Dongchuan Red Land is a new rising tourist destination near Kunming, loved by photographers and backpackers, and praised as "God's palette". These red lands, extending for nearly 50 kilometers (30 miles), are the most striking and distinctive in the world.
Dongchuan Red Land is about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of Kunming, with an altitude of 1,800–2,600 meters (5,900–8,500 feet). It is located in Huashitou Country, Xinxiang Town, Dongchuan District, Kunming, Yunnan Province. Full Chinese address: 云南省昆明市东川区新乡镇花石头村
Best Time to Visit
The most beautiful time to visit and shoot Dongchuan Red Land is from May to June and September to December, and the snow scene in March is also stunning. This land will show different beauties to tourists in different seasons.
In spring, white buckwheat flowers and potato flowers will spread all over the land, and the land will be covered with patches of red, white and green. May to June is the most colorful time. During this time, red earth, golden wheat and highland barley, and green potato seeding constitute the so called god’s palette. In September, the red land is cut into colorful patches with golden buckwheat, white winter rape flower and green potato seeding. November is beautiful for the golden rapeseed and other green seedings. In most cases, Dongchuan will snow in March, and the red land will be stunning after the snow in a sunny day. Generally, after raining, the red land is more beautiful than usual time.
Best Sites for Photography
Within several dozens of miles radius from Huashitou Village, the most beautiful attractions of Dongchuan Red Land are Damakan Village, Qicaigou, Jinxiu Yuan, Luoxiagou Village, Yuepuao, Ancient Tree, Luosiwan, Shuipingzi, etc. Though there are many attractions, fortunately, most of them are comparatively concentrated.
The locations of the attractions form a “Y” shape with Huashitou Village as its junction (most tourists will accommodate at here). For detailed location information, please see the Map of Dongchuan Red Land on the right.
Damakan Village(打马坎): Best Sunrise
Damakan Village is located in the northwest part of the whole scenic area, and it’s the best place to shoot sunrise scene. It’s about 10km from Huashitou Village. Standing on the highway and you can overlook the red land and the beautiful sunrise. The scenery in Damakan is very magnificent, and with luck, it’s possible to see the cloud sea here.
Tips:
1. Since this spot is a high land, so the wind is very strong here, especially in the morning, please take some warm clothes with you.
2. The sunrise time will change according to different seasons. Please check the actual sunrise time with the local people.
