Prefecture

Xishuangbanna 西双版纳

Tropical rainforest, wild elephants and Dai culture.

Yunnan's tropical south: rainforest, wild elephants, Theravada temples and the Dai water-splashing festival.

Green = places to stay · red numbers = sights (click for details)

What to see

1 Jinghong and the Mekong Xishuangbanna The capital of Xishuangbanna lies on the Lancang River – the Mekong. Palm-lined streets, Dai temples and the riverside night market at Gaozhuang gi…

2 Tropical Botanical Garden Xishuangbanna The Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden at Menglun covers a whole river island, with thousands of plant species, rainforest trails and giant wa…

3 Wild Elephant Valley Xishuangbanna A protected rainforest area north of Jinghong where wild Asian elephants live. A walkway through the treetops and a cable car let you look for elep…

4 Dai Villages Xishuangbanna In the Ganlanba area, Dai families still live in wooden houses on stilts surrounded by banana and betel palms. Visit a village temple, see how the …

Other prefectures

Yunnan overview Kunming Yuxi Honghe Wenshan Chuxiong Dali Lijiang Shangri-La (Diqing) Baoshan (Tengchong) Pu'er