For Guangzhou people who have been growing up in the southern tip of the motherland, the subtropical jungle is commonplace, and the place name that attracts us is the "ideal and magical paradise" (Xishuangbanna's ancient Dai language is "Mengbalanasi"), and it is not enough to go abroad. It is a good place to check out the exotic style. Even though I have traveled through so many cities, I am still curious about the unknown scenery. It is also a good choice to travel and experience the different rhythms and appearances of different regions.

It is essential to do homework before traveling. The 4 of us are all retired, so we don’t care about the number of days of the journey. We only consider the comfort of the itinerary, and save as much as possible. According to this principle, we chose the mode of free roaming . Xishuangbanna has not yet opened the high-speed rail, so there are not many ways for people to choose, and there are not many direct flights from Guangzhou to Xishuangbanna, and the flight time is not suitable. I searched for a long time on the Internet, but I couldn’t find a strategy from Guangzhou, so I had to plan it myself Itinerary, when I was preparing to book an air ticket on Ctrip, I chose the origin and destination, hey! Ctrip popped up a more reasonable itinerary, Ctrip is really professional! So we took the high-speed rail from Guangzhou to Guilin according to the route recommended by Ctrip (there is one train in less than an hour, and the journey takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes), then we stayed in Guilin for one night, and then flew to Banna the next day (the journey took about 2 hours), In this way, not only can you walk around in Guilin, but also save a lot of expenses.

Some people say that Xishuangbanna is the place where dreams begin, so let our dreams start from here!

There are no four seasons in Banna, only the rainy season and the dry season. We chose to start in the dry season in November. When we arrived in Banna, it still rained within 3 days. Fortunately, it cleared up for a few days after it rained. The Shwedagon Pagoda in Banna is A must-visit place, this gorgeous and colorful Shwedagon Pagoda has unique Southeast Asian characteristics. Here are a few photos for everyone to feel

The Shwedagon Pagoda is equivalent to Banna’s landmark building, the Grand Plaza, which does not charge tickets. It is also a tourist gathering and distribution center. There are many accommodations in the surrounding area. The most advanced one should be the Mekong Jinglan Hotel, but we consider that we need to have a balcony to dry clothes if we want to stay for 5 consecutive nights. , I chose the newly opened Yuejiang Hotel. You can also upgrade the room for free when you book on Ctrip. It feels good. During the 5 days of staying in Yuejiang Hotel, I happened to meet the annual Miss Loy Krathong Festival beauty contest held locally. The performance was beautiful and large. The background of fireworks is majestic and shocking! Come and take 2 photos if you can’t see the effect


I chose to live in the Gaozhuang area of ​​Jinghong for free travel. It is more convenient to eat and travel. The next day we hit "yes". When we arrived at Manting Park, I felt that the tickets were really expensive, and the old people had to be over 70 years old to be exempted. Fortunately, Mr. Zhao, the "dead" master, helped buy 4 discounted tickets (Manting Park + Song and Dance Campfire Party). To be honest, I feel that Manting Park is just famous. The park is small and less than a circle 1 km, there are 3 elephant performances in the park every day, we went at the wrong time, waited for a long time, and the performance was not exciting at all, it is not as special as the free Zongfo Temple next to the park, but Manting Park at night The singing and dancing bonfire is still worth seeing.

The singing and dancing bonfire in Manting Park at night can only be experienced on the spot


This is the place to have a buffet before the party

The river lantern link after the party

Manting Park

Zongfo Temple

Since we planned to only go to one place every day, the itinerary was very easy. On the third day, we directly hired Mr. Zhao to charter a car to the Wild Elephant Valley (of course, it is cheaper to buy tickets from the driver than online). According to reports, there are about 300 Asian elephants. Elephants thrive in this primeval forest, but this primeval forest spans several countries. According to locals, wild elephants will be active in this area in March. The chance of encountering wild elephants is harder than winning the lottery. But it is worth the ticket to see the artificially raised elephant performance here.


Someone lived for 7 days during the active period of elephants in the picture below before taking pictures of elephants

The old man is used to taking a nap, and after walking in the Wild Elephant Valley for a long time, he went back to the hotel to rest.

On the fourth day, we continued to charter a car to the Dafo Temple. The Dafo Temple actually built a big golden Buddha on the highest mountain in Banna. It took thousands of steps to go up the mountain. We had to buy a one-way battery car to go up the mountain, but we didn’t feel comfortable walking down the mountain. I lost half my life, and what is worth seeing there is the Water-Splashing Festival with Banna’s characteristics. The peacocks are released, but the pictures still don’t show the effect

The scene of thousands of peacocks gliding down the mountain is spectacular

On the way to the Elephant Valley, Zhao Shuai introduced a Thai village along the way and walked around. The customs of the Thai people are different from our Han people. The owner of each family is a woman. Here, the male is respectfully called Maoduoli, and the female is called Sao Duoli. We were greeted by a beautiful Sao Duoli, and what surprised us even more was the way of life here, or the custom of "living in groups". Several generations of people lived on a big kang, but they were separated by mosquito nets. You can imagine what it was like. . . . Let’s use our time to pay the driver some fuel, but we can still learn about the customs and customs of the Thai Nationality Garden. The stockade is a real life, so no photos are allowed in Sao Duoli. The picture below is from entering the stockade. door

Behind the Shwedagon Pagoda is another world. Not only can you enjoy the beautiful night scenery, but you can also find some authentic snacks in the light night market!

On the fifth day, I still chartered a car with Zhao Shuai to the 56th ethnic group in China, Jinuo Shanzhai. The curious thing is that this is a Shanzhai directly transformed from primitive society to socialism. However, after decades of commercial transformation, the people here have evolved rapidly, and I can’t feel it. There is nothing mysterious about it. In order to accommodate more people, the cottage is not allowed to move freely when entering the village. You can only walk around the mountain along the way. The stone steps up the mountain are not easy to walk. You have to go to the performance booth on the top of the mountain to have a chance to sit and rest. Watch a local show there and try the food that the Keno people usually eat

original processing method

On the sixth day, I went to the Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Considering that the Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is located in Menglun Town, Mengla County, it takes nearly 2 hours by car. Menglun Town, Menglun Town is just a small town with only inns. According to online reviews, we booked Yunmeiting Boutique Inn on Ctrip. The inn is not far from the Botanical Garden, and the service is really good! The botanical garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is really big, the scenic spots are scattered, and the southerners have seen a lot of plants, so they don’t feel any strange things, so they took a battery car to go around, come here for a visit and then go back to the inn to rest

For the return trip, I still choose Banna to fly to Guilin, stay in Guilin for one night, and then take the high-speed rail back to Guangzhou. Traveling is to enjoy life. We don’t like the punch-in style of traveling here. During this trip, I am very grateful to meet Mr. Zhao Shuai for his enthusiastic service for many days, so that our elderly have a pleasant journey. Without his consent, it is inconvenient to disclose Mr. Zhao’s mobile phone and WeChat account.