Binggou Danxia vs Rainbow Mountains (Colorful Danxia) – Which Should You Visit?

The chances are that if you’re planning a trip to Zhangye in Gansu Province, then you’re coming here because of China’s Rainbow Mountains, aka the Colorful Danxia landforms.  What most don’t realise until they arrive here is that the Rainbow Mountains are part of a bigger UNESCO Global Eco Park that contains another spectacular set of landforms – Binggou Danxia.  It’s a completely different landscape of towering red rock formations, cliffs, canyons, and narrow valleys.   And while they’re both part of the same UNESCO Global Geopark, they’re a very, very different experience.  Here’s my guide comparing Binggou Danxia vs the Colorful Danxia (aka the Rainbow Mountains) of Zhangye.

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Before visiting Zhangye ourselves, we kept asking the same question that almost every traveler seems to ask. If you only have limited time, which one should you visit? The Rainbow Mountains are more famous internationally, but those who visited both seem to prefer Binggou Danxia. After visiting both scenic areas, it’s easy to understand why. In this guide, I’ll compare Binggou Danxia and the Zhangye Colorful Danxia Rainbow Mountains properly, including which is more impressive, which is less crowded, which is easier to visit, and whether it’s worth making time for both.

Quick Answer – Should You Visit Binggou Danxia or the Rainbow Mountains?

If you only have time for one scenic area, the answer depends on what kind of landscape you enjoy most.

The Rainbow Mountains are the better choice if you want the famous, colorful striped hills you’ve probably already seen in photographs. They’re easier to visit, easier to photograph, they’re WAY more popular, and definitely the more iconic of the two locations.

Binggou Danxia, however, feels far more dramatic. The scenery is bigger, wilder, and usually much quieter. If you prefer rugged landscapes, unusual rock formations, and places that feel slightly less commercialized, Binggou Danxia is probably better for you.

If you have enough time, though, I’d strongly recommend visiting both. Despite being close together geographically, they genuinely feel like completely different destinations.

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What’s the Difference Between Binggou Danxia and the Rainbow Mountains?

Although they’re often grouped together online, Binggou Danxia and the Rainbow Mountains are separate scenic areas with very different landscapes and visitor experiences.  That means separate tickets, and while they’re relatively close together, you can’t just wander between the two of them.

What Is Binggou Danxia?

Binggou Danxia is the more rugged and dramatic of the two scenic areas. Instead of colorful mountains, the landscape here is made up of giant red sandstone formations shaped into cliffs, narrow valleys, stone pillars, and jagged ridges over millions of years.

The name “Binggou” is commonly translated as either “Ice Valley” or “Ice Groove,” although the landscape today is dry, dusty, and desert-like.

My guide to visiting Binggou Danxia is here.

What Are the Colorful Danxia, aka the Rainbow Mountains?

The Rainbow Mountains are famous for their brightly colored layered hills. Mineral deposits and sandstone layers created the vivid reds, oranges, yellows, and cream colors that made this landscape internationally famous.

This is the area most people picture when they hear “Zhangye Danxia”, or the “Colorful Danxia”.

My guide to visiting Zhangye’s Colorful Danxia is here.

This part of the scenic area is more developed for tourism than Binggou Danxia.  There are a lot more facilities, it’s a bigger area, and it’s a lot more popular.

Are They Part of the Same UNESCO Geopark?

Yes. Both scenic areas are part of the Zhangye UNESCO Global Geopark in Gansu Province.  A UNESCO Global Geopark focuses on protecting landscapes that are considered internationally important from a geological perspective. In Zhangye, that includes both the colorful layered hills of the Colorful Danxia/Rainbow Mountains and the dramatic rock formations of Binggou Danxia.

Although they’re part of the same geopark, the two areas are separately managed, separately ticketed, and visually very different.

Which Is More Impressive?  Binggou Danxia or Colorful Danxia?

This is obviously subjective, but after visiting both, they’re impressive in very different ways.  The two experiences are poles apart.

Why the Rainbow Mountains Feel Unique

The Rainbow Mountains are visually extraordinary. The striped colors running across the hills really do look unreal in places, especially around sunset when the reds and oranges become much more vivid.  The panoramic viewpoints are also spectacular. Some platforms overlook huge valleys filled with rolling layers of colorful ridges stretching into the distance.  If you want the classic Insta shot, this is the place you’ll want to visit.

Why Binggou Danxia Feels More Dramatic

Binggou Danxia feels more dramatic almost immediately.  It feels special because there are many fewer people here.  And it somehow feels bigger, perhaps because you are REALLY climbing up into the mountains.  Step by step!

The rock formations are massive, with towering cliffs, narrow valleys, and huge sandstone structures that make you feel as though you really are a long way out in the mountains.  And if you take one of the walking routes, then it feels as though you could be the only people in the park!

It also feels quieter and much less commercialized than the Rainbow Mountains. You spend more time walking through the scenery rather than simply viewing it from platforms, along with a lot of other people.

Which Did We Prefer?  Binggou Danxia or Colorful Danxia

Honestly, we preferred Binggou Danxia slightly more overall, even though the Rainbow Mountains are the more famous destination.

The Rainbow Mountains are absolutely worth seeing and genuinely impressive, but Binggou Danxia felt more adventurous, probably because it was harder to get here, and there were fewer people, so it felt less crowded.  That said, if you skipped the Rainbow Mountains entirely, I think you’d regret missing one of China’s most iconic landscapes.  You’re unlikely to ever come back, so why not both?

Which Zhangye Danxia Site is better at Sunrise or Sunset?

Sunset is generally better at the Rainbow Mountains because the colors become much more vivid under warm evening light.  Binggou Danxia works well throughout the day, although early morning and late afternoon still provide the best shadows and texture across the rock formations.

Which Zhangye Danxia Landform Is Less Crowded?

This is one of the biggest differences between the two scenic areas.

Crowds at the Colorful Danxia:  Rainbow Mountains

The Rainbow Mountains are one of the most famous natural attractions in China, so they attract huge numbers of domestic tourists, particularly during weekends and Chinese public holidays.  You just need to check out the size of the parking lots when you arrive, the line management for the ticket office, and the sheer number of shuttle buses to understand how busy it can get here.

The main viewing platforms can become crowded around sunset.

Crowds at Binggou Danxia

Binggou Danxia is usually much quieter.  There are a lot more steps involved here.  And that’s steps/staircases going up, not just the walking steps that you’re counting.  Even when there are visitors around, the landscape itself feels bigger and less crowded.  If you dislike tour bus crowds, Binggou Danxia will probably appeal to you more.

Is it easier to visit Binggou Danxia or Colorful Danxia?

The Rainbow Mountains are easier overall for most travelers.  It’s slightly closer, and there are more tours that come here.  You’ll have to make slightly more of an effort to go to Binggou Danxia than Colorful Danxia.

How Much Time Do You Need to Visit Binggou Danxia and Colorful Danxia?

Most travelers spend around 2 to 4 hours visiting the Rainbow Mountains, depending on photography interests and crowd levels.  We spent just under three hours here.  However, if you’re specifically visiting for sunset, you’ll want to allow extra time.

We spent just over 2 hours visiting Binggou Danxia.  You could spend longer here, but you’d need to take the second route with the amphibious car (we didn’t take this).  It’s covered in my guide to Binggou Danxia.

Can You Visit Both in One Day?

Yes, and that’s exactly what many travelers do.  The scenic areas are relatively close together, and visiting both in one day from Zhangye is completely realistic if you start reasonably early.  Most people visit Binggou Danxia first and then head to the Rainbow Mountains later in the afternoon for sunset.

Here’s a map so you can see the respective locations of both sites.

Visiting both sites means you’ll get to see just how diverse the Danxia landforms here at Zhangye really are.

How to Get to the Danxia Eco Parks from Zhangye

Once you’ve arrived in Zhangye, it already feels like you’re completely off the beaten track. You are well off the mainstream for foreign visitors, and it’s a delight.  And heading to Binggou Danxia is about to go more off track, so here’s how you can go from Zhangye to Binggou Danxia.

Take a Taxi or Didi from Zhangye

The easiest way to visit either or both of the Danxia scenic areas independently is by taxi or Didi from Zhangye. Most drivers will understand exactly where you want to go, and many hotels can help arrange transport.

Some drivers will wait while you explore and then drive you back to Zhangye, although it’s important to agree on a price and timing in advance. Having a translation app helps enormously if you don’t speak Chinese, but using WeChat to communicate is generally accepted as the norm now.  Just send a message and the app does all the translation.  Of course, for this, you need local data, and the best way to get this is to have an eSIM.  The eSIM from Trip.com is generally considered to be the best; you can get it here. (There are two options, a 3Gb a day one – after which you still get data, but it’s super slow, and a 10Gb a day one.  Both options allow you to hotspot and share the connection.  In our recent trip to China, we hit 3Gb only one day, and we were out ALL day and a lot of the night that day. This is the eSIM we bought.

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Join a Tour from Zhangye to both sites

Many domestic tours combine Binggou Danxia and the Rainbow Mountains into a single day trip from Zhangye. This is the simplest option if you don’t want to deal with transport logistics.  You’ll find that they’re relatively small groups here, this far west, and you might even end up going just in a car by yourself!

Tours are particularly useful if you want to visit for sunset, as transport options can otherwise be limited very early or late in the day.

The folks at the Silk Road Travelers Hostel are fabulous, and I do recommend them and the hostel as a place to stay.  They can arrange either shared or private transport to Binggou Danxia, the Rainbow Mountains, and a variety of other spots to visit.  They also have some great recommendations of where to eat (and what) in Zhangye.  Check out their room availability here.

The current list of tours (and shared vehicle prices) that the Silk Road Travelers Hostel in Zhangye offers is in the photo below.

Alternatively, you can book online with Viator, Trip, Klook, or GetYourGuide.

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Public Transport to the Rainbow Mountains from Zhangye

Public Transport to the Danxia sites

If you plan on taking public transport, then its best to visit Binggou Danxia first. Buses to Binggou Danxia leave Zhangye from the West Bus Station. “Xi” or 西 generally means West in Chinese.  The West Bus Station in Zhangye is also known as the Xiguan Bus Station.  The Zhangye West Bus Station is about 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) from Zhangye West Train Station.

Here’s a link to the location on Amap (as you will likely know by now, Google Maps and Maps.me are generally useless in China, you should use Amap instead.

Buses leave the Zhangye West Bus Station for Binggou Danxia at 07:30, 07:45, 08:00, 08:40, 09:15, and 10:30.  The trip takes around 90 minutes. 

The bus goes to the North Gate of Colorful Danxia (aka the Rainbow Mountains) first before continuing to Binggou Danxia.  The last return bus is usually around 18:00 – 18:30, but when you buy a ticket, the staff will advise you of the last timed bus for the day, so that you don’t miss it. 

You can buy a single (15 CNY or a return ticket 30 CNY) and can pay cash, Alipay, or WePay.

FAQs on Binggou Danxia vs the Rainbow Mountains

Here are the questions we had ourselves before visiting both scenic areas, along with the ones we’ve answered for other travelers, too!

Are Binggou Danxia and the Rainbow Mountains the Same Place?

No. They are separate scenic areas within the same UNESCO Global Geopark.  They need separate tickets, and they’re a short distance apart, too.

Which Is Better – Binggou Danxia or the Rainbow Mountains?

It’s impossible to answer this question as they are very different places.  So it depends on what you enjoy most, but many travelers end up preferring Binggou Danxia despite the Rainbow Mountains being more famous.

Can You Visit Both in One Day?

Yes, it is easy to visit both Binggou Danxia and Colorful Danxia easily in one day from Zhangye.

Which Is Less Crowded?

Binggou Danxia is usually much, much quieter than Colorful Danxia.

Which Is Better for Photography?

The Rainbow Mountains are better for iconic colorful panoramas, while Binggou Danxia is better for dramatic landscape photography.

Which Is Better at Sunset?

The Rainbow Mountains are usually more impressive than Binggou Danxia at sunset because the colors intensify dramatically in evening light.

Is Binggou Danxia Worth Visiting If You’ve Already Seen the Rainbow Mountains?

Absolutely. The landscapes feel completely different.

Final Words on Binggou Danxia vs the Rainbow Mountains

Before visiting Zhangye, I assumed Binggou Danxia would basically feel like an extension of the Rainbow Mountains. In reality, they ended up feeling like two entirely separate destinations that just happen to sit close together geographically.  The Rainbow Mountains are absolutely spectacular and deserve their reputation. But Binggou Danxia surprised us more. It felt wilder, more dramatic, and far less crowded, with scenery that changed constantly as we walked through the park.  If you only have time for one, you really can’t go wrong with either. But if you can make time for both, I genuinely think that’s the best way to experience the Zhangye Danxia landscapes properly.

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