Southern Yunnan for 10 days

Yunnan Province is highly diverse and lively from North to South. The best time to visit Northwest Yunnan (including Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La) is from mid-May to mid-November. From December to April, the weather is often sunny and dry, and nature may look a bit withered. Southern Yunnan has a subtropical climate, remaining beautiful year-round, but it tends to be humid and hot in summer and cool and pleasant in winter. Here is an example of a trip that includes most major sights along with some off-the-beaten-path locations. It is perfect for families with children of all ages, as well as adults wanting authentic sub-tropical and tea-tasting experiences.

DAY 1

Pu'er

Fly to Pu'er. Get picked up and sent to hotel. Overnight stay at Little Panda Manor inside the National Park, Pu'er, for 2 nights.

DAY 2

Pu'er National Park

Have a free day by yourself in the National Park..

DAY 3

Wild Elephant Valley and Menglun

Visit the coffee farm and sample local coffee. Then, go to Wild Elephant Valley to spend time with an elephant family and hike along a paved path above the forest where elephants live. Afterwards, drive to Menglun (in Mengla County) and stay at the Antanara Hotel for two nights.

The Coffee Farm

Visit Mengyuan, explore the beautiful cave and hike into primative tropical forest, for as long as you like.

Cow-Horn Cave

DAY 5

The tropical Botanical Garden and Hehai Tea Mountain

Visit the beautiful and kid-friendly Tropical Botanical Garden then drive 2.5 hours to Hekai Tea Mountain, where ethnic Lahu People still live and grow some of the best tea in Yunnan. Stay in a beautiful mountain guesthouse for 2 nights.

The Botanical Garden

Drive for 50 minutes to Nannuo Tea Mountain, hike through Hani villages and tea plantations for approximately 1-3 hours. Then, drive for an hour to Jinghong to explore downtown, visit the Big Buddha Temple, and the night market. Stay overnight in Jinghong for 3 nights.

DAY 4

Mengyan

Coffee picking is from Mid November to Mid December

Enjoy a tasting of a variety of local coffee

Enjoy a tasting of a variety of local coffee

Wild Elephant valley

Tropical forest hike

Hekai and ethnic Lahu Person

The local guesthouse

DAY 6

Tea bush hike and paper-making village

Wake up in this beautiful village, to the singing of birds and the gentle hum of the surroundings. Enjoy a local breakfast, then hike through the tea bushes that grow naturally amidst the forest, alongside clear streams and tranquil villages. In the afternoon, visit the paper-making village, where you can design and create your own pieces of art.

DAY 7

Nannuo Tea Mountain and Jinghong

DAY 8

Kunge Mountain and Manzhang Village

Drive 1 hour to Kunge Mountain, where the primitive Kunge tribe still live. Women still weave cloth at home during the slow farming season. Men weave grass baskets and blankets, with water buffalo, chickens and pigs strolling about. Then visit Manzhang Village where you can water-paint, make pottery, bamboo rafting and catch fish in the river.