As a popular travel destination for Chinese tourists, Xishuangbanna or Sipsong Panna is famous for its nickname, China’s Little Thailand. Bordering Laos and Myanmar makes it a great place in China to experience the Dai (Thai) customs (Manting Park, Dai Minority Park, Gaozhuang Night Market ) and tropical rainforests (Tropical Flowers & Plants Garden, Wild Elephant Valley, Tropical Botanical Garden, Skytree Scenic Area, etc.).
For luxury travelers, there are many international brand resorts in Xishuangbanna, Anantara, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Pullman, Angsana.
Xishuangbanna tourist attractions
Manting Park
Manting Park used to be the ancient Royal Garden of Dai Kings, the oldest park in this area. As one of the major attractions in Xishuangbanna, it is a must-visit and the perfect place to learn about the culture and customs of the Dai People and the Theravada Buddhism.
Tropical Flowers & Plants Garden
Xishuangbanna Tropical Flowers and Plants Garden is located in Yunnan Institute of Tropical Crops, Jinghong city. It is one of the main scenic spots in Xishuangbanna, which covers 80 hectares of land. The garden was appraised as an “AAAA” scenic spot by the National Tourism Administration in 2005 and passed the authentication of the two management systems ISO9001 and ISO 14001 in 2003. It is a theme botanical garden for the purpose of plant research, science popularization, patriotic education, sightseeing, and vacation.
Primeval Forest Park
Primeval Forest Park is a beautiful rainforest city park in Jinghong City, a major tourist attraction of the city, especially for family traveling with teenagers. The two major attractions in the parks are the Peacock Feeding Performance and the Zipline Canopy Adventure.
Dai Minority Park
The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves is a complex of Buddhist cave grottos dating from the 5th to 14th century between the cities of Turpan and Shanshan at the north-east of the Taklamakan Desert near the ancient Gaochang Ruins.
Mengle Dafo Temple
Mengle Dafo Temple is famous for the tallest Buddha Statue in Asia. For travelers who like ancient temples, the Zongfo Temple in Manting Park and the Manchunman Buddhist Temple in Dai Minority Park are the best choices; as a newly rebuilt temple, the Dafo Temple serves more as a hiking place with panoramic views of the city.
Giant Golden Pagoda & Night Market
The Giant Golden Pagoda and Gaozhuang Night Market are located in the city center, it is known as China’s best night market. For travelers, it is the best place to enjoy the local cusines and a great place for souvenirs.
Wild Elephant Valley
Wild Elephant Valley claims to be the only place in the world that offers visitors the chance to observe wild Asian elephants at close quarters safely. The whole valley is connected through sky plank trestle, pedestrian walkway, and tropical rain forest sightseeing rope-way.
Tropical Botanical Garden
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was founded under the leadership of the late eminent botanist Cai Xitao in 1959. Geographically, it lies between 101°25′E，21°41′N, with an elevation of 570 m above sea level. Its average annual temperature is 21.4℃. It is a comprehensive research institution engaged in scientific research, species preservation, science communication, science & technology development, and a well-known scenic spot as well.
Skytree (Wangtianshu)
The Skytree (Wangtianshu) Scenic Area is located in the core area of the tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna. It is called “the only oasis at 21°N on the Earth” and the only place in China to experience the rainforest from water, land, and air. The major attraction is the sky corridor, a 36-meter-high suspension bridge connecting dozens of tree trunks, where you can overlook the entire tropical rainforest from the air.