Climb the singing dunes of Dunhuang to Crescent Lake

What the experience is

The Mingsha dunes, the Singing Sand Dunes, rise at the southern edge of the Dunhuang oasis, where the Kumtag Desert meets the fields. Their name refers to the sound the sand makes when it moves. A few kilometres from the town centre, in a hollow among them, is Yueyaquan, the Crescent Moon Spring: a small lake curved like a new moon, with a pavilion and trees on its bank.

Visitors climb the dune ridges on foot, look down on the lake and the oasis, and come down to walk round the water.

The lake

The spring has been a sight for travellers for centuries; its present name was adopted under the Qing dynasty. Western travellers who reached it in the 1930s, among them the missionaries Mildred Cable and Francesca French, described it with admiration.

Its level has been unstable. In 1960 the lake averaged four to five metres deep. Over the following decades the level fell, and by the early 1990s the average depth was about one metre. Since 2006 the authorities have worked to restore it, and its depth and area have gradually increased.

When to go

Go late in the afternoon and stay for sunset. In summer the sand is too hot at midday, and the low light gives the ridges their shape. May, September and October have the best temperatures. Dunhuang has very little rain and is one of the sunniest places in China.

Good to know

Climbing in soft sand is slow work, and ladders on the main dune are often provided to make it easier. Camel rides along the foot of the dunes and sand sledging are commonly offered at the site, with motorised rides for those who want them. Sand gets into cameras and shoes; cloth overshoes are usually hired at the gate. Tickets for the scenic area are generally sold online, so check before going. Allow two to three hours.

Why OKYTO recommends it

After a morning in the dark of the Mogao Caves, the dunes show the desert that every traveller on the Silk Road had to cross.