The Xishuangbanna Chinese Academy of Sciences Botanical Garden is forever awesome!

We planned to visit the Botanical Garden on the first day of the official itinerary, and looking back, it was definitely the right decision! 👍 Even though it was already late November and there might not have been as many flowers blooming, for me, many of the plants inside were ones I had never seen before, and they were all XXXL-sized, which was a truly fascinating experience! ✅ About tickets: The entrance ticket costs 💰80, and the electric scooter 🛵 is charged separately (💰50 for each of the East and West zones). I think buying the electric scooter ticket is necessary. From the West Zone entrance to the first main sightseeing spot, there is a long walk with some slopes. The scenery along the way is nice, so if you have the energy, walking is fine. For someone like me who rarely exercises, the electric scooter was more suitable. The scooter is only used for entering and exiting the park; inside, walking is the main mode of travel. ✅ About touring: Since we planned to visit two places in one day, we only went to the West Zone, but the West Zone alone is already very enjoyable. The area is huge, and there were many parts we didn’t get to see. The West Zone feels more like a man-made garden, very exquisite; I heard the East Zone is wilder and offers a tropical rainforest experience. You can definitely spend a whole day at the Botanical Garden. I think both the East and West Zones are worth visiting, and I regret not going to the East Zone a bit~ ✅ About the guide: If you want to learn about various plants, having a guide is very necessary because many plants inside are ones I might never see in my lifetime. If you focus more on photography, I think you can skip the guide because taking photos takes a lot of time, and trying to listen to the guide while also taking photos might be time-consuming—you can’t have both. But you can also listen in on other groups’ guides while taking photos. ✅ About food: There are some small shops inside the park where you can get snacks, mostly grilled sausages, grilled corn, rice noodles, and such. They can fill your stomach a bit, or you can bring your own food. It seems there is no proper restaurant inside, but there is a Wanglian Hotel—I'm not sure if they have dining options. ✅ About the journey: The Botanical Garden is quite far from the Gaozhuang area. Our driver also told us that most attractions in Xishuangbanna are not in the city center. The drive to the Botanical Garden takes about an hour. We booked a private car for the next few days, but you can also consider shuttle services. Just make sure to book your vehicle in advance. I'm not sure if you can easily get a taxi there, so preparation is necessary. PS: The fridge magnets in the Botanical Garden are really exquisite. I wanted to buy them all! After packing last night, I regretted not buying more. I’ll definitely come back next time!!!