Gansu: choose the Hexi Corridor, two anchors or Dunhuang

Lanzhou 兰州 → Zhangye 张掖 → Jiayuguan 嘉峪关 → Dunhuang 敦煌

Why this route: Choose the four-base route when the change from Danxia landscape to frontier fort to Buddhist cave art is the point of the journey. The extra Lanzhou night serves the arrival and the long westbound sequence.

1. Lanzhou 1 nightUse the east-end gateway only if your arrival lands here. It is an overnight gateway before the first full sightseeing day.
2. Zhangye 2 nightsKeep the city hotel and Danxia entrance as separate points; one full day can absorb the scenic-area visit and its return.
3. Jiayuguan 1 nightVisit the frontier fort when that history earns a stop, then continue west on a separately checked train.
4. Dunhuang 4 nightsReserve a Mogao Caves date, a separate desert or city day, and room to shift a weather-affected visit before departure.

Move between bases:

Search Lanzhou → Zhangye, Zhangye → Jiayuguan and Jiayuguan → Dunhuang by exact date and station on 12306 before paying for all four hotels. A summer added train is a seasonal service; use 12306 for your date. Leave a real travel block after each checkout. Book the verified station pair with your passport →

When to cut it:

If you enter at Zhangye, remove Lanzhou. If the fort ranks below the caves or the Jiayuguan connection fails, remove that base rather than compressing the Dunhuang cave day.

Zhangye 张掖 → Dunhuang 敦煌

Why this route: Choose two anchors when coloured landforms and the caves matter more than collecting every corridor city. Jiayuguan and Wuwei remain optional future trips, separate visits requiring extra time.

1. Zhangye 2 nightsChoose a city base and one Danxia day with a confirmed entrance and ride back.
2. Dunhuang 3 nightsGive Mogao its own booked day and keep a second day for the desert or a city plan.

Move between bases:

Search the date-specific station pair and arrival time between Zhangye and Dunhuang. If no sensible connection is available, add a transfer night or make Dunhuang the whole trip; count the movement day as travel. Book the verified station pair with your passport →

When to cut it:

With only three nights, choose Dunhuang alone if the caves are the priority. Two bases and a long transfer need extra nights.

Dunhuang 敦煌, with Mogao 莫高窟 as the fixed decision

Why this route: Choose one base when cave art is the reason to travel and the east–west rail sequence would consume the available holiday. This is a focused Dunhuang visit rather than the whole Hexi Corridor.

1. Dunhuang 3 nightsArrive, use one separately booked cave day, and keep another day for Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake or a local alternative.

Move between bases:

Book the actual flight or rail arrival and exit first. The Mogao visitor route starts at its Digital Exhibition Centre; use the academy’s official booking channels before arrival. Book the verified station pair with your passport →

When to cut it:

Three nights leave little spare weather room after travel. Add a fourth night or move the date if missing Mogao would undermine the whole trip.

Plan a Dunhuang stay: Mogao, dunes and a town base → Choose a booked cave day, the desert visit and each local return.