How to Plan a Xishuangbanna Tour

The scenic spots featured by Buddhist temples, folk custom and tropical rain forest in Xishuangbanna scatter in many places. The prefecture is nicknamed Aerial Garden for its luxuriant and multi – layered primitive woods and tropical rain forests, which are teeming with animals and plants. Tourists can not only feel strong ethnic flavor but also appreciate beautiful tropical scenery here. Xishuangbanna is the home of China’s famous Pu’er tea. The oldest tea tree in Menghai is 700 years old. The six most major Chinese Pu’er tea fields are all located in Xishuangbanna. Xishuangbanna is also the home of the Dai people, it shares a boundary of 966 kilometers with Burma and Laos in the east, south and west. It is an important channel for China to enter the indo-china peninsula by land.

Choose a Gateway City

Choose a gateway city in China to take a flight to Xishuangbanna. Kunming, Dali and Lijiang are usually the most popular gateway cities to start a Yunnan tour among tourists. Moreover, you can also start your tour from Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu and other cities to appreciate more about China’s charm. However, for a Xishuangbanna tour, most tourists usually go to Jinghong, the provincial capital of Xishuangbanna, directly and start a journey. Jinghong is another popular gateway city to start a Yunnan tour due to the convenient transportation and unique scenery.

Make the Travel Duration Sure

Visit Xishuangbanna in One Day

If you only spend one day in Xishuangbanna, you can have a number of tour packages to choose from. But in this case, it is recommended to visit the highlights of Xishuangbanna including XishuangBanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Ganlanba(Olive Plain) and Wild Elephant Valley. Xishuangbanna has different characteristics in four directions, therefore, you can enjoy the view of tropical botanical garden and Ganlanba in the east Xishuagbanna; Explore Damenglong White Pagoda and Dai Ethnic Village in the south Xishuangbanna; Pay a visit to Jingzhen Octagonal Pavilion and the village of Aini people in the west Xishuangbanna; Or meet wild elephant in the tropical rainforest and experience the village of Jinuo People in the north Xishuangbanna. You can also spend the day hiking the famous Nannuo Tea Mountain and exploring the Ethnic Village of Aini People; Or cruise along the Mekong river to enjoy the beauty of Lancang-Mekong River and tropical forest.

1 Day East XishuangBanna Tour to Menglun Tropical Botanical Garden and Dai Minority Garden
1 Day South XishuangBanna Tour to Damenglong White Pagoda and Dai Ethnic Villages
1 Day West XishuangBanna Tour to Ethnic Villages and Jingzhen Octagonal Pavilion
1 Day North XishuangBanna Tour to Wild Elephant Valley and Jinuo Ethnic Village
1 Day XishuangBanna Nannuo Tea Mountain and Aini Ethnic Village Hiking Tour
1 Day Mekong River Speedboat Cruise Tour from Xishuangbanna to Chiang Saen

Visit Xishuangbanna in 2-3 Days

For visiting Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, 2-3 days may be enough to visit the must-see attractions in Xishuangbanna. 

What You Can Choose for 2-3 Days Xishuangbanna Tour

  • Enjoy the view of Menglun Tropical Botanical Garden and overnight in the garden-get very close to the nature.
  • Enjoy hiking through ancient tea mountain – Nannuo Yiwu and Jinuo Mountain, as well as appreciate ancient tea trees, tea plantations and tea culture.
  • Visit local markets and ethnic villages of Dai, Lahu, Ake, Muslim Dai, Aini People and Jinuo People to explore the daily lives of natives.
  • Meet White Stupa and Jingzhen Octagonal Pavilion to explore the local Buddhist culture.
  • Appreciate Mekong and all kinds of plantations of local villagers along the way.
  • Enjoy relax cycling to local ethnic villages.

2 Days Xishuangbanna Cycling Tour along the Mekong River
2 Days West XishuangBanna Tour with Damenglong White Pagodas and Ethnic Villages
2 Days Xishuangbanna Ethnic Villages Hiking Tour from Bada to Zhanglang
3 Days XishuangBanna Tea Culture Tour to Yiwu and Nannuo Tea Mountains
3 Days XishuangBanna Hiking Tour to Yao Ethnic Village and The Air Corridor

Visit Xishuangbanna in 4-6 Days

Adding 2-3 days for the Xishuangbanna tour, you will get more options. You will have more chances to experience local culture in the ethnic villages, get to more places in Yunnan or have more leisure time.

What to Do for 4-6 Days Xishuangbanna Tour

  • Visit the main attractions of Xishuangbanna – XishuangBanna Menglun Tropical Botanical Garden, Ganlanba(Olive Plain), Wild Elephant Valley, Damenglong White Pagoda, Nannuo Tea Mountain and Mekong river, etc.
  • Hike through the ancient tea mountains like Yiwu Tea Mountain and Nannuo Tea Mountain, to know tea culture and experience tea-packing, tea-making in tea workshops. 
  • Step into Ethnic Villages of Aini, Jinuo, Dai, Bulang and Lahu to feel ethnic minority culture and mysterious atmosphere.
  • Enjoy hiking through enchanting tropical rainforest along with Mekong River to feel the wonder of nature.
  • Enjoy your leisure time in ethnic museums and local markets to experience the daily life of natives.
  • Take part in the celebration of Water-splashing Festival in Jinghong.
  • Take a visit of White Pagoda in Damenglong to appreciate local Buddhist culture.
  • Experience the beautiful and magic tropical forest through boat and air-corridor.
  • Fully appreciate Pu’er tea culture and ethnic custom.
  • Combine your Xishuangbanna tour with Pu’er.

4 Days Puer Tea Culture Tour with Jingmai Tea Mountains and Traditional Ethnic Villages
4 Days XishuangBanna Hiking Tour to Ganlanba Basin and Mekong River
4 Days Best XishuangBanna Tropical Forest and Ethnic Minorities Discovery
6 Days XishuangBanna Damenglong Ethnic Villages Hiking Tour
6 Days XishuangBanna Tea Culture and Ethnic Villages Hiking Tour from Bada to Xiding
6 Days Puer and Xishuangbanna Tea Culture Tour
6 Days XishuangBanna Tropical Forest and Jingmai Ancient Tea Mountain Hiking Tour

Visit Xishuangbanna in More Days

If you are planning a tour to Xishuangbanna for more than 7 days, several itineraries are recommended. 

Kunming-Jinghong-Dali–Lijiang-Shangrila(Departure from Shangri-la), during the tour, you will:

10 Days Yunnan Classic Tour With Xishuangbanna Tropical Forest

Xishuangbanna-Pu’er-Kunming, during the tour, you will:

  • Explore enchanting tropical rain forest to feel the wonder of nature.
  • Have an hiking tour and lose yourself into marvelous scenery.
  • Step into ethnic village to feel ethnic minority’s culture and mysterious atmosphere.

7 Days Kunming, XishuangBanna and Puer Family Tour with Tropical Forest and Ethnic Culture Discovery

Kunming-Shilin–Jianshui–Yuanyang-Pu’er-Xishuangbanna, During the tour, you will:

  • Visit the highlights of Kunming, Shilin, Jianshui, Yuanyang and Xishuangbanna.
  • Photograph the breathtaking sunrise and sunset in Yuanyang Hani Rice Terraces.
  • Walk and explore the natural stone masterpieces and intricate formations in the Stone Forest.
  • Take a walk in Jianshui Ancient Town and experience the confucius culture in Jianshui Confucius Temple.
  • Experience the beautiful and magic tropical forest through boat and air-corridor.
  • Discover the ethnic culture of Yi, Hani and Dai.

8 Days South Yunnan Ethnic Minority Discovery and Tropical Forest Photograph Tour
10 Days South Yunnan Ethnic Minority and Tropical Rain-forest Photography Tour with China Border Culture

Other popular routes include the tea culture itineraries, such as Kunming-Dali-Lincang-Jinghong-Pu’er-Kunming and the like.

11 Days Southwest Yunnan Dianhong Black Tea and Puer Tea Culture Tour
12 Days XishuangBanna and Puer Tea Culture Tour with Qianjiazhai Ancient Tea

Read More: Xishuangbanna Tour

Make the Tour Theme Sure

Tea Culture Tour

A Yunnan tea culture tour usually involves Pu’er, Fengqing and Dali, except for Xishuangbanna. We have short tea culture tour, which tourists usually only need to spend 1-2 days. During the short tour, tourists normally have no time to visit other highlights of a place, but mainly tea factory, tea museum and tea plantation. For a longer tea culture tour, you will have more leisure time and get to more places. For example, besides Dali, Pu’er, Fengqing and Jinghong, Kunming and Lijiang may be included in the itinerary. In this way, you can visit the famous attractions of Kunming, Dali and Lijiang while experiencing the tea culture.

1. Xishuangbanna Tea Culture Tour

Nannuo Tea Mountain, Village of Aini People, Yiwu Tea Planting Area, Jinuo Mountain, Village of Jinuo People and other places are basically involved in the Xishuangbanna Tea culture Tour. Through visiting these places, you will know more about the Pu’er Tea, one of the famous tea in China, and experience the daily life of ethnic people as well as their tea culture better. 

3 Days XishuangBanna Tea Culture Tour to Yiwu and Nannuo Tea Mountains

2. Pu’er-Xishuangbanna Tea Culture Tour

When it comes to Pu’er tea, there must be Pu’er and Xishuangbanna. Xishuangbanna is the home of China’s famous Pu’er tea, while Pu’er is well-known for its Pu’er Tea and has a long history of tea. We have pu’er-Xishuangbanna tea culture tour for at least 4 days. During a Tea Culture tour, except for the famous tea mountains in Xishuangbanna, Pu’er Tea Exhibition Garden and Jingmai Tea Mountain, on of the six great tea mountains in China, are really worth a visit. 

4 Days Puer Tea Culture Tour with Jingmai Tea Mountains and Traditional Ethnic Villages
6 Days Puer and Xishuangbanna Tea Culture Tour
11 Days XishuangBanna and Puer Ancient Tea Culture Tour with Yiwu Mountain Tea Plantation
12 Days XishuangBanna and Puer Tea Culture Tour with Qianjiazhai Ancient Tea

Hiking Tour

Xishuangbanna Hiking Tour mainly refers to Ethnic Village Hiking Tour and Tea Mountain Hiking Tour. 

1. Ethnic Village Hiking tour

Step into local ethnic villages like Aini Village, Bulang Village, Jinuo Village, Dai Village, etc., to experience their daily lives and minority cultures, as well as see the rustic and idyllic landscape. In the meantime, you can also explore the tea culture in the ethnic villages.

2 Days Xishuangbanna Ethnic Villages Hiking Tour from Bada to Zhanglang
3 Days XishuangBanna Hiking Tour to Yao Ethnic Village and The Air Corridor
6 Days XishuangBanna Damenglong Ethnic Villages Hiking Tour
6 Days XishuangBanna Tea Culture and Ethnic Villages Hiking Tour from Bada to Xiding

2. Tea Mountain Hiking Tour

If you’re a lover of tea and have a passion for outdoor travel, if you would like to explore the source of Tea & Horse Roads, as well as experience Xishuangbanna Pu’er tea culture and folk customs, tea mountain hiking tour in Xishuangbanna can be a good choice. And the ancient six major tea mountains must be the sites you can not miss. Ethnic villages of Dai, Hani, Yi, Jinuo and Yao are scattered in the mountains. Every ethnic group has its own tea custom. Actually, tea mountain hiking tour is basically combined with ethnic village hiking tour. 

1 Day XishuangBanna Nannuo Tea Mountain and Aini Ethnic Village Hiking Tour
6 Days XishuangBanna Yiwu Mountain Tea Culture Hiking Tour
6 Days XishuangBanna Tea Mountain Hiking Tour to Bada, Zhanglang, Xiding and Nannuo Tea Mountain
6 Days XishuangBanna Tropical Forest and Jingmai Ancient Tea Mountain Hiking Tour

Other Hiking Route:
4 Days XishuangBanna Hiking Tour to Ganlanba Basin and Mekong River

Festival Celebration Tour

When you travel to Xishuangbanna, if you are lucky enough, you will have the opportunity to experience the Water splashing Festival of Dai Minority. The Water splashing Festival is scheduled to be held on April 13-15 in the solar calendar. But water splashing festival celebrated in Jinghong could last longer, about 7 days(April 12-18). The Water splashing Festival is Dai’s biggest activity, people splash each other meaning best wishes at that day. If you can get to Xishuangbanna during water splashing festival, join the local people and enjoy the water fight. That will be an exciting experience.

6 Days XishuangBanna Water Splashing Festival Celebration Tour

Ethnic Minority Discovery Tour

There are more than 13 ethnic groups living in Xishuangbanna, such as Dai, Hani, Jinuo, Bulang, Lahu and Yao. All have colorful customs and rich historical traditions. Pu ‘er, connected with Xishuangbanna, is also home to many ethnic minorities. And they have one thing in common – Pu’er tea. Therefore, generally, Pu’er tour and Xishuagbanna tour are usually combined with each other. 

5 Days XishuangBanna and Pu’er Ethnic Market Discovery Tour
6 Days XishuangBanna and Pu’er Ethnic Culture Tour with Tea Culture and Ethnic Villages Discovery

Tropical Forest Tour

Xishuangbanna is one of the few places where travelers can enjoy the comfort of nature, and the best place to have a tropical forest tour in Yunnan. It holds China’s fauna and floral species, and is known as natural “kingdom of plants” and “kingdom of animals“. Usually, except for typical typical forest attractions like XishuangBanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Xishuangbanna Primeval Forest Park, tourists will also explore the minority villages and discover the folk customs of local people during the tour. 

4 Days Best XishuangBanna Tropical Forest and Ethnic Minorities Discovery
7 Days Kunming, XishuangBanna and Puer Family Tour with Tropical Forest and Ethnic Culture Discovery

Birding Tour

Xishuangbanna is reputed as a fauna kingdom, which is true to name. It is one of the best places in Yunnan to plan a Birding Tour. According to statistics of scientific research, there are more than 450 kinds of birds living in the forest of Xishuangbanna. Jungle is the best home of these lovely cherubs, they are smart, naughty, cute and shy, so, it won’t be easy to see them even you have already heard they twittering around you. We are are going to take you to places where local zoological specialists highly recommended, and we truly believe that you will enjoy your time with these lovely creatures. During this trip, you will not merely watch the various kinds of birds, but also get closer to tropical rainforest and feel the wonder of the nature. 

6 Days XishuangBanna and Puer Tropical Forest Birding Tour

Cycling Tour

Besides hiking, there is another way to take you through rainforest, explore the tea culture and experience minority culture, that is cycling. Our 2 days cycling tour will bring you to cycle along the Mekong River and through local ethnic villages to fully appreciate the natural sceneries of tropical rainforest and diverse ethnic cultures of local people. While our 7 days cycling tour will bring you to step into ethnic villages and explore ethnic people’s life and culture; explore mysterious Tropical Forest and enchanted in the charm of nature; And visit tea plantations and have nice chats with tea growers to know more about tea.

2 Days Xishuangbanna Cycling Tour along the Mekong River
7 Days XishuangBanna Tropical Forest Cycling Tour with Ethnic Minorities and Ancient Tea Culture
7 Days XishuangBanna Cycling Tour with Ethnic Minorite Discovery and Ancient Tea Culture Experience

Porsche Self-Driving Tour

Our Porsche Self-Driving Tour is divided into Yunnan Porsche Self-Driving Tour and China-Thailand Porsche Self-Driving Tour. Yunnan Porsche Self-Driving Tour will bring you to experience the most highlights of Jianshui, Yuanyang, Pu’er and Xishuangbanna, including Jianshui Old Town, Yuanyang Rice Terraces, China Puer Tea Exhibition Garden, Xishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest and Dai Minority Garden. China-Thailand Porsche Self-Driving Tour from Jinghong to Chiang Mai(or Chiang Mai to Jinghong) will bring you to experience the most highlights of Xishuangbanna, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, involving WangTianShu Scenic Spot, Golden Triangle and the Ran-Tong Save & Rescue Elephant Center, etc.

5 Days South Yunnan Porsche Self-Driving Tour from Kunming to XishuangBanna
7 Days China-Thailand Porsche Self-driving Tour from Jinghong to Chiang Mai
7 Days Thailand- China Porsche Self-driving Tour from Chiang Mai to Jinghong

Golf Tour

Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Golf Club is surrounded on three sides by forests, and acres of tea accompanied by one side. The clubhouse, with an area of 3,000 square meters, shows fully Dai characteristics and a combination of traditional folk and modernization. It owns a U-shaped layout of the stadium and the middle of the courtyard was connected with the forest, which makes people feel the forest is an extension of the courtyard. In Wild Elephant Golf Club, you can experience the most natural and healthy environment, see the changing shapes of fairways and greens, compete with rivals and fully enjoy the leisure time of playing golf.

4 Days XishuangBanna Wild Elephant Golf and Sightseeing Tour

There are a number of tour packages including Xishuangbanna, we can’t list all of them at a time. Read more about Xishuangbanna tour, contact us YunnanExploration by Email: contact@YunnanExploration.com or Telephone: +86-871-63511469. Our attentive consultants will arrange the tour packages you choose or customize a tour according to your need.

Know the Travel Tips

Best Time to Visit Xishuangbanna

Xishuangbanna is a place where has no winter, the lowest temperature is 16 degrees in January, so it is available for tour all the year round. However, the best time to visit Xishuangbanna is during the dry season (from November to April), when the weather is agreeable and the temperature is mild. If you would like to taste the rich tropical fruit here, traveling during the period from June to September is a good choice. 

The Water-Splashing Festival, the most important festival for the Dai People to celebrate New Year, is usually celebrated in the middle of April.

Try to avoid the peak holidays due to crowded Chinese tourists such as Chinese Spring Festival (usually in late Jan or early Feb.), International Labor Day (May 01 to 03) and National Day (Oct 01-07). Spring Festival and the National Day golden week are the most crowded time for travelling. Read More: Xishuangbanna Climate

Dining and Shopping in Xishuangbanna

Dai cuisine is famous in Yunnan, especially glutinous rice, bake meats and Blang’s cuisine. Besides, there are also Pu’er tea, coffee, tropical fruits and so on. 

Read More:
Xishuangbanna Shopping
Xishuangbanna Dining

Where to Stay in Xishuangbanna

As a hot tourist city, Xishuangbanna is ready to offer you various Xishuangbanna Accommodation with well-appointed rooms and superior service. You can stay at the hotels like Empark Grand Hotel Xishuangbanna, Crowne Plaza Resort Xishuangbanna Parkview, InterContinental Xishuangbanna Resort and Rainforest Paradise Xishuangbanna, etc. Read More: Xishuangbanna Accommodation

How to Get in Xishuangbanna

Two ways to Xishuangbanna: airplane and long-distance bus.

1. By Flight

Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport, 5 kilometers from the downtown, is currently the second largest airport in Yunnan. At present, there are domestic flights to Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, etc., and international flights to Bangkok. 

Read More:
Dali-Xishaungbanna Flights
Kunming-Xishuangbanna Flights
Xishuangbanna – Lijiang Flights

2. Long-distance Bus

As the fully complement of the expressway between Kunming and Jinghong, it needs 9 hours at most traveling between the two cities. There are over 20 buses traveling to Jinghong from Kunming Long-distance Bus Station. Ticket ranges in price from RMB 150 to RMB 200.

Read More: 
XishuangBanna Transportation
Kunming-XishuangBanna Transportation

Main Festival

When you travel to Xishuangbanna, if you are lucky enough, you will have the opportunity to experience the Water splashing Festival of Dai Minority. The Water splashing Festival is scheduled to be held on April 13-15 in the solar calendar. The Water splashing Festival is Dai’s biggest activity. They splash each other meaning best wishes. If you can get to Xishuangbanna during water splashing festival, join the local people and enjoy the water fight. That will be an exciting experience.

Things to Do in Xishuangbanna

One Tree Forest

One tree does not make a forest. But a nine hundred year old banyan in Daluo Town of Menghai County is exception. It covers an area of 120 square meters with over 30 stand roots. This 70-meter-high banyan is an attractive and marvelous forest in itself. 

Manfeilong Buddhist Pagoda

Manfeilong Pagoda is located on top of the mountain in Manfeilong Village in Jinhong City of Xishuangbanna. The pagoda is a famous stupa group in Xishuanbanna. The pagoda, on a mountaintop, actually consists of 9 stupas, with the primary stupa in the center while the other 8 smaller stupas clustering to its base. The primary pagoda measures 16.29 meters and the 8 pagodas on the sides look like a group of children nestling around the mother. 

Olive Dam/Ganlanba

Ganlanba Dai Minority Park(Chinese name: 橄榄坝傣族园) is located in the southeast direction of Jinghong. It is a dwelling place for Dai minority people cause they have lived there generations to generations. Thus, the dense Dai minority culture can be found here. Ganlanba can be a representative to experience both the minority culture and the tropical atmosphere. Because Ganlanba with the lowest altitude which is about 530 meters in Yunnan, it is the hottest place. The hot climate makes Ganlanba as a rich fruits production area. Ganlanba in Xishuangbanna culture means “the imperial gardening village”. Inside it, there are two large villages called Man Chun Man (means flowers village) and Man Ting (means fruits village) separately. No matter which village you choose to visit, you can appreciate the typical Myanmar temple and Dai bamboo house.

Xishuangbanna Menglun Tropical Botanical Garden

Xishuangbanna Tropical Plants Garden(Chinese name: 西双版纳热带植物园) was built in 1959, is the biggest and richest botanical garden in China nowadays. Since 1996, this garden combined with former Kunming Ecological Research Institute, formed an independent research institution attached to Chinese Academy of Science. With the time goes by, it becomes a comprehensive garden that combined research, preservation and education of tropical plants together. The main tasks of this garden are exploitation to the resources of tropical plants and bio-diversity conservation. A vast expanse of rainforest has been well preserved in this 900 hectares land. Hundreds of thousands tropical plants from home and abroad are planted separately in 35 specified gardens – Palm Garden, Banyan Tree Garden, Dracaena Draco Garden and Cycas Revoluta Garden, etc.

Wild Elephant Valley

Jinghong Wild Elephant Valley Forest Park (Chinese name: 野象谷公园) is a special theme park for Wild Asian Elephant sightseeing and observing and rainforest sightseeing. Wild Elephants Valley covers an area of 369 hectares by the Sancha River in Mengyang Town, and is situated 47 kilometers north of the city of Jinghong. With hills rolling gently at an altitude ranging between 747 and 1055 meters, the valley is covered by tropical rain forests, crisscrossed by rivers and streams, and teeming with such endangered species as Asian wild elephants, wild oxen, green peacocks and monkeys.

Prepare for Xishuangbanna Tour

What to Know 

1. Know some basic information about Xishuangbanna, Yunnan and China, which can help you understand the local culture well.

2. Learn some information about Dai ethnic minority in advance.

3. If you are interested, learn some basic Chinese words and phrases, which could help you communicate with the locals easily.

4. Respect the local customs of Dai and other minorities. 

5. Do not touch the head of local monks.

What to Take

1. Xishuangbanna is a place where has no winter, the lowest temperature is 16 degrees in January, therefore, thick clothes is usually unnecessary. It is better to take T-shirt, short and slippers because it is too hot in Xishuangbanna. Besides, you should prepare a jacket in case the change of the weather, especially in winter. 

2. Pay attention to sun protection. Due to the strong solar radiation in the daytime, sun cream, sun hat, sunglasses and other sunscreen products will be needed.

3. Do remember to take the umbrella and rain gear during the rainy season, especially from May to October.

4. Bring some medicines for emergency, like cold medication and medicines for a stomachache.

5. Don’t forget your Chinese visa and passport. 

6. It is better to prepare some mosquito products since Xishuangbanna has a humid climate.