Xishuangbanna
Overview
Xishuangbanna is the southernmost region of China. It is within the province of Yunnan but it has nothing to do with the rest of the province or with the rest of China. You could perfectly be in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam or any other country of South-East Asia. In fact, most of the inhabitants of Xishuangbanna are from other ethnics different than the Han: Dai, Lao, Miao, Hai… which makes the region a cluster of ethnic minorities.
But, this being China, what used to be a perfect place to visit minority villages has turned into touristic theme park. This is, the most beautiful places and villages have been taken by the hordes and are not worth a visit anymore. However, there are still quite a lot of untouched places which can keep you busy for some 4 or 5 days.
The capital of Xishuangbanna is Jinghong, and you can use it as a hub and have day trips to the surrounding villages, mountains or forests. And being in South-East Asia, you will enjoy a warm weather all the time, although in January (when we visited it) nights are a bit cold (around 10 degrees) but during the day you could easily reach 30 degrees Celsius.
But, this being China, what used to be a perfect place to visit minority villages has turned into touristic theme park. This is, the most beautiful places and villages have been taken by the hordes and are not worth a visit anymore. However, there are still quite a lot of untouched places which can keep you busy for some 4 or 5 days.
The capital of Xishuangbanna is Jinghong, and you can use it as a hub and have day trips to the surrounding villages, mountains or forests. And being in South-East Asia, you will enjoy a warm weather all the time, although in January (when we visited it) nights are a bit cold (around 10 degrees) but during the day you could easily reach 30 degrees Celsius.
Sightseeing
-Jinghong: The capital of Xishuangbanna is a really nice and pleasant town divided by the Mekong River (Lancang in China) and which looks like being in the middle of the jungle, as there are palm and coconut trees everywhere. Really, all the streets and avenues are surrounded by palm trees, so it feels like being in the wilderness. It could also be any town in any country of South-East Asia, it feels more like Vietnam than China. The architecture is also interesting, as all the buildings (even if they are high and new) have Dai (Thai) details, as for example the roofs. You will also find a lot of elephant statues in town.
The main sights of Jinghong are the two Buddhist temples (one in Manting Park and another one in the center of town with Thai architecture, not Chinese), the Peacock Lake and the Night Market by the Mekong (a long market selling a lot of local products plus plenty of food stalls all over).
-Damenglong: 90 minutes by bus from Jinghong, this town has only a small Buddhist temple as a sight, but if you walk 2km towards Jinghong you can visit a better temple and walking up the mountain you’ll get to the famous White Temple (10 yuan entrance fee), featuring a big white stupa and a giant golden Buddha. Worth a visit.
-Nannuoshan: 45 minutes by bus from Jinghong, this is a mountain famous for its Pu’er tea plantations. Get off the bus in a small village (tell the driver Nannuoshan) with a nice tiny market and then walk up the mountain through the paved road. It takes 90 minutes to get to the village of Ban Po Lao Zhai, from where you can walk to the nearby tea trees. The walk is quite tiring and actually the couple of villages you see are not really special, as aren’t the tea trees, but people there are really nice and they will even invite you to have some tea. It’s only worth the trip if you like walking a lot.
-Mengyang: A small town 40 minutes from Jinghong. The most famous thing it has is a banyan tree in the shape of an elephant. Besides that, nothing special to see but the local market and some dusty streets. If you happen to be there, go to have some food or just a beer at the place just across the road from the bus station, a really nice place with stilt houses on the water and nice views and owners (they didn’t let us pay for the beer!)
All in all, Xishuangbanna is a nice place to spend a couple of days, but if you plan to go to South-East Asia, you can perfectly skip it, as the most beautiful places have been spoilt by the Chinese Government to convert them into theme parks and you will have better experiences in, for example, Laos.
In my opinion, the best of Xishuangbanna is the laid back capital Jinghong, and the people, much nicer and welcoming than the rest of Chinese.
The main sights of Jinghong are the two Buddhist temples (one in Manting Park and another one in the center of town with Thai architecture, not Chinese), the Peacock Lake and the Night Market by the Mekong (a long market selling a lot of local products plus plenty of food stalls all over).
-Damenglong: 90 minutes by bus from Jinghong, this town has only a small Buddhist temple as a sight, but if you walk 2km towards Jinghong you can visit a better temple and walking up the mountain you’ll get to the famous White Temple (10 yuan entrance fee), featuring a big white stupa and a giant golden Buddha. Worth a visit.
-Nannuoshan: 45 minutes by bus from Jinghong, this is a mountain famous for its Pu’er tea plantations. Get off the bus in a small village (tell the driver Nannuoshan) with a nice tiny market and then walk up the mountain through the paved road. It takes 90 minutes to get to the village of Ban Po Lao Zhai, from where you can walk to the nearby tea trees. The walk is quite tiring and actually the couple of villages you see are not really special, as aren’t the tea trees, but people there are really nice and they will even invite you to have some tea. It’s only worth the trip if you like walking a lot.
-Mengyang: A small town 40 minutes from Jinghong. The most famous thing it has is a banyan tree in the shape of an elephant. Besides that, nothing special to see but the local market and some dusty streets. If you happen to be there, go to have some food or just a beer at the place just across the road from the bus station, a really nice place with stilt houses on the water and nice views and owners (they didn’t let us pay for the beer!)
All in all, Xishuangbanna is a nice place to spend a couple of days, but if you plan to go to South-East Asia, you can perfectly skip it, as the most beautiful places have been spoilt by the Chinese Government to convert them into theme parks and you will have better experiences in, for example, Laos.
In my opinion, the best of Xishuangbanna is the laid back capital Jinghong, and the people, much nicer and welcoming than the rest of Chinese.
Accomodation
We stayed at Caffy and Ken’s Backpacker’s Hostel for 118 yuan per night. Not really cheap, but a very reccomendable place. The owner speaks English and she is really helpful and nice. The rooms have ensuite toilet and are really spacious. There’s a courtyard and you can buy food and drinks.
The only downsides are that in Winter is a bit cold at night (being Xishuangbanna heaters don’t exist) and the Internet connection, as in most of China.
The only downsides are that in Winter is a bit cold at night (being Xishuangbanna heaters don’t exist) and the Internet connection, as in most of China.
Food & Drink
Food here is generally cheaper than in the rest of China. You can eat for as little as 5 yuan a bowl of noodles and have a beer for 4 yuan. There are a lot of restaurants and food stalls on the street. Go to the Night Market to enjoy some skewers and fresh juices.
Being in South-East Asia, pay a visit to the local markets to buy some exotic fruits like coconut, dragon fruit or tiny bananas, you won’t find them in the rest of China.
Being in South-East Asia, pay a visit to the local markets to buy some exotic fruits like coconut, dragon fruit or tiny bananas, you won’t find them in the rest of China.
Transportation
There are three bus stations in Jinghong and no train station.
To get to Jinghong from Kunming you can take an overnight sleeper bus for 247 yuan. It takes 12 hours but 4 of them are spent stopped somewhere to sleep. There are more buses during the day taking less time. You arrive at the long-distance bus station.
Jinghong-Damenlong it takes 1,5 hours and it costs 16 yuan. Take the bus at the South Bus Station.
Jinghong-Nannuoshan it takes 45 minutes and it costs 11 yuan. From Banna Station.
Jinghong-Mengyang departs also from Banna Bus Station, takes 40 minutes and costs 10 yuan.
To get out of Xishuangbanna, we headed towards Yuanyang. There’s only one bus per day to Nansha departing at 12 am and taking less than 8 hours. As Nansha is still some 2 hours from the rice terraces, you better stay overnight there and head to the terraces the following morning.
To get to Jinghong from Kunming you can take an overnight sleeper bus for 247 yuan. It takes 12 hours but 4 of them are spent stopped somewhere to sleep. There are more buses during the day taking less time. You arrive at the long-distance bus station.
Jinghong-Damenlong it takes 1,5 hours and it costs 16 yuan. Take the bus at the South Bus Station.
Jinghong-Nannuoshan it takes 45 minutes and it costs 11 yuan. From Banna Station.
Jinghong-Mengyang departs also from Banna Bus Station, takes 40 minutes and costs 10 yuan.
To get out of Xishuangbanna, we headed towards Yuanyang. There’s only one bus per day to Nansha departing at 12 am and taking less than 8 hours. As Nansha is still some 2 hours from the rice terraces, you better stay overnight there and head to the terraces the following morning.
Safety
Xishuangbanna is even safer than the rest of China. People are nicer and more welcoming and you will feel perfectly safe all the time. Just watch out when hiking out in the nature as there can be some snakes.
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