Wudalianchi National Forest Park

Wudalianchi — literally "Five Connected Pools" — is one of the most distinctive volcanic landscapes in China, a UNESCO Global Geopark spread across a cluster of 14 volcanic cones and the chain of lakes that formed when lava flows dammed the Bei'an River roughly 60,000 years ago. The two youngest cones, Laohei Shan ("Old Black Mountain") and Huoshao Shan ("Burnt Mountain"), erupted as recently as 1719–1721, producing the vast black basalt fields that still look raw and unweathered today. The park's other defining feature is its cold mineral springs: iron- and carbon-dioxide–rich waters that have drawn Chinese sanatorium-goers for over a century, making Wudalianchi simultaneously a geological wonder and one of the country's oldest health-tourism destinations.

The character of the place is unusual — part national park, part Soviet-era spa town. Visitors split between the dramatic volcanic terrain (lava tubes, cinder cones, the petrified "Sea of Stone") and the cluster of sanatoria where guests soak in, bathe with, and drink the mineral waters by the litre. The town that serves the park is small and functional, organised around a central traffic circle, with the Worker's Sanatorium complex anchoring the main accommodation strip.

Climate is sharply continental and the season is short. Best months are June through early September, when temperatures sit comfortably between 15–25 °C and the wildflowers carpet the lava fields. Winters are brutal — January averages drop below −20 °C and most park infrastructure shuts. May brings the Daur minority's Water Drinking Festival but can still be chilly; October sees the first frosts.

By Plane

The closest airport is Wudalianchi Dedu Airport (DTU), a small regional airport roughly 30 km southwest of the park, with limited seasonal connections to Harbin and Beijing. For more reliable scheduling, most travellers fly into Harbin Taiping International Airport (HRB), about 380 km south, and continue overland.

By Train

The nearest functional station is Bei'an Railway Station, about 60 km south, on the line between Harbin and Heihe. From Bei'an, transfer to a local bus or taxi (around 1 hour) into the park town. Harbin–Bei'an services run several times daily; book through 12306.cn or the China Railway app, ideally a few days ahead in summer peak.

By Car / Road

The standard approach is by long-distance bus from Harbin's main long-distance bus station, departing daily and taking around 5 hours via the G1211 Harbin–Tongjiang Expressway. Buses drop off and pick up at the Wudalianchi Worker's Sanatorium in the centre of town. Driving yourself from Harbin is straightforward on the expressway (around 4.5 hours, ~370 km, road quality good); from Heihe to the north it's roughly 250 km and 3.5 hours on the G45.

The park sprawls over a wide area and sights are too far apart to walk between. **Private minivans (é?¢åŒ…车 miànbÄ?ochÄ“) are the practical way to see most of the park.** Drivers gather near the bilingual park map opposite the entrance to Nan Quan (South Spring), a half-hour walk east of the Worker's Sanatorium — point at the map to show where you want to go, then negotiate a price (expect to bargain hard; full-day hires for a small group are usually a few hundred yuan).

Within the town itself, walking covers everything. There are no metro or formal city buses, and ride-hailing apps like Didi have thin coverage this far north — don't count on them. Tickets to individual scenic areas (Laohei Shan, the lava caves, etc.) are sold separately at each gate, though a multi-attraction park pass is usually available at the main entrance.

Scams are minimal but the standard rules apply: agree the minivan fare before getting in, and confirm whether it covers waiting time at each stop.

• Laohei Shan (è€?黑山) — the park's iconic cone and the most popular volcano. A wooden staircase climbs to the crater rim with views over the surrounding lava fields and lakes. Allow 2–3 hours including the walk to the adjacent Shi Hai (石海, "Sea of Stone"), a vast plain of frozen black basalt that crunches underfoot. Open daily in season.

• Huoshao Shan (ç?«çƒ§å±±) — the second 18th-century cone, lower and less developed than Laohei Shan but with a more intact crater. Quieter, often paired with Laohei Shan on a half-day minivan loop.

• Lava Caves: Bing Dong (冰洞) and Xue Dong (雪洞) — the "Ice Cave" and "Snow Cave," lava tubes that preserve ice year-round and are dressed up with coloured lighting. A short, easy visit; bring a jacket even in August.

• Wudalianchi Lakes — the five interconnected lakes themselves, formed where lava dammed the river. The Third and Fourth Lakes are the most scenic, with boat hire in summer.

• Zhongling Temple (é’Ÿç?µå¯º) — a working Buddhist temple on a hillside with fine views over the park and a hall of jovial fat Buddhas. A pleasant counterpoint to the geology.

• Mineral springs — Nan Quan (å?—泉) and Bei Quan (北泉) — the South and North Springs, where visitors fill bottles with the bubbly, iron-flavoured water. The taste is famously strange; the ritual is half the experience.

• Drink the waters. This is what most Chinese visitors come for: queue at Nan Quan or Bei Quan, fill a bottle, and join the locals sipping mineral water that tastes faintly metallic and fizzes on the tongue. It's free at the public taps.

• Take a mineral bath. The sanatoria around town offer mineral-water soaking and mud treatments by the session. Walk-ins are accepted at the Worker's Sanatorium and its competitors.

• Water Drinking Festival (饮水节) — held each May around Dragon Boat Festival by the local Daur minority, with horse races, traditional dress, and a mass dawn pilgrimage to the springs. The single best time to visit if you can handle the lingering cold.

• Hike the lava fields between Laohei Shan and Shi Hai on the boardwalk trails — about 3–4 km of easy walking through one of the more surreal landscapes in northeast China.

• Cycle the lakeshore. Bicycle hire is available near the town centre in summer; the road around the inner lakes is flat and lightly trafficked.

The food here is northeast Chinese (dÅ?ngbÄ›i cài) — hearty, wheat-and-pork-leaning, designed for long winters. Expect dumplings, stews, and big platters meant to share. Halal options are limited but available; strict vegetarian dining is harder, though most restaurants will improvise a tofu-and-vegetable plate on request.

Signature things to try:

• GuÅ?bÄ?oròu (锅包肉) — sweet-and-sour fried pork, a Heilongjiang classic.
• XiÇŽojÄ« dùn mógu (å°?鸡炖蘑è?‡) — chicken stewed with wild mushrooms, often the regional mushrooms gathered nearby.
• DìsÄ?n xiÄ?n (地三鲜) — fried potato, eggplant, and green pepper in a soy-garlic glaze.
• SuÄ?ncài bÄ?ifÄ“i (é…¸è?œç™½è‚‰) — pickled cabbage with pork belly, the dish that gets northeasterners through winter.
• Locally caught lake fish, simply braised — ask for húyú (lake fish) at restaurants near the Third and Fourth Lakes.

Wudalianchi's defining drink is, of course, the mineral water straight from the springs — locals carry refillable jugs everywhere and the sanatoria prescribe it by the glass. Bottled versions are sold under the Wudalianchi (五大连池) brand nationally.

Beyond that, expect standard Chinese small-town drinking: Harbin Beer (哈尔滨啤酒) is the dominant local lager, baijiu is poured at any group dinner, and tea (green or jasmine) accompanies most meals. Cafés are scarce and modest — don't come expecting a third-wave coffee scene.

Water safety: the spring water is the whole point of the place and safe to drink at the public taps; municipal tap water elsewhere should be boiled or treated, as with most of rural China. Bottled water is cheap and ubiquitous.

• Budget

  • WuDaLianchi Worker's Sanatorium (GÅ?ngrén LiáoyÇŽngyuàn, 工人疗养院) — large historic complex just east of the main traffic circle; basic rooms in the older wings are the cheapest beds in town. Phone +86 456 7221569, fax +86 456 7221814.

• Mid-range

• Upscale / heritage

Shopping in Wudalianchi is functional rather than glamorous. The town centre has a small strip of shops near the Worker's Sanatorium selling:

• Bottled Wudalianchi mineral water — the iron-rich springwater is sold nationally as a premium brand; buying it at source feels appropriate.
• Volcanic stone souvenirs — polished basalt carvings, paperweights, and "lava-stone" massage rollers from the local cottage industry.
• Daur handicrafts — embroidered cloth, beadwork, and small leather goods from the area's indigenous minority, sometimes found at festival stalls in May or at the Worker's Sanatorium gift shop.
• Wild forest products — dried mushrooms, pine nuts, and wild blueberry preserves from the surrounding Greater Khingan foothills.

Bargaining is expected at stalls and with minivan drivers; fixed prices apply in the proper shops and sanatorium dispensaries.

• Bei'an (北安) — 60 km south, ~1 hour. Transit hub with the nearest mainline rail station; little to see in its own right but useful for connections.
• Heihe (黑河) — 250 km north, ~3.5 hours. Border city on the Amur River facing Blagoveshchensk, Russia, with cross-border markets and Russian-influenced architecture.
• Harbin (哈尔滨) — 380 km south, ~5 hours by bus. Heilongjiang's capital, famous for the winter Ice and Snow Festival, Russian-era Central Street, and Songhua River promenades.
• Greater Khingan Range (大兴安岭) — to the northwest, several hours by road. Vast boreal forest, reindeer-herding Evenki communities, and some of China's last true wilderness.
• Qiqihar and the Zhalong Nature Reserve (扎龙自然ä¿?护区) — ~400 km southwest, ~6 hours. Wetland reserve known for breeding red-crowned cranes; best in late spring or early autumn.