7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Zhangye Danxia, China's Rainbow Mountains

Zhangye Danxia National Geopark sits in China's Gansu province, where sandstone and siltstone laid down over roughly 24 million years has been folded, lifted and eroded into striped hills coloured by iron, sulphur and other minerals trapped in the rock. The result, officially protected since 2011 and now one of China's most visited natural landmarks, is a landscape that looks digitally altered even in an unedited photograph. Here are seven places within the park worth pointing a camera at.

1. Viewing Platform No. 2, the "rainbow terrace"

The park's four numbered viewing platforms are connected by a boardwalk, and Platform 2 is generally rated the most photogenic, overlooking a sweep of red-and-yellow banded ridges often called the rainbow terrace. Morning and late-afternoon light bring out the colour contrast best.

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2. Platform 4 at sunset

Positioned to catch the last light of the day, Platform 4 is where most sunset photographs of the park are taken, with the mineral bands turning a deeper red as the sun drops. It gets crowded in peak season, so arriving with time to find a clear sightline matters.

3. The "Eye of the Sky" formation

A rounded rock feature nicknamed the Eye of the Sky, visible from one of the park's boardwalk sections, is a favourite for close-up shots that isolate its circular banding pattern rather than the wider landscape.

4. The hoodoo formations in the park's eastern section

Wind and water erosion have carved isolated pillar and hoodoo shapes into parts of the park, distinct from the smoother banded hills elsewhere, and they photograph well against the flatter terrain around them.

5. The boardwalk itself, shot from below

The park's raised wooden walkways, built to protect the fragile mineral crust from foot traffic, make a strong foreground subject when shot from a lower platform looking up toward a walkway cutting across the coloured hillside.

6. Binggou Danxia's canyon formations

A second, less-visited section of the wider Danxia landform area, Binggou Danxia trades colour for scale, with narrower canyons and taller rock walls that suit a different kind of shot than the main park's open hillsides.

7. The park entrance at golden hour

Even the approach area, backed by the first ridgelines of colour, is worth a frame before heading further in, particularly for travellers arriving by shuttle bus in the late afternoon.

Traveller tips

• The park is reached by shuttle bus from Zhangye city, about 30 to 40 minutes away; private vehicles aren't permitted inside.
• June to September offers the most saturated colours; the ground can look muted after rain, so check conditions before a sunset visit.
• Walking is restricted to the boardwalks to protect the rock surface; stepping off them is prohibited and enforced.
• Midday light flattens the colour contrast; plan visits for early morning or the two hours before sunset.