{"id":2200,"date":"2026-06-19T13:46:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T13:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datongtravels.com\/?page_id=2200"},"modified":"2026-06-19T13:52:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T13:52:34","slug":"datongvolcanic","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/datongtravels.com\/ru\/datongvolcanic\/","title":{"rendered":"DatongVolcanic"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\n<\/svg>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Datong Volcanoes National Geological Park\n<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u041f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u044b\u0434\u0443\u0449\u0430\u044f \u0434\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043c\u0435\u0447\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u0421\u043b\u0435\u0434\u0443\u044e\u0449\u0430\u044f \u0434\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043c\u0435\u0447\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

One of East Asia\u2019s best-preserved volcanic clusters \u2014 30 dormant craters across a vast plain, the only volcanic plateau on the Loess Plateau.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\u041f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Datong Volcanoes National Geological Park \u2014 Earth\u2019s Ancient Fire Frozen on the Loess Plateau<\/h5>

Yunzhou, Datong, Shanxi, China | 129.9 km\u00b2 | China\u2019s Six Famous Volcanic Clusters | The World\u2019s Only Loess Plateau Volcano Field<\/strong><\/p>

Here\u2019s something they don\u2019t tell you about China: it has volcanoes. Real ones. Thirty of them. And they\u2019re scattered across a landscape so surreal \u2014 black cones rising from golden loess, craters cupping sky like ancient ceremonial bowls \u2014 that geologists call it \u201cthe Volcano Geological Museum of China\u201d and \u201ca natural heritage of the East Asian continent.\u201d You\u2019ll just call it the most unexpected day of your trip.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

The World\u2019s Only Loess Plateau Volcano Cluster<\/h5>

Let\u2019s clarify what makes this place globally significant, because once you understand it, everything you\u2019re looking at changes.<\/p>

The Loess Plateau \u2014 that vast, wind-blown blanket of yellow silt covering much of northern China \u2014 is one of Earth\u2019s most distinctive landforms. Volcanoes, conventionally, don\u2019t happen on loess. They happen on tectonic boundaries, on ocean floors, on basalt shields. But here, in the Quaternary period (roughly the last 2.6 million years), magma punched through the loess and kept punching. The result is a landscape that exists nowhere else on the planet: volcanic cones rising from a sea of yellow earth like islands from an ancient silt ocean.<\/p>

It is one of China\u2019s six most famous volcanic clusters, and a comprehensive geological park spanning 129.9 square kilometers \u2014 part tourism destination, part open-air science classroom, part research site where geologists come to study eruptions that shaped East Asia\u2019s deep past. For the rest of us, it\u2019s a landscape so strange and beautiful you\u2019ll feel like you\u2019ve walked onto the set of a film that hasn\u2019t been made yet.<\/p>

The Five Mountains You\u2019ll Meet<\/h5>

More than thirty volcanic relief features are scattered across the park, but five cones have earned their names \u2014 names so vivid they feel like characters in a folk epic.<\/p>

Heishan (Black Mountain)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 The giant of the cluster, the largest and most imposing cone. Its slopes are dark with basalt, hence the name. The summit crater is well-preserved, and the climb delivers the park\u2019s most commanding panorama. On clear days, you can trace the entire volcanic field \u2014 cone after cone, crater after crater \u2014 stretching toward the horizon like a geology textbook come to life.<\/p>

Jinshan (Golden Mountain)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Smaller than Heishan but arguably more beautiful. Sunlight catches its slopes at particular angles, lending the rock a warm, almost metallic sheen. The crater here is shallow and inviting, and the surrounding grasslands turn brilliant green in summer. This is the volcano you photograph at golden hour and then spend the next year showing people.<\/p>

Langwoshan (Wolf\u2019s Nest Mountain)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 This one has atmosphere. The name alone \u2014 Wolf\u2019s Nest \u2014 tells you something about how local people have imagined this place across centuries. The cone is steep, the crater deep, and standing at its edge, with wind keening across the rim, you\u2019ll understand why wolves feature in the name rather than something more pastoral.<\/p>

Gelaoshan (Old Man Mountain)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Weathered, eroded, ancient-looking. This cone wears its age visibly, with furrowed slopes and a crater softened by millennia. It has the dignity of something that\u2019s been here since before human memory and will be here long after.<\/p>

Haotianshan (Heavenly Mountain)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 The spiritual one. A temple sits near its summit, and locals have climbed it for centuries to burn incense and pray. The sacred and the geological merge here in a way that\u2019s entirely natural in China but deeply moving wherever you\u2019re from. The crater rim offers views not just of the volcanic field but of the temples and villages below \u2014 a reminder that people have lived alongside these sleeping giants for thousands of years.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

What You\u2019ll Actually Do Here<\/h5>

This isn\u2019t a drive-by, look-out-the-window park. It rewards getting out of the vehicle and engaging.<\/p>

Climb a volcano.<\/strong>\u00a0The cones are moderate in height \u2014 you\u2019re not scaling Everest. Most are between 100 and 300 meters above the surrounding plain. A good pair of walking shoes and an hour will get you to the crater rim of your chosen peak. The trails are rough in places but manageable for anyone with basic fitness.<\/p>

Stand inside a crater.<\/strong>\u00a0The dormant craters are accessible and safe. There\u2019s something uncanny about standing where magma once boiled, now filled with wild grass and wildflowers, the rim a ring of basalt around you. It\u2019s quiet up there. Really quiet. The kind of quiet that makes you aware of your own breathing.<\/p>

Photograph the impossible.<\/strong>\u00a0The visual contrast \u2014 black volcanic rock against yellow loess, green grasslands, and the impossibly blue Shanxi sky (especially in autumn) \u2014 creates compositions you couldn\u2019t plan if you tried. Bring your widest lens. Also bring your longest. The scale shifts constantly.<\/p>

Village-hop.<\/strong>\u00a0Small farming communities dot the edges of the volcanic field. Their stone walls incorporate volcanic rock. Their fields extend right up to the cone bases. You can stop for a meal, practice your Mandarin or body-language bargaining for local produce, and glimpse a rhythm of life that has coexisted with these volcanoes for centuries.<\/p>

Learn the geology.<\/strong>\u00a0The park\u2019s visitor center (modest but informative) explains the science: the Quaternary eruptions, the basalt flows, the loess layers, the unique conditions that created the only volcanic cluster on a loess plateau anywhere in the world. Signs and exhibits are increasingly available in English.<\/p>

When the Light Hits Right<\/h5>

There\u2019s a specific hour you need to chase here. Late afternoon, when the sun drops low and the loess glows gold and the volcanic cones throw long shadows across the plain. The entire landscape transforms \u2014 from interesting geology to something approaching the sublime.<\/p>

Plan to be atop Jinshan or Heishan for this. Bring water. Bring a jacket (the wind picks up). Bring patience. The sunset won\u2019t just be beautiful \u2014 it will be the kind of beautiful that makes you forget to take pictures because you\u2019re too busy looking.<\/p>

Sunrise runners, same advice reversed. The cones silhouetted against a pale morning sky, mist pooling in the low ground between them. It\u2019s worth the early alarm.<\/p>

No Crowds. Really.<\/h5>

Here\u2019s the part that will shock you after fighting through crowds at more famous Chinese attractions: Datong Volcanoes National Geological Park is quiet. Not deserted \u2014 but peaceful. Most international visitors don\u2019t know it exists. Most domestic visitors go to the Grottoes and the Hanging Temple and leave. The volcano cluster is the wild card in your Datong itinerary, and it\u2019s all the better for being overlooked.<\/p>

You might share a crater rim with five other people or fifteen. You might have it to yourself. In 21st-century Chinese tourism, that\u2019s not a perk. That\u2019s a miracle.<\/p>

The Datong Quadfecta<\/h5>

By now you know the full Datong circuit:<\/p>

  • \u041f\u0435\u0449\u0435\u0440\u044b \u042e\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430\u043d<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Art and faith carved in sandstone.<\/li>
  • Mount Hengshan & The Hanging Temple<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Sacred peaks and gravity-defying architecture.<\/li>
  • \u0414\u0440\u0435\u0432\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u0433\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0434 \u0414\u0430\u0442\u0443\u043d<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Walled city, chessboard streets, living history.<\/li>
  • Datong City Museum<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 170,000 artifacts that explain everything above.<\/li>
  • And now, the volcanoes<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Geology, solitude, and the strangest landscape in northern China.<\/li><\/ul>

    Add a half day for the volcanoes. Go in the afternoon, stay for sunset. It fits perfectly as a break between the cultural density of the grottoes and temples \u2014 a session of walking, breathing, and remembering that the earth itself is the oldest work of art in any civilization.<\/p>

    \u041f\u0440\u0430\u043a\u0442\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u0438\u043d\u0442\u0435\u043b\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0442<\/h5>

    \u041a\u0430\u043a \u0434\u043e\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f:<\/strong>\u00a0The park is in the northeast of Yunzhou County, about 30\u201340 km from central Datong. Hire a car or take a taxi for the day \u2014 it\u2019s affordable (negotiate a day rate of roughly 300\u2013400 RMB with the driver, or arrange through your hotel). Public buses are possible but will eat your time.<\/p>

    \u041b\u0443\u0447\u0448\u0438\u0435 \u0441\u0435\u0437\u043e\u043d\u044b:<\/strong>\u00a0May, June, September, October. Summer can be hot with limited shade. Winter transforms the landscape \u2014 snow on the cones, the loess frozen hard, and near-total solitude \u2014 but dress for serious cold.<\/p>

    \u0427\u0442\u043e \u0432\u0437\u044f\u0442\u044c \u0441 \u0441\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0439:<\/strong>\u00a0Sturdy shoes (volcanic rock is sharp and uneven), plenty of water (limited vendors inside the park), sunscreen and a hat (the Loess Plateau sun is deceptive), layers (wind picks up on the summits), camera, snacks.<\/p>

    Entry fee:<\/strong>\u00a0Modest (typically under 100 RMB). Combined tickets with other Datong attractions are sometimes available.<\/p>

    Duration:<\/strong>\u00a0Half a day \u2014 enough for 2\u20133 cones and a leisurely pace. A full day if you want to hike extensively and hit all five named mountains.<\/p>

    \"\"<\/p>

    Volcanoes make us feel small, which is the most honest thing a landscape can do. But Datong\u2019s volcanoes do something stranger: they make you feel like the first person to discover them, standing on black rock above golden earth, looking out across a field of sleeping giants that the world forgot to visit. Don\u2019t forget. Go.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t

    \u041e\u0446\u0435\u043d\u043a\u0430: \u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \"\"<\/figure>

    \u041a\u0423\u041b\u042c\u0422\u041e\u0412\u042b\u0419<\/p>

    Over 30 extinct volcanoes scattered across the Loess Plateau \u2014 walk straight into a 100,000-year-old crater and stand where the earth once tore itself open.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \"\"<\/figure>

    BUZZ<\/p>

    \u201cMars on Earth, without the CGI\u201d \u2014 rising star in adventure photography, increasingly compared to Iceland\u2019s volcanic fields by travelers who\u2019ve seen both.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \"\"<\/figure>

    REACH<\/p>

    30 km east of Datong, ~40 minutes by car \u2014 the wild card that transforms a cultural trip into a geological adventure.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \"\"<\/figure>

    \u0425\u0420\u041e\u041d\u041e\u0413\u0420\u0410\u041c\u041c\u0410<\/p>

    Sunrise or sunset non-negotiable for photography. Spring\/autumn best. Summer midday = frying pan. Winter = eerie alien snowscape<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \"\"<\/figure>

    MATCH<\/p>

    Geology geeks, drone photographers, hikers who collect rare landscapes \u2014 moderate fitness, strong winds challenge drones, not for small children on exposed ridges.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \"\"<\/figure>

    WORTH<\/p>

    Free or under $5 \u2014 for less than a cup of coffee, stand on a crater rim older than human civilization.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Datong […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2200","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/datongtravels.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/datongtravels.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/datongtravels.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datongtravels.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datongtravels.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2200"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/datongtravels.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2209,"href":"https:\/\/datongtravels.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2200\/revisions\/2209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/datongtravels.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}