Live Your Best Lives
A trip to Yuanyang usually takes three days, but if you want to explore the surrounding villages, you can plan for four to five days. Yuanyang's attractions are mainly distributed along four routes:
Xinjie Town → Jinzhu Village → Longshuba
Xinjie Town/Shengcun → Duoyishu → Bada → Jingkou
Xinjie Town/Shengcun → Laohuzui → Habo
Xinjie Town → Jingkou → Niujiaozhai
D1: Kunming → Jianshui → Yuanyang
D2: Xinjie Town → Duoyishu → Huangcaoling → Bada
D3: Xinjie Town → Jingkou → Laohuzui
Day 1: In the morning, take a bus from Kunming South Bus Station to Jianshui Ancient Town. Tour Jianshui Ancient Town and visit Zhu Family Garden. In the afternoon, take a bus from Jianshui to Xinjie Town, Yuanyang Old Town. Stay overnight at Xinjie Town Inn.
Day 2: Bring some food and rise early to the Duoyishu Scenic Area (arrive early during peak season to secure a spot) to view and photograph the sea of clouds and sunrise over the terraced fields. Afterward, take a bus to the Huangcaoling Observation Deck to admire the terraced fields. After lunch, enjoy grilled tofu and Yuanyang purple rice noodles on Shengcun Street. Then, head to the Bada Scenic Area to watch the sunset. Along the way, you'll pass by the terraced fields of Laozhai and Malizhai, where you can enjoy other views. Return to Xinjie Town for the night.
D3: After breakfast, visit Jingkou Folk Village to enjoy Hani folk songs and dances, see mushroom houses, and experience Hani customs. In the afternoon, visit Laohuzui Scenic Area. Return to Yuanyang after the tour, ending your trip.
D1: Arrive in Kunming
D2: Kunming → Luoping
D3: Luoping → Jianshui
D4: Jianshui → Yuanyang
D5: Yuanyang → Kunming
D6: Depart from Kunming
D1: After arriving in Kunming, take a train or bus from Kunming East Bus Station to Luoping and stay overnight in Luoping.
D2: After breakfast, visit Jiulong Waterfalls and then visit Lubuge Three Gorges Scenic Area in the afternoon.
Day 3: After breakfast, visit the Duoyi River Scenic Area and admire Luoping's sea of rapeseed flowers. From Duoyi Village to Sanjiangkou, known as the "Three Provinces of Chicken Crow," the 12-kilometer riverbed boasts nearly 40 waterfalls. Ancient trees and bamboo groves line the riverbanks, while countless travertine floodplains cascade in a natural, staggered pattern. Ancient trees, Buyi villages, and stilt houses along the riverbanks create the Duoyi River's unique scenery. In the afternoon, depart Luoping for Jianshui Ancient Town by bus, where you'll stay overnight.
D4: After breakfast, visit Jianshui Ancient Town, then drive to Yuanyang to see Tuguozhai Rice Terraces and Jingkou Rice Terraces. In the afternoon, go to Laohuzui Rice Terraces, one of the core areas of Yuanyang Rice Terraces, to watch the sunset.
Day 5: In the morning, take a bus from Xinjie Town to Duoyishu Rice Terraces to watch the sunrise, then continue to Bada to see the rice terraces. After lunch, return to Kunming from Yuanyang. Overnight in Kunming.
D6: Leave Kunming and end the journey.