One Day Private Datong Tour

Welcome to Datong! Today you will have a whole day exploring the essential attractions of the city, with the company of our professional guide. 

This morning, you will meet our guide and driver at about 08:30 at your hotel. If you arrive by train, we will also provide pick-up service at the railway station. Our Datong 1 day trip starts with the Yungang Grottoes. As one of the three treasure houses of stone carvings in the world, the Yungang Grottoes consist of holy Buddhist land housing over 59,000 Buddha sculptures at heights varying from 2cm (0.8in) to 17m (56ft). 

After lunch, we will drive for around 2 hours to our next destination - the Hanging Monastery which is perched on vertical cliffs. Our guide will accompany you along wooden walkways as you experience the exquisite architecture of this 1,500-year-old temple. After leaving the temple, you will be transferred to your hotel or railway station in Datong by a 1.5 hours' car ride. At this point, this one day Datong tour package finishes here.

Meals: Lunch

The royal family of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 - 534) spent over 70 years drafting skillful craftsmen throughout the country to create this beautiful Buddhist kingdom. The sculptures of the Yungang Grottoes extend for around one kilometer and contain more than 59,000 Buddha statues and 1,100 niches with the largest statue measuring 17m (56ft) high while the tiniest one is only 2cm (0.8in) tall. These remarkable statures perfectly capture the art of sculpturing, typical of the Northern Wei Dynasty, which is reflected in every detail, down to the folds on the clothes. Other sculptures are less influenced by culture of the central plain, most noticeably the Buddha wearing facial features of Indians and people in western regions with deep-set eyes, high nose, big eyes, and thin lips. Seen from afar, the Hanging Monastery is a unique construction embedded on a precipice about 60 meters (65 yards) above the ground. At first glance, it may seem the interior is rather small but a closer look inside reveals a spacious inside consisting of several glamorous halls, idols, bell and drum towers. The experience of walking along the wooden footways, suspended in the air and viewing the surrounding secluded valley and rushing water under your feet is surreal to say the least.