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Tengchong Travel Guide

Tengchong Travel Guide 2023

Tengchong, one of the necessary routes to Burma, India and Thailand, is a small but beautiful border county in western Yunnan. The unique and rich geothermal resources make it famous all over the world. Many tourists come to Tengchong just to take off their fatigue, relax in the natural hot springs for a few days and enjoy a comfortable vacation. "The Hometown of Overseas Chinese" is another label of Tengchong. The glittering and translucent jades bring too many stories of joys and sorrows to this "remote town".

Tengchong is a place with diverse landscapes towering volcanoes, beautiful wetlands, virgin forests and idyllic rural villages, etc., also the place with a profound history where countless heroes of World War II rest.

Why Visit Tengchong:

  • Soak in Hot Springs in the “Kingdom of Volcanic Geothermal” - Tengchong has rich geothermal resources. The quality of hot spring water here is quite splendid, which has a good effect on health maintenance and stress relieving. Have a wonderful vacation in Tengchong, where the heat is steaming. How can you miss the enjoyable experience of hot springs?
  • Visit One of The Most Famous Hometowns of Overseas Chinese - Heshun Hometown is the birthplace of the earliest transnational trade in Yunnan. It is a century-old village on the Southwest Silk Road which is deeply influenced by the Central Plains culture. From here, the Ancient Southwest Silk Road continued westward, eventually connecting West and South Asia. From generation to generation, Heshun people run horse caravans and managed businesses which have left many legendary stories and historical sites, including the former residence of Ai Siqi, Cun Ancestral Hall, and Heshun Library, etc.
  • Appreciate the Volcanic Landscape - In Volcano Park in Tengchong, you can climb to the top of Dakongshan to look far in a distance or take a hot air balloon to overlook panoramic view of volcanoes. The spectacular volcanic geological landscape, gentle and beautiful mountains and rivers, and the residential buildings in the fields will definitely leave a great memory for you.
  • A Stunning Ancient Village Embellished by Gingko in Autumn - Autumn, especially from mid-November to early-December, is the most beautiful time of Gudong Town (固东镇). The ancient buildings look even more attractive and vigorous against the backdrop of ginkgo trees. The farming areas, roads, walls and vegetable fields are all covered with golden ginkgo leaves. Wandering through the alleys of the village, inadvertently, ginkgo leaves fall from the side, visitors would feel like themselves entering a golden fairy tale forest. Under this artistic conception, you can't help but pick up the camera and capture all the beauty.
  • 18 Strange Things of Yunnan - If you are interested in the 18 strange things of Yunnan, then make sure to visit Tengchong, where you can see at least three of the 18 strange things: Eggs are sold on strings of straw; Zanba (Roasted Barley Flour) is called Erkuai (饵块); The taken-off bamboo hat can be used as a lid for a pot...
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Top Tengchong Attractions & Things to Do

Tengchong is an area with concentrated volcanoes in Asia. There are many volcanoes in the territory. Tengchong is rich in geothermal resources, with many hot springs and spring eyes. Tengchong county is not big, but it has a long history, with thick historical deposits and many cultural landscape buildings. The Volcano National Geological Park, Geothermal Scenic Area, Guoshang Cemetery and Heshun Hometown are all must-see attractions. If you visit Tengchong in autumn, Ginkgo Village (Gudong Village) is the place you can’t miss...

Tengchong Travel Guide
Heshun Hometown

Heshun Ancient Town, located about 4 kilometers west from Tengchong County, is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese in Yunnan Province. It is also an important town on the Tea-horse Ancient Road and a must-pass-through place of the southwest silk road

Tengchong Travel Guide
Geothermal Scenic Area

There are more than 80 gas springs and hot springs in the scenic area, among which the water temperature of 10 hot springs is above 90℃. The heat enveloped the place in a white mist. Dagunguo, the Glasses Spring, and the Beauty Pool are highlights in the area.

Tengchong Travel Guide
Volcano National Geological Park

It is one of the four major volcanic groups in China. There are 97 volcanic mountains and several lava platforms in the park. Famous spots in the park include Dakongshan, Columnar Jointing, Black Fish River, etc. Visitors can ride in a hot air balloon and overlook the volcanoes in full view.

Tengchong Travel Guide
North Sea Marsh

The North Sea Marsh is surrounded by mountains and hills. Vast lands floating on the water look like giant colorful carpets, gorgeous and magical. From mid-April to May every year when the orchid bloom is the best season to visit the place. Boating on the lake in summer, it’s like being on a “water prairie”.

Tengchong Travel Guide
Gudong Town (Gingko Village)

Gudong town has a long history and is an important part of Tengyue culture. Its Xingyang paper umbrella and Jiangdong embroidery enjoy a national reputation. In the golden autumn season (from mid-November to early December), the ancient buildings are covered by thousands of ginkgo trees.

Tengchong Travel Guide
Guoshang Cemetery

Those who come here pay homage not only to the dead, but also to a tragic and solemn history. The cemetery consists of the memorial tower and tombs of martyrs. The martyry is built in the style of ancient ancestral temples, which contains several stone tablets and historical photos, recording the sorrow history of that period.

Tengchong Travel Guide
Heshun Library

One of the largest and oldest rural libraries in China, donated by Heshun Overseas Chinese in 1928. The library has a collection of more than 70,000 volumes, many of which are rare and unique in China, as well as more than 10,000 ancient books and more than 10,000 documents of the Republic of China.

Tengchong Travel Guide
Jietou Town

Jietou Town, located in the west of Gaoligong Mountain, is surrounded by a sea of rape flowers in early spring and has been selected as "the most beautiful place in Yunnan" by China's National Geographic and domestic media. Besides, there are other highlights, like Ancient Handmade Paper Museum.

Tengchong Travel Guide
Yunfeng Mountain

Yunfeng Mountain is a famous Taoist mountain in the area, looks like jade bamboo shoots standing upright, because of the peak waist often shrouded by clouds and fog, so named. The "three folding ladders among clouds" between the hanging cliffs is known as the top of the 12 views of Tengchong.

Tengchong Weather & Best Time to Visit

Located at 24~25 degrees north latitude, Tengchong county belongs to the tropical monsoon climate zone, which combines the advantages of continental climate and maritime climate. Winter and spring are sunny and warm, and with average sunny and rainy days in summer and autumn. The annual average rainfall is around 1530 mm, and the annual average relative humidity is 77%. The lowest temperature in winter is not less than 0°C, and the highest temperature in summer is not more than 30°C. It has been praised as "one of the best places for human habitation". Air quality in Tengchong is also great. The average content of negative oxygen ions is 3827 per cubic centimeter, the highest can reach over 38,000. PM2.5 is less than 10, therefore it’s known as "Natural Oxygen Bar".

Rich natural resources and suitable climate make Tengchong suitable for tourism in all four seasons. The county welcomes visitors from all over the world with different features throughout the year. In early spring, travelers can go to Jietou Town (界头镇) to see the Gaoligong Mountain and the rape flower sea add radiance and beauty to each other. In summer, head to Beihai Wetland, where you paddle through the green reeds. In autumn, don’t miss Gudong Town, one of the most beautiful ginkgo villages in China. Soaking in natural hot springs in the Rehai Hot Spring Resort or Cherry Valley, etc. in autumn/winter, visitors can experience quite a different kind of fun.

Tengchong Transportation: How to Get to & around Tengchong

Get to Tengchong

Tengchong is located in the west of Yunnan Province. It’s about 600 km away from Kunming (the capital of Yunnan), 325 km from Dali, 200 km from Myitkyina in Myanmar and 600 km from Ledo in India. Tengchong is an important gateway to South and Southeast Asia. There is no railway in Tengchong, therefore nowadays the most convenient way to get to Tengchong directly is by flight. Tengchong can also be reached by coach and car. Generally, travelers from other provinces or cities to Tengchong, will choose Kunming as their transfer city.

Get to Tengchong By Flight: Tengchong Tuofeng Airport (腾冲驼峰机场) is the nearest airport to Tengchong County (about 14km / 15~20mins by car). It has opened flights to Kunming, Lijiang and Xishuangbanna, etc. Other nearby airports include Baoshan Yunrui Airport (保山云瑞机场) and Dehong Mangshi Airport (德宏芒市机场).

  • Location of Tengchong Airport: Tuofeng Village, Qingshui Town, Tengchong County, Baoshan City, Yunnan.

Get to Tengchong By Coach/Car: There are coaches from Kunming (600km/8~8.5 hours by car) and Dali (325km/4.5~5 hours by car) directly to Tengchong. You can also take a bus to reach Baoshan (140km/2hours by car) first and then transfer to Tengchong.

Kunming to Tengchong: The most relaxing and time-saving way to get to Tengchong from Kunming is by taking a flight. There are nearly 30 flights flying from Kunming to Tengchong every day. The whole flight journey only takes about 1 hour. Check the accurate flight schedule Kunming to Tengchong | Tengchong to Kunming >>

Get around Tengchong

Tengchong is not big, the newly built roads are wide and easy to navigate. However, besides Heshun Hometown and some small scenic spots nearby the center of Tengchong, other highlight natural scenic areas such as Geothermal Scenic Area, Volcano National Geological Park, North Sea Marsh, Ginkgo Village, Cherry Valley, etc. are scattered in different directions from the urban area to a certain extent. Therefore, the most recommended and worry-free way to travel around Tengchong is by booking a tour with private car service.

If you are fluent in Chinese, you can also take local public transportation. The main public transports in Tengchong are taxis and local buses (city bus, tourist line).

Tengchong Hotels & Where to Stay

Tengchong Heshun Hometown has a lot of residential style inns with reasonable prices and warm environments. It is the first choice for most travelers. In the Tengyue Road of Heshun County, there are many cost-effective high-end hotels and hostels with good environments. Besides, visitors may also find accommodation near some famous scenic areas, like the Volcano National Geological Park and the Geothermal Scenic Area. Natural hot spring is one of the biggest highlights in Tengchong. Therefore, there are also many pleasant hot spring hotels in the county, which are the first choice for vacation and leisure.

Tengchong Travel Guide Tengchong Travel Guide

Recommended Hotels, Hostels, Hot Spring Resorts and Inns

  • Hot Spring Resorts: Rehai Hot Spring Resort·Yu Hot Spring (腾冲热海温泉度假酒店·玉温泉 ★★★★★), Rehai Hot Spring Resort·Yangshengge, Tengchong Angsana Resort, Tengchong Lotus Hot Spring Resort...
  • Heshun Hometown: Bolian Resort & SPA Tengchong Heshun (腾冲和顺柏联酒店 ★★★★★), Volca Villa Inn (腾冲每景山墅·温泉度假客栈 ★★★★), Floral Lux·Yunshang Shijian Hot Spring Resort, Huajian Meisu Qingshe Holiday Countyard...
  • Tengchong Main Urban Area: Tengchong Kasion Purey Hotel (腾冲开臣璞悦酒店 ★★★★), Guanfang Hotel Tengchong (腾冲官房大酒店 ★★★★★)...
  • Hot Hotels in Other Area: The Lost Stone Villas & Spa (腾冲石头纪酒店 ★★★★★), Banyan Tree Tengchong (腾冲玛御谷悦榕庄 ★★★★★), Mayu Qishe Hot Spring Holiday Hotel, Floral She·Cloud Time Hot Spring Holiday Homestay, Bodu Hotel...

Other Hot Destinations in Yunnan

Besides Tengchong, there are many other hot destinations in Yunnan, like Kunming, Lijiang, Shangri-la, Dali, Yuanyang and Jianshui, etc. Check the travel guide of each destination and discover now! Check all top places to visit in Yunnan >>

Other Popular Destinations in China

China is vast and diverse. Besides Tengchong and the colorful Yunnan, you can enrich your trip to more wonderful destination to enjoy more beautiful sceneries, historical culture, etc. Following are 4 top popular destinations you may get interested in. Please check the travel guide of each destination to start. Also, you can check all our popular travel destinations in China!

Tengchong Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 腾冲

Chinese Pinyin: téng chōng

Population: 0.64 million

Language: Mandarin, Yunnan Dialect

Ethnic Groups: 25

Tel Code: 0875

Zip Code: 679100

Time Zone: (UTC+8)

How to Plan a Tengchong, Yunnan Tour?

Normally an essence Tengchong tour takes 2~3 days, visiting main attractions like the volcano park, Geothermal Scenic Area, Heshun Hometown, Guoshang Cemetery and Gudong Town (Ginkgo Village), etc. If you want to go deep in Tengchong, explore some less well-known sites like the North Sea Marsh, Cherry Valley, Yunfeng Mountain and Jietou Town. It usually takes 4~5 days.

To save time and energy, most travelers would choose to take a flight to Tengchong from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. Therefore, they will visit Kunming and Tengchong in one go. Before heading to Tengchong, they will spend 1~3 days in Kunming City to discover Stone Forest, Green Lake, West Hill and Dragon Gate...

Another popular travel route to Tengchong is taking 6~8 days to visit Kunming, Dali, Tengchong in one-go. All three cities are among the top leisure and vacation cities in Yunnan. In this journey, you will not only feel the romantic “wind, flower, snow and moon” of Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Lake, but also unload fatigue, soak yourself in the steaming hot spring in Tengchong. Those beautiful ancient towns you'll meet through the journey would also be one of the brightest memories.

Want more surprises of Yunnan? Why not extend your tour to more top destinations, such as Lijiang to meet the best ancient town, mountains and gorges, Shangri-La to seek the pure holy scenery and Tibetan belief, Yubeng to enjoy soul-cleansing hiking trails... Such a Yunnan tour needs 6-15 days based on your exploration depth!

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