Rivers for Rafting

Yunnan is rich in rivers and the source of two rivers, the Xi River (there known as the Nanpan and Hongshui) and the Yuan River. The Hongshui is a principal source stream of the Xi River. Rising as the Nanpan in eastern Yunnan province, it flows south and east to form part of the boundary between Guizhou province and Guangxi autonomous region. The province is drained by six major river systems and you can  carry out this rafting adventure on the river.

Ø the Yangtze River, here known as the Jinsha Jiang (River of Golden Sands), drains the province’s north.

Ø the Pearl River, with its source near Qujing, collects the waters from the east.

Ø the Mekong (Lancang), which flows from Tibet into the South China Sea forming the boundaries between Laos and Burma, between Laos and Thailand and through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam

Ø the Red River (Yuan or Honghe) has its source in the mountains south of Dali and enters the South China Sea through Hanoi, Vietnam

Ø the Salween (Nujiang), which flows into the Gulf of Martaban and the Andaman Sea through Burma

Ø the Irrawaddy, which arises from the confluence of two rivers in Kachin State in Burma, has a few small tributaries in Yunnan’s far west, such as the Dulongjiang and Taping River, and rivers in the prefecture of Dehong.