The best time to visit Babao town is in autumn during the rice harvest or in spring, when rape fields are blooming. About 10km outside of Babao town is the lovely San La Waterfall.
Location Overview
The idyllic Zhuang village of Bamei is located about 40km north-west of Guangnan in the south-eastern part of the Yunnan Province. The magnificent landscape around Bamei can be compared with the impressive and famous Karst landscape of Yangshuo.
Baoshan or Yongchang as it was called in the old days is located in south west Yunnan about half way between Dali and Ruili. The city of Baoshan also played an important role during WW II when the Flying Tigers were operating an Airbase in the area.
Chengdu, the bustling capital of the colorful Sichuan Province, is located in the western section of the fertile Sichuan Basin in western China. Arguably the most prominent inhabitant of Chengdu is the Giant Panda "Bear" in the Panda Breeding Station located on the outskirts of the city.
Chongqing is a fascinating place. The bustling capital capital of the Chongqing Municipality is located in the Southeast of the Sichuan Basin at the confluence between the Yangtze River and the Jialing River. The 32 Million people make Chongqing one of the most populated cities in the world.
Dali is one of the up and coming tourist locations in Yunnan. It's long and old history makes for a colorful experince, while recent renovation and infrastructure projects make exploring the old town more comfortable and enjoyable.
The sleepy town of Damenglong is located about 60km south of Jinghong, the capital of the Xishuangbanna autonomous region. Via the recently finished new road, Damenglong can now be reached within an hour from Jinghong.
The Dazu Rock Carvings are among the best preserved and most impressive rock carvings in the world and are considered to be the best representatives of the latest phase of rock art in China. These exceptional series of rock carvings date from the 9th to the 13th century and consist of over 10’000 cliff side figures.
The Tibetan town of Deqin (also called Diqin or Deqen) is located in the North-West of the Yunnan Province at 3500 meters above sea level in a side valley of the Mekong River. Deqin serves as the capital of the Deqin Tibetan Autonomous Region.
The idyllic village of Dimaluo is located in a side valley of the Nu Jiang (Nujiang River) Valley in the north-eastern part of the Yunnan province. About 80% of the population are Catholic which is a result of some missionary activities by Swiss and French Jesuit Priests, who arrived in the area around 1850 and 1960.
Emei Shan is one of the 4 sacred Buddhist Mountains in China and is a popular place for pilgrims, hikers and tourists alike. The visitor awaits lush mountain scenry, plantations of tea trees and a big variety of pavillons and tempels scattered around the mountain. For many travellers, watching the sun come up at this holy mountain is among their most memorable moments in China.
Feilaisi is located within the Henduan Mountains approximately 10 km southwest of Deqin in the far northwest of the Yunnan Province in southwest China. Feilaisi is nestled high above the Mekong valley at an altitude of 3’300 metres on the road to Lhasa.
Gejiu is located about 70km south-east of Jianshui. Tin extraction has a long tradition in Gejiu, dating back to the Han dynasty. Tin extraction is still the main income of the town today. The fast developing Gejiu is built around the picturesque Gejiu Lake.
The town of Hekou is located on the Red River (Yuan Jiang) in the south-eastern of the Yunnan province at the border with Vietnam. Hekou is the starting point of the legendary narrow gauge railway that runs from Hekou all the way to Kunming.
Jianshui is located 190 km south of Kunming. Its history dates back to the Jin Dynasty (256-420) and it later became a part of the Ningzhou and Nanzhao Kingdoms. During the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) Jianshui became an important military outpost which resulted in the development of the contemporary town.
Jinghong is the capital of Xishuangbanna (Xi Shuang Banna) Dai Autonomous Prefecture. It is located on the southwest bank of the Lancang Jiang. The Lancang Jiang flows past Jinghong in a southerly direction towards Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
Located 435 km north of Chengdu in northern Sichuan province, Jiuzhaigou (Jiu Zhai Gou) National Park is without doubt one of the most beautiful Parks in China. The name Jiu Zhai Gou means literally "9-Villages-Valley", standing for the 9 villages which can be found there.
Since nearly 1300 years the Jizu Mountain attracts Buddhist pilgrims from all over China, including Tibet. Jizu Mountain ranks amongst the 5 most important Buddhist Mountains in China.
The capital of the Yunnan province is located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau on 1900 meters above sea level. Because of the all year round pleasant, spring like climate, Kunming was nicknamed “The Spring City”.
Located within the UNESCO protected Three Parallel Rivers National Park in the north-western Part of the Yunnan Province, Lao Jun Shan (Laojun Shan) offers some of the most spectacular red/purple sandstone formations in China.
The Giant Buddha of Leshan, at 71 metres high the largest Buddha in the world, is located about 120km south of Chengdu. This colossal Giant Buddha of Leshan was carved into a cliff face overlooking the confluence of the Dadu River and the Min River.
The lovely Naxi town of Lijiang is located in a fertile valley 2’400 meters above seal level at the foot of the 5’596 meter high Yulong Shan or Jade Dragon Mountain. The area around Lijiang is inhabited by the Naxi people.
The town of Litang is located on the Tibetan Plateau of the Western Sichuan Province at 4060m above sea level. The town itself has a population of about 60’000 people. Litang is the birthplace of the 7rd Dalai Lama (Kelzang Gyatso, 1708-1757) and the 10th Dalai Lama (Tsultrim Gyatso 1816-1837).
The Dai village of Menghan, which is also called Ganlanba, is a favourite stop-over for tourist buses from Jinghong to Menglun’s Botanical Garden.
The sleepy town of Menglong is located about 60km south of Jinghong, the capital of the Xishuangbanna autonomous region. Via the recently finished new road, Damenglong can now be reached within an hour from Jinghong.
Menglun is located about 75km southeast of Jinghong on the banks of the Luosuo River, a tributary of the Lancang Jiang (Mekong River). The main attraction of Menglun is the beautiful Menglun Tropical Garden.
Eine 3 Stündige einfache Wanderung führt hoch zum Taizi Tempel, von wo man eine herrliche Aussicht auf den Mingyong Gletscher geniesst. Für Leute die noch Energie verspüren, können noch bis zum Lianhua Tempel weiter aufsteigen.
Located on the northern shores of Qilu Hu (Qilu Lake), Najiaying is home of the Hui Muslim community. The town still has many traditional old buildings, some of them from the Yuan Dynasty. Apart from the Hui Muslims, the area around Qilu Hu (Qilu Lake) is home for Mongol, Yi, Dai and Hani ethnic minority groups.
Ruili is located in south-west Yunnan on the banks of the Ruili River, which marks the border between China and Myanmar. The bustling border town is a fascinating place to visit, mainly because of it’s cultural and ethnic diversity.
The traditional Bai village of Shaxi (Sideng) is located about 110 km southwest of Lijiang in the stunning surroundings of the Shaxi Valley. Shaxi (Sideng) was formerly an important pivotal stop on the Tea and Horse trail from Yunnan to Tibet.
Von Shaxi aus ist der Eingang zum Shibao Berg (Shi Bao Shan) mit dem Auto in 15 Minuten zu erreichen, zu Fuss braucht man etwa 2 Stunden. Der Shibao Berg (Shi Bao Shan) befindet sich 12 km nördlich von Shaxi und bietet einige herrliche Wandermöglichkeiten.
For those who find Lijiang too much of a tourist place, the Naxi village of Shuhe might be just the right place to visit. Located a 10 minutes drive north of Lijiang, this laid back, sleepy Naxi village is a good place to hang out for an afternoon.
Tengchong was once a staging post on the “Tea and Horse Road” a branch the southern Silk Route in South West Yunnan. Due to its location and its wealth, the British decided to build a Consulate in Tengchong in 1899.
Tonghai is located south-east of Yuxi on the southern shores of picturesque Qilu Lake. Tonghai (Tong Hai) can look back on a long history. It was once part of the Dian Kingdom and later became a military and economic centre for the powerful Dali Kingdom.
Located 52 kilometers south of Dali, the picturesque town of Weishan used to be an important and wealthy trading town during the powerful Nanzhao Kingdom throughout the 8th and 9th century.
Located a 30 Minutes drive outside Kunming, the Western Mountains (Xi Shan) offer spectacular views over the “Spring City” of Kunming and Dian Chi Lake. For those who like it comfortable, there is a chair lift going to the top. There are some nice walking trails leading to the top.
Aus historischer Sicht ist Xingmeng von besonderem Interesse, da es die einzige “Mongolische Stadt” in der Yunnan Provinz ist. Die Anfänge von Xingmeng gehen auf das Jahr 1253 zurück, als die ersten Mongolen mit Kublai Khan in die Region vorstiessen.
Xishuangbanna (Xi Shuang Banna) is the southern most autonomous prefecture of the Yunnan province and covers an area of 19’700km2 which is about half the size of Switzerland. It shares its border with Myanmar to the south-west and Laos to the south-east.
Set amongst amazing scenery high above the Red River Valley, Yuanyang is the starting point for a visit to arguably the most beautiful rice terraces in Asia. The Yuanyang rice terraces have been carved out of the Ailao Mountains over hundreds of years by Hani farmers living in the area.
Yuxi is located in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, about 100km south of Kunming on the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau. Agriculture is the town’s main income. The fertile soil and the mild subtropical monsoon climate make the area also an ideal place for growing good quality Tobacco.
Zhongdian (Tibetan: Gyelthang) is situated in north-west Yunnan on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In 2001 the local government decided to rename Zhongdian “Shangri-La”, after the mysterious "Shangri-La" described by the British writer James Hilton in his novel "The Lost Horizon" published in 1933.
The city of Zigong is located in the south-eastern part of the Sichuan Province in the Sichuan Basin at an altitude of 305 metres above sea level. For centuries Zigong was has been an important and wealthy town because of its huge underground salt wells.
This vast complex comprises eight clusters of largely mountain protected areas in northwest Yunnan, between which the 2,000m deep gorges of the upper Yangtze (Jinsha Jiang), Mekong (Lancang Jiang) and Salween (Nu Jiang) rivers run parallel for over 300 km.