Mogao Caves
Mogao Caves
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Located in the Gobi desert, the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas feature beautiful wall fresco paintings and more than 3,000 sculptures dating from the forth to the fourteenth century.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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C B
Europe72 contributions
Jun 2021
In order to get to the ticket you go to the tourist center and buy your ticket from the window (you will need your passport).. A staff member found us in line and brought us headsets that had the English translations of the two movies. The first was a general history of the town. After the first movie you move to a second theater that has a screen that wraps around onto the ceiling. This has high detail pictures of many of the most famous caves paintings, and is a good place to take pictures as photography is not allowed in the caves. After the second movie you board a bus to the cave. There is a long line that forms but that is for people who are on package tours. There was no clear signage as to where to go, but if you walk toward the entrance, there were some staff members there who directed us to wait for a guide. If you don't speak Chinese you probably could just show them your tickets. After a short wait and some other people were gathered up an English speaking guide appear and took us on the tour of the caves. The tour is impressive, though there are a lot of stairs to go up and down. Which caves they take you in appear to be a bit random, and the guides English, while quite good, was not always able to explain all of the nuances of some of the items. There is also a museum on the way back to the parking lot that has interesting exhibits as well as several reproductions of some of the more famous caves. You can than take the shuttle bus back to the tourist center.
Written 13 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve S
Shanghai, China141 contributions
Aug 2020 • Friends
The two films about Dunhuang and the caves were interesting and good quality. The caves, however, were disappointing. The facade of the caves was surprising as it is covered in cement and aluminum doors used to access caves. The caves were lit only by the guide’s small flashlight, which made it difficult to appreciate. During the visit of four of the eight caves, the guide felt it important to mention and point out the damage and pillage caused the archeologist Langdon Warner and Russian soldiers. Of course, this should not be forgotten, but it would also be nice to see caves in better condition. Obviously these caves represent a unique artistic achievement by their organization, painted sculptures and murals which are masterpiece of Chinese art, however our exposure to this was extremely limited
Written 4 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HKHomers
Hong Kong, China22 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
Mass tourism China style. Caves is an overstatement; these are indents in the rocks, not interconnected, and usually not deeper than approx 15 meter or so. Quite nice to be honest, would have loved to see in private. But China style mass tourism just made it a ridiculous experience. The entrance, about 10km from the caves, contains a cinema complex where you (have to?) watch the caves on screen with endless detailed comments. Then line up with thousands of tourists transported by buses to the caves where you have to listen to incredibly boring details about the paintings. I walked out while my wife and company co-workers continued. Such a contrast with our Egypt trip last month, where visitors ARE allowed to visit tombs by themselves taking it all in, in person (Valley of the Kings). Would not suggest to visit these caves, it's just not worth it.
Written 10 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
xcschlr
Milwaukee, WI816 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
For Chinese tourists, the only way to book a visit is to do it online. Even though the online booking site does not work for visitors from overseas (i.e., those who do not have a Chinese ID), the ticket office always reserves tickets for overseas visitors to purchase. You first watch a widescreen film about the religious artwork to gain some understanding of the historical background, and then take a museum bus to see the caves. The carvings are magnificent. In summer 2024, the number of English-speaking tourists was relatively small, and the museum did not provide many curators who can speak English and resulted delays in the English tours. We took a Chinese tour to avoid the delay, and I acted as the interpreter for my English-speaking companion.
Written 27 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ian Anderson
Shanghai, China158 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
An extraordinary and vast collection of caves with painted Buddhas, frescoes, artwork. Buy tickets on line in advance or at the visitor centre near the airport. Refer to previous reviews for well-organised visit arrangements including introductory films but make sure to order an English language audio or guide for the grottoes themselves (we didn’t) as otherwise you will miss a lot of information. Nice coffee shop near the return pick up point
Written 7 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
beatrice390
Indonesia399 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
An amazing caves with Buddhist painting from 6th century. It almost 2000 years ago, but they preserve the painting and sculpture in a very good condition, unbelievable.
There are even original wooden doors from that period.
This caves has been listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
In conclusion, it’s worth to go if you’re in or near Dunhuang city.
There are even original wooden doors from that period.
This caves has been listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
In conclusion, it’s worth to go if you’re in or near Dunhuang city.
Written 19 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jtaylor946
Guangzhou, China786 contributions
Jan 2021 • Couples
I really enjoyed our experience at the Mogao caves. Everything was very organized and there was a lot to see. First, we watched two short films at the visitor center before starting the tour. There wasn’t English subtitles for most of the film, so you will need to understand a little Chinese to fully understand, but you can basically guess what the films are about just from watching. After that, we took a bus to the actual site. This took about 20 minutes. When we got there, we had to queue up. My husband and I got pulled to the side with the two other foreigners who were visiting the site that day. We had an English speaking tour guide show us around. This was great as we were in a small group and could ask more questions and appreciate the caves more. The Chinese groups had more than 20 people. The lady who showed us around was very nice and answered all our questions. Overall, it was a very good experience!
Written 31 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
evelynhosm
Singapore, Singapore12 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
Contrary to what’s been circulated about the need for foreigners to reserve tickets for Mogao Grottoes prior to a visit, I’ll share my experience today. There is apparently no need for that.
There are tickets reserved specially for foreigners - this is sensible since there is no way for us to make reservations online with a foreign telephone number.
Just go to the counter (at the Mogao Grottoes) for collection of online tickets and ask to purchase tickets with English audio guide. You will need to produce your passport for registration. You should be able to get the next available slot pretty easily. It costs 220RMB for foreigners.
There are tickets reserved specially for foreigners - this is sensible since there is no way for us to make reservations online with a foreign telephone number.
Just go to the counter (at the Mogao Grottoes) for collection of online tickets and ask to purchase tickets with English audio guide. You will need to produce your passport for registration. You should be able to get the next available slot pretty easily. It costs 220RMB for foreigners.
Written 11 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SOH KIEN PENG
Singapore, Singapore9,291 contributions
Nov 2017 • Solo
I flew from Kuala Lumpur via Airasia to Xian, took a train to Lanzhou, spent a night at Lanzhou and from Lanzhou took another night train to Dunhuang. I spent 2 nights in Dunhuang.
The first attraction I visited was this Mogao Caves which was within walking distance from the train station. I did not know that it was just so near to the train station and took the shuttle bus and paid RMB3 just for a one stop distance. If there is not much luggage with you, you can just walk from the train station to the attraction. It is about a 15 min walk journey. I subsequently walked back from the attraction to the train station to purchase my 2 days later train ticket back to Xian.
The shuttle bus from the train station did not stop directly in front of the attraction. The driver will alight you along the road and pointed to you the entrance of the attraction and you have to walk across the road divider to the admission gate (about 50 m walk).
It is advisable to wait for the same shuttle bus to fetch you to the downtown from the train station along the same part of the road where you alight. Do not wait for the public bus at the car park of the attraction. The waiting time seems to be very long and the taxi drivers at the car park will harass you to take the cab. The cab fare to the downtown from the attraction would cost RMB10 (not very expensive anyway).
I did not book the ticket online and purchased the admission ticket at the ticket counter. It cost me RMB100. I am not sure if it is cheaper booking the ticket online and collecting them at the counter. I came in Nov and probably the low season. There were not many visitors.
Before going to the Caves, we were ushered into an auditorium and a IMAX theater to be shown two films on the history of the Caves. It was a very good introduction and I had a better understanding of the historical background and the contents of the caves before going to the actual caves. The staff told me that you are unable to do the reverse that means going to the caves first and watching the films after the visit.
I would like to commend on the superb cleanliness of the toilets at this attraction. It was very well-maintained and I was able to use the American seating toilet bowl instead of the squatting type. Toilet papers are also provided.
The two films took about 40 minutes (each 20 mins). After the film show, we were shuttled by coach to the actual entrance of the Mogao Caves. The surrounding of the Caves was dry brown desert terrain. As we queued, a tour guide who was assigned free to us provided us with the earphones and as we toured the caves, the tour guide will explain the significance and beauty of the mural wall drawing or the statues in the caves. We were brought to about a dozen caves and the guide patiently explained the details to us. We were not supposed to take any photographs as the photography may damage the preservation work.
Few of the caves really impressed me. One of them was the Big Buddha caves, the nine storey high Buddha statue, really magnificent. It was really an eye opening and I really enjoyed the tour.
Do not be in a hurry to leave the place. After the tour, you can visit the museum just outside the Caves that talked about the history of the excavation and preservation works on the caves. You can also explore the wild desert terrain surrounding the attraction and enjoyed the stroll in the sand dunes.
The Mogao Caves is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. The visit broadens my insight on how Buddhism triumphed during the ancient Silk Road and how the grottoes were built over the years by the authorities of the ruling regimes and the monks who sought meditative refuge in the caves.
Dunhuang was an oasis town during the ancient silk road. I wondered how those silk road travelers obtained their sense of direction as they ventured into the wilderness of the vastness of the desert terrain without GPS or compass and survived the hardship under bitterly coldness and fluctuating climatic conditions and little water. Buddhism probably has given them the strength and the courage to withstand the harsh conditions.
It is enlightening and archaeologically mysterious!
The first attraction I visited was this Mogao Caves which was within walking distance from the train station. I did not know that it was just so near to the train station and took the shuttle bus and paid RMB3 just for a one stop distance. If there is not much luggage with you, you can just walk from the train station to the attraction. It is about a 15 min walk journey. I subsequently walked back from the attraction to the train station to purchase my 2 days later train ticket back to Xian.
The shuttle bus from the train station did not stop directly in front of the attraction. The driver will alight you along the road and pointed to you the entrance of the attraction and you have to walk across the road divider to the admission gate (about 50 m walk).
It is advisable to wait for the same shuttle bus to fetch you to the downtown from the train station along the same part of the road where you alight. Do not wait for the public bus at the car park of the attraction. The waiting time seems to be very long and the taxi drivers at the car park will harass you to take the cab. The cab fare to the downtown from the attraction would cost RMB10 (not very expensive anyway).
I did not book the ticket online and purchased the admission ticket at the ticket counter. It cost me RMB100. I am not sure if it is cheaper booking the ticket online and collecting them at the counter. I came in Nov and probably the low season. There were not many visitors.
Before going to the Caves, we were ushered into an auditorium and a IMAX theater to be shown two films on the history of the Caves. It was a very good introduction and I had a better understanding of the historical background and the contents of the caves before going to the actual caves. The staff told me that you are unable to do the reverse that means going to the caves first and watching the films after the visit.
I would like to commend on the superb cleanliness of the toilets at this attraction. It was very well-maintained and I was able to use the American seating toilet bowl instead of the squatting type. Toilet papers are also provided.
The two films took about 40 minutes (each 20 mins). After the film show, we were shuttled by coach to the actual entrance of the Mogao Caves. The surrounding of the Caves was dry brown desert terrain. As we queued, a tour guide who was assigned free to us provided us with the earphones and as we toured the caves, the tour guide will explain the significance and beauty of the mural wall drawing or the statues in the caves. We were brought to about a dozen caves and the guide patiently explained the details to us. We were not supposed to take any photographs as the photography may damage the preservation work.
Few of the caves really impressed me. One of them was the Big Buddha caves, the nine storey high Buddha statue, really magnificent. It was really an eye opening and I really enjoyed the tour.
Do not be in a hurry to leave the place. After the tour, you can visit the museum just outside the Caves that talked about the history of the excavation and preservation works on the caves. You can also explore the wild desert terrain surrounding the attraction and enjoyed the stroll in the sand dunes.
The Mogao Caves is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. The visit broadens my insight on how Buddhism triumphed during the ancient Silk Road and how the grottoes were built over the years by the authorities of the ruling regimes and the monks who sought meditative refuge in the caves.
Dunhuang was an oasis town during the ancient silk road. I wondered how those silk road travelers obtained their sense of direction as they ventured into the wilderness of the vastness of the desert terrain without GPS or compass and survived the hardship under bitterly coldness and fluctuating climatic conditions and little water. Buddhism probably has given them the strength and the courage to withstand the harsh conditions.
It is enlightening and archaeologically mysterious!
Written 25 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Masala Chai
Suginami, Japan49 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
It is OK to come here if you are traveling long time in China but it is not worth to come just for this.
Quality: 3 Original quality was probably excellent but the color was faded and there are many scratches.
Quantity: 2 There are so many caves but only some can enter and it is too expensive for that and I can stay for a very short time period.
Cost: -5 Extremely Expensive. 240Yuan(49USD, 4,700Yen) for some normal caves. Additional fee is required to enter special cave.
I personally enjoyed somewhat by forgetting price but it is not worth the price. The imagination can come by thinking original color but real color is faded already.
The 360 degree cinema is good but probably it can be separated.
I personally think "copy exhibit + 360degree cinema" is enough for 50Yuan. No need to enter real cave with the price actually because only some can enter for a short time with guide person. I personally like this kind of caves but it is still expensive just for this.
There are not so much information how to book and buy ticket. It is difficult. There are not clear information where to go after buying ticket.
There are not so much information how the special cave is. Otherwise it is difficult to choose special cave to buy ticket before entering it.
The price near cave and in town is expensive such as water and food. It is probably just waiting for customer without doing so much effort because many customer comes continuously. Some people knows what is the service but many people doesn't know what is the service just by waiting the customer with high price. Food is 2-5 times higher than normal price in night market.
Quality: 3 Original quality was probably excellent but the color was faded and there are many scratches.
Quantity: 2 There are so many caves but only some can enter and it is too expensive for that and I can stay for a very short time period.
Cost: -5 Extremely Expensive. 240Yuan(49USD, 4,700Yen) for some normal caves. Additional fee is required to enter special cave.
I personally enjoyed somewhat by forgetting price but it is not worth the price. The imagination can come by thinking original color but real color is faded already.
The 360 degree cinema is good but probably it can be separated.
I personally think "copy exhibit + 360degree cinema" is enough for 50Yuan. No need to enter real cave with the price actually because only some can enter for a short time with guide person. I personally like this kind of caves but it is still expensive just for this.
There are not so much information how to book and buy ticket. It is difficult. There are not clear information where to go after buying ticket.
There are not so much information how the special cave is. Otherwise it is difficult to choose special cave to buy ticket before entering it.
The price near cave and in town is expensive such as water and food. It is probably just waiting for customer without doing so much effort because many customer comes continuously. Some people knows what is the service but many people doesn't know what is the service just by waiting the customer with high price. Food is 2-5 times higher than normal price in night market.
Written 12 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is it possible to take pictures without flash inside?
Written 22 September 2020
How to online book tickets for Mogao cave?
We will go to Dunhuang by ourself, not joining tour. I don’t have a China phone number and China credit card. Can I use my brother one to book the ticket for us? Is anyone try this and know the whole processing? Please advice. Thanks!
P.S. we will go in early Sept and it is a high peak season so don’t think can get one in the site.
Written 3 July 2019
Hello Luisa
I am sorry but I am unable to answer your question. I visited the caves with a group and our tickets were purchased by our local tour guide. However, I will say it is worth your while sorting out how to buy tickets as the caves are marvellous.
Alistair 450
Written 4 July 2019
How do you book tickets in advance? Is there a website/
Written 25 June 2019
I don't think you can book tickets in advance. It was fairly easy. Just produce your passports. The queue is alright as long it is not a public holiday in China
Written 26 June 2019
Could you visit the cave entrance or visitor center on your own and pick up a guide there? If not, who do you recommend?
Written 25 June 2019
Yes you can visit the caves and no guide needed.
Written 6 July 2019
Shoulder season is always best: September, October, April & May.
Remember, they are not actual caves at all. Just cut-outs in the mountain with paintings and/or figures sculpted out of the walls.
Howard S.
Written 5 June 2019
本年6月に敦煌に行く予定です。莫高窟入場券予約販売センターと莫高窟数字展示中心はそれぞれ別の場所になるのでしょうか。入場家予約販売センターは敦煌賓館のそばと聞きました。莫高窟数字展示中心は、敦煌駅に近く、太陽温泉酒店のそばと聞きました。莫高窟数字展示中心でも予約チケットが購入できると聞きました。 もう少し詳細情報があれば、助かります。
Written 11 February 2019
Hi Evelyn or does anyone know how to get from Dunhuang to the Mogao grottoes? Which website do we book the Mogao grottoes from?
Written 18 August 2018
Hi iwannabe
The Mogao Grottoes are in Dunhuang. Once in Dunhuang, get a taxi to take you to the Mogao Grottoes Visitor Centre, where you can purchase your ticket and be led through the entire process of two background movies, and a bus ride to the actual Grottoes for the tour.
There is really no need to book tickets in advance online. And it is virtually impossible to do so if you don’t have a China tel. no.
At the Visitor Centre, queue up at the ticketing counter where people collect their tickets for their online reservation.
You just need to inform the ticketing officer that you are a foreigner and would like to join the next available tour with an English-language guide. Produce your passport, pay 220RMB and you will get your ticket with “外” stamped on it to indicate that this is a ticket for foreigners.
You will be given a time slot and then proceed to the entrance of the main building to wait for your turn (based on your assigned time-slot).
Inside the building, you will be led to watch two movies. Be sure to ask for an English-language audio headset. It is good and very helpful. (I recall that the Japanese visitors had their Japanese-language headset for the movies and a Japanese-language guide at the caves. Not sure what other languages are available though.)
For info: Foreigners are not shortchanged. We get to visit eight caves with an experienced English-language guide (and have the option to visit four more that are open to last minute domestic visitors). I found out from other independent domestic visitors who booked their tickets online that they were also brought to eight caves by a Chinese-language guide and had the same option of visiting four more opened to last-minute visitors.
Tip: It is critical to have a guide to explain the background and communicate the nuances of the paintings in the grottoes. Otherwise, the essence will completely be lost.
I hope my answer is helpful.
Cheers
Evelyn
Written 21 August 2018
莫高屈の特別窟の見学方法（予約方法）に関して、質問があります。
パッケージツアーでなく、個人若しくはオプションでの莫高屈見学を予定しています。
一般窟の見学は、現地の旅行社を通して予約済です。
特別窟は、どのように予約をして、どのように見学できるのでしょうか？
ご存知の方がいらっしゃいましたら、教えて頂けないでしょうか。
宜しくお願い致します。
Written 2 August 2018
私の場合は仕事先の中国人の手配で訪問しましたので、申し訳ありませんがわかりません。たた、説明に現地の研究所の所員がついてくれましたので、HPでメアドを見つけ、要望してみてはどうでしょうか。英語ならば対応してもらえる可能性があると思います。後半は私だったらその方法を試すということで、私見です。
Written 3 August 2018
Bonjour Florence,
A quelle heure était fixée le départ de votre visite des grottes ?
Savez-vous si un créneau était aussi proposé le matin pour une visite guidée en français ?
D'avance merci pour votre retour.
Fabrice
Written 28 May 2018
Is anyone know what will it happens if I can not make my reservation time in mogao cave?
Written 22 April 2018
I suggest you ask the person at the ticket counter when you purchase the ticket. I suspect that they would fit you into a later group, provided that there is space, but you would have to confirm with them.
Written 22 April 2018
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