13 Days Yunnan Cycling Tour from Kunming to XishuangBanna and Boten (Laos Border)
Tour Overview
This 22 day cycling tour takes you from Kunming in China to Bangkok of Thailand where you’ll discover a world of dramatic rock formations melding into tropical forests, traditional...
Code of Tour: YET0000059484
Length of Travel: 13 Day
Destinations of Tour: Kunming-Yuxi-Puer-Jinghong-Mengla-Mohan
Departure City: Kunming
Price of Tour: Request
Type of Tour:
Features of Tour: Cycling tours
This 22 day cycling tour takes you from Kunming in China to Bangkok of Thailand where you’ll discover a world of dramatic rock formations melding into tropical forests, traditional farming villages and ethnic minority communities, on both sides of the border. Travelers will tackle some outstanding mountain trails cut by local hill tribes. Most days feature afternoons out of the saddle to rest and explore on ground level with a variety of Buddhist temples and local markets adding to opportunities to check out the regional cuisine and compare how one town or village compares to the next. Roads are mainly well paved with some mountainous terrain inviting long climbs although luggage transfers, support cars and knowledgeable guides ensure that every effort has been made to increase enjoyment levels on this fair to moderate cycling tour. This tour will offer the fantastic view and give different experience.
Highlights:
- Cycle from China to Thailand, with charming scenery along the way.
- Have grand view of Yunnan and learn more about culture of Laos and Thailand, especially Buddhist culture.
- View some famous spots and Buddhist Temples.
Brief Itinerary:
- Day 1 Arrive in Kunming
- Day 2 Kunming-Yuxi
- Day 3 Yuxi-Huanian
- Day 4 Huanian-Ganzhuang
- Day 5 Ganzhuang-Mojiang
- Day 6 Mojiang-Tongguan
- Day 7 Tongguan-Ninger
- Day 8 Ninger-Puer
- Day 9 Puer-Dadugang
- Day 10 Dadugang-Jinghong
- Day 11 Jinghong-Menglun
- Day 12 Menglun-Mengla
- Day 13 Mengla-Mohan-Boten-Na Teuy
Google Map
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in Kunming
Sightseeing and Activities: Arrive in Kunming
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Lunch
Upon your arrival, your guide will meet you at arrival hall in the airport. Transfer to your hotel to check in and relax. In the afternoon, meet your tour guide to have a try of your bike.
After that, you will enjoy your free time to explore the city.
Day 2 Kunming-Eshan
Sightseeing and Activities: Kunming-Eshan
Accommodation: Eshan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After all the introductions and formalities to introduce our event “Cycling Southeast Asia, 2011: Messengers of Friendship,” we set off from Kunming, crossing the bridge over Dianchi Lake towards Xishan. From there we had a wonderful ride paralleling the highway all the way to Haikou. It was especially sweet for me as the roads were the best I’ve seen over our first seven days as was the weather, and Chris Horton from GoKunming let me ride in his slipstream the whole way!
After lunch, our friends left us to face the dusty roads ahead and eventually the rain too. From Haikou to Yuxi it’s about 60km, and for about 10km at the base of Dianchi the road turns to dust, and is very slow going. Shortly after the road gets better, you pass the famous Chinese explorer Zheng He‘s hometown of Jinning. A short incline at about kilometer 65 for the day, and then a nice long descent, being careful to avoid the truck traffic.
Unfortunately, the end of our ride was met with some heavy rain, but it was all worth it in the end, as just two kilometers west of Yuxi there is a natural hot springs and every room in our hotel was decked out with its own personal outdoor hot (spring) tub!
Day 3 Yuxi (玉溪) – Huanian (化念) – 78km, 5 hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities:Yuxi (玉溪) – Huanian (化念) – 78km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Eshan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We were all thawed out from the previous day’s rain and mostly dry. It was looking like the weather was going to clear up, but sure enough, as soon as we started out it began to rain, and it continued all day.
There is a mild climb coming out of Yuxi, and the road is being rebuilt. For about 10km the mud was so bad that even motorcycles couldn’t get through. Luckily most of the worst parts are on a long descent about 15km into the ride, and if you’re brave enough you can ride most of it.
I’m not sure how smart it was, but I rode/slid down most of it and my bike was caked with mud. We had a nice lunch in Eshan (峨山) at the base of the mountain and stopped at a car wash to hose down our bikes.
From Eshan it’s about 35-40km of great cycling, winding through the mountains with lots of small hills to zoom up and down. We finished our ride with an 18km descent to the town of Huanian, tucked in a valley of white plastic farmland. We arrived late and found no open restaurants, so had to settle for some instant noodles in our cold hotel room, quite a change from the night before!
Day 4 Huanian (化念) – Ganzhuang (甘庄) – 69km, 5 hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities:Huanian (化念) – Ganzhuang (甘庄) – 69km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Yuanjiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Another cold, rainy day… beginning to reconsider biking in Yunnan in January, but I still think it’s worth it as it’s only tough riding when it rains, and I think rain three days in a row is pretty rare here. Great roads all day today, with some big climbs, but even bigger descents.
The scenery in Southern Yunnan is breathtaking and you can really begin to realize its incredible productivity. On the way today we passed several factories, including one massive steel plant, and endless amounts of healthy farmland planted with just about anything you can imagine. We had a few technical difficulties today including two flat tires and some minor adjustments on brakes and derailleurs which slowed us down quite a bit. Around dusk we descended into the pleasant town of Ganzhuang.
Day 5 Ganzhuang (甘庄) – Mojiang (墨江) – 99km, 7+ hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities: Ganzhuang (甘庄) – Mojiang (墨江) – 99km, 7+ hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In retrospect, we should have done more miles the day before to cut off some today. The day started with an 8km warm-up climb. A short, fun, but somewhat unsatisfying descent followed and led us into a massive climb at about the 13km mark. From here we began to slowly climb for what seemed to be most of the day.
About 10km up there is a hot spring, and if you climb down to it you can have lunch while soaking your feet in the 43 degree (105 degrees Fahrenheit) water. Lunch was basic: eggs boiled in the hot spring – not in the same water we were soaking our feet in – and cold rice noodles. After lunch we continued to climb the rest of the 35km hill, gaining 1,600 meters in elevation. A series of smaller hills followed, the last being an excruciating 7km climb until our final descent into Mojiang.
Day 6 Mojiang (墨江) – Tongguan (通关) – 74km, 6 hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities: Mojiang (墨江) – Tongguan (通关) – 74km, 6 hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After reluctantly accepting some gifts of rice wine, we hopped back on Old Road 213. The morning was filled with some great cycling, we whipped through the countryside. A great 15km descent down to a large river ended our morning and we had a delicious lunch just on the other side of the bridge. Some of the specialties were wild bitter fruit (山苦果) and some wild olives that mildly resembled the taste of olives.
After lunch, we followed the river upstream for about 25km, soaking up the beautiful view of the fertile valley. Towards the end of the day we began climbing slowly back up to the expressway and over a mountain. Some amazing views of the sunset and then a couple of kilometers’ descent into the new town of Tongguan.
The hotel was nice, but there wasn’t much in the town except for a “park” on top of a nearby hill with a golden Pegasus on top. There is a poorly built museum there too, showing off some artifacts of the Old Tea and Horse Road. If possible I would look for lodging in the old town of Tongguan just before you get to the new town. It seemed a lot more lively.
Day 7 Tongguan (通关)– Ning’er (宁洱) – 89km, 6 hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities:Tongguan (通关)– Ning’er (宁洱) – 89km, 6 hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A late night of drinking with the mayor of Tongguan and a long morning of him showing us around and giving us bricks of tea (…great, more weight to carry) meant a late start, but we still managed to do almost 90km. In between the old and new town of Tongguan, we bore right down the hill and cruised the 17km descent to the river. From there the road flattens out and follows the river for quite some time. The road is great for cycling here and the views of the river bank and coffee plants are breathtaking.
At about kilometer 70, we took a right towards Ning’er and joined all the traffic of the expressway, as it was still under construction. It was about a 12km climb in heavy traffic with no shoulder, and then a shorter descent into Ning’er. A different route would be recommended if the expressway is still under construction here.
Day 8 Ning’er (宁洱) – Pu’er (普洱) – 47km, 3.5 hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities:Ning’er (宁洱) – Pu’er (普洱) – 47km, 3.5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A nice short day, but still not one to joke about. Again, we were riding in heavy traffic, and with the rain it was quite miserable. Pu’er sits considerably higher than Ning’er and we most definitely felt it. Climb after climb with very short descents. I was surprised by the integration of the coffee and tea plants everywhere and wondered about the benefits; a peaceful sign, maybe, of bringing our differences together.
Day 9 Pu’er (普洱) – Dadugang (大渡岗) – 78km, 5 hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities:Pu’er (普洱) – Dadugang (大渡岗) – 78km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We spent a wonderful night in Pu’er as guests of Fudian Bank which was followed by wonderful weather all day.
Unfortunately, one of our team members, Jin Feibiao (Feibao’s older brother) fell on a descent early this morning before the road had a chance to dry. He rode another 20km to lunch, where he took a van to Jinghong to see a doctor. The diagnosis was a broken collarbone, and he flew back to Kunming for further treatment. He will be certainly missed on our trip.
Out of Pu’er we hopped back on Old Road 213 (a left turn at the southwestern end of the city). The road climbs for the first 5km and then descends quickly for about 8-9km more. A section is under construction at the 22km point making the short climb quite difficult. The rest of the day sees only small hills until the 68km mark where it begins to climb all the way to Dadugang at the top of the hill – be sure to stay right at the fork at about 76km to continue up and not down to the expressway. Dadugang only has two hotels and the one down the hill is basic, but with hot water and all rooms are on the first floor.
Day 10 Dadugang (大渡岗) – Jinghong (景洪) – 83km, 5 hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities:Dadugang (大渡岗) – Jinghong (景洪) – 83km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
It was a bit cold on top of the mountain this morning, but after a great breakfast feast of rice noodles, youtiao and bean soup, little baozi, and dumplings we headed out into the fog.
The first 10 km was a wonderful warmup, we were shooting up and down atop the ridge. If it hadn’t been so foggy, I’m sure it would have offered beautiful views of the surrounding tea country. After the warm up, there is a fast 11km descent back to the expressway and into the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve. From there the old road continues to decline, winding around the hills as the expressway cuts right through them. At kilometer 47 for the day the road flattened out and a few kilometers later we had lunch at Xiaomengyang (小勐养).
Just before the town there is an intersection with the expressway. The first left is the expressway and the immediate second left heads towards Mengla. If you take the second left it is only 23km to Jinghong on all new roads. We were told the old road was much longer and a lot harder to bike. The new road was indeed nice, but you had to first climb a steep 6km hill before the long fast descent into Jinghong.
At the first traffic circle take a left and follow it to go over the bridge and soak in the views of the Mekong and the city. We took ten days getting here, including one day’s rest in Mojiang. With our group size and heavy loads, I would say we did pretty good.
If you were just two people with light loads it could easily been done in a week’s time, but don’t forget to take some time to absorb the beautiful sights of southern Yunnan. From here we will head south to Mengla and across the border into Laos where we plan to take a month cycling from the north to the southern tip.
Day 11 Jinghong (景洪) – Menglun (勐仑) 65km, nearly 3 hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities:Jinghong (景洪) – Menglun (勐仑) 65km, nearly 3 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Jinghong was a wonderful place to rest for two days. Aside from the amazing food, the incredibly friendly people and the beautiful weather, it was just nice to rest the legs (and the butt!) after battling Yunnan’s mountains for over a week. Jinghong also sits in a very strategic location. As the capital of Xishuangbanna, it also has very easy access to Southeast Asia. Before departing, our team received some more letters from the governor of Xishuangbanna to be delivered to Southeast Asia as well as the ones we are already carrying from the Kunming mayor.
From Jinghong we backtracked our route a bit, crossing back over the Mekong (or Lancang River 澜沧江) in the northeastern part of the city and up the mountain we had descended just a few days earlier. Make sure you exit the expressway in the beginning following signs to the National Forest and not towards Wild Elephant Valley.
With fresh legs, we zipped right up the 13km mountain. At the top of the hill, the road splits: left is back to Kunming and right heads toward Mohan and Laos. After you take the right the road turns into an expressway, but there is little traffic, a wide shoulder, and a much quicker shot to Laos then any of the other alternatives. From here the road evens out for two or three kilometers, then it drops slowly for about 25km to where we had lunch.
The views were incredible, with vast mountain ranges covered with tea trees and eventually nothing but rubber trees. There were a few short tunnels on the descent, which was much better than having to go around the mountains, so be prepared with lights, especially in the back. After lunch it was a straight shot to Menglun only 23km more.
Among the huge rubber tree plantations in Menglun lies the largest botanical garden in China, worth a visit just on its own. It also doubles as an internationally accredited science academy. We stayed in a hotel inside the park, but there are plenty of options outside it as well.
Day 12 Menglun (勐仑) – Mengla (勐腊) 80km, 4.5 hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities:Menglun (勐仑) – Mengla (勐腊) 80km, 4.5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
From Menglun we hopped back on the expressway, called Erji Lu (二级路), which soars above the valleys and cuts right through the mountains. Be sure to have all your lights handy again, as we passed though about 15 tunnels today, two of which were over 3km long.
Outside of Menglun there is a slow, steady 20km climb which ends with a 3km tunnel and then descends back down about 12km. About one kilometer after the toll booth at the bottom of the climb is Mengyuan (勐远), a good resting point with plenty of options for food and drink. After lunch, the road began to rise again steadily, passing through numerous tunnels until the final 10km where it descended into Mengla (a right hand turn, 1km off the expressway).
Mengla is a big town with many options for sleeping and eating. On top of this it is only 46km from the Laos border. If you’re up for it, there is a wonderful park about 18km away (we took a bus) called Sky Tree Tropical Rainforest Park (望天树热带雨林公园), which has the world’s highest canopy walk of 38 meters and plenty of entertainment and wilderness to keep you busy a few days.
Day 13 Mengla (勐腊) – Na Teuy, Laos – 67km, nearly 4 hours of riding
Sightseeing and Activities:Mengla (勐腊) – Na Teuy, Laos – 67km, nearly 4 hours of riding
Accommodation: Laos
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
It is only 46km from Mengla to the border town, Mohan, on the expressway. It is a bit hilly but the road is great and you barely notice the hills. It’s a good idea to leave some time for the border crossing, but we had no trouble at all. It cost me 300 yuan to get my visa on arrival. The next town in Laos is Boten, only 3km from the border.
We decided to continue on as border towns are infamous for crime, and this one didn’t seem to be any different. A little less than 20km down the road lies the intersection of the roads leading to Luang Namtha (right) and Oudomxay (straight) in the town of Na Teuy. There are two basic guesthouses here, and a few restaurants, both Lao and Chinese styles.
Recommended Hotels
| Destination | 5 Star | 4 Star | 3 Star | Hostels |
| Kunming |
Sofitel Hotel |
Kunming Jinjiang Hotel |
Kunming Longteng Hotel |
Local Hostel |
| Yuxi | / | / | / | Local Hostel |
| Puer | / | / | / | Local Hostel |
| Jinghong(Xishuangbanna) | InterContinental Hotel | Jinghong Dai Garden Hotel | Jinglan Business Hotel | Local Hostel |
Service Included:
- Accommodation with daily breakfast as indicated in the hotel list;
- Chinese lunches as listed in the itinerary;
- All land transfers & transportation with private air-conditioned car;
- All transfers and sightseeing with skilled English-speaking tour guide;
- All entrance fees as mentioned in the itinerary;
- All government taxes;
- Luggage transfers between hotels;
- Travel Agency’s Responsibility Insurance coverage
Service Excluded:
- Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
- Any meals which are not specified in the tour itinerary.
- 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.
