My Self-Driving Diary About All the Wonders of Xishuangbanna

Number of days：5 days
Time: September
Average cost: 3600 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2022.10.02

Xishuangbanna seems to have been in the hearts of every post-80s generation for a long time. For me, it all started with the question, "Beautiful Xishuangbanna, is there my home?" Anyway, after this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, I really embarked on this off-peak trip.

About Transportation

Before departure, I booked a car through a certain platform. Pickup and drop-off at Gasa Airport were in the airport parking lot, which was very convenient. I also want to compliment their car; it was brand new, and I was very satisfied with everything.

About Accommodation:

Accommodation is incredibly easy to find here. B&Bs are everywhere in Xishuangbanna. Compared to the monotony of hotels, we prefer the variety of B&Bs. Since there weren't many people, we booked our B&Bs only after arriving in Xishuangbanna. Why? Of course, we wanted to carefully choose a B&B. We chose B&Bs near Gaozhuang Xishuangjing, and stayed in three B&Bs over the four days. B&B prices here generally range from 200 to 400. In short, the more expensive B&Bs definitely have better ambiance. My trip to Xishuangbanna We arrived in Xishuangbanna in the afternoon, packed up our things at the hotel, and then went out for a stroll. Our first stop was to try some vermicelli noodles. There's a popular vermicelli shop here called "Chunmei." The shop was quite clean, and the noodles were delicious—everything was just as we liked it.

Looking at the environment here, it looks ordinary, but the photos taken are really good. The fried steamed buns here are also delicious, and the fried chicken is also delicious, not to mention the barbecued meat. The grilled shrimp looked very fresh, and it is my favorite seafood.

Speaking of corn, this is the first time I have eaten this kind of boiled corn, and it tastes very good. After the meal, we started taking pictures.

Before leaving, we booked a travel photography package online for 199 yuan, which I think is very cost-effective.

Our package includes clothing, makeup, and photography. In addition, they will give you 30 negatives and 10 retouched photos.

The Starlight Night Market is very suitable for taking pictures. From a high vantage point, it seems to be similar to the Ratchada Night Market in Thailand. Take a look at the shops here. You can definitely try out some ethnic costumes. Clothes here are actually quite affordable, costing only a few dozen yuan. I guess I've figured out everyone's mentality: they come here to buy clothes just to wear them for the next few days. So, clothes with a good price-performance ratio are definitely more popular.

In the evening, we went for Dai-style barbecue. In addition to various meats and seafood, we also had a serving of stir-fried bean sprouts. Every time we had one dish, we felt that our diet was particularly healthy, haha.

There are so many barbecue restaurants around here. My friend said it would be great if we could eat from east to west, from south to north. But if that were the case, wouldn't we all be big eaters? After lunch, everyone went back to the hotel to rest. The picture above is the lunch I had the next day. We just randomly found a restaurant. I've been to Thailand before, and I feel that the food there is very similar to that in Xishuangbanna.

Actually, if you don't eat out, you can also order takeout. The takeout here is simply too rich. As long as it's near the scenic area, no matter what kind of takeout you want, you can always find it.

Strangely, on the second day, we actually had altitude sickness. So, we found a store and bought an oxygen tank. Note that unless it is absolutely necessary, try not to use oxygen tanks, as you will become dependent after using them. (Of course, it depends on your personal physical fitness)

This is Xishuangbanna at four in the morning. In fact, the lights were super bright at this time, so it seemed like it was already broad daylight on the streets. Why did we go out at four in the morning? The main reason was that I couldn't sleep at all in the hotel. In addition, I had altitude sickness and felt a little uncomfortable. On the contrary, walking outside made me feel much better. In this case, let's just start the third day of the trip.

We also ate at Baishansan this time. When you come to Yunnan, you have to eat all kinds of food, especially mushrooms. I only dare to try different kinds of mushrooms in Yunnan restaurants.

By the way, the mushrooms here are really super tender. In short, you must try the mushroom soup hotpot.

In the evening, I continued to look for night markets. This time I went to a riverside night market, which was also very crowded. There were barbecue stalls everywhere, but we didn't stop at any of them. Instead, we bought a few items and ate as we walked.

To try a variety of delicacies, we bought a small amount at each stall. While strolling through the night market, I also bought a bag. This kind of ethnic-style bag only has meaning in the local area; after all, it's a memory. And the best part is, after buying a bag, you can carry it around the local area.

We wandered around the night market until around 10:00, then we headed back to the hotel for bed.

Look at the beauty of this night market. Anyway, no matter which stall you go to, you can almost hear these delicious foods clamoring, "Come and eat me, come and eat me." How can anyone refuse?

Our plan for the last day was to visit the Wild Elephant Valley, a very famous local attraction. If there was one thing I wasn't happy with, it was the elephant riding program. Although we've been told many times, "No to animal shows, no to elephant riding," once you get to the scenic area, you'll find that there's still a long line for this program. So, if we want to completely cancel this program, it's probably still a long way off. Let me talk about the cable car first. I still recommend that you choose the round trip, mainly because it is so relaxing. The cable car here costs 50 yuan one way and 70 yuan round trip. Our only close encounter with the elephants was feeding them and even touching their trunks. It was a bit rough, haha.

There are also several gardens in the Wild Elephant Valley that are perfect for strolling. My favorite is the butterfly garden. There are so many different kinds of butterflies here, many of which I haven't seen in a long time. They are so beautiful.

And, of course, a butterfly garden is full of flowers. The scenery here is like spring, so beautiful.

We had lunch in the Wild Elephant Valley. The menu is quite rich, and you need to choose the buffet, with a minimum order of two people. If you're dining alone, you'll probably have to share the bill, haha. The food here tastes pretty good, and it's one of my favorites. Also, the tropical fruits here are really delicious and especially sweet.

With this, our planned trip to Banna has come to an end.