Live Your Best Lives
Rent a car at the airport to visit Pu'er Red Panda Manor and watch insects at night
Dinner: Hotel Wetland Restaurant
The buffet hotpot and fusion dishes are available. The black goat casserole and scrambled eggs are both good. The vegetables are especially delicious. The fried rice is just average. The buffet hotpot has unlimited vegetables.
The Wetland Restaurant has a beautiful environment and a wide view. Wild egrets and ducks are nearby, but there are also many mosquitoes.
Accommodation: Pu'er Red Panda Manor
The Red Panda Manor is divided into two phases. Phase 1 consists of treehouses nestled on the mountain. The location is excellent, but the facilities are aging, and many of the room hardware is beginning to deteriorate. Phase 2, adjacent to the restaurant, offers much newer rooms, but with limited availability and slightly higher prices. The scenic area is incredibly ecologically sound, with mosquitoes lulling you to sleep, birdsong waking you up early, and even playful owls roaming around at night. Light sleepers, please bring earplugs.
A small, non-powered children's playground and activity center are within walking distance, but the scenic area is a bit farther away and requires a shuttle bus, which can be quite long.
There are many paid activities within the scenic area, including woodblock printmaking, adventure exploration, ziplining, and nighttime insect watching.
After settling in, we spent a long time at a small, non-powered children's playground near our room. We strolled along the way, observing the flora and fauna, as we continued to the restaurant for dinner. It gets dark quite late there, generally after 7:30 PM, so there was plenty of time for activities and entertainment. After dinner, we enjoyed a night of insect watching. At 7:50 PM, we registered with the guest service team and paid for our participation. We all set off at 8:00 PM for the one-hour tour, which the adults also had a blast.
Breakfast: The hotel buffet offered a limited variety, but the taste was excellent. The rice noodles and sauces were both delicious, and we ordered two bowls each just for the sauce. There's a DIY sandwich area, perfect for kids.
Lunch: Pu'er Tianyuzhuang Coffee, Dai pilaf + coffee, 88 per person; the pilaf set is super delicious, with roast chicken, grilled fish, beef jerky, pork skin, and a variety of vegetables... all freshly picked from the farm. I highly recommend the grilled fish prepared by the owner herself, brimming with all sorts of seasonings, making it crispy, tender, and fragrant. Overall, it's a great value. Coffee and tea are available to accompany the meal, helping to cool down. The dining area has cliffside views and a beautifully maintained garden nearby, a true testament to the hotel's thoughtfulness. After the meal, they offered a variety of hand-poured coffees and a coffee education course. The children even participated in selecting coffee beans with the owner, which was a pleasant and relaxing experience. The only downside was the steep, mountainous path, which required some skill. However, once you get into the mountains, you'll find a new world of light and hope. It was a worthwhile trip! Dinner: Mushroom Hot Pot with Chicken Soup. To avoid being overwhelmed by the crowds, the pot is opened only at the appointed time. The moment it's opened, the steam from the boiling pot is so fragrant! Mushroom enthusiasts will want to enjoy three bowls of soup first! They also offer potato stew with rice and a carb-filled energy bomb. Delicious enough to top off two bowls of mushroom jerky. Sun River Forest Park: Free hotel admission, one-way tours are available. You can find a guide online for your children in advance, making it a truly worthwhile experience. Within the park, you can feed and touch rhinos, fawns, egrets, red pandas, and other animals, as well as a variety of other wildlife and plants. You can sample wild grass along the road (life is precious, so professional guidance is required) and feed birds by the pond. The park is well-organized, meticulously designed, and offers a variety of scenic views, making it a fun experience for all ages. We lost track of time and arrived at the red pandas' residence at noon, missing out on the perfect opportunity to interact with the little adorable creatures. The staff tried many times to wake the lazy pandas from their nap, but couldn't. It was a bit of a shame. Nakeli Tea-Horse Ancient Road: A small, sophisticated, and mature scenic spot with complete facilities, you can make and drink tea, play, and stroll around. The foodies continued to enjoy freshly picked mulberries and mint along the roadside. We also experienced the on-site making of Pu'er tea cakes. By the time the children were making tea, it was already quite late, and there were very few tourists in the village. The owner leisurely chatted with us over tea and nuts, which was quite pleasant. By the way, the shaqi ma at Nanmi Tea House was so delicious that I cried! We returned home fully satisfied with our meal and drinks, enjoying the moonlit night walk. However, for those of us who were not able to return to the mountain before dawn, the dark mountain roads with almost no streetlights were quite terrifying and dangerous. It's cold in the mountains day and night, so remember to bring some clothes. Breakfast: Rice noodles again! Lunch: Cha Xiang Yuan, a farm stay near the red pandas. The dishes were visibly fresh. The pumpkin flowers, banana flowers, potato pancakes, sour bamboo shoots and beef, porcini mushrooms, etc. were all delicious. The ingredients were fresh and the side dishes were carefully prepared. The only drawback was that the food was served too slowly during mealtimes! Lunch: Cha Xiang Yuan, a farm stay near the red pandas. The dishes were visibly fresh. The pumpkin flowers, banana flowers, potato pancakes, sour bamboo shoots and beef, porcini mushrooms, etc. were all delicious. The ingredients were fresh and the side dishes were carefully prepared. The only drawback was that the food was served too slowly! ! Dinner: Yuwanghan Dai Homestay. They say for Dai food, go to Manhuisuo; the taste and environment are similar. Hmmmm… Just a quick taste, just experiencing the local flavor; after all, you need to save room for the night market. Red Panda Manor Activities: Jungle Zipping and complimentary woodcut printmaking upon arrival. The instructors were very friendly, but the Zipping can be a bit dangerous for young children, so full-time care isn't recommended for young children. The same goes for woodcutting, which requires a strong hand using a carving knife, so adult assistance is required. While the woodcuts were being put away, the owner warmly invited us to join him for tea and a chat. He brought out his beloved ancient tree buds, and the tea was indeed refreshing, mellow, and sweet. As we chatted, I once again marveled at the enviable lifestyle of the locals. Starlight Night Market: Before checking in, I chatted with a local woman about what fun and delicious food there was in Gaozhuang. She replied, "We locals don't go there. It's now Northeastern Xishuangbanna..." But hearsay is always a lie; you have to go see for yourself to know for sure. The night market is similar to other places, except for the sheer volume and liveliness. Thirty or forty sets of ethnic costumes. Of course, our biggest motivation is eating. Wantai + Dayi Tea Pavilion, I highly recommend Dayi tea!!! Hotel: Wanda Vista Resort Xishuangbanna Jize Entering the hotel, it feels like you are in a rainforest, with welcoming peacocks and alpacas at the entrance. There are large gardens and pagodas inside the hotel, and the architecture is also very distinctive, like a small palace hidden in the rainforest. The guest rooms are all villas, each with its own private garden and swimming pool. However, the service efficiency and the restaurant really don't live up to the hotel's positioning... Breakfast: The breakfast at Wenhua... has many varieties... but really... it's not enough to eat. The open-air stall is the worst. The steamed rice noodles are half-cooked and bland, and the omelette is really beyond my comprehension. Even the vegetables are not tasty, so I might as well just have porridge and Western pastries... Lunch: Princess Nan Southeast Asian Theme Restaurant. It’s not a particularly popular online celebrity restaurant, but the dishes are all delicious. It’s the first choice if you don’t have to queue. Dinner: Lolo Ice House + KFC + McDonald's + Riverside Night Market Snacks The century-old Luo Luo Ice House has excellent desserts, but the chicken feet are few and spicy, not as good as the Erzhong chicken feet next door. The Riverside Night Market isn't as lively as the Xingguang Night Market. It's more of a local market, with a basic atmosphere and limited variety. Ultimately, not wanting to eat the spicy Dai rice noodles with chili sauce, the group happily decided to eat at McDonald's. Tropical Flower Garden: The hotel provided complimentary tickets. Considering our short itinerary and the distance to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), we chose the Tropical Flower Garden. Formerly the Yunnan Institute of Tropical Crops, it's often called a "dear" alternative to the CAS Botanical Garden, but it's truly a delightful place to visit! There are few people and the distance is close. The most important thing is that the hotel provides free tickets and explanations, so you can just buy a tour bus yourself. The explanations are very worthwhile. They cover everything from humanities, nature, folk customs, and science. The species are rich and the scenery is exquisite. There is also a rubber tapping performance, and the orchard also offers picking. You can feed the fish at the door! It smells really good! In the final exhibition hall, there's a health education section from the research institute and a sale of dendrobium. It's voluntary, but the prices are very reasonable. I definitely bought some for myself because I have a weak stomach. There's a school near the flower garden. I heard many of the snacks there are good, like vinegar rice noodles, but the elderly mothers have to rush to get massages! Thai Massage: I went to the Wan Shou Palace in Gaozhuang because of the reviews about the nice environment and interactive children's area. It was actually quite small, hot, and not very animal-friendly. However, it's close to the popular online food spot, Chonburi, and the Children's Pottery Museum and Bookstore. If you have time, you can grab a number in the morning and walk the kids around for a massage! The massage environment was average, the technique was decent, but not worth the trip. I took a picture of the number pickup time in Chonburi for your check-in. After the massage, the senior group returned to the hotel. Taking advantage of the high temperature in the afternoon, I bought some delicious food and threw the kids into the swimming pool in the room. It was my free time~ After swimming, I strolled around the night market by the river, bought a McDonald's, went back to the hotel to eat and participated in the bonfire party (a DJ performed several shows and took everyone to do a 20-minute circle dance), and then went back to the room to sleep. The hotel gave us a complimentary Platinum Travel Photography package, which included 6 selected photos and a 30-second video. Last year, we were too busy to take a family photo, and my dad, who doesn't like photos, took some photos for us, which turned out amazing. So, we decided to take a family photo and bought a few extra photos. Xishuangbanna's airport...is small, crowded, and inefficient, so leave plenty of time; there's basically no food after security, so eat in advance. After many twists and turns before boarding the plane, I finally bought the Dayi tea I had been longing for. My short vacation ended successfully🔚 Number of days：9 days, Average cost: 4299 yuan, Updated: 2021.04.28 Number of days: 28 days, , Updated: 2020.12.11 Number of days：3 days, Average cost: 5,000 yuan, Updated: 2020.12.03 , , Updated: 2022.03.13 Number of days: 2 days, Average cost: 2000 yuan, Updated: 2022.03.21 Number of days:7 days, Average cost: 5000 yuan, Updated: 2021.03.28
Day 3 Red Panda Manor Activities - Xishuangbanna - Starlight Night Market
Day4 Market + Tropical Flower Garden + Thai Massage + Swimming + Riverside Night Market + Bonfire Party
Day 5: Hotel travel photography + shopping trip back home
src="https://dimg04.c-ctrip.com/images/1mf3412000aywwfzxA98C_R_800_10000_Q90.jpg?proc=autoorient" />
More Stories in Yunnan
Happy Yunnan Time—Yuanyang, Luoping, Dongchuan, Lijiang, Dali...
2020 Autumn Tour (6) Shangri-La - Balagzong Scenic Area
Kunming, Playing with Seagulls
Four Trips to Yunnan (Dali 6: Weishan Ancient City)
Opening a hidden door in the snowy Jiangnan region: Stay in Songtsam Meili and experience the 360-degree natural beauty of snow-capped mountains
Xishuangbanna travelogue
