Xishuangbanna, located in the southernmost tip of Yunnan Province, is a humid tropical area on the border of Burma and Laos. It is celebrated for its numerous species of plants - botanists have dubbed it "the green diamond on the crown of the kingdom of plants." Xishuangbanna in the Dai nationality's language means "twelve administrative areas."

With Yunjinghong at the center, the scenic area in Xishuangbanna extends to Mengcang, Mengzhe, and the Lancang River Valley, the whole area being covered by dense, tropical primitive forest. The tropical forest along the Mengcang River Valley is typical of the botanical kingdom of Xishuangbanna. In Mengzhe, scenic spots include the octagonal pavilion at Jingzhen, the Mengbang Reservoir, the Manlengmian Temple, and a huge tea plant called Tree of King Tea. Along the Lancang River Valley, there is a place called the Olive Plain (Ganlanba), so named because the terrain here resembles an olive fruit. In this natural park, peacocks can be found. Its charming small White Pagoda, Immortal's Cave (xianrendong), Dazong River Falls, and Tiger Jumping Stone (Hutiaoshi) are surrounded by many varieties of wild plants.

Xishuangbanna is inhabited by a number of ethnic groups, of which the Dai nationality has the largest population. Visitors will be fascinated by their special customs, festival activities, architectural styles, and garden-like villages. To reach this remote area, you can fly to Simao from Kunming, then travel for seven hours by bus to get to Xishuangbanna.

White Dragon Pagodas

These nine pagodas are located on Manfeilong Hill at Damenglong of Jinghong County. The white pagodas with their golden pointed tops look rather like bamboo shoots freshly out of the earth, and so they are also called the Bamboo Shoot Pagodas. These pagodas, with the largest in the center circled by the eight smaller ones, were built in 1204 and contain some elegant sculptures and paintings.

Olive Plain (Ganlanba)

It is forty kilometers down the Lancang River south of the Jinghong County Town. It is a natural park with crystal clear river waters and luxuriant forests dotted with ancient temples and the bamboo houses of the Dai people. The tropical forest here is also the habitat of many rare species of birds.

The traditional New Year's Day of the Dai people, commonly known as the Water Sprinkling Festival, falls on the 14th day after Clear and Bright Festival usually the 5th of April. On this day thousands of people, old and young, come form the villages to sprinkle each other with water as a way of saying "Happy New Year" and of wishing one another longevity and a good harvest.

Wild Elephant Valley

To the Dai people, the elephant is the symbol of good luck, might and longevity.

The wild elephants of Xishuangbanna mainly live in the Wild Elephants Valley (yexiang gu), at the juncture of the western and eastern part of Menyang natural reserve.

In the valley, there is an observation tower, especially built for tourists. The best time to see these impressive beasts is at dawn or dusk. There are currently 300 elephants living in the dense forest in Xishuangbanna, known locally as the "kingdom of elephants."

Admission: 20 yuan (US$2.5)

Tropical Botanic Plant Garden

The garden is one of the major attractions in Xishuangbanna. Situated on Hulu Island, the garden contains 3,000 different types of plant. The environment here is spectacular, surrounded by rivers and mountains and containing a wealth of rare and unusual plants, trees and flowers.

Admission: 25 yuan (US$3)

National Minorities Custom Park

The park (minzu fengqingyuan) is located near pretty Liusha River, one kilometre away from Jinghong.

Occupying an area of 30 hectares, the park is covered with all kinds of tropical and fruit trees. Six minority group customs are detailed here including Dai, Akha, Jinuo, Bulang, La and Ya.

Different ethnic performances and activities are usually held each Wednesday and Saturday evening.

Orchards can be found in the park. At harvest time, visitors can pick up some tropical fruits here.

How to get there:

There is no direct flight from Beijing to Xishuangbanna. But there are many flights to Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan Province. Flights are available daily between Beijing and Kunming. A flight usually takes three hours and costs 2,000 yuan (US$125) one way.

Xishuangbanna has opened many flights to Kunming (one hour), Chengdu (two hours), Shanghai (four hours), Dali (one hour) and Bangkok (two hours).

After getting to Jinghong, the capital city of Xishuangbanna region, there are different transportation means to the above-mentioned destinations.

To Elephant park: The park is 45 kilometres north of Jinghong by the highway linking Jinghong and Simao. You can take the bus to Simao from the main bus station in Jinghong and get off at the park. It takes 30 minutes and costs 10 yuan (US$1.2).

To the botanic garden: From the main bus station in Jinghong, take a bus heading towards Mengla or Menglun. These buses leave every hour from 7:30 am to 3 pm. The fee is 12 yuan (US$1.4).

To minorities park: The park is conveniently located one kilometer south of Jinghong. A taxi should cost about 10 yuan (US$1.2).

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(china.org.cn)