Discover Tropical China: Best Things to do in & Around Xishuangbanna!

Did you know that you can find tropical landscapes in China? You can do so around Xishuangbanna, in Yunnan.

I visited Xishuangbanna as part of my Yunnan trip, and I can say I wasn’t expecting such a dramatic change in landscape, customs and architecture. 

We flew from Lijiang, a town nestled at the foot of 3,000m high mountains, and after just one hour we were amongst the rainforests and palm trees of tropical China, in Xishuangbanna.

In this article I have outlined everything you need to know about visiting Xishuangbanna, an area of China with a distinct Southeast Asian feel, including the best things to do to, where to stay, how to get there and much more.

So what are you waiting for? Read on, and plan your trip to tropical China!

Best things to do in Xishuangbanna

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden

The first place we visited during our time in Xishuangbanna was the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, and it was the perfect introduction to this tropical part of China.

Founded in 1959, it’s the largest botanical garden in China. It’s home to over 13,000 species of plants, as well as countless insects. The Garden is divided in various zones, from bamboo gardens to giant lotus ponds.

But it’s not just a pretty place to walk around and explore. It’s home also to a variety of laboratories and facilities for scientific research, which actively engage in biodiversity conservation and sustainability research.

Go for a Rainforest Walk at Mengyuan Wonderland

Mengyuan Wonderland, located 100km outside Jinghong City in Xishuangbanna, is a natural reserve, which houses one of the best-preserved tropical rainforests of the region. 

This tropical rainforest dates back over 140 million years, and is home to a huge variety of flora and fauna. I had no idea I’d be stepping into such a biodiverse tropical rainforest during this China trip!

At Mengyuan Wonderland they offer a variety of rainforest walks, hikes and trekking routes, with varying levels of difficulty. We opted for the chill rainforest walk, which was an easy loop along the shores of a river.

It was a really easy trail, most of it on a wooden walking board, which allowed us to see first hand just how rich and wild this rainforest is. It felt like stepping into a completely different environment.

Try other activities at Mengyuan Wonderland

The Rainforest Walk isn’t the only activity you can do in Mengyuan Wonderland. As I mentioned, it’s an eco-tourism destination (or rainforest theme park), where you can do loads of different tours and experiences for all interests and levels.

Some of the other activities you can do include cave exploring, tai-chi, cliff climbing, and star gazing.

I’m not a big fan of caves, but some of the people in our group who went cave exploring said they absolutely loved it, as the karst caves were completely different from anything they’d ever seen.

You could spend a whole weekend at Mengyuan Wonderland, trying all the different tours and generally just enjoying the unique tropical landscape.

Explore the Starlight Night Market

Also known as Gaozhuang Night Market in Jinghong City, this is a must-see. It’s on every day from 6PM to around midnight, is spread across a pretty big area and is home to hundreds of stalls.

It has a very distinctive Southeast Asian feel, and it reminded me of other night markets I visited in Thailand or Vietnam. I also loved how lit up it was, from the golden pagoda to the stalls themselves, or from the decorations to the surrounding buildings.

Besides the shopping opportunities, it’s a really beautiful place to explore and take in the colourful lights. The stalls sell a huge variety of things, so you’ll find plenty of choices to choose from.

There are lots of stalls selling street food, from proper noodle dishes to snacks or desserts, as well as plenty of stalls selling souvenirs or clothing, even the occasional open-air massage parlour!

You’ll also find lots of tourists and locals alike wearing the outfits of the local Dai ethnic group.

There are also various stages where you can admire shows by local performers. Overall it’s a really cool place to explore, where you can really see the impact of the Southeast Asian and Chinese fusion of Xishuangbanna.

Participate in the Dai Water Splashing Festival

This was one of the most unexpected and fun things I did on this China trip. The Water Splashing Festival is a traditional festival of the Dai local people, which falls around mid-April as part of their New Years celebrations.

However, you can experience it even if you visit Xishuangbanna at a different time of year. Every day at the Dai Ethnic Garden, about 35km outside Jinghong City, a smaller version of the water splashing carnival takes place.

Make sure to get there a little earlier, so that you can change into the traditional outfits of the Dai people, and pick up the bowl you will use for the water splashing.

The event starts with a short presentation and parade, before the water splashing madness begins!

The centre of the square fills with water and surrounding fountains start spraying water in every direction. We all ran to the central fountain, and started splashing everyone around us with bucket fulls of water.

The water splashing is interrupted by other performances and group dances, which makes for a very fun afternoon. It was very unexpected, but also incredibly fun.

See the “Lancang River, Mekong Night” Show at Manting Park

Manting Park is over 1,300 years old, and was once the royal garden of the Dai Kings. It’s the oldest park in Xishuangbanna, and a must-see sight in Yunnan.

Besides the garden, in the park itself you will find various temples and pagodas, as well as shows and performances, which will teach you about the local culture and history. 

We watched the “Lancang River, Mekong Night” Show, and it was a beautiful performance showcasing the outfits and traditions of different countries along the Lancang-Mekong River (China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam) as well as local minorities (like the Dai people).

After this we participated in the Bonfire Party, and it was so much fun!

Visit Hekai Ancient Tea Plantation & learn about Pu’er Tea Culture

The Hekai Ancient Tea Plantation is located about an hour drive outside of Jinghong City, and it will feel like stepping into a completely different landscape.

Nestled amongst the lush green mountains of Yunnan, at Hekai Ancient Tea Plantation you can learn about Pu’er tea culture.

One thing that’s very distinctive of these tea plantations, compared to others I’ve seen on my travels in Kerala, Malaysia, Taiwan or Sri Lanka, is that the trees are ancient, some over 500 years old, and they let them grow to proper tea height.

This means that the traditional method for picking tea leaves is for people to climb in the tree, and pick the ones that are too high to reach.

This is very different from other places I’ve seen, where they keep the tea trees small like bushes, to make it easier to pick the leaves.

You can also visit a Pu’er tea culture museum, where you can learn more about Pu’er tea culture. And obviously, you can taste a variety of these different teas, as well as trying your hand at preparing the tea in an ancient factory.

Whether you’re a big tea drinker or not, it’s a pretty cool day trip from Jinghong City, which will take you to explore a completely different landscape, as well as teaching you about the local culture.

Logistics info for your Xishuangbanna trip

About Xishuangbanna

Xishuangbanna is located in the southwest of China, on the border with Myanmar and Laos. You can see the influence of these neighbouring countries throughout the prefecture, from architecture to culture, or from clothing to food.

It has a strong Southeast Asia vibe, which I wasn’t expecting to find in China, but which I was very happy to see, as it showed me a completely different part of China.

Xishuangbanna is characterised by a tropical climate, and thus tropical nature. Here you can expect to find tropical rainforests, palm trees, and a hot and humid climate. It’s home to the Dai ethnic group.

How to get to Xishuangbanna

You can fly into Xishuangbanna from most major Chinese cities, like from Kunming, Guangzhou or Lijiang, as well as some international cities like Chiang Mai in Thailand.

Xishuangbanna is also connected to many Chinese cities by train.

Where to stay in Xishuangbanna

During our stay in Xishuangbanna we moved around and stayed in two different hotels, one closer to Jinghong City and the Starlight Market, and one closer to Mengyuan Wonderland.

Mengyuan Wonderland Huajiantang Hotel

This hotel is so lovely, and will make you feel at one with the surrounding rainforest, while still maintaining all the comforts of a luxury hotel.

From your room you can enjoy views of the rushing river, and the lush greenery of the rainforest. They also had an amazing breakfast spread.

Mekong River Jinglan Hotel

Located just minutes walk away from the Starlight Market, this hotel is the perfect place to stay in Jinghong City.

Besides the central location, they also had a huge breakfast spread, with both asian and western food choices, spacious rooms and great service.

Final thoughts on the best things to do in Xishuangbanna

There you have it, the ultimate guide to visiting Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, China! Have you been to this part of China before? How did you find it? Let me know in the comments below!

When I signed up for a trip to Yunnan I was expecting cute ancient towns at the foot of snowy mountains (which I did see in Lijiang), I wasn’t expecting to explore tropical botanical gardens and rainforests, or to participate in a giant water splashing party.

Xishuangbanna was the most unexpected part of the trip, but without a doubt one of the most fun. I loved the Southeast Asia vibes of this part of China, and the strong influences of neighbouring countries.

It’s a China I wasn’t expecting to see, but which I think all travellers would enjoy exploring. I hope you found this article useful in planning your visit to Xishuangbanna, if you have any questions just let me know in the comments below!

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