Shāpōtóu

Introducing Shāpōtóu

The desert playground of Shāpōtóu (admission Y65; 7am-5.30pm), 10km west of Zhōngwèi, lies on the fringes of the Tengger Desert, at the dramatic convergence of desert dunes, the Yellow River and lush farmlands. It’s based around the Shapotou Desert Research Centre, which was founded in 1956 to battle the ever-increasing problem of desertification in China’s northwest.

Shāpōtóu has become something of a desert amusement park, with camel rides, speed boats, zip lines (Y60), bungy jumps (Y120), sand sleds (Y20) and a climbing wall (Y30). The scenery is impressive, but it’s heavily commercialised. There are two entrances to the area: the main one at the guesthouse and the other at the top of the sand dunes, from where you can access the main desert (a camel ride here costs Y60).

A traditional mode of transport on the Yellow River for centuries was the yángpí fázi (leather raft) made from sheep or cattle skins soaked in oil and brine and then inflated. An average of 14 hides are tied together under a wooden framework, making a strong raft capable of carrying four people. Touts at Shāpōtóu offer boat rides up to Shuāngshīshān for Y60 per person, from where you can raft back downstream.

A day trip up the river to a working water wheel at Běichángtān, some 70km west from Zhōngwèi, costs Y320.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009