Datong Day Tour: Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple

A one-day private tour out of Datong that pairs the two sites everyone travels here for. Yungang is a cliff of sandstone into which the Northern Wei, a Tuoba dynasty that ruled northern China from this very city in the fifth century, had some fifty caves carved and filled with Buddhist sculpture; the scale and the courtly confidence of it are what stay with you. The Hanging Temple is the opposite gesture: a small wooden monastery held out over a gorge on beams driven into the rock, founded some 1,500 years ago and still standing.

The day is a full one and the two sites are in different directions from the city, so you leave early and come back after dark, with time on the lamp-lit Ming ramparts of Datong before dinner. Admission to the Hanging Temple includes entry to the site; the separate fee for climbing up onto the narrow walkways is paid on the spot and is your choice on the day, since the queues can be long and the view from below is already the photograph.

This works as a standalone day or as the spine of a longer northern Shanxi programme. Walking is moderate: paved paths at Yungang, and steps and narrow galleries at the Hanging Temple. Both sites are open in winter, when the caves are at their least crowded and the plateau is genuinely cold — bring layers.

• Yungang Grottoes, 45 major caves cut for the Northern Wei imperial court
• The 13-metre seated colossus of Cave 20, standing in the open air
• The Hanging Temple, a wooden monastery on a cliff some 40 metres up
• Statues of Sakyamuni, Laozi and Confucius sharing one hall
• Evening ramparts of the Ming city wall in Datong
• Private vehicle, driver and English-speaking guide

• Meals as listed in the daily itinerary (breakfasts and lunches as shown)
• Private air-conditioned vehicle with professional driver throughout
• English-speaking local guide (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian or Japanese on request)
• All entrance fees for the sites listed, including shuttle buses, eco-buses and cable cars where the site requires them
• Local handling and coordination service throughout the programme
• Bottled water (2 bottles per person per day) and audio headsets where group size requires them
• Travel accident insurance for the duration of the tour

• International air tickets and any domestic flights not listed in the itinerary
• China visa or visa-free entry documentation fees
• Meals not specified in the daily itinerary and all beverages/alcohol
• Tips for guides, drivers and hotel staff (suggested USD 8-12 per person per day)
• Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping
• Optional activities and any item not listed under Price Includes
• Single-room supplement if a traveller requires a room alone

Please read the notes below before you book. They cover entry formalities, pace, weather and what to bring.

Q: Is this tour private or shared?
A: It is a private tour. Only your own party travels with the guide and vehicle, so the pace and the order of stops can be adjusted on the day.

Q: What is the best season for this itinerary?
A: April to June and September to November bring the mildest weather and clearest light. The programme runs year round, and we adjust the daily timings in mid-summer and winter.

Q: Can you handle dietary requirements and accessibility needs?
A: Yes. Vegetarian, halal, gluten-free and allergy-aware menus are arranged when you tell us in advance. Step-free and low-mobility versions of the route can also be planned.

Q: How do we book and pay?
A: Send us your travel dates and group size for a same-day quotation. A deposit confirms the booking, the balance is due before arrival, and prices are guaranteed for 7 days.