Travel Notes for Tengchong Rehai Scenic Area

After breakfast of pea flour soup and rice noodles with roasted meat, we took a taxi to Rehai Scenic Area. Two people can share one ticket, which costs CNY 50 per person. Tengchong Rehai Scenic Area is also a 5A-level scenic area. It takes 10–15 minutes to walk from the entrance to the ticket gate. You can also take a shuttle bus, but it's a bit of a rip-off. We passed by the Rehai Scenic Area Museum, but it was closed for maintenance due to equipment failure since August 18 last year, so we missed it. After passing the ticket gate, we started our tour of the scenic area. First, we arrived at the Toad Mouth Fountain, which my wife particularly liked. The spring looks like a frog with a white belly and an open mouth. It is the only pulsating boiling water fountain in China, with a range of 1.5 meters and a temperature of 95.5°C. The long-term spray paint has formed a toad mouth-shaped fountain. You can already smell a strong sulfur smell here. The little white-bellied frog is really cute. Then we continued walking and saw the hydrothermal explosion point on the roadside. Hydrothermal explosions occurred here on November 23, 1964, February 4, 1974, and June and July 1978. During the explosion, the whole mountain roared with a loud noise. The geothermal flow mixed with mud and sand was ejected into the air, reaching a height of more than 10 meters. The locals call this phenomenon "mountain roar." Continuing forward, you can see the Meiren Valley Hot Spring Resort Hotel. On its right is the stairway up the mountain. Continuing up the mountain, you can see the colorful Spring Skirt on the hillside. There is a hot spring stream and a sulfur soap shop nearby. The shop assistant recommends washing your hands in the stream to experience the sulfur hot spring. I washed my hands and found them very smooth. Continuing up the mountain, you can see the Pearl Spring. The Pearl Spring is not large, about two square meters, with many bubbles constantly emerging from the ground, like crystal-clear pearls, hence the name. The water temperature here is 96°C and slightly acidic, which is very magical. Not far from the Pearl Spring is the Sister Spring, also known as the Glasses Spring, because it has two spring mouths, one large and one small, one above and one below, which is very magical. Further ahead is the Drum Spring, named for the sound of the bubbling water, which resembles a drumbeat. The hot spring temperature is around 96°C. Continuing up the mountain, you will reach the famous Huaitai Well, which has two hot spring wells. Legend has it that drinking the well water here can increase the chances of conception. Continuing up the mountain, there is a platform selling food and drinks for rest. The mountain is not high, so there is no need to rest. Continue up the mountain on the stairs behind the platform. The mountain road here is called the Science Popularization Road because there are exhibition boards on the fence every so often, providing popular science knowledge about hot springs, Tengchong hydrothermal, hot spring culture, and the geographical conditions and principles of hot spring formation. It is suitable for a leisurely tour or a family tour. After walking the Science Popularization Road, you will soon reach the Rehai Big Boiling Pot, the peak of Rehai Mountain. There are many people at the Rehai Big Boiling Pot. When taking photos from the front, the mist always obscures the words "Rehai Big Boiling Pot," so we took photos from the side. You can steam eggs with the Rehai Big Boiling Pot. There is a large steamer next to it. Hand over a string of four eggs to the free egg steaming person and wait about half an hour to collect them with a ticket. There is also an old man dressed as a security guard selling steamed eggs, peanuts, quail eggs, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and other things next to the Rehai Big Boiling Pot, all steamed with the steam from the Rehai Big Boiling Pot, but they are a bit expensive. While waiting for the eggs to steam, you can soak your feet in the hot spring at the nearby Wanghaiting, called "Golden Soup Foot Bath." The Golden Soup Foot Bath costs CNY 48 per person. They also sell some geothermal food, such as hot spring quail eggs for CNY 45 per plate, hot spring eggs for CNY 2 each or CNY 10 per string, hot spring buns for CNY 15 per steamer, hot spring potatoes for CNY 30 per plate, and hot spring peanuts for CNY 30 per plate. Taro, sweet potatoes, corn, and dumplings are also available. In front of the hot spring foot bath Wanghaiting, there is a small square called the Geothermal Light Food Square, where you can buy snacks such as grilled pork belly and fried rice cakes. You can continue up the last few steps to a small scenic spot called Wenguang Pavilion, built to commemorate Mr. Zhang Wenguang, one of the leaders of the Xinhai Revolution. Zhang Wenguang was posthumously recognized as a revolutionary martyr by Yunnan Province. While browsing Wenguang Pavilion, we encountered a rain shower, so we stood under the pavilion for a while. The entire pavilion is made of stone and can accommodate three or four people standing, but there are no benches. At 11:20, we collected a free string of steamed eggs and started down the mountain. When we reached the Bath Valley Hot Spring, it started to rain heavily. We sat in the lobby of the Bath Valley Hot Spring to shelter from the rain and peeled and ate the eggs. There are 11 hot spring pools in the Bath Valley Hot Spring. Upon entering, you will first see the sulfur original soup, followed by the characteristic fumigation. The middle area has various hot spring pools with different ingredients, including wine pools, aloe pools, coffee pools, cypress pools, tea pools, medicine pools, etc. There is also a carbonated hot spring original soup at the innermost part. Compared to the Dongshan Hot Spring we visited yesterday, the price here is much higher. However, it includes sulfur hot springs, a feature of Rehai. The basic ticket here is CNY 198 per person, and additional fees apply for private soup houses or spa treatments. When the rain subsided, we walked down the mountain along the pedestrian path. It was still drizzling during the walk. Looking back at the Toad Mouth, Lion Head, and other hot springs from a high place, you can see the steam rising in the valley, like a fairyland.