sight

Mogao Caves

莫高窟

Mògāokū

Four hundred painted caves cut into a cliff over a thousand years. Guided visits only; book weeks ahead.

Reservation needed

Real-name tickets on the official Mogao site or app, released about a month ahead and sold out in summer. The full ticket includes two films at the visitor centre and eight caves with a guide; English-language groups run at set times.

Guides carry the keys and a torch; the caves are dark and the paintings glow when the light passes over them. The Nine-Storey Pavilion holds a 35-metre Buddha. If the full ticket is gone, the emergency ticket gives four caves without the films.

From travellers

Add a tip

No posts about this place yet.