Xishuangbanna Travel Guide Attractions + Transportation + Food + Things to Note

Xishuangbanna is a very well-known natural scenic spot with a tropical rainforest climate. It retains a large amount of the most primitive forest state, and the perfect and rich natural ecosystem is well protected. It is a good place. It is an excellent tourist destination, and I will share with you a super detailed guide below.

Hotel Accommodation

For tourists, staying in Gaozhuang is still a good choice. The accommodation conditions and environment are relatively good, and the price/performance ratio is relatively high. There is a night market in the evening. If you live in Gaozhuang, no matter where you are, you will not be too far from the night market and the Shwedagon Pagoda, and can be reached on foot. Although it is separated from Jinghong City by a river, there is a bridge connecting it, so there is no inconvenience problem.

Although Wanda has better accommodation conditions, it is indeed too far away and there is no public transportation, making travel inconvenient.

Gaozhuang

We stayed at Shuixianshan Hotel in Gaozhuang. Its location is quite good. It is the first hotel you will see when you arrive in Gaozhuang. It is a 5-minute walk. Minutes and about 300 meters away you can reach the night market area. But just because of the distance of a few hundred meters, it is very quiet and there will be no noise at night. It takes about seven or eight minutes to walk to the Jiangbei ticket office of Jinghong Bus Terminal. The hotel room is large and well equipped with complete dry and wet separation. When we checked in, we were upgraded to a room on the top floor with direct access to the terrace for free, which felt a bit cool! Haha

Botanical Garden-Wanglian Hotel

We also booked a night at Wanglian Hotel in the Botanical Garden For the hotel, call the hotel directly at the entrance of the botanical garden and they will send a battery car to pick you up, which is very convenient.

The hotel is located between the Pagoda Garden and the Shade Botanical Garden. We had lunch and dinner at the hotel. They provided a buffet for lunch and dinner, which cost 60 yuan per person. Basically, there were 8 hot dishes, 4 cold dishes, 1 soup, Sprite and Coke, 4 kinds of fruits, and the only staple food was rice. a scale. The taste is okay, it feels a bit like a big canteen. Breakfast is included in the room rate, so it is provided free of charge. Relatively speaking, there are more types of breakfast.

Buffet dinner at Wanglian Hotel

Buffet breakfast at Wanglian Hotel

The advantage of staying in the botanical garden is that after dinner in the evening, you can take a walk in the botanical garden. Very interesting. You can go play as soon as you get up early in the morning, before the large number of tourists have arrived. We arrived at noon on the first day and walked around the entire West District in the afternoon. Went out for a walk again in the evening. Early the next morning, I bought a battery car from the East District at the canteen opposite the hotel. It took about 20 minutes to drive 5 kilometers to the Green Stone Forest Scenic Area in the East District. There was no one at all, it was a reserved venue, which felt a bit cool, haha.

Wanglian Hotel Swimming Pool

Transportation Guide

First let’s talk about the distance from the airport. Jinghong city is the closest to the airport, and it takes more than 10 minutes to get there.

Gaozhuang is slightly farther than the city, and can be reached in about 20 minutes. However, most accommodation in Gaozhuang includes free airport pick-up and drop-off, as long as you agree on the flight time with the hotel in advance.

Let’s talk about the traffic problems in various scenic spots.

Manting Park

It is recommended that you don’t rent a car if you go here. Many chefs will tell you that you can rent a car for 100 yuan if you go to Manting. But in fact, if you go from Gaozhuang If you take Didi Express, it will cost you only 10 yuan. There is no need to charter a taxi~

Here is a clear suggestion for everyone. Regular taxi drivers here don’t like to use meters. Even if they use Didi, they will change the price. It’s annoying! We After getting on the bus, he even told us that Manting was boring and I would take you somewhere else if you want to think about it again. Seeing that we insisted on going to Manting, he asked us if we had bought tickets. He could buy them for us and let us refund the tickets we had booked online. Special! Don’t! Dislike! Disgusting! After all these tricks failed, he asked us for a taxi fare of 20 yuan. He said it was 20 yuan for crossing the river! I really wanted to beat him to death with a stick! In order to avoid For this kind of problem, it is recommended that everyone try to use Didi Express when going to the city or the airport, so that the price cannot be changed~

Wangtianshu

In fact, originally I wanted to go to the Sky Tree on the third day, because the driver of the chartered car told me that it was too expensive and uneconomical for two people to charter a car to the Sky Tree, so I listened to him and changed it to what it is now. Overall, I feel very sorry. I was not able to go to Chengwangtianshu, so when planning your itinerary, if possible, try not to charter a car to avoid being deceived, and at the same time, you can save a lot of money and money.

This year, Jinghong City has opened a scenic express train specifically for people traveling there. This is really good news for tourists who go there in groups of two or three. Because most tourists who want to go to scenic spots farther away can only charter a car, but with this through train, many problems are solved.

Jinuo Mountain Village

We went by chartered car. We arranged for Jinuo Mountain Village and the Primeval Forest Park that day. The price was 200 yuan per day, which was actually not bad. However, the scenic spot can still be reached by direct train, it depends on your own time arrangement. Jinuo Village is about a 40-minute drive from Gaozhuang.

Primitive Forest Park

This is actually very close. It is only about a 10-minute drive from Gaozhuang. The scenic area can be reached by express trains and buses. In fact, it doesn’t even take a taxi. Expensive.

Menglun Botanical Garden

You can also reach the scenic area by train. At the same time, you can also choose a bus. There is a Jinghong Bus Station Jiangbei Ticket Office in Gaozhuang, and you can buy tickets on the spot. If you take the bus on the spot, you don’t need to go to Jinghong City. Everyone can ask Gaode, Gaode knows the ticket sales point. And even if you can't find it, you will see many minibuses and minibuses parked there by the roadside, and you will be able to find him.

The ticket price for the train to Menglun is 23 yuan/person, which is very cost-effective. It takes about 1 hour to arrive. When you get on the bus, tell the driver that you want to get off at the Botanical Garden. The driver will call you when you arrive. Park directly at the west entrance of the Botanical Garden. I only parked at one place in the middle, which lasted about three to five minutes, so it didn't waste much time.

On the return trip, you can still take the bus at Ximen. There will be a bus in about half an hour. However, there are several types of buses. Before getting on the bus, ask the driver where it goes to Jinghong. The bus we caught on the return trip was the bus to Banna Passenger Terminal. In fact, it is not too far from Jinghong Passenger Terminal, but it is closer to the airport. , we happened to be going to the airport, so we sat directly at the terminal. If you want to sit in Gaozhuang or somewhere else, you can tell the chef when you are almost there and ask him to stop for you. It's easy to negotiate.

Tips:

Everyone should pay attention to the bus to Banna Passenger Terminal. This bus stops for about three or four stops in the middle, and each stop lasts about 5-10 minutes. So if you have a flight to catch like me, it’s best to come out a little earlier. However, one advantage of this car is that it is in much better condition than the car we took when we went there. The car we took when we went there was a minibus type and was relatively shabby. The car we took back was a minibus, I guess, with a relatively large seat pitch and spaciousness. Children's shoes with luggage don't have to worry, these cars can store luggage, some at the back, some at the bottom, it's not a problem at all. Dining and Food

For people living in Gaozhuang, eating is actually not difficult. In the evening, there is basically everything to eat and drink at the night market. You can experience Dai-style barbecue (grilled pork belly, grilled fish, grilled chicken, grilled fish, etc.), Dai-style cold dishes (pounded chicken feet, pounded papaya, etc.), as well as various fruits and freshly squeezed juices.

I think the fish wrapped in vegetables is okay in Dai style barbecue. A serving is 30 yuan, which includes a piece of grilled fish, a small bowl of rice noodles, lettuce, dipping sauce, and peanuts. It's interesting to eat these things wrapped in lettuce. The roasted pork bones are also delicious. We don't like Dai-style cold dishes, so we don't know if they are suitable. That one is not very authentic. Anyway, it feels like all kinds of spices are mixed together in your mouth. I don’t like it very much. Crispy Bones

Starlight Night Market Stalls

Starlight Night Market

Fruit and Juice

The same one was served during the days we stayed there The freshly squeezed juice bought at the stall costs 10-15 yuan a cup. If you go every day, the price can be negotiated the next day. I tried carambola + pear juice, which tasted amazing and delicious! There was also pineapple + pomegranate juice, which was sour and sweet. It's sweet and very special. The coconut juice is specially made from Thai fragrant coconut. It tastes very sweet. After drinking it, you can ask the stall owner to dig out the coconut meat and eat it. Don't be too happy, hahaha.

We have fruit. There are two fruit shops on the roadside just outside the Gaozhuang accommodation area (not far from the Jiangbei ticket office). I bought jackfruit, egg fruit and so on. I was very impressed with the jackfruit. At the night market, a small bowl costs 10 yuan. A few pieces, the shopkeeper cuts them freshly for 10 yuan for half a bag. It’s quite big. Haha, we both enjoyed it. The egg fruit is also very delicious. You can buy it and try it. It tastes like cake. Yes, buy soft ones, they are amazing

Various freshly squeezed juices at Starlight Night Market

Jackfruit

Regular stores

Let’s go I visited two restaurants, one was Manfeilong Roasted Chicken, which was a popular restaurant. It was around 11am and there was no one in the store. I ordered roasted chicken, pineapple rice and hand-peeled bamboo shoots. There is no cooking, all the vegetables are eaten raw, such as cucumber strips and lettuce. The roasted chicken tastes good, and the best thing is the chicken wings, which are oily and charred on the outside. The pineapple rice is very fragrant and the bamboo shoots are peeled by hand. It looks ordinary, nothing special.

The other restaurant is Dai Louyuan. We wanted to try the hand-made rice, so we went there because they had a group purchase, which was enough for two people. The outside is filled with various kinds of meat, including grilled fish, grilled chicken, grilled pork belly, grilled pork ribs, and cucumber strips and lettuce. The grilled pork belly is especially delicious, with the vegetable rice underneath. , there is pineapple rice in the middle. The rice is not too hot, it feels like it has been slightly heated in a microwave, but the meat on the outside tastes pretty good, and if you buy it in a group, it is only 88, which feels like a good deal for the two of us. Basically all of them have been eliminated.

Recommended attractions for hand-picked rice in Dailou Garden

For many people, the most confusing thing is that the various attractions in Xishuangbanna are all advertised in a flashy way. There are so many scenic spots that I can’t figure them out at all. Let me give you a picture first so that you can see the general distribution of the scenic spots: (This picture was saved from a Q&A by a bee friend. I think the drawing is very clear, so I borrowed it for use. , Hehe

Okay, after having this basic concept, let’s talk about the details.

First of all, when choosing a scenic spot, first consider what type of place you like. Then, avoid duplication of types. Finally, consider the distance and cost. Then when planning the route, refer to As shown in the pictures above, if they are arranged in the same direction, there is no big problem. You can also refer to the routes provided by the scenic spot express trains for convenient transportation. In the urban area, I personally think Manting Park is really good.

Manting Park The entrance ticket to Manting Park is 54 yuan per person. The play time is 2-3 hours. The ticket is 54 yuan during the opening hours from 8 to 17 o'clock. If you buy online, it is 49 yuan. You don't need to buy anything. A battery car is not that big and is not necessary. It's quite beautiful inside, and there are some performances you can watch. This is the performance schedule. You can refer to it and arrange your time reasonably. Parrot performance: 9:50, 12:00, 15:40, Parrot performance venue Royal Elephant performance: 10:30, 14:50, 16:30, Royal Elephant performance venue Dai King has an appointment and rushes every day: 9: 00, rush to show the story of Zanha Chunhuan: 11:00, Zanha Pavilion

We watched the royal elephant performance at 14:50 in the afternoon. Personally, I think there is no need to go to the Wild Elephant Valley. The tickets are far more expensive, and there are really no wild elephants. Around two o'clock, many people began to occupy seats in the venue. It was also around two o'clock when the staff came out with four or five elephants. After giving them a bath and dressing up, they opened the door. , started soliciting business to take photos, and it cost 80 yuan per person. Many people who took their children went to take photos, and I visually estimated that twenty or thirty people took photos in half an hour. It was a bit fast to earn money.

The performance started on time at 2:50, and there were some interactive projects during the period. One of them was two staff pushing two supermarket shopping carts, filled with cucumbers and bananas, 10 yuan. Feeding three pieces of money to the elephant also triggered a burst of madness, eh! It’s a bit hard to explain in one word. In short, except for these crazy money-making projects, everything else is pretty good.

Elephant Show in Manting Park

Manting Park and Zongfo Temple are connected. You just need to show your ticket when you come back to Manting.

Zongfo Temple Wangtianshu Package 198 yuan/person (includes scenic spot tickets + one-way Nanla River sightseeing cruise + canopy corridor/rainforest covered bridge, opening hours 8:30-19:00, play time 2 -3 hours

Route: Take a boat from Nanla River to the pier. After getting off the boat, take Philip Trail to the Sky Corridor. After getting off, exit the scenic area from the other side and take the scenic minibus to the parking lot.

I'm sorry, I can only provide you with this information about Wangtianshu, because I didn't make it, and I always feel very sorry. In fact, I originally wanted to go to Wangtianshu on the third day, because the driver of the chartered car He told me that chartering a car for two people to go to Wangtianshu was too expensive and not cost-effective, so I changed it to what it is now. Generally speaking, I feel very sorry that I couldn't go to Wangtianshu, so when everyone is planning the itinerary, If possible, try not to charter a car to avoid being deceived and save a lot of money and hassle.

The map below is also borrowed from Fengyou’s travel notes for everyone’s reference. /p>

Tickets for Keno Village are 160 yuan/person, opening hours are 9:00-18:00, and play time is 2 hours

Keno Village is actually not big, but the overall management and planning are still Not bad, you can check it out if you have time. When we arrive at the entrance of the scenic spot, people who buy tickets within these 10 minutes will form a small group, and we will count as many people as we can when we arrive. It was a little after 9 o'clock, and there were very few people. A group of 4 people formed a small group. A young resident of the village would act as a tour guide to take us around the entire village. This is a service included in the ticket, not our own. The tour guide Shan looked for. At the gate, people wearing various Keno national costumes came to welcome you and then offered a toast. I was so happy that I drank a small cup and felt burnt for a long time after drinking it. For someone like me, For those who don’t drink, this is really not a low level. Girls, don’t be too excited like me when they take the wine glass.

The welcome ceremony at the entrance of Keno Village

Things to note: It will be a little cold when you go to Jinuo Village in the early morning. Remember to bring a light jacket

The tour guide explained to us the origin of Jinuo people and the culture of Jinuo people. I thought it was quite interesting. After watching There were many small performances, which gave us some basic understanding of the Jinuo people. Finally, they took us to a place to watch the performance. The little tour guide brought us some food, including local wax gourd pig roasted pork slices, as well as corn and sweet potatoes. It felt like the four of us had eaten a little cleanly.

There was still fruit to eat when we were approaching the door. One pot of watermelon, one pot of pineapple, and one pot of banana. You can eat as much watermelon and pineapple as you like, but only one banana per person. Take one. It seems that everyone who came after you tasted it and then left. Only the four of us ate there for a long time. I begged the little tour guide to feel sad. Hahaha, everyone must try pineapple. It is a local specialty. The whole tour lasts about two hours.

Primary Forest Park

Opening hours: 7:30-18. 00, tickets are 65 yuan, battery car is 70 yuan/person, and the play time is 2-3 hours.

Overall, I think this scenic spot is a bit embarrassing and not highly recommended.

In the whole scenic spot, Aini Village is probably the most crowded place, and the most beautiful one is the bridge at the door. There is not much inside, except that someone will lead you to dance ethnic dances, and you can also experience the bamboo pole dance. Be careful not to pinch your feet. Haha, we also caught up with the folk instrumental music performance, and the time was just right when we arrived. After looking at it, it actually doesn’t matter much, but it’s quite fun when the host interacts with the audience, so just watch it for fun. The entire scenic spot is basically like this. I just feel that my 115 yuan is for the peacock. There is nothing special about the rest. It will take 2-3 hours to enjoy it all and watch the show. It will be faster if there is a battery car.

Peacock Flying Performance Site

The bridge at the entrance of Aini Village

Tropical Botanical Garden

Scenic area battery car: 50 yuan/person/time, Round trip 100 yuan/person/time. The tour time is half a day in the West District and half a day in the East District.

My favorite place in Xishuangbanna. The botanical garden is divided into two areas: east and west. Most tourists only visit the West End due to time constraints. The West District is a carefully planned area. It is relatively clearly planned and divided into many different areas. You can buy your own tour tickets or choose to just walk like us. The tour bus stops at different stops. Those with the elderly and children can choose the tour bus. You can refer to the map below to plan the route in advance.

The East District has a completely different style, more natural and closer to the original state. There are only two stops in the East District, but I feel that we need a tour bus more than the West District, because it takes about five kilometers from the West District to the first stop, the Green Stone Forest Area, and then about two or three kilometers to the Tropical Rainforest Area. Therefore, although there are few stops, the distance is long, so tour buses are necessary.

It is recommended that the elderly and people with weak legs and feet should not go to the Green Stone Forest Area, because it is basically mountain climbing. And the scenery is not very beautiful. If young people have enough time, they can just exercise. In fact, it is not very high. The tropical rain forest area is more interesting and primitive. The large roots of the green stone forest area can also be seen here. The inside is like a tropical rainforest in a movie, which is quite interesting. If you have time, I recommend you to go and have a look. It doesn’t matter if you are older. It is relatively gentler than the green stone forest area, and a small amount of walking up and down should not be a problem.

Shopping Guide

In fact, if you really want to buy some specialties in Xishuangbanna, I think fruits are the best. If possible, you can buy boxes of pineapples, mangoes, etc. to take back. The taste is still very good. OK

In addition, we accidentally discovered a tamarind cake called Mao Duoli that tastes very good, and I thought it would be a good choice to bring it back to share with everyone. It just so happened that it was still early when I left Manting Park that day, so I went to the nearby Carrefour, which cost 29.9 yuan a pack, which felt pretty good. If you will stay in Kunming after Xishuangbanna, you can also buy it in the supermarket in Kunming, but don't go to the airport to buy it. I saw some at the airport selling them for 65 and some for 80. They are really expensive.