Badain Jaran Desert

Badain Jaran Desert

The Badain Jaran Desert is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Badain Jaran Desert is located in the northern part of Alxa Right Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. It lies to the west of the Yabrai Mountains, north of the Beidas Mountains, east of the Ruoshui River, and south of the Guazi Lake. Covering an area of 47,000 square kilometers, it is the third largest desert in China and the fourth largest in the world. More than 10,000 square kilometers of its northwestern region remain untouched by human footsteps. With elevations ranging from 1,200 to 1,700 meters, the relative height of its sand dunes can exceed 500 meters, earning it the title of the “Mount Everest of deserts.”

Geologically, it belongs to the Alxa Block. The landforms are gently undulating, mainly consisting of eroded low hills, residual hills, and intermountain basins. Quaternary sediments are widely distributed across the surface, forming extensive Gobi and desert landscapes.

Located at the heart of the Alxa Desert, the region has an arid climate. Mobile sand dunes account for 83% of the desert’s area, though their movement is relatively slow. The central area features dense, towering sand mountains, typically 200–300 meters high, with the tallest reaching up to 500 meters. These are primarily compound sand dunes, aligned in a northeast to east direction (30°–40°), a result of the strong influence of northwest winds. Surrounding the tall sand dunes are chains of smaller dunes, generally 20–50 meters high. Sparse vegetation grows on the dunes and sandy mountains—mainly tamarisk, needlegrass, and ephedra in the west; and needlegrass and sand bamboo in the east, with tamarisk and ephedra becoming less common. There are 144 small inland lakes in the lowlands between the tall sand dunes, mostly concentrated in the southeastern part of the desert. Due to intense evaporation, these lakes accumulate high salt content, with reeds and Achnatherum growing along their edges, forming key grazing grounds. Some lake basins have freshwater springs, offering conditions for desert management.

The Badain Jaran Desert has fewer than one person per 10 square kilometers. Within the entire desert, there are only two major settlements: Badain Jaran Temple and Kunaitou Temple. There is virtually no crop farming; the economy is entirely based on animal husbandry. Camels are the primary livestock, with the highest numbers in any county or banner in China, followed by sheep. There are no fixed roads within the desert, making crossings extremely difficult, especially the central and northeastern parts which are largely waterless. The Yabrai Salt Lake in the southeast is rich in salt production, while the Gulu Nai Lake in the west and some lakes near Badain Jaran Temple contain deposits of sodium carbonate.

Towering peaks, singing sands, lakes, holy springs, and temples are hailed as the “Five Wonders” of the Badain Jaran Desert. Shaped by wind forces, the dunes present breathtaking sights like giant ocean waves and towering ancient pagodas. The Badain Jaran Desert accounts for 39% of the total area of Alxa Right Banner, with sand dunes ranging from 200 to 500 meters in relative height, making it home to some of the tallest sand dunes in China and the world. The singing sand dunes of Bao’er Taolegai rise over 200 meters, with steep ridges, sharp sand crests, and varying heights. The roaring sound of sand sliding down can be heard for kilometers, earning it the reputation of the “Singing Sand Kingdom of the World.” The desert is dotted with 113 lakes, 74 of which contain water year-round, including 12 freshwater lakes. These lakes cover a total area of 49,000 mu, surrounded by reeds, waterfowl, and fish, earning the nickname “Jiangnan of the Northern Desert.” The eastern and southwestern edges of the desert feature vast, endless Gobi landscapes, along with spectacular wind-eroded landforms such as uniquely shaped stone forests, mushroom rocks, honeycomb rocks, eroded stone pillars, and grand canyons. The Mandala Mountain petroglyphs, vividly depicting hunting and herding life, are hailed as “living fossils of the art world.”

Across the 73,000 square kilometers of Alxa Right Banner, 24,000 people of various ethnicities live, while within the 28,000 square kilometers of the Badain Jaran Desert, more than 100 herders from 24 households have lived for generations. They have treated the desert with care, and in return, the desert has provided them with an ideal living environment, creating a unique desert ecological culture where humans and nature coexist peacefully. Each lake and each sand hollow forms its own ecosystem—a story of life’s miracles. Since 1984, experts and scholars from France, Japan, the United States, Austria, Singapore, and many other regions of China have come to conduct research. In 1993, a joint Sino-German expedition conducted a comprehensive study of the Badain Jaran Desert, obtaining a wealth of valuable data. They discovered ostrich eggs and dinosaur fossils, and around the lakes in the desert’s heartland, numerous Neolithic and Paleolithic artifacts were found. Archaeological analysis suggests that human activity existed here 3,000–5,000 years ago. In 1996, German explorer and travel writer Baumann published the book Badain Jaran Desert, which caused a sensation in the European exploration community.

Deserts are formed and known as zones of lifelessness due to the lack of water. Yet, in the extremely arid Badain Jaran Desert, the coexistence of sand dunes and lakes remains a marvel that puzzles people around the world.