Zhangye | Just a short and fulfilling one-day trip

It was said to be a one-day trip, but we flew to Zhangye on the first night, took a group tour for a whole day on the second day, and slept in on the third day and took the train to Yinchuan in the afternoon.

Table of contents

Itinerary introduction

Attractions

Photo appreciation

Itinerary introduction

D1 Shanghai-Zhangye

D2 Fliggy Daily’s one-day tour: Horseshoe Temple, Binggou Danxia, Colorful Danxia

D3 Zhangye-Yinchuan

D1 Shanghai-Zhangye

The China Eastern Airlines flight from Shanghai to Zhangye was already at 8pm. Zhangye Airport is quite far and it costs about 100 yuan to take a taxi to the city. However, there is a tourist bus that takes you to the city or Zhangye West Station for free. Zhangye Airport is very small, with one luggage tray and one exit. You can find out by asking when you get on the bus at the square.

After arriving at the hotel, I put my bags away and immediately went to the night market, but the night market was not open. It seemed that the impact of the epidemic was still continuing. However, there are a few small shops and barbecue stalls next to the night market that are still open. Those who eat mutton skewers, please pay attention. The mutton is very fresh and delicious. Fresh mutton skewers are sold right next to it for 75 yuan and 30 skewers.

Rice wine with an alcohol content of 0.5 is also delicious.

D2 one day tour

I looked at the map before setting off, and there are roughly the following attractions in Zhangye: Big Buddha Temple, Pingshan Lake, Horse Ti Temple, Binggou Danxia, Colorful Danxia . Except for the Big Buddha Temple in the city, other attractions are relatively far away. Taking a taxi or renting a car is not suitable for one person (mainly because it is expensive and not suitable), so I signed up for a one-day tour of Horseshoe Temple and Colorful Danxia on Feizhu.

This small car group is a carpool group with a driver and guide. Fortunately, the friends we got this time are very friendly and have the same physical strength as me.

The driver said that if we were in a hurry, we could add 20 yuan to the fare and go to Binggou Danxia. Everyone readily agreed. In the end, we just visited three attractions. Since we didn’t do much posing, we didn’t have to go to Binggou Danxia. After exhausting our efforts, everyone successfully spent 1.5 hours visiting Matisi Temple, eating a simple beef noodle, 1.5 hours at Binggou Danxia, and 2 hours at Colorful Danxia. We went back early in the evening.

D3 Zhangye-Yinchuan

Since I had to sleep in and get up at 12 o'clock, I gave up the Great Buddha Temple and took the train to Yinchuan in the afternoon. I’ve skipped this because everyone’s situation is different and it doesn’t have any reference value.

Attractions

Horseshoe Temple

Horseshoe Temple is located south of Zhangye, about 1.25 hours' drive. The Matisi Temple is actually a large scenic spot, and the tickets are not expensive. The Matisi Temple Grottoes actually include several halls/grottoes. In addition to the Horseshoe Hall and the Standing Buddha Hall with horseshoe footprints👣, the main ones are the Thirty-Three Heavenly Grottoes, the Thousand Buddha Cave, and the Golden Pagoda Temple that is not open to the public. Some other small temples are in disrepair and are not open to visitors.

Entering the entrance of the scenic spot is the Thousand Buddha Cave, which focuses on Buddhism from the Han Dynasty. Except for the cave itself on the cliff, the buildings and Buddha statues are all new. The passages inside are almost vertical, and it takes physical strength and courage to climb up, so I just gave up. .

By car, you can drive in to the foot of the Thirty-Three-Day Grottoes. The Thirty-Three-Day Grottoes may be the most famous member of the Matisi Grottoes group. There are twenty-one caves on seven floors, which are very spectacular. Although the steps hidden in the mountain are a bit high, they are like a maze zigzag. There may be a wooden board at the corner, but these are real square stone steps. , I feel confident after stepping on it, and the tourists are very friendly, waiting for you to crawl through slowly, and cheering you on, so overall you can give it a try. Unfortunately, almost all the murals in the caves of the Northern Wei Dynasty have been destroyed, and the previous statues are also gone. Now they are Tibetan Buddhist statues, but the caves in this mountain are still worth climbing.

The Buddha statues in the standing Buddha hall next to it have also been hollowed out, and there are horseshoe prints to be seen in the Horseshoe Hall.

The Golden Pagoda Temple, which has many colorful sculptures and tall hanging sculptures, is no longer open to visitors. (As an aside, I learned yesterday that the Songshan Shaolin Temple is no longer open to the public. There should be no contradiction between protection and openness to visitors. I’m heartbroken)

In addition, the Matisi Temple Scenic Area is an excellent viewing place for appreciating the Qilian Mountains. If you drive by yourself, you can actually spend a whole day leisurely strolling around.

Binggou Danxia

Binggou Danxia is located to the west of Zhangye, on the same road as Colorful Danxia, but about ten kilometers further than Colorful Danxia. Binggou Danxia is a typical northern Danxia landform, standing like an exquisite ancient city.

The scenic spot has developed very maturely. Like us, we can take a scenic car to visit Daxitian and Xiaoxitian in two hours, or we can ride a camel and take the western route for an in-depth tour.

The driver told us that if we have been to Binggou Danxia, we don’t need to go to Pingshan Lake. It’s the same. However, I saw that the geology of Pingshan Lake is redder in the online map, so I don’t know if he is being lied to.

Xiaoxitian felt steeper so I didn’t go up. Daxitian’s steps are relatively gentle and easy to walk on, and the scenery above is pretty good.

Colorful Danxia

Colorful Danxia is probably a place you won’t miss when visiting Zhangye. It's an hour's drive west of Zhangye and ten kilometers closer than Binggou Danxia. The road is currently under construction and the road condition is average. It is said that work is being done day and night and it should be completed next year. The light rail is also under construction.

The Colorful Danxia Scenic Area is a one-way ring with four major scenic spots. The scenery is all unique, and you can see it at all four stops. It is said that the scenery is best at sunset, but when the sun sets, you have to wait for several scenic buses with everyone before you can come out. I personally think that as long as the sun shines on a sunny day, it will be beautiful.

It should be noted that if you enter through the east door, you will exit through the east door, and if you enter through the north door, you will exit through the north door. Otherwise, you will be stupid when you come out.

Photo appreciation