Begin your day with a pickup from your hotel in Zhangye. Travel in comfort in a private vehicle to the Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon, a remote, dramatic canyon system in the Gobi Desert with a vivid blue-green lake at its base.

Admire the canyon walls, which display centuries of wind and water erosion across layered sedimentary rock. Choose from two experience options at the gate: the standard entry (scenic shuttle bus included) or the Deep Tour Package, which adds camel riding across the canyon floor and an off-road vehicle descent into the narrowest inner gorge sections.

Next, head to the Zhangye Danxia Landform for the sunset golden hour. The Danxia formations—bands of red, orange, yellow, green, and purple sedimentary rock stretched across several square kilometers—reach peak photographic conditions as the late afternoon sun descends behind the ridgeline.

Your driver will time your arrival to secure the best sunset viewpoint positions before the light peaks. A hot air balloon experience over the Danxia is available as an optional self-pay add-on.