Badain Jaran Desert — Lakes and Dunes

UNESCO Natural World Heritage site in Inner Mongolia — the third largest desert in China, featuring some of the world's tallest stationary dunes and a unique network of freshwater and saline lakes sustained by a still-unexplained subterranean water system.

The Badain Jaran Desert was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024, covering a section of the Alashan Plateau in western Inner Mongolia. The property encompasses approximately 4.9 million hectares of one of China's most remote and geologically distinctive deserts, characterised by colossal stationary sand dunes — some exceeding 500 m in height, among the tallest in the world — and a remarkable system of over 140 perennial lakes concentrated between the dune massifs.

The dunes of Badain Jaran have accumulated over tens of thousands of years from aeolian (wind-transported) sand derived from surrounding alluvial fans and dried lake beds. The largest dune complex, Bilutu Peak, rises approximately 500 m above the surrounding inter-dune depressions. Unlike mobile dunes in other desert systems, the megadunes of Badain Jaran remain largely stationary due to the interaction of prevailing winds from different directions.

The lakes between the dunes range from fresh to hypersaline, sustained by groundwater that feeds up through fractures in the underlying rock. The source of this water — suspected to be distant mountain recharge from the Qilian Shan or Tibetan Plateau — remains a subject of active scientific investigation. Several lakes are ringed by bright mineral crusts and support halophytic (salt-tolerant) vegetation; others host freshwater ecosystems with fish and waterbirds unexpected in a desert setting.

Visiting Badain Jaran requires logistical preparation: the desert interior is accessible by 4WD vehicle only from the small town of Alxa Youqi, and most visitors join organised tours with experienced local guides. Camel trekking between the dunes is available. The silence, scale and colour of the landscape at sunrise and sunset are among the most dramatic natural experiences available in northern China.