Badain Jaran Desert

Badain Jaran Desert is the third largest desert in China, and it is the only desert on China's World Natural Heritage list. The World Heritage Committee inscribed it on 26 July 2024 at its 46th session in New Delhi under the name Towers of Sand and Lakes, using criteria (vii) and (viii).

The listing rests on three features. The stabilised mega-dunes reach about 460 metres in relative height, the tallest of their kind on Earth. Between them lie 144 lakes whose colours differ because their salinity differs. The sands also sing: wind across quartz grains makes a low rumble over a large area.

Chinese National Geographic (中国国家地理) magazine has called Badain Jaran the most beautiful desert in China. A Tibetan Buddhist temple that dates from 1868, according to our Alxa guide, stands on one of the lake shores.

Our Alxa guide says the interior needs specialist vehicles and guides. PreeChina arranges both as part of a private tour with an English-speaking guide and personal assistant. Alxa Right Banner Airport (RHT) and Alxa Left Banner Airport (AXF) both appear on our Alxa guide.

The Badain Jaran Desert 2-Day Tour shows a ready loop through ten lake and dune sites. We change the stops, the days and the pace to fit your group.

Badain Jaran is remote, and standard Chinese tour groups do not serve it. Independent travellers can lower the budget by arranging the trip themselves.

PreeChina has vetted guides, restaurants and hotels in Alxa over several years and does not publish that list. PreeChina plans and manages the trip, with an English-speaking guide and a personal assistant from arrival to departure. PreeChina also offers discounts to social media creators with an audience. Contact us through the form to discuss them.

PreeChina plans every trip as a private, custom, tailor-made journey. We build Badain Jaran into a longer China trip or into a desert-focused itinerary, with family tours and tours for older travelers on request.