About 2km West of the entrance to Singing Sands National park in Dunhuang the fences to the park end but the dunes continue on. From there you can climb the dunes free of charge and, more importantly, free of people. Enjoy the satisfaction of the absence of footprints in front of you and only those of your own feet behind you. Head out around 5 pm to catch the sunset on the edge of the Gobi desert as you rest from the surprisingly strenuous climb up the dunes. Watch as the sands change color from tan to shades of the lightest purple and then enjoy a night sky full of stars and the visible milky way.