Classic The Silk Road Half Day Tour: The World Heritage --Mogao Grottoes

Made mistake with pickup location. They sent a driver and guide to get us out there and do the tour. No extra cost! Fantastic!

The monument is overprotected by the chinese authorities and the guide doesn't show you the most impressive caves.You will manage to see maybe 5-6 from the initial 8 proposed and that with a lot of rush.Theoretically you could hire another and another guide,if you went there alone and visit all the caves that are open for the day but since the transportation from and to the monument is included in the price,you basically get to visit the monument for just 40-50 minutes.The rest of the time is lost in shopping at the souvenir shop (which offers hand-painted buddhist paintings) and in the legendary chinese lunch which is never left out of any chinese tour.I personally prefer sightseeing than eating during the day and I prefer a place where I can visit some culture instead of being rushed.

The Mogao Caves (莫高窟) are definitely a must see for everybody traveling to Dunhuang. The caves themselves are breathtakingly beautiful, it's simply amazing to find a cultural heritage of this value in the middle of nowhere, practically. Plus, the exhibition around the caves including two very well-made movies about the caves put you in the right mood and give you the proper context to really savor what you're seeing. Be aware, though, that getting the tickets to the caves may be tricky–or at times even impossible–if you don't buy them well ahead. This is where Steven Kang (康锦新) came into play. He helped us organize the tour–and get the tickets (even to section A of the caves, so the very best ones) on very short notice. Eventually, however, his services didn't stop there: Steven was really there for us whenever we had questions about traveling in and around Dunhuang and helped us organize everything. He even arranged for my cousin's sunglasses to be transferred from Dunhuang to Beijing, after my cousin had left them in a coffee shop in Dunhuang. All in all, thanks a lot for everything Steven, you do a great job! So if you are looking for someone trustworthy to help you plan your travels in Dunhuang and, as Steven has told us, all over China, he's the man of your choice–especially if you don't speak Chinese: Steven did his studies in English!