That weekend, I went to Banna from the north

Number of days: 2 days
Time: August
Average cost: 1500 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2024.08.13

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">For office workers, vacation time is never enough. But what if you still dream of visiting Banna? Here's a guide to exploring Banna without taking time off. Take a weekend trip to Banna and relieve your long-term busyness.

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">What you need in advance:

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">●Buy a flight from your departure city to Banna on Friday night. If you can't fly directly, you can go directly to Kunming.

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">●Pack light and don't bring anything. It's best to just have a backpack.

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">●Buy a return ticket. If you can't fly directly to your city, buy a ticket from Banna to another nearby airport.

Saturday: Manting Park → Mengle Cultural Tourism Area → Starlight Night Market

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">First stop: If you're going directly to Banna, your first stop will be Manting Park. Get up at 8 a.m. and depart. The ticket is 40 yuan. If you're going to Kunming, don't go to Manting Park. Go directly from Kunming to Banna in the morning. Buy the train ticket in advance and you'll arrive in a little over three hours.

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">Manting Park, also known as the Manting Imperial Garden, is the Dai King's back garden. It's full of melancholy and is a great place to check in, take photos, and watch performances. In Manting Park:

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">●The exotic architecture is not to be missed

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">●The various special performances and interactions are not to be missed, such as the Dai King's tour, folk song singing, parrot interaction, the Dai King and Princess' garden party, etc., your first time to experience the Dai performance

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">●The Zong Buddhist Temple is well worth a visit. The magnificent Buddhist temple may be the most exquisite and beautiful Buddhist temple you have ever seen in your life

The Octagonal Bridge in Manting Park

We came out around 12 noon and had a casual lunch. To be honest, the lunch culture in Banna is really not strong. As long as you can eat enough for lunch, it's fine. After a short rest, we set off for Mengle Grand Buddhist Temple at 14:00 in the afternoon.

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">Second stop: Mengle Cultural Tourism Zone

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">Mengle Grand Buddha Temple, a holy place of Theravada Buddhism, is located in Mengle Cultural Tourism Zone. The ticket price is 120 yuan. It is located in the city and you can take a taxi or bus No. 2. The main attractions are:

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● Participate in the water splashing carnival at the Grand Buddha Temple (as shown below). Since you are traveling on weekends, please participate in the water splashing at the Mengle Grand Buddha Temple because you will not have enough time to visit the Dai Garden

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● Watch the peacocks flying. This may be the first time you have seen so many peacocks in your life

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● Check in and take photos in front of the Big Buddha statue. The Big Buddha will bring you a safe journey

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">●The architecture of the Buddhist temple can really open your eyes

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● Check in and take a souvenir at the Zhuangkai Shwedagon Pagoda

The tour time of Mengle Cultural Tourism Area is about 4 hours. We leave the scenic area at around 5 pm, take a short break, drink some milk tea, and don't eat yet.

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">Third stop: Depart for Xingguang Night Market around 7 o'clock

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">Xingguang Night Market is the largest night market in Asia. In addition to a variety of stalls, there are also beautiful night views and beautiful princesses. At Xingguang Night Market:

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● Various special snacks, the price per person is tens of yuan and you can eat your fill

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● Gentlemen watch the runaway princesses take pictures and feast their eyes

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● For fairies, you can spend a few hundred to be a runaway princess for a day (beautiful Dai clothes only cost a few dozen yuan a set) and take a photo

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● It is recommended to go to the small bar, the consumption is indeed not high

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● The most important thing is the outdoor Dai Di at the Six Kingdoms Music Scene (pictured below), the entrance fee is dozens of yuan, and there are also various VIPs. It depends on the amount of money your boss or father has put in the card

After the Starlight Night Market, it was almost 11 o'clock. I was tired after a day, so I went home to rest up early. Tomorrow, I set off to Wild Elephant Valley.

Sunday: Wild Elephant Valley → Flower Garden

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">First stop: Wild Elephant Valley. It's possible to get close to wild elephants in Wild Elephant Valley. It's 33 kilometers from the city center. You can take a direct bus from the scenic area to the scenic area from the Gaozhuang Tourist Service Center. The ticket price for Wild Elephant Valley is 60 yuan per person. The Wild Elephant Valley cable car is 50 yuan one way and 80 yuan round trip. The main activities here are:

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● Watch an elephant show

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● Ride the high-altitude cableway to enjoy the beautiful scenery, and you may even see wild elephants

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● Walk along the high-altitude elephant observation corridor

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">● Participate in elephant feeding and touch the elephants up close

Come to the Wild Elephant Valley and have an intimate interaction with the elephants. src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">After playing in the Wild Elephant Valley, it was almost noon. We returned to the village of Manhuisuo for a Dai lunch, a short rest, and then went to the flower garden in the afternoon.

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">Second stop: the flower garden, located in the city center. The flower garden ticket is 40 yuan. A variety of plants and flowers are available here for you to enjoy. At the Flower Garden:

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">●Experience an off-road vehicle

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">●Aini Village is a must-visit, after all, it is an ethnic minority village

src="/travelogue/China/Yunnan/4143642/2.webp">●There are also various flower areas and flower gardens. It is recommended to visit them one by one. The photos are really good

Xishuangbanna Flower Garden

After playing in the flower garden for about 3 hours, it's time to end your weekend trip. I still have to move bricks tomorrow and prepare to go to the airport.