202301 Second Self-Driving Tour to Xishuangbanna

Number of days: 12 days
Time: January
Average cost: 3500 yuan
With whom：parents and children
Updated: 2023.01.28

202301 Self-driving tour itinerary notes:

Self-driving time: 20230106-20230118 (second time) 20150815-20150823 (first time)

Number of self-driving people: 6 (second time) 7 (first time)

Self-driving mileage: 4800 kilometers round trip

Self-driving fuel cost: about 3200 yuan

Self-driving bridge ticket: about 2600 yuan

Self-driving route (Wuhan-Banna): Wuhan-Furong Town-Anshun-Yuxi-Banna

Self-driving route (Banna-Wuhan): Banna-Qujing-Tongren-Wuhan

Self-driving route description: I'll be driving alone the entire trip. After comprehensive consideration, the outbound trip will take 4 days, averaging 500 kilometers per day. Guizhou, Hunan, and Yunnan have mountainous roads, so it's recommended to travel during the day and avoid driving at night. The return trip can take 3-4 days, averaging 650-700 kilometers per day, depending on your physical fitness.

Self-driving model: National seven-seater Wuling Jiachen 1.5T top-of-the-line

Attractions: I visited most of the attractions on my first trip. This time, I focused on visiting Gaozhuang, with stops at the Dai Garden, Manting Park, the fruit market, and several temples.

Notes:

From August 15, 2015, to August 23, 2015, I spent 9 days with friends on our first self-driving trip to Xishuangbanna (see travel notes for details). We also completed the Lijiang section of Yunnan's northern route in July 2019 (no travel notes yet). After seven years and three years of the pandemic, we set off again on January 6, 2023. This time, we focused on eating, drinking, and playing in Gaozhuang, while also visiting a few scenic spots.

Key Tip: Avoid the peak Lunar New Year period to avoid three things: traffic jams, price increases, and crowds. The so-called free highways are actually not very effective. A price adjustment for housing or restaurants can easily offset your round-trip highway toll.

Picture above (for reference only)

Departing from Wuhan to Furong Town

Resting at the service area

Twelve Cities Baiyujing Courtyard Hot Spring Hotel (Furong Town Branch) is a hotel with unique features. There is a constant temperature massage pool and swimming pool on the fifth floor, where people who have driven long distances can relax.

Twelve Cities Baiyujing Courtyard Hot Spring Hotel (Furong Town Branch)

Twelve Cities Baiyujing Courtyard Hot Spring Hotel (Furong Town Branch), thumbs up.

Even fully loaded with luggage, the Wuling Jiachen still has plenty of space.

Entering Guizhou

We rested for one night in Anshun, Guizhou, and checked into the Anshun Huazhizhu New World Food Street Hotel (a terrible hotel). I have to complain about this hotel, it is really bad, I won’t post pictures and videos. If you pass by Anshun, don’t consider this hotel. The fuel consumption performance is not bad. src="https://dimg04.c-ctrip.com/images/0100a12000aiv95ymC23D_R_800_10000_Q90.jpg?proc=autoorient" /> Yuxi Lanxi Hotel, like it. Yuxi Lanxi Hotel, like it. Yuxi Lanxi Hotel, thumbs up. Yuxi Lanxi Hotel, thumbs up. Randomly met my brother Jiachen from Yuxi, Yunnan. Passing Kunming, heading towards Xishuangbanna

I should mention here that as you enter Yunnan, especially heading towards Xishuangbanna, you'll see more and more safety inspections. There are probably four areas of inspections, so you'll need to go through them in order.

Our hotel is the Miyue All-Smart Resort Hotel (Xishuangbanna Gaozhuang Night Market Branch), inside the newly built Peacock City (a landmark building). We booked a three-bedroom, one-living room room. The owner and staff were very welcoming. We stayed for six consecutive nights. Downstairs is the Gaozhuang Night Market. You can check the rooms and room types directly on China-TravelNote. Food, drinks, and supermarkets are all very convenient. If you want to rent an electric scooter, you can go to the supermarket owner and rent one. You'll get coupons for purchases. A word of caution: Gaozhuang has many Snoopy-style three-wheeled electric scooters for rent. These look good, but they're not very practical. If you need to use one, a regular three-wheeled electric scooter is better; it's more practical and compact. Those with good driving skills can use it, but those without are advised not to use a three-wheeled electric scooter, as it can easily scratch other vehicles. Gaozhuang is very congested, and the roads are not very wide.

Above is the night view (Lancang River is the Mekong River, and Mekong River is the Lancang River, but they are called differently at home and abroad)