Yunnan Province, China
Travel information: Yunnan Province, South-West China
Located in the very south-west of China the Yunnan Province is without doubt one of the most attractive for visitors to China. Yunnan’s geographical diversity is fascinating, featuring towering, snow-covered peaks, raging rivers, subtropical jungles and some of the world’s deepest canyons. Four of China’s major rivers run through this abundant province: The mighty Yangtze River, the Mekong, the Salween and the Red River (Yuan Jiang). Southeast Yunnan is also the source of the Pearl River.
Altitudes vary immensely from the 6750m peak of Mount Kagebo (Meili Mountain) to Hekou, near the Vietnamese border, which lie at a mere 76m. However, due to the various microclimates within the Yunnan Province it is hard to predict the ideal travel time for Yunnan.
Best time to travel to Yunnan Province in China
Generally speaking, the best time to travel to the north of the Yunnan Province is from April to October. July and August are the rainiest moths. October to March the temperatures can get quite cold in most parts of the Yunnan Province, but are also the driest month of the year. For Photographers the rice terraces in southern Yunnan the winter months are a good travel time as the terraced rice fields are filled with water. During the winter month there are also fewer tourists around. For the southern subtropical areas of the Yunnan Province, the best time to travel is the cooler winter months from October to March.
Almost exactly the size of Germany and Holland combined the Yunnan Province shares its borders with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. This not only makes Yunnan an important transit route for all sorts of imported goods to the rest of China but also it makes Yunnan an interesting starting point for travelling overland from Yunnan to its neighboring countries. 25 of China’s official 56 ethnic groups can be found in and around the Province. Many of these ethnic groups can also be found in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.
