Mogao Caves and Mingsha Mountain 莫高窟与鸣沙山月牙泉
October 9, 2025
We had booked a four-day private car with a driver through Ctrip.com. Our first day’s itinerary included the Mogao Caves (莫高窟) in the morning and Mingsha Mountain (鸣沙山) in the afternoon.
At 7:50 a.m., the driver’s wife picked us up from the hotel, as our tour for the Mogao Caves was scheduled at 8:30 a.m. For foreign passport holders, tickets must be purchased via Trip.com, with an additional ¥20 service fee for non-Chinese guided tours. Initially, we queued up for the regular Chinese-language tour, but the line was extremely long since most of the standard tickets were sold out. Eventually, we decided to wait for the English-language tour — and it turned out to be a wise choice.
Our small group consisted of only four people, compared with the usual 15–20 in the Chinese groups. The intimate setting allowed us to fully appreciate the artistic details and historical atmosphere. In total, we visited eight caves, each one a masterpiece of Buddhist murals and sculptures, radiating an aura of serenity and devotion. Later, we visited three additional caves that featured giant Buddha statues, open to visitors who couldn’t get regular tour tickets.
After the cave visit, our driver picked us up and drove us to the Mingsha Mountain Scenic Area, famous for its vast golden dunes. At the entrance, we bought protective sand shoes — successfully bargaining the price down to ¥8 each. The mountain is made up of fine, soft sand that glows under the desert sun, while at its base lies the picturesque Crescent Moon Lake (月牙泉), a natural spring surrounded by dunes.
Camel riding is one of the park’s signature attractions, but we preferred to hike — our favorite way to explore nature. To help visitors climb, the park had set up two long wooden ladders across the steep slopes. We first tried to ascend directly on the sand but soon switched to the ladders, which, though easier, still demanded effort.
Reaching the summit was immensely rewarding — the panoramic desert views under the afternoon light were stunning.
We stayed until nightfall as more visitors gathered on the dunes. At 8 p.m., an extraordinary scene unfolded — a massive open-air singalong began, with thousands of people sitting on the sand, waving glow sticks and phone lights. Lyrics were projected onto the dune itself, turning the desert into a giant karaoke stage. Locals told us that during peak season, as many as 10,000 people join this nightly singing event.
As songs echoed across the sands, we slowly descended the hill under the soft desert breeze, where our driver awaited us at the exit.
The driver dropped us off at the night market again for another taste of local cuisine. It was a full and unforgettable day — a perfect blend of art, history, and the magic of Dunhuang’s desert landscape.
莫高窟与鸣沙山月牙泉
2025年10月9日
我们在携程上预订了为期四天的包车游。第一天的安排是上午参观莫高窟，下午游览鸣沙山月牙泉。
早上七点五十分，司机的妻子准时到酒店接我们，因为我们的莫高窟参观票是八点半的场次。外国护照游客必须通过 Trip.com 购票，并额外支付二十元的服务费，以安排非中文讲解的团队。当天的正常票全部售罄，景区里的游客特别多，排着长队进入参观。起初我们排在中文团的长队中，后来决定等待英文讲解团，事实证明这是一个明智的选择。
我们的英文团只有四个人，而中文团通常有十五至二十人。这样的小团体让我们能更专注地欣赏壁画和雕塑的细节。我们共参观了八个洞窟，每一座都令人叹为观止：精美的壁画、庄严的佛像、巧妙的结构，无不展现出古代艺术的辉煌与宗教虔诚的力量。随后，我们又参观了三个大型佛像洞窟，这些是为没有买到普通票的游客开放的。
参观结束后，司机在出口接上我们，驱车前往鸣沙山月牙泉景区。在入口处，我们以八元的议价价买到了防沙鞋套。鸣沙山由细腻的黄沙组成，远望金光闪闪，山脚下的月牙泉清泉环沙而成，犹如沙漠中的一弯碧玉。骑骆驼是这里最受欢迎的活动之一，但我们更喜欢徒步登山。景区在沙丘上铺设了两条登山梯，以便游客攀登。我们一开始尝试直接踩沙上坡，几分钟后便放弃，改用木梯。即便如此，登顶依然颇为吃力。然而，当我们站在山顶，俯瞰连绵起伏的沙丘与夕阳映照下的湖水，所有的辛苦都变得值得。
我们一直待到夜幕降临。八点整，一场盛大的“沙漠卡拉OK”在山脚展开——上千人坐在沙地上，挥舞着荧光棒或手机灯，齐声高唱。歌词被投影在沙丘上，气氛热烈而震撼。据说在旅游旺季，参加者多达一万人。
伴随着歌声和夜风，我们缓缓从沙丘上走下，司机早已在出口等候。那一天的行程充实而难忘，既有艺术与历史的洗礼，又有自然与人文的融合，完美展现了敦煌的独特魅力。