Xishuangbanna, borders on Laos and Myanmar, is located at the extreme south of Yunnan. It is world renowned for abundant natural wonders, rich species, profound historical culture and diverse ethnic culture, etc. It has attracted both nature and culture lovers coming for visit every year. In this tour, you will enjoy your leisure time in the Botanical Garden, step into Ethnic Villages and a Dai Ethnic Park – Ganlanba to fully appreciate the charm of Xishuangbanna.

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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Jinghong

Sightseeing and Activities: Arrive in Jinghong
Accommodation: Jinghong
Meals: None

Arrive in Jinghong,  after meeting with your guide at airport, transfer to hotel for check in.  

Day 2 Jinghong – Ganlanba – Menglun – Jinghong

Sightseeing and Activities: Jinghong-Ganlanba-Menglun-Jinghong
Accommodation: Jinghong
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

In the morning, drive along the Lancang River to Ganlanba to visit local morning market and local families. Visit Dai Ethnicity Park. Ganlanba(Dai Ethnicity Park), with Langcang River on the south, owns 5 natural villages. The flowing rivers have bred the strong and beautiful lives in the villages. The peacock is the symbol of Dai people while the Ganlanba is the most beautiful and glaring plume of the peacock. The Dai people will show you their dwellings, gardens and customs which would make you experience the interests of being one of them. There is an area which Dai people used for their important festivals and activities near the river where you can experience more, such as setting off fireworks, launching Kongming lanterns, watching a cockfighting bout and enjoining a tea ceremony. There is also a bazaar which you can have some Dai barbecue food and buy some souvenirs like weaving, folk handiwork, manual bags and wood carvings. Furthermore, there is a large outdoor square with a capacity of more than 100 persons taking part in the Water-Splashing Festival on it. You are very welcomed to join them or you can involve yourself in papermaking and pottery as you like. The Water-Splashing Festival is celebrated as the New Year of Dai People and it is believed that being splashed on means being lucky. So, enjoining the festival and take good luck back home.

In the afternoon, pay a visit to Tropical Botanical Garden.Tropical Botanical Garden in Menglun is famous for being the XishuangBanna Institution of Botany of CAS ( Chinese Academy of Sciences). It covers an area of 900 hectares with more than 20 kinds of plant gardens and over 6000 species of tropical plants in it. It has earned a good reputation as” the Epitome of the Plant Kingdom” and “the Heart of Emerald” which had made the Huludao Island a glittering emerald of the tropical rainforest. It owns 13 gardens—the tropical fruiter garden, the shade-enduring plant garden, the palm garden, the aquatic botanical garden, Minzu plant garden, the medicinal garden, the kapur garden, the spiceberry garden, the bamboo garden, the rare pants’ immigration garden, the banian garden, the arboretum and the Hall of Fame(both plants and persons).

Day 3 Jinghong – Laodabao Village – Jingmai

Sightseeing and Activities: Jinghong-Laodabao Village-Jingmai
Accommodation: Jingmai Mountain
Meals: Lahu specialty for Lunch; Farmhouse Dinner

After breakfast, drive to Lancang County to visit Chinese traditional ethnic village – Laodabao Village which is 40KM away from the county. It is a pure Lahu village with 102 families and 459 Lahu people. In 2006, Laodabao village was ranked as one of the first batch of the national intangible cultural heritage. It is seemed as the window to know Luhu. Lahu specialty for lunch.

After lunch, drive to Nougan Dai ethnic village in Jinmai Mountain. Nuogan means a place where deer drink water in Dai language. It is said that a crowd of deer used to come here to drink water. The village, with numerous forest and pure streams, surrounded by mountains, is a Shangrila for tourists.

Then, visit one of the top ten charming village in China-Wengji Bulang Ancient Village Ten National(翁基布朗古寨). At the late afternoon, watch the sunset of Jingmai Mountain and visit a tea workshop.      

Day 4 Jingmai Tea Mountain – Menghai

Sightseeing and Activities: Jingmai Tea Mountain, Taiping Ancient Tea Plantation
Accommodation: Menghai County
Meals: Farmhouse Lunch

After breakfast, visit Taiping Ancient Tea Plantation (大平掌古茶园). You can stroll around the plantation to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful sceneries. Then, have lunch in a local farmhouse. Before your next station, you can enjoy cups of tea and have a nice chat in Jingmai Mountain. After that, drive to Menghai County for overnight.

Day 5 Menghai-Menghun-Xiding-Zhanglang-Jinghong

Sightseeing and Activities: Menghai – Menghun – Xiding – Zhanglang – Jinghong
Accommodation: Jinghong
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

In the morning, drive to visit Manzhao village.The villagers plant rice, tea, sugar cane, flax, and other crops all year around and the major economy activity is papermaking. A new Burmese temple in the village is very beautiful under the sunshine. The government had assisted the village to build a Dai paper Factory in which displayed all kinds of paper (diversed in color, size, thickness, shape and purpose).
After visiting Manlai Village, drive to Xiding Town. Then, start you 15KM’ s hiking to Zhanglang Village. Along the way, you can enjoy the view of Zhanglang Ancient Tea Plantation and try to pick some tea leaves and learn how to make the tea, after that, enjoy a cup of tea in the plantation.

Then, drive 1.5 hours to Bada Village. (巴达村) to visit Bada’ oldest wild tea tree. (Bada’s  oldest wild tea tree grows in the monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest in the Bada Hesongdaheishan Mountain with the altitude of 1900m. In 1961, the study group formed by the Agricultural College of Yunnan University and the Provincial Tea Research Institution went here to investigate this tree and authenticated that it belongs to a category of Dali tea trees. After a series of measurement and textual research, the specialists affirmed that the tree, with 3.2m of its base and 32.12m of its height, has a history of more than 1700 years). Drive back to Jinghong for overnight.

Day 6 Departure from Jinghong

Sightseeing and Activities: Departure from Jinghong
Accommodation: None
Meals: Breakfast

Departure from Jinghong

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

• Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
• Meals as listed in the itinerary;
• Hotels as listed in the itinerary;
• Private English-speaking tour guide;
• Private vehicle for transfers & sightseeing with skilled driver;
• Service charge & government taxes;
• Luggage transfers between airports and hotels.

Service Excluded:

• Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
• Chinese visa fees;
• Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
• Single room supplement;
• Tips to guides and drivers;
• Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff;
• Personal travel accident insurance;
• All optional programs.

Travel Tips:

• Visitors are advised to always carry changes of clothing due to the large variations in temperature between day and night.
• The climate is relatively dry, so drink more water every day.
• Protecting oneself from strong UV radiation at high altitude.
• Protecting oneself from altitude sickness. Lessen the effects of altitude sickness, avoid strenuous exercise and have plenty of rest.
• Respect local customs , habits, and religious beliefs.
• Situated on the northern edge of the tropical zone, Xishuangbanna area is hot, humid and rainy.
• Don’t forget to take an umbrella or a raincoat when go out.
• When take photos, please pay attention to your safety, do not shoot in dangerous areas.