Xishuangbanna: Tropical rainforests and the Dai people's daily life

Xishuangbanna is the only oasis on the Tropic of Cancer. Five days and four nights, between rainforest and Dai villages, you encounter Yunnan's hottest and wettest side.

The Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is a paradise for plant enthusiasts, with Wang Lianye as large as boats and dancing grass moving at the sound of the plant. Walking along the rainforest corridor, vines hang low to the sky, mist drifts thickly, and every breath of air is green.

Try your luck at Wild Elephant Valley to see Asian elephants; the boardwalk hangs over the canopy, and occasionally herds of elephants pass by the valley bottom. In the evening, the butterfly garden and elephant school are scenes of children's screams.

Manting Park was once the imperial garden of the Dai kings, with golden pagodas, Dai towers, and tropical flowers and trees complementing each other. At night, the "Lancang River and Mekong River Night" song and dance showcased the customs of the Dai, Hani, and Jinuodo ethnic groups all at once.

Deep into Dai villages, bamboo houses, Buddhist temples, and water-splashing squares are everyday life. Catching the Water Splashing Festival (or daily water performances) and being drenched in water is the most exhilarating welcome in Banna.

The warmth of Xibanna is a vitality that moistens to the bone. When you eat grilled fish at the night market and smell the aroma of mango, you suddenly realize that Yunnan can be this far south.