See the painted caves of Mogao at Dunhuang

What the experience is

Dunhuang is an oasis in the far west of Gansu province, where the Silk Road divided to pass north and south of the Taklamakan desert. About 25 kilometres from the town, a cliff above a dry river bed is pierced by hundreds of caves, cut and painted by Buddhists between the fourth and the fourteenth centuries. About 735 survive, nearly five hundred of them decorated, with some 45,000 square metres of wall painting and more than 2,000 painted clay figures. They have been a World Heritage site since 1987.

The paintings are fragile, and the Dunhuang Academy, which cares for the site, controls how they are seen. Visits are timed and limited in number, and tickets are booked through the official channels. The visit begins at a digital centre near the town, where films are shown that reproduce cave interiors in detail. Shuttle buses then take visitors to the cliff. There a guide from the academy leads each group into a set of caves chosen from those open that day. The styles change from cave to cave, from the Indian and Central Asian manner of the early centuries to the confident painting of the Tang, with its paradise scenes, flying apsaras and portraits of donors. Two caves hold colossal seated Buddhas.

When to go

May, September and October are usually the best months. July and August are hot and crowded.

Good to know

Daily numbers are limited, and tickets can sell out in summer and at holidays; book only through the official channels and check the current ticket types and release dates. Photography is forbidden inside the caves. Allow half a day and take the earliest slot. The academy opens certain special caves for an additional fee, and which caves are open on a given day changes.

Getting there

Dunhuang has an airport and a railway station. The same town is the base for the dunes of Mingsha and the Crescent Lake.

Why OKYTO recommends it

It is among the largest bodies of Buddhist wall painting in the world, seen with a guide from the academy that cares for it.