Travel Notes on Xishuangbanna | Tropical style, Nanzhao resort, and the borderland where dreams come true

Xishuangbanna is located at the southernmost tip of Yunnan Province

It is connected to Laos to the southeast and Myanmar to the southwest.

"Xishuang" means twelve

"Banna" means an administrative unit that provides feudal taxes

Here is China’s only tropical rainforest nature reserve

Thirteen ethnic minorities have lived here for generations

It is a tourist attraction integrating natural scenery and cultural customs

The decision to go to Xishuangbanna was also sudden.

Although I find nucleic acid reporting troublesome (Beijing has done it at least 3 times)

But seeing that the air ticket costs two to three hundred, it really lasts a long time.

This is the Spring Festival

I decisively bought four air tickets to complete the trip.

Beijing-Chongqing-Xishuangbanna-Kunming-Beijing

Two middle flights canceled

Finally, I added 1,600 to get four tickets.

On the one hand, traveling to Chongqing is to go home to celebrate the New Year.

On the one hand, direct flights from Beijing are too expensive and take too long

Going to Kunming is the same as Chongqing.

If time is tight, you can go to and from Beijing.

I have arranged 3 days of travel in my itinerary

Xishuangbanna mainly focuses on nature and humanities

Attractions are relatively similar and scattered

So I took a two-day tour + free travel in the city

Provide itinerary for reference

day0 Arrive in Xishuangbanna-Gaozhuang Night Market

It only takes two hours to fly from Chongqing to Banna

Most hotels in Banna provide airport pick-up services.

It only takes twenty minutes from the airport to the city

I chose to live in the Gaozhuang Xishuangjing area

Close to the night market and convenient for day trips

Although it is during the epidemic

But the Spring Festival is also the Golden Week in Banna

House prices have doubled

I live in the northwest corner of Gaozhuang

Actual measurement: 5 minutes walk to Starlight Night Market

Jiangbian Night Market10 minutes

Put down your luggage and take a rest

It gets dark later in Banna

Going out to find food

Starlight Night Market is located in various street shops

Selling handicrafts, Dai barbecue and Dai snacks

Walk to Chongbao Street and it’s not far from Jiangbian Night Market.

From a distance you can see the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda

The Shwedagon Pagoda will not be open during the Spring Festival

So I can only take a look from a distance

From the steps beside the Shwedagon Pagoda, you can overlook the riverside night market.

Although it is during the Spring Festival

The night market is still bustling

I estimate there are hundreds of stalls

The lanterns and colorful decorations are very beautiful

Because Banna is located on the border

The food culture here will also have some exotic characteristics.

Laotian iced coffee is everywhere

It feels like a drink made with coffee infusion when I was a kid

15 yuan per bag, packed in a plastic bag, ice cold

In addition to coffee, we also sell some Thai milk tea.

I also want to try pounding chicken feet.

Put spicy millet, tomatoes, lemons, etc. into a bowl and pound them

Spicy and sour, very appetizing

In addition to chicken feet, you can also choose pork rinds, cucumbers, etc.

Vietnamese rolled noodles, Thai banana flying pancakes, Jianshui tofu, etc.

You can find them all in night markets

But the night market is a bit expensive

The taste is also the same

It’s okay to try something new, but pay attention to dietary hygiene

Visiting the night market besides eating

You can also see a lot of young ladies taking photos of the Dai people.

Speaking of Dai people, their clothing is more like Thai style

199 yuan per set. Follow the photographer everywhere.

The photographer will teach you how to pose

day1 Botanical Garden of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Chinese Academy of Sciences Botanical Garden

It is the largest area in my country and has the richest collection of species.

The botanical garden with the most botanical gardens

The botanical garden is divided into east and west areas

Because it is far away from the city

So I signed up for a day trip

Meet at the north gate of Gaozhuang at around 9 a.m.

It’s just over an hour’s drive away.

Be sure to buy a battery ticket

The park is too big

I can't walk without my feet alone.

If you are in a hurry, you can just go to the West District.

When you enter, you can see fake betel nuts, hanging gardens, etc.

There are many tropical plants in the park

Definitely gain insights

Because it's not the season

There are only a few Wanglian flowers left.

Wait until summer for Wanglian to grow best

Can carry 30-60kg people standing

Opposite is the palm garden

There are oil palms that make instant noodle seasoning packets

Dong Zong with high starch content can be used to make pearls

The beautiful Thai palm

Three-medicine betel nut that looks like betel nut

Fishtail sunflower with leaves shaped like fish tails

The palmtail fan in Jigong’s hand comes from the palmtail palm

Exited Palm Garden and arrived at Banyan Tree Garden

The banyan tree is so domineering

Because the fruit is not easily digested by birds

Will be excreted with feces

Once sprouted, aerial roots will grow

Rooted all the way down in the soil

Once it takes root, the strangler fig becomes very tenacious.

The strangled tree gradually lost its life

Become "food" for the Strangler

thus forming one of the wonders of the rainforest

Baiyuan Because the season is wrong

So only the bougainvillea is blooming

Kapok not far away is also very beautiful

It's more beautiful than bougainvillea

There is a hot air balloon in the park

More than 200 and sit for a while

The Exotic Wood Garden is my favorite

There are mimosa, dancing plant and clock flower

There is also the birthplace of Gautama Buddha - under the Ashoka tree.

Buddha belly tree that blooms all year round

Vajra Compilation with Trees Full of Cacti

Recently, there is also a succulent plant exhibition area

Really eye-opening

The Creator is amazing

There are only some simple meals available in the park at noon

The last things to visit in the West District are the Famous Famous Tree Garden and the National Flower and National Tree Garden.

The former has an acacia tree planted by Jiang Zemin himself.

The sky-gazing tree planted by Prince Philip

Dracaena planted by the first director, Professor Cai Xitao, etc.

In addition, there is also the bay leaf palm used in the Dai Buddhist plant to make the Bay Leaf Sutra.

Pat the traveler banana that can produce water from its rhizome

The world's most poisonous plant "curare"

Edible fire flowers from old stems

Flowers like trumpets are used as intoxicating mandala

and the oldest thousand-year-old iron tree in Xishuangbanna

The National Flower and National Tree Garden collects 58 species of national trees and flowers.

Such as the national flower of Myanmar, Laos' national flower, frangipani, etc.

It takes more than 3 hours to visit the West District.

Take a bus to East District Green Stone Forest

The East District is a primeval forest area

The main attractions include Big Root, Strangling Banyan Tree, Lover's Peak , etc.

Not many people come to the East District, mainly for mountain climbing.

There are many vines on the boardwalk

It would take an hour and a half to walk through them all

It feels a bit repetitive with the primitive forest attractions on the second day.

It is recommended that if you are in a hurry, you may not come to the East District.

Back to the city around five o'clock

I found a simple Dai restaurant and ordered a set meal for one person.

Pineapple rice is steamed glutinous rice with pineapple

A bit like cooking mango sticky rice

Hao Luosuo is also a kind of cake with a texture similar to glutinous rice.

The roast chicken is good, but not the firewood

I don’t think the stinky vegetable omelette is too smelly.

Just a regular fried egg

After eating, I found Jing Dailong and pressed Jiojio.

Extremely sore calf

I walked 30,000 steps today and didn’t go to the night market.

After pressing it, I went back.

day2 Wild Elephant Valley-primitive forest park

I have to go to two places today

We gathered around eight o'clock

It only takes 1 hour to drive to Yexiang Valley.

If you want to see Asian elephants in our country, you must come here

There are ditches and rivers here and dense forests.

Protected animals such as Asian wild elephants, green peacocks, and macaques all live here.

The scenic spot is not big, the main thing is to take the ropeway to see wild elephants (paid)

Or have close contact with wild elephants in the rainforest (paid)

Or take the aerial plank road and rely on your luck to see monkeys and wild elephants

Of course you can’t miss the wonderful Elephant Academy

Because there are fixed times for elephant performances

In the morning, we first visited Silly Roe Deer, Butterfly Garden and Orchid Garden.

These places are very small and it only takes less than ten minutes in total.

Orchid Garden is accompanied by a tour guide dedicated to the scenic spot.

Although in the end I still promoted dendrobium

I took a walk on the Skywalk, although I didn’t see any traces of wild elephants.

But it’s worth it when you pass by the monkey area and see the cute monkeys.

Surrounded by pristine scenery that is different from ordinary parks

At the end of the plank road is the Asian Elephant Museum

I almost caught up with the start of classes at the Elephant Academy after going back and forth.

It is recommended to sit on both sides to watch

Elephant Academy is divided into physical education classes, art classes and class selection

Artificially trained elephants perform certain actions according to instructions

Cute and cute

At the end of the show, you can also feed the elephants for a fee

You can have lunch at Wild Elephant Garden

50 elephant meals per person or 30 table meals per person

In the afternoon, drive to Primitive Forest Park

The primeval forest park and the Mekong River Underwater World are together

This scenic spot focuses on ethnic culture and the spectacle of peacocks flying.

The tour guide took us on a sightseeing bus to Ai Nizu

The Aini people are a branch of the Hani people

Advocating black as beauty

The custom of snatching brides still remains today

Crossing the rope bridge, you will arrive at the Aini dwellings.

Simply interact and visit

Not far away is the national musical instrument performance

The stage is set up under the Kowloon Waterfall

Beautiful girls and boys in national costumes took turns performing on stage

Sometimes it is melodious and melodious, sometimes it is full of music and singing.

The performance lasts about half an hour. Remember to note the opening time.

Traveling through the Valley Rainforest is my most anticipated trip

Follow the tour guide and start from the bottom of the valley

It felt chilly as soon as I came in.

The air is also very fresh

Same as the east section of the Botanical Garden

The wonders of the tropical rain forest are preserved here

Intricate plant root systems are twisting and circling here

It’s like stepping into the wonderland of the Wizard of Oz

Eyes full of green are very refreshing

Finally, turn back to the entrance of the scenic spot to watch Peacocks in flight

10 minutes in total

Composed of musicals and peacocks flying

The musical tells the love story of the Peacock Princess

At the end, hundreds of peacocks glided down from the ropeway

It's spectacular all of a sudden

It was past five o'clock when we returned to the city after the trip.

Find a Dai barbecue near your residence and feast on it

Must try lemongrass grilled fish

Grilled fish with secret spices is extremely tender

Other skewers are also very cheap

(Except for the long wait time

The price-performance ratio couldn't be higher

day3 Mange Fruit Market-Manting Park-Manyun Farmers Market

The third day is the day I leave Xishuangbanna

So I arranged a free tour in the city

Shared motorcycles have become very popular here

It’s perfect for a solo trip like me.

And the urban area is not big either.

It’s only three or four kilometers from Gaozhuang to the fruit market.

The fruit market is a little deserted during the Spring Festival

This is mainly wholesale and some support retail.

The price is naturally cheaper than outside

You can see a lot of unusual fruits here

Milk fruit, egg fruit, devil fruit, etc.

Of course, there are also common tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple, and jackfruit.

The pineapple is about 58 per ten pounds with free shipping.

Papaya 38 jin free shipping..

If it’s not easy to take with you on the road, it’s also a good souvenir if you mail it home.

Gaozhuang is on the east side of the Mekong River

After crossing the bridge, we get to the highlight of today

First go to Luoluo Igloo to fill your stomach

This shop sells Dai snacks

The store is quite spacious

The price feels a bit expensive

After all, it is an internet celebrity store

Ordered lemon chicken hamstrings and paruda

The former is similar to pounding chicken feet

The latter is somewhat similar to Qingbu Liang

It’s all a hodgepodge of coconut milk and coconut jelly.

After eating, we arrived at Manting Park

As the royal garden of the Dai people

Covers royal culture, Buddhist culture and Dai folk culture

Ticket price is 40. You don’t need to take the sightseeing bus.

To enter the park, follow the counterclockwise direction.

Walk through Yulan Garden and bypass Fangsheng Lake

The White Pagoda in the park is a famous check-in point

The adjacent main Buddhist temple is closed due to the Spring Festival.

I can only take a look at it from afar

Although it is a park

But the design of the pavilions, green plants and flowers is unique.

It is said that there are also elephant and peacock performances

Maybe it’s because I didn’t catch up with the Spring Festival

At night, there will be a bonfire party and performances

Meals included and krathong placed

The price is 200+ and you need to buy tickets in advance

It took just over an hour to finish strolling around the garden.

Riding a bike around

Passing by Splashing Water Square

Looks ordinary at first glance

Imagine the bustling splashing event in April

It's a pity that I came at the wrong time.

Missed the most lively festival of the Dai people

See the guide to visit the Thai souvenir shops near Manyun Market

You can buy a variety of dried fruits here

But the store is small and the distance is a bit far.

Not cost effective

The three days in Banna ended in a hurry

In the midst of the epidemic, this small border town is still bustling with scenery

I heard that the train from Yuxi to Banna will be built soon.

Friends who are interested can pay attention~