Spring Festival trip to Xishuangbanna and Pu'er

From the first to the eighth day of the Spring Festival, I traveled to Yunnan. The itinerary is shown in picture 2. Personal feelings: Pu'er is much more fun to explore than Xishuangbanna. If it weren’t for hiking in Jino Mountain, I wouldn’t have planned to go to Xishuangbanna. Hotels in Xishuangbanna are overpriced with low cost performance, and it’s really crowded. The Starlight Night Market in Gengzhuang is terrifyingly packed; within the first kilometer, walking almost becomes impossible. Jino Village rainforest hiking This hiking experience is really excellent, unique, and in a pristine rainforest. You must hire a Jino ethnic guide here, the 56th ethnic group. The whole experience includes rainforest hiking, bamboo rafting, tree climbing, swinging on a giant swing dozens of meters high on a big tree in the valley, wading through streams, and eating wild plants. I even ate sour ants picked up from the ground, which was very unique. Afterward, you can visit Jino Village; both adults and children can find their own joy. See pictures 7-9. Fun in Pu'er The charming allure of ethnic minorities—the Blang and Lahu people—offers a very strong immersive experience with plenty of local life atmosphere. Stayed one night at Wengji Ancient Village 🛖. The sunset scenery deep in the village is very beautiful. The life and tranquility of the night after the crowds leave, the morning cooking smoke, and the relaxed villagers all felt wonderful. At night, we sang and danced with the Blang people for a long time. Opinions about this place vary; I think a quick daytime visit is enough, as the long journey and the village’s crowding might make it hard to have a good impression. See pictures 12-16. Nuogan 🛖 I visited during the day, and it didn’t impress me as much as Wengji, probably because my mood was restless. Nuogan has a viewpoint overlooking the village but lacks the valley scenery of Wengji and the ups and downs of its trails. Nuogan feels more primitive, and the homestays are not as good as Wengji’s. The Blang houses and clothing are very distinctive and I liked them a lot. See picture 17. Laodabao 🛖, a Lahu ethnic village, left a strong impression. There are very few tourists here; villagers sing and dance by themselves. At sunset, I heard villagers broadcasting the intangible cultural heritage song "Mupamipa" through loudspeakers, echoing throughout the village. They sang for over an hour. I found the broadcast room and sat quietly beside the singers, deeply immersed for a long time. See picture 18. If this offends anyone, please contact me to delete it. I especially like this photo. 🐼 Little Panda Manor—there are many interactive activities along the route, especially with rhinos 🦏 and little pandas, which is quite rare. Kids love it, and the cultural products are also great to buy. See pictures 10-11. ☕ Coffee picking at Wild Duck Pond Valley—Pu'er is the pride of our country’s coffee. Activities include coffee picking, interactive hand drip brewing, tasting, and drying explanations. I didn’t go to the most popular Xiao’aozi. See picture 18. Wind and Rain Bridge Cafe—highly recommended! The sunset view in the evening is fantastic. It’s not just coffee; you can also have meals here. See pictures 5/6. Citywalk at Daijia Alley, Simao Old Street is very short but quite nice; worth a visit if you have time. Meizi Lake is very quiet and beautiful. See pictures 3/4. Nakel Tea Horse Ancient Road is boring. Fun in Xishuangbanna Stayed two nights at Dai Ethnic Garden, but I didn’t find it interesting. Visited Manyuan Village, but my favorite was the unexpected stop at Mankongdai, a small village that caught my eye at the entrance. It’s fresh, artistic, and exquisite. Pu'er accommodations: Lancang Wengji Ancient Village No. 75 Inn, Chawu Li Hotel, Pu'er Huayi Boutique Hotel, Kunming Nanshi Hilton—all quite good.