Badain Jaran Desert

The Badain Jaran holds the highest fixed dunes in the world, with Bilutu reaching around four hundred and thirty metres from base to crest, and among them lie more than a hundred lakes fed by groundwater, some fresh and some so saline they crust with salt, ringed by reeds with small temple settlements beside a few. The combination of mega-dunes and permanent water is what makes the desert unusual, and the source of the groundwater, possibly from far distant mountains, is still debated. A temple built in 1868 stands beside one lake with a pagoda visible above the dunes. The desert became UNESCO World Heritage in 2024.

What you actually see

• The mega-dunes - the tallest stationary dunes on earth, over four hundred metres.
• The desert lakes - more than a hundred spring-fed lakes among the sand.
• Badain Jaran Temple - the 1868 temple beside a lake within the dunes.
• The salt crusts - white rims around the more saline lakes.

When to go

May to October; summer heat is severe and winter nights fall well below freezing. Access is by organised four-wheel drive only, and independent driving into the dunes is prohibited and dangerous. Tours run from the desert-edge settlements.

Honest expectations

There is no independent access: guided four-wheel drive with experienced drivers is required, and it is expensive. Accommodation inside is basic guesthouse rooms in tiny settlements. The drive over the dunes is rough and not for the queasy.

Nearby

Alxa Right Banner lies west; Zhangye and the Hexi Corridor are southwest.