Tengchong Volcanoes & Rehai Hot Springs 腾冲火山与热海Téngchōng Huǒshān yǔ Rèhǎi

Why go to Tengchong Volcanoes & Rehai Hot Springs

Dozens of dormant volcanoes ring Tengchong: in the volcano park north of town you can climb the stairway up Dakongshan to look into its crater, or float above the cones in a hot-air balloon. South-west of the city, Rehai ('Hot Sea') is a steaming valley of vents, spouting springs and mineral crusts around the Big Boiling Pot (Dagunguo), a pool about 6 m across that churns at around 96°C. End the day with a soak in a hot-spring pool.

The story

Tengchong sits where the Indian plate pushes into Asia, and the area counts nearly 100 volcanoes and more than 80 hot springs. So many of its hills are flat-topped or hollowed out by craters that an old local saying claims nine out of ten have 'no head'.

What to see at Tengchong Volcanoes & Rehai Hot Springs

• Dakongshan and Xiaokongshan 大空山与小空山: Stairways lead up to the rims of these two cones in the volcano park. From the top you can see the layered rock of the crater walls and the lava terraces spread around them.
• Big Boiling Pot 大滚锅: The hottest heart of the Rehai field is a pool 6.12 m across and 1.5 m deep, with three vents on its floor. The surface water measures about 96.6°C and the bottom around 102°C.
• Pearl Spring 珍珠泉: A pool where gas bubbles leap up through the water like pearls. It is one of the named springs along the Rehai path.
• Frog's Mouth 蛤蟆嘴: A spring that spouts hot water skyward with a steady hiss. It is another of Rehai's named features, alongside the Big Boiling Pot and Pearl Spring.
• Geothermal Kitchen 地热厨房: Steamed buns, potatoes, peanuts and eggs are cooked here in natural ground steam and come out with a faint sulphur scent.

How to visit Tengchong Volcanoes & Rehai Hot Springs

Treat it as two stops. The volcano park, about 20 km from town, is a walk and a climb: take the stairs to the crater rim of Dakongshan or Xiaokongshan, and add a balloon flight if the wind allows. Rehai lies on the south-west side of the city, its paths run one way through the steaming valley, and a walk round takes roughly an hour and a half. A full day covers both, with the Heshun old town or a hot-spring soak in the evening; half a day means picking one.

How to get to Tengchong Volcanoes & Rehai Hot Springs

The volcano park is about 20 km north of Tengchong and Rehai about 10 km south-west, each under half an hour by taxi or hired car. Tengchong is about an hour's flight from Kunming, or about 2 hours by road from Baoshan station, which trains reach from Dali in under 2 hours and from Kunming in about 4.

Where to stay

Tengchong city has the widest choice and sits 8–20 km from both sights. Heshun old town, about 4 km west of the centre, is quieter and closer to Rehai, and many hot-spring hotels around Tengchong let you soak after a day of walking.

What to eat

• Rolling-pot rice-cake noodles 滚锅饵丝: Strips of rice cake in a bowl, a Tengchong staple that locals eat after seeing the Big Boiling Pot. Seeing the pot, eating the noodles and soaking in a hot spring make up a local routine.
• Dajiujia 大救驾: Thin slices of rice cake (erkuai) stir-fried with pork, egg, soy sauce and vegetables. Legend ties the name, 'saving the emperor', to a fleeing Southern Ming emperor who was fed this dish.
• Earthen-pot stew 土锅子: Earthen-pot cooking (tu guo zi) is counted among Tengchong's signature dishes; look for it on menus in town and in Heshun.

Tips for visiting Tengchong Volcanoes & Rehai Hot Springs

• Balloon flights over the cones only go up when the wind allows, and mornings are usually calmest, so reach the volcano park early.
• At Rehai, stay on the paths: the springs are scalding. Buy eggs cooked in them from the stalls, and note that bathing in the hot-spring pools needs a separate ticket.
• The two areas are about 40 km apart; a hired car covers both in a day, with Heshun close to Rehai. Carry your passport for buying tickets.

Nearby

• Heshun Ancient Town 和顺古镇 20 km
  A hillside village of courtyard homes built on the fortunes of traders in Burma

Also within 30 km: Qihualing Flower Park 原乡栖花岭 (under 10 km), Jiangdong Ginkgo Village 江东银杏村 (under 10 km), Beihai Wetland 北海湿地 (10 km), Guoshang Cemetery 国殇墓园 (20 km), Rhododendron King Ancient Wood Park 杜鹃王古木博览园 (20 km), Wenchang Palace, Qiluo 绮罗文昌宫 (30 km).

On the map

Open Tengchong Volcanoes & Rehai Hot Springs on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia