxia as an alternative.
Frequently asked questions
What time of day is best?
Is there a single best platform?
What is Binggou Danxia?
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