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.
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...
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
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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).
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 >>
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 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.
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 >>
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!
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)
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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