14 of the best things to do in Xishuangbanna, China

The southwestern province of Yunnan is one of China’s most diverse, stretching from the high Tibetan borderlands of Shangri-La and Lijiang in the northwest to central highlands where lakeside Dali Old Town and capital Kunming have attracted travelers for decades. Fewer travelers abandon this well-worn route to tune down the altitude and steer south to tropical Xishuangbanna, Yunnan’s southernmost corner bordering Myanmar and Laos.

Like the Southeast Asia it blends with, Xishuangbanna (meaning “12 rice-growing districts”) may still be off travelers’ radars, but has a local reputation for sunshine, jungle, Buddhist temples and water-splashing festivals that made it a hit among Chinese tourists who treat it as their own slice of Thailand. Let these experiences inspire you to get off the beaten track and enjoy the intoxicating cultural mix Xishuangbanna can offer.

1. Get drenched at the Water Splashing Festival

Even though it's sweltering hot, mid-April is an exciting time to visit Xishuangbanna because the Dai – the largest ethnic group and part of the Tai communities stretching across borders from Thailand to southwest China – celebrate a grand three-day-long water-splashing festival similar to Thailand's famous Songkran Festival. The “big washing” is done with squirt guns, overflowing pots and all sorts of receptacles, and is meant to welcome a new year by cleansing off the impurities of the old.

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2. See China’s last wild elephants in Mengyang Town

Xishuangbanna’s Wild Elephant Valley Forest Park (野象谷公园) in Mengyang Town, 47km (29 miles) north of Jinghong, is the easiest place to see wild elephants in China, even though you’ll need tons of luck. Avoid the questionable trained elephant shows at the entrance and instead use the cable car (¥30/US$4.20) to the farthest end of the park, where, with a lot of luck, you may see wild elephants through the forest as you walk back on the elevated wooden path.

Planning tip: Come very early in the morning or late in the afternoon to maximize your chances of seeing the pachyderms.

3. Eat and shop at Gaozhuang Night Market (告莊夜市)

Xishuangbanna's main gateway, Jinghong (景洪市), may look like little more than a fast-developing transport hub. But with its Mekong riverside setting – locally named Lancang, the mighty river is here on its last leg to Laos – and long avenues flanked by palm trees and Buddhist architecture, it quickly grows on visitors. After 6pm, everyone flocks to the eastern shore of the Mekong for a peek at Gaozhuang Night Market, Jinghong’s main attraction, which fuses with the Ganbai Street Night Market. It’s definitely touristic and busy, with hundreds of stalls manned by people in Dai clothing and laden with all sorts of bargains and inexpensive foods that range from tasty Dai-style BBQ to fried crickets.

Local tip: It’s normal to see tons of touts rounding up female tourists for photo shoots in Dai-style clothing – this is lv pai (旅拍), a widespread China-wide travel phenomenon of renting local ethnic garb to take salon-style pictures in costume.

4. Marvel at the Golden Pagoda

The impressive Golden Pagoda (大金塔) built in the style of the Shwedagon pagoda in Myanmar’s capital, Yangon, can be seen from anywhere in central Jinghong. It’s right in the city’s riverside shopping area, soaring above the midst of Gaozhuang Night Market.

Planning tip: The area is most beautiful at night when scenic floodlights light up the pagoda.

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5. Meet Buddha on a hilltop

The temple complex of Mengle (勐泐大佛寺) on the southern reaches of Jinghong has lush tropical gardens and a giant standing golden Buddha statue atop a double stairway. From up here, views stretch all over the city. 

Detour: Don't miss the large Burmese-style pagoda in Shanding Park, which is only a few minutes' walk south of the golden Buddha. 

6. Appreciate the flora in Jinghong's tropical garden

On the western side of town, the terrific Tropical Flower & Plants Garden (热带花卉园) boasts over 1000 different types of plant life grouped by species in different gardens connected by meandering stone paths. The captions will satisfy botanists and the curious alike. 

7. Learn about local culture at the Dai Minority Park in Ganlanba

The Dai Minority Park (傣族园) in Ganlanba, located in the lower reaches of the Lancang River, 40km (25 miles) southeast of Jinghong, is a former riverside village turned into glorified Dai cultural park. It’s filled with traditional Thai architecture, temples wrapped by protective naga snakes and beautiful tropical gardens. The Water Splashing Plaza offers daily reenactments of the famous festival.

Planning tip: The most scenic way to get here is to take a two- to three-hour-long boat cruise from Jinghong’s Mekong pier. 

8. Wander in Manting Park, Xishuangbanna’s oldest gardens

One doesn’t have to leave the city to get a feel for Xishuangbanna’s forests. Set on the southern side of Jinghong's center, Manting Park (曼听公园), the oldest garden in the region, was built for the Dai royalty nearly 1300 years ago. Take your time to stroll its lake ponds, tropical vegetation and many Burmese-meets-Thai-style Dai temples – the white stupa and octagonal pavilion of Wa Ba Jie Temple (瓦叭洁) look the grandest.

Planning tip: Bus 3 stops by the park entrance, which costs ¥50 (US$7). The park comes alive with Dai dance and music shows between 7:30 and 10:30pm daily. 

9. Visit ancient Dai temples

The local community still uses ancient Dai temples that, thanks to their far-flung location, escaped the destruction of China’s Cultural Revolution. Go west of Jinghong to Jingzhen to see the red and golden Octagonal Pavilion (景真八角亭) built in 1701. In Damenglong, the White Bamboo Shoot Pagoda from 1204 is another example of Dai Buddhism and gives travelers chances to interact with resident monks.

10. See peacocks by the lakeside

Travel 8km (5 miles) east of Jinghong to Xishuangbanna Primitive Forest Park (西双版纳景洪原始森林公园), which packs everything tourists want (including an Ainu ethnic village) into a recreation area carved out of 1700 hectares of tropical rainforest around a serene lake. The local population of peacocks are a park’s highlight.

Planning tip: Time a visit with the daily "Flight of a Thousand Peacocks" performance, when the birds fly across the lake to a feeding spot.

11. Explore China’s largest botanical gardens

The town of Menglun, about an hour east of Jinghong, is home to the largest Tropical Botanical Gardens (热带植物园) in China, first established in Jinghong in 1958. The 900-hectare land features rainforest and hundreds of thousands of tropical plants in 35 separate gardens, including the Baizhu garden, where you can walk amidst 250 different types of bamboo.

12. Walk high up in Mengla’s Canopy 

The thrilling Wangtianshu (Sky Trees) in the namesake Scenic Area of Mengla County have a 2.5km-long (1.6-mile) Air Corridor – a suspended wooden bridge at 36m (118ft) of height – connected with chains and ropes under the canopies of trees that can grow up to 80m (262ft) of height. The park also has hiking trails flanked by trees with buttressed roots, ATV rental and boat rides down the meandering Nanla River.

13. Drink with the tea masters of Jingmai Mountain

Technically within the neighboring Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Jingmai Mountain is a famed tea-growing region within Pu’er, 125km (78 miles) west of Jinghong. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, Jingmai Mountain’s 1180 hectares have tea trees over 1000 years old and have produced China's finest pǔ'ěr tea leaves since the times of the Tea Horse Road. The area’s main town, Jingmai Dazhai (景迈大寨), is about 3km (1.9 miles) from the Golden Pagoda (金塔), a favorite sunrise spot above a sprawling sea of morning clouds.

Planning tip: As there’s limited transportation to and around Jingmai Mountain, renting a car and driver is the best option.

14. Take a train to Laos 

Since December 2021, a 414km-long (257-mile) section of the China-Laos high-speed railway connects the southern Xishuangbanna's border town of Boten with the Laotian capital, Vientiane. Only train D887 (D888 from Laos) crosses the border, leaving Jinghong at 8:08am and reaching Vientiane nine hours later.

Planning tip: Apply for a Lao e-visa in advance, as getting one on arrival at Boten’s station is impossible.