Before Dali and Lijiang were on fire, Xishuangbanna had always been the most high-profile city in Yunnan, and the phrase "Beautiful Xishuangbanna, can't keep my father..." in the theme song of the TV series "Evil Debt" in the crowded alley more than 20 years ago sang its popularity. Although the aura of Xishuangbanna has gradually dissipated, it is hidden like an indifferent emerald in the southwest border of the motherland, quietly exuding its own beauty.
Recently, the authoritative travel list announced the top ten best travel areas in the world in 2022, and only Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province in China was on the list, which once again pulled my mind back to this magical land. Yes, I have been to Xishuangbanna many times in public and private, where there is a delightful wild elephant valley, with lush tropical rainforests, Buddhist temples and pagodas as common as villages, and night markets full of Southeast Asian style... Being here is like being in another country, and you can always make yourself calm and comfortable. It is no wonder that it is called a pension blessed land by many retirees in the northeast.
However, due to the scattered attractions in Xishuangbanna and the wide range of attractions, it is easy for tourists who go to Xishuangbanna for the first time to step on the thunder. Today, combined with my previous travel experience, I would like to recommend to you a few attractions that I think are worth visiting, suitable for tourists who stay for 3-4 days to experience in depth.
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
The special geographical location and climate have bred the biodiversity of Xishuangbanna, so that it has the only remaining tropical rainforest on the Tropic of Cancer, and you must feel the tropical rainforest style when you come to Xishuangbanna, and you can see the most original tropical ecological landscape in an unsurpassed view. In the tropical rainforest landscape, I most recommend the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, first, it is the only 5A scenic spot in Xishuangbanna, second, it is the largest and most plant-type botanical garden in China, and third, it is about 1 and a half hours away from the city, and the overall experience is very good.
The Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is divided into two parks, the East Garden is a scientific research area, distributed with various types of original ecological plants and tropical rainforests, suitable for hiking; the West Garden is composed of large and small botanical gardens, suitable for slow tour, you can also take a sightseeing car to visit in sections. If you only plan to play here for a day, it is recommended that you choose one between East Park and West Park, otherwise you will be in a hurry.
Compared with the exploratory East Garden, the West Garden is more suitable for most people. After entering the West Garden, you can look up to see the most famous Wang Lian Scenic Area, in winter, although the lotus flowers have withered, a lotus leaf that looks like a boat is still floating on the water, and it can become the focus with a single shot. Following the direction of the road sign, the Exotic Flowers Garden is also worth stopping, and plants such as dancing grass, throat-sealing trees, and strangled trees are eye-opening, and you can slowly discover more interesting ecological landscapes in it.
If you come in the summer, it is recommended to visit the Botanical Garden at night. The fireflies that lurk in the plants during the day suddenly become the spirits in the dark night, and in the huge botanical garden, the fireflies are flying in the sky, and the surrounding silence is only the insects are whispering, which is enough to make people feast their eyes.
Mengla Wangtianshu Forest Park
Mengla is a subordinate county of Xishuangbanna, semi-surrounded by Laos in the southeast, across the Lancang River from Myanmar in the southwest, and was once one of the starting points of the Yunnan-Tibet Tea Horse Ancient Road, where you can deeply feel the southeast Asian style. In addition to the abundant animal and plant resources of Mengla, there are also many tea mountains, and if you want to visit these landscapes in a concentrated manner, Wangtianshu Forest Park is an excellent choice.
The most thrilling thing in the scenic area is the aerial corridor, which is connected by dozens of tall trees, with a net as a guardrail, a wooden platform as a pedal, and walking on it can overlook the entire tropical rainforest scenic spot, and the view is very open. If you are afraid of heights, you can also meander along the path in the rainforest, and along the way you will see wild fungi, bamboo, plantains and other original plants, which has a novelty of exploring unknown areas.
If you have enough time, you can go to the Nanla River and take a boat ride through the rainforest. Known as the "Amazon of the East", this river is the source of the Wangtianshu Tropical Rainforest, and the lush trees on both sides of the river and the meandering river are intertwined into a beautiful picture, and it is very pleasant to wander around by boat.
Starlight Night Market
Xishuangbanna has two well-known night markets: Xingguang Night Market and Jiangbian Night Market, the former mainly targeting tourists, and the latter with more locals. If you want to shop and eat, it is recommended to go to the Starlight Night Market, after all, its scale is the largest in Southeast Asia, and the goods and snacks can be described as dazzling.
Almost all of the shops are dressed in traditional ethnic costumes, and the stalls are equipped with local snacks, chicken feet, lemongrass grilled fish, bamboo tube rice... Dizzying, you can smell the aroma of Dai barbecue from afar, paired with plastic bags of Thai milk tea, sitting on a special fruit boat and watching the night view by the river, not to mention how satisfied.
If you are interested, you can put on the Dai costume and stand in front of the Shwedagon Pagoda in the middle of the night market, easily freezing the human fireworks of Xishuangbanna.
Some of the pictures are from Figureworm and are licensed