Steaming geothermal springs in the Rehai valley at Tengchong, Yunnan

Tengchong/China

Tengchong Rehai Hot Sea

A volcanic geothermal valley in western Yunnan, with bathing pools among boiling springs.

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Bathing: Outdoor
Accommodation: Hotel on site

Rehai — the Hot Sea — is a geothermal field in the volcanic country of Tengchong, close to the Myanmar border. A stream valley is lined with fumaroles, boiling pools and the celebrated Big Boiling Pot, whose water is far too hot to touch; downstream, the flows are tapped for open-air bathing pools and steam rooms set among subtropical greenery.

Balnevia view

Why visit

Few places let you walk through an active geothermal landscape and then bathe in its run-off, in one of China's youngest volcanic regions.

Recommendations

Hotels nearby

Explore places to stay near Tengchong Rehai Hot Sea.

The water

Thermal water

Source: Big Boiling Pot and valley springs
Mineralisation: Volcanic sulphate–chloride water
Character: Springs in the Rehai valley reach near-boiling temperatures at the surface; cooled run-off supplies the bathing pools.

History

Tengchong sits on a field of dormant volcanoes noted in Chinese records for centuries, and its springs have long been used locally for bathing and steaming food. The valley was developed as a scenic and bathing area in the late twentieth century, with hotels and pool terraces added around the protected geothermal features.

Practical information

Ticketed, with separate charges for the scenic walk and the bathing areas. Barriers around the boiling springs exist for good reason — surface water there approaches boiling point.