We came to Dunhaung to visit the Mogao caves as part of our silk road journey. We were very deceived by the management approach that is ongoing here and decided not to visit this heritage site. The primary reason being the excessive access fee (240 yuans for foreign tour, 220 for chinese guide).

There is a museum (research and exhibition center) that was accessible before may 8 and it could be visited without paying a visit to the real caves. However, this basic ticket is no longer available and this is a shame. By making not making available such a visit, the management is not helping at all protecting the actual caves which would probably benefit form having less tourists inside the actual caves (actually, the amount of caves that can be visited have been gradually decreasing for years).

The management approach as well as the high access fee to the site are questionable and definitely need some rethinking.