No one who has been to the Dunhuang caves has, in my experience, complained: They are one of the world's greatest treasures, and the authorities manage their stewardship quite flawlessly. Admission is very strictly controlled. You cannot go unaccompanied—you are compelled to hire a guide from the headquarters complex at the front gate (the English-speaking guides are excellent, informative, and intelligent). You are not allowed to take photographs: All cameras and similar electronic devices have to be checked prior to entering. For about $10, your guide will take you to ten caves, and for a small additional fee you will be taken to a dozen or so more. To see all the caves would, at this rate, take many weeks and cost a small fortune—although once inside, you will think such an expenditure of time and money worthwhile. A lengthy visit to the neighboring Research and Exhibition Centre is highly recommended, as is the Web site of the International Dunhuang Project, which has almost 144,000 images of treasures from the site (idp.bl.uk).

Given the currently execrable state of the Silk Road to the west of the Ming dynasty fort at Jiayuguan—and the fact that regular trains come no nearer to Dunhuang than Liuyuan, 80 miles away—you'll want to fly in. A number of domestic carriers have service into the small Dunhuang airport (China Southern, China Eastern, and Air China dominate), and their modern and well-equipped Boeing or Airbus jets fly several times a day to and from Beijing, Lanzhou, Urumqi, and Xi'an, with additional flights to Chengdu and Shanghai from May through October. (The one-way fare between Shanghai and Dunhuang is about $300; from Urumqi, about $90.)

The weather is extremely hot in summer, bracingly cold in winter, and generally dry. Be prepared for fierce sun, and bring lots of water if you plan to climb the dunes.

The country code for China is 86. Prices quoted are for April 2008.

Lodging
Close to the sand dunes and Crescent Lake and15 minutes from the Mogao caves, the Silk Road Dunhuang Shanzhuang is one of a small chain of what the owners call "culture hotels." It can lay claim to being one of the nicest accommodations in all of China, and is surprisingly cheap: Except during the highest and hottest season (August), ever-available deals can bring standard $150 rates down to about $80. Morning camel rides are an excellent way to start the day; and if you don't mind the noise and fumes, a flight over the dunes in a microlight is an unforgettable—if environmentally irresponsible—experience. The concierge can organize everything (937-888-2088; dunhuangresort.com; doubles, $100–$150). The Grand Sun Hotel, in the city center, is one of those efficient but ugly Chinese hotels preferred by karaoke- and massage-loving businessmen. It's good enough if the Silk Road is full (937-882-9998; doubles, $35–$70).

Dining, etc.
With its hundreds of food stalls, the Dunhuang Night Market is enormous fun, especially if you hire a pretty singer (for about $5) to come and sit by your table, play the erhu, and warble melancholy music while you tuck into the local specialty, lurou huang mian, or noodles with donkey meat (prices vary). For Western food, Shirley's Café, in the heart of Dunhuang, serves the usual backpacker fare—banana fritters, milk shakes, and amusing hamburgers—which can be savored while you trade information, gossip, and advice. The owners provide Wi-Fi and are quite content to have you sit for hours, telling the world what an amazing find the Dunhuang caves are (20 Mingshan Rd.).

Reading
Irene Vongehr Vincent's The Sacred Oasis: Caves of the Thousand Buddhas Tun Huang is a classic half-century-old account of the finding of the caves (out-of-print). Aurel Stein: Pioneer of the Silk Road, by Annabel Walker, is the best contemporary biography of the extraordinary European explorer (out-of-print). Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Art and History on the Silk Road, by Whitfield, Roderick, et al., is based on an exhibition of a small sample of the Dunhuang treasures lodged in London (out-of-print). The Silk Road: Trade, Travel, War and Faith, edited by Susan Whitfield, is a concise volume published to accompany the legendary 2004 British Library exhibition (Serindia Publications, $50). My new book, The Man Who Loved China: Joseph Needham and the Making of a Masterpiece, is the story of a Cambridge scientist who fell in love with a Chinese student, and then with China itself, a romance that culminated in his writing the definitive 24-volume book about what makes China China (HarperCollins, $28).

Most travelers reach the caves by way of Beijing or Shanghai.