Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Travel Guide: Immerse Yourself in the Beauty of the Tropical Rainforest

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Travel Guide: Immerse Yourself in the Beauty of the Tropical Rainforest

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, officially the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is a place where you can be enchanted by the charm of tropical plants. Here is a travel guide from a consumer’s perspective:

Transportation Guide

• From Jinghong City: You can book a seven-seater car on Trip.com for about 50 RMB per person, with a travel time of around 1 hour. The latest return time is 18:00. Alternatively, you can take a shuttle bus from Banna Bus Station to Menglun, which stops at the West Gate of the Botanical Garden. The fare is 23 RMB per person, with buses every 20 minutes, departing when full.

Ticket Information

• Tickets are originally 80 RMB per person, half price 40 RMB per person. Electric cart rides cost 50 RMB per person in the West Zone, and 100 RMB for the entire garden.

Best Time to Visit

• The best season is from May to August, when the giant water lilies are in full bloom and you can also see the peak of fireflies. To avoid crowds, it is recommended to enter the garden early at 7:30 AM.

Itinerary

• Day 1: Explore the Primitive Rainforest in the East Zone: Depart from Jinghong City in the morning, then head to the strangler fig forest for a hike to experience the “suffocating embrace” of the tropical rainforest. Challenge the free aerial canopy walkway and overlook the layers of green waves. Stay overnight at the Wanglian Hotel inside the garden, where you can see the rainforest right from your window, convenient for further exploration.

• Day 2: Magical Plant Journey in the West Zone: In the morning, visit the Wanglian Pond (available from June to September; you can sit on the giant water lily weighing up to 80 jin for photos, 20 RMB). Then explore the Exotic Flowers Garden and interact with dancing grass and sensitive plants. In the afternoon, take Instagram-worthy photos at the Palm Garden and find the “single tree forest” landscape in the Banyan Tree Garden. At night, join the night tour (80 RMB), carry a lantern to explore, watch the firefly galaxy, and see the stick insect’s camouflage skills.

• Day 3: Cultural Experience and Return: In the morning, visit the nearby Dai Ethnic Garden outside the botanical garden to experience water splashing festivities and intangible cultural heritage pottery making. Booking a combined ticket on Trip.com is more cost-effective. Then return.

Food Inside the Garden

• Menglun Restaurant: Located inside the garden, offering Dai ethnic cuisine, with an average cost of about 40 RMB per person. Recommended dishes include pineapple rice and lemongrass grilled fish.

• Garden Stalls: Selling Lao iced coffee and tropical fruit platters at affordable prices with delicious flavors, a great choice to recharge.

Photography Tips

• For outfits, the West Zone is suitable for wearing a white long dress and a straw hat to create a fresh and natural look; for the night tour, wear mosquito-proof pants and a headlamp to protect against insects and facilitate movement. Great photo spots include aerial shots of Wanglian Pond, the palm forest road, and the firefly starry sky during the night tour.

Notes

• Do not wear shorts in the rainforest to avoid mosquito bites and scratches from rattan vines.