9 Days Tea Culture Travel Guide in Puer City
Pu’er is one of the important tea origins in the world. The Puerh tea culture is mainly why many visitors travel to Pu’er. What’s more, the rich historic sites, colourful ethnic customs of the Hani, Yi, etc have made visitors forget to leave, and more……
Itinerary
Day 1
07:00 (Lijiang)-19:00 (Pu’er)
Mileage: 876.4 km (12 hours and 41 minutes drive)
Tips
Pu’er is cohabited by multiple ethnic groups, tourists shall follow the local customs
B/l at your own; dinner: hotpot (squid stewed with chicken)
Day 2
Xiniuping Scenic Area
30 km south of Simao district, it borders Xishuangbanna in the south and is adjacent to Si-Xiao Highway. The site is included into the grand tour circuit of Pu’er city. Flora wonders here include the phenomena such as strangling, intertwining and “flowers or fruits on old stems” etc. Visitors to the site can watch very rare, valuable plants and animals. Through two years of construction, the site is a brand new comprehensive scenic site in Pu’er city.
B/l at your own; lunch at Xiaoye Restaurant; dinner at Pizza Pig Restaurant. Overnight in Pu’er Qianhe Hotel.
Day 3
09:00 Lancang River
Originating from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Lancang River enters Pu’er city via Jingdong county and runs through all the six counties/districts of Pu’er, with a total of over 300 km. After going out of Pu’er, the River enters Xishuangbanna and is called Mekong after running out of China, connecting Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The river finally finds its way to the South Sea, totaling 4,880 km.
12:00 Xiaoganlanba Scenic Area
Located at the bank of the Lancang River 103 km west of Simao District, the site is known for the ruins of the Xiangbi Hill that can date back to the Neolithic Period (about 3,000 years ago). The site has the characteristics of Mangluo and Manghuai cultures. On the site, three 2,600-year-old axes have been discovered, and 50 km east the site is the Cuiyun cave.
15:00 Visit Cuiyun cave
Breakfast at your own; lunch at Sala Restaurant; dinner at Oubalaile Korea Restaurant. Overnight in Pu’er Qianhe Hotel at 20:00
Day 4
10:00 Anatropous Root Park
Located in the downtown of Simao, the park is so called due to the giant banyan tree with anatropous roots. The tree is a Chinese banyan, and has enjoyed a history of 800 years. The Tree is a result of five banyan trees growing together and the biggest tree’s trunk is as wide as the arm spans of six adults. The entire tree covers an area of about 300 sq metres and is called by locals Anatropous Root, One Tree Makes A Forest, and so on.
14:00 Meizi Lake
Originally called Hongqi Reservoir purposed for drinking water and agricultural irrigation, the lake is located on the Meizi River 5 km southeast Simao. Today, the lake has become a picturesque scenic area with pavilions and limpid water.
Breakfast at your own; lunch at Aini Zhuangyuan restaurant; dinner at Shilixiang Restaurant. Overnight in Pu’er Qianhe Hotel at 20:00.
Day 5
10:00 Jingdong Confucian Temple
Located at the foot of Yuping hill, the Temple was first constructed in 1682, and underwent renovation in the 1980s.The whole complex of architectures of the Temple include Panchi Lake, Kuige Pavilion, Bell Tower, Lingxing Gate, Dacheng Hall, and Dacheng Gate etc. Majestic and solemn, the Temple is one of the well preserved ancient architectures in the southwest of Yunnan Province.
14:00 The Tropical of Cancer landmark park of Mojiang
The park is so far the biggest landmark of Tropical of Cancer with the richest contents in the world. Comprising 12 ingenious, exquisite and high quality scenic sites, the park is an important base for patriotic education and scientific popularisation in Yunnan Province.
Using the intuitional astronomical and geological knowledge and beautiful Hani ethnic folk stories, the park tells about the exploration and knowledge of the nature, sunshine, and astrophysical sciences, highlighting the Tropical of Cancer, Hani Ethnic Culture and the Twins Culture. Therefore, the park is such a scenic attraction that integrate scientific popularisation, leisure, entertainment, and touring, etc.
Breakfast at your own; lunch at Ginseng Chicken Hotpot Restaurant; dinner at Sichuan Restaurant. Overnight in Pu’er Qianhe Hotel at 20:00.
Day 6
09:00 Menglian Chieftan’s Mansion
First constructed in 1406, the site was once the mansion of the Dai ethnic chieftan surnamed Dao. During the 500 years from the Ming Dynasty to the Republic of China, 28 generations of hereditary chieftans carried out their ruling over this area. In 1965, Yunnan Provincial Government[FS:Page] listed the mansion as one of the first batch of province-level historic sites of Yunnan.
12:00 Mengma Waterfall
3 km southeast of Mengma Town, this amazing waterfall is hidden among the dense vegetation on the upper reaches of Xiaohe River. With a backdrop of primeval forest highlighted by vines, rattans, bamboo groves, and so on, the waterfall is composed of 1-10 metres high cascades.
15:00 Shangcheng Buddhist Temple
Located at Jinshan Hill, Nayun Town of Menglian county, the Temple is also locally called Jing’er which in the Dai ethnic language means “Temple of the Dragon Town”. Next to the dracaena trees, the Temple is an important part of the Nayun old town. The Temple historically enjoyed a big fame as it used to be a devoted religious arena for the chieftan’s clan, and even great Buddhist masters from both China and abroad lived here when visiting Menglian. Needless to say, the Temple is a exchange centre for Dai ethnic culture, art, and folk customs, as well as a demonstration centre for Dai ethnic cultural classics, folk art and most importantly Dai ethnic architecture.
Breakfast qt your own; lunch at Nannan Dai Flavour Restaurant; dinner at Shiping Restaurant. Overnight in Pu’er Qianhe Hotel at 20:00
Day 7
09:00 Nayun Old Town
The last Dai ethnic old town in China, Nayun has a history of over 700 years. Nayun in the Dai language means the inner town. Due to the cultural exchange between inner China and frontier of China, Nayun is where one can see architectures combining Chinese Han style and Dai style.
12:00 Nuofu Church
Sitting at the hilltop 300 metres northwest of Nuofu Township of Lancang County, the church was established by the American Baptist Convention in 1922. The church is set in a Ganlan style (stilted house) of the Lahu people, with American-European inner decors. Today, it is one of the 3rd batch of key historic sites in Yunnan Province.
15:00 Laodabao Lahu Ethnic Village
42 km from the seat of Lancang County, Laodabao Lahu ethnic village is the inheriting base of the national level intangible heritage 《Du Pa Mi Pa》. It is awarded as one of the top 10 charming villages of China.
Breakfast at your own; lunch at Tianyuan Restaurant; dinner at Guo’s Shilixiang Restaurant
Brea at 20:00
Day 8
09:00 Jingmai Mt
Located in Huimin Township of Lancang County at the southern frontier of China, the mountain borders Menghai County of Xishuangbanna in the east, Myanmar in the west. It is known for the Puerh tea.
14:00 Mengsuo Dragon Pool
3 km west of Ximeng County, the picturesque pool is surrounded by verdant vegetation. 1,140 metres high, the pool is 1,000 meters long from south to north, 740 metres wide from east to west, with a water coverage of 46.72 hectares. The average depth of the pool is 11,5 metres and the deepest place is 29 metres.
Breakfast at your own; lunch at Huikang Restaurant; dinner at Meizhou Seafood Restaurant. Overnight in Pu’er Qianhe Hotel at 19:00.
Day 9
08:00 (Pu’er)-20:00 (Lijiang )
Mileage: 876.4 km (12 hours and 41 minutes drive)
Shopping recommendation
Pu’er boasts a wide area of mountains and hills, with a high coverage of vegetation which is in favour of the local forestry. Plus the ample sunshine, Pu’er is such a place that is suitable for tropical and sub-tropical crops to grow. Among the local produce, walnuts, ferns, bamboo shoots and assorted edible mushrooms are popular specialties. In addition, the purple glutinous rice, fragrant glutinous rice, mango, sweet wine, wine packed in bamboos, woodcarvings, rattan crafts and so on are not bad souvenirs for tourists.
