Guyuan Travel Guide

Situated to the south of Ningxia, the sleepy town of Guyuan is a stop on the railway route through the province, with few people disembarking here for anything other than refreshment.

Worth It?: Only if you plan to visit the Xumi Shan Grottoes and need somewhere to spend the night.
What to Do: visit the nearby grottoes, learn about the area's history and culture in the local museum.
Best Time to Go: between April and September, when the weather is warm and dry.
How Long?: A day or less is enough time to take a break in Guyuan.
Trivia: the fifth cave of the Xumi Shan Grottoes contains a 20-plus meter high Maitreya statue.

There is little of interest here and most people simply keep moving as there are far more interesting places nearby to make a pit stop. Nevertheless, the cave grottoes of Xumi are located to the west of Guyuan, and it is possible to take a bus from the town to explore the Buddhist caves, which are cut into sandstone hills.

It takes just over an hour to reach the caves from Guyuan. However, there is only one bus a day, making it necessary to either spend the night in a nearby guest house or hire a minivan back to Guyuan. Although quiet, Guyuan isn't a bad place to spend time and it is certainly more peaceful than many parts of China.

Travel to Guyuan - Getting There

Guyuan is best reached from Yinchuan, where there is an international airport. It takes 6 hours to reach Guyuan by train from Yinchuan. Guyuan is also connected by rail to nearby towns and cities such as Xian (8 hours), Lanzhou (10 hours) and Zhongwei (5 hours).

Guyuan Things to Do

Guyuan Attractions

Guyuan Museum

contains a collection of artifacts spanning the centuries from the Stone Age to the Qing Dynasty.

Side trips from Guyuan

Xumi Shan Grottose: take a bus from Guyuan to these interesting grottoes, which are filled with ancient Buddhist sculptures.