Tengchong｜Spend 600 RMB per person for 5 days and 4 nights!

Tengchong｜Spend 600 RMB per person for 5 days and 4 nights! I relied on “free hot springs, staying at hostels, and eating at the vegetable market” to uncover Yunnan’s most underrated budget-friendly secret spot—students will be thrilled!

Stop saying Tengchong is expensive!
Volcanic Hot Springs 120 RMB, Heshun Ancient Town 55 RMB, hotels over 300 RMB per night…
Sounds like you want to close the page already?

But as a “frugal travel blogger” who just returned from Tengchong,
I have to say: this border town is China’s best healing treasure for budget travelers!

✅ Got free natural hot spring foot baths
✅ Stayed at a youth hostel for 8 RMB/night
✅ Breakfast for 5 RMB with rice noodles + er si noodles + fried dough sticks
✅ City transportation covered by bus + carpool
✅ Spend just over 600 RMB per person for 5 days and 4 nights, even cheaper than going to Dali!

Here’s a budget-saving Tengchong travel guide to cure your “budget anxiety,” take it and thank me later.

📍 Trip overview: 5 days 4 nights｜About 620 RMB per person (round trip included)

| Item | Cost (shared by two people) |
| Round-trip bus (Kunming-Tengchong) | 280 RMB/person |
| Accommodation × 4 nights (hostel + youth station) | Average 15 RMB/night ≈ 60 RMB/person |
| Food (snacks + simple meals) | 150 RMB/person |
| Attraction tickets (half price with student ID) | 80 RMB/person |
| Local transportation (bus + carpool) | 50 RMB/person |
| Other miscellaneous expenses | 40 RMB/person |
| Total | ≈660 RMB/person |

👉 Student ID! ID card! Must bring! Tickets are half price!

🚌 Step 1: How to get there cheapest? Don’t fly! Take the night bus and “lie down all the way.”

❌ Don’t fly to Tengchong Tuofeng Airport! Tickets cost over 800 RMB, plus 80 RMB taxi after landing.
✅ The right way: Take the night sleeper bus from Kunming South Bus Station (ticket price 140-160 RMB)

🔍 Tips:
- Choose the 8 PM departure, sleep through the night and arrive in Tengchong, saving one night’s accommodation
- Buy tickets in advance on “Trip.com” or at the station to avoid no seats last minute

🏡 Step 2: Where to stay cheap and convenient? Don’t stay in ancient town inns! Go for the “Youth Station” deals!

In Heshun Ancient Town, inns average 200+ RMB, but
Tengchong has officially operated “Youth Hostels + Public Welfare Stations”!

📌 My tested plan:
- First night at “Tengyue Cultural Park Youth Station”: 8 RMB/bed, hot water and WiFi included
- Next nights switch to “hostel beds near Heshun”: 30 RMB/night, breakfast included

💡 Advantages: central location, safe and clean, plus you can meet fellow travelers your age!

♨️ Step 3: Must-visit attractions｜If you can “freeload” for free, don’t pay!

✅ Volcano Park (ticket 40 → student 20)
Bus line 3 direct, rent binoculars to see the crater, hiking the loop trail is awesome!

✅ Hot Sea Big Boiling Pot (ticket 60 → student 30)
But! There’s a free geothermal foot bath nearby! Locals call it “Toad Mouth,” 5 minutes on foot, perfect water temperature, sitting and zoning out is super healing.

✅ Heshun Ancient Town (ticket 55 → student 27.5)
Actually, if you buy tickets during the day, after 6 PM entry is free!
Sunset shining on the ancestral hall’s water is ten times more beautiful than daytime!

✅ National Martyrs Cemetery + Western Yunnan Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall: completely free! A must-visit!
Solemn and dignified, the heavy sense of history hits you hard, eyes get teary after visiting.

🍜 Step 4: What to eat cheap and authentic? Don’t go to trendy restaurants! Focus on “morning markets + street stalls.”

Tengchong has lots of food, but to save money
✅ Head straight to “Tengyue Road Vegetable Market”! Opens at 7 AM:

📌 Must-try budget kings:
- Bean powder rice noodles (5 RMB/bowl): add chili and vinegar, so delicious you’ll lick the bowl
- Er si rolls (3 RMB): freshly fried dough sticks wrapped in er si noodles, street breakfast god
- Clay pot (small portion 30 RMB): similar to hot pot, enough for two people
- Rose milk fan (5 RMB): half the price of Dali!

🚫 Pitfall warning: Be cautious of “specialty restaurants” near scenic spots, fried rice costs 40 RMB a plate!

🚌 Step 5: Island transportation｜Bus + carpool = the way to go!

Tengchong is small, attractions are scattered but all reachable by bus:
- City → Heshun: Bus 5, 2 RMB
- City → Volcano Hot Sea: Bus 3, 2 RMB
- To Gudong Town Ginkgo Village (autumn only): rural minibus, 15 RMB/person

Carpool is more flexible: find hostel buddies, four people share a car, about 10-20 RMB per person for long trips!

💎 Hidden experiences｜Free & off-the-beaten-path
- 🌅 Walk along Longchuan River at sunset, locals dancing square dances, very down-to-earth
- 📸 Dieshui River Waterfall: walkable from city, see “green without filters” for free
- 🧭 Hiking the Daying Mountain loop: overlook Tengchong basin, few people and wild scenery

Finally, a heartfelt word:
Travel is not a money-burning contest.
When you sit in a steaming free foot bath,
watching elders play chess and children run around,
you’ll understand:

Tengchong’s gentleness isn’t in the ticket prices,
but in the eyes of every ordinary person willing to smile at travelers.