The Dehong Prefecture is an autonomous region in southwest Yunnan that stretches down to the Burma border at Ruili and Wanding. The two border crossing points are south of Baoshan and lie on the G320 highway.
Dehong Prefecture stretches over 170kms north to south and 120kms east to west and is mostly composed of Han Chinese and other ethnic minorities, such as the Dai. There are around one million people here, most of who have congregated in Ruili and Wanding border towns.
As well as the usefulness of having crossings into Burma, Dehong Prefecture also has a fair amount of nice scenery to look at. The subtropical tropical climate has produced jungle areas, with the Ruilijiang and Da Yingjiang rivers having the best of it. There is also the stunning Volcano Park in nearby Tengchong, which lies farther north, as well as the Nujiang Valley north again.
If you have plans to spend some time here, apart from just crossing borders, you will find deep routed cultures of the Dai people. The border trade on the way through to Burma is the big appeal, however, with some of the cheapest jewels available in the world here.
Getting There & Away
The main G320 highway from Kunming runs all the way to the border town of Ruili - a 10-hour bus ride. It is 4 hours from Baoshan and this is where the nearest airport (Baoshan Airport) is situated. Flight time from Kunming is less than an hour while Kunming Wujiaba Airport is served from Beijing in 3 hours.